Daily Archive: Saturday, December 19, 2020

The Customs Anti-Narcotic Unit (CANU) has seized a large amount of cannabis believed to be trafficked from Venezuela at a house at Dartmouth, Essequibo Coast A release today from CANU said the cannabis was found at 221 Clarke Street, Dartmouth Essequibo Coast.

Minister of Public Works,  Juan Edghill is again urging contractors to adhere to inscribed deadlines, saying that he is dissatisfied with the pace of work on the hinterland road projects for Region 10, according to the Department of Public Information (DPI).

 (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump in his first comments about a widespread data breach across the U.S.

LONDON,  (Reuters) – Prime Minister Boris Johnson imposed an effective lockdown on almost 18 million people in England and reversed plans to ease curbs over Christmas, saying Britain was dealing with a new coronavirus strain that is up to 70% more transmissible than the original.

The Private Sector Commission (PSC) today called on the Chair of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), Justice of Appeal (R’td) Claudette Singh to “speak out and speak plainly” about action being taken to rectify all that has gone wrong with the commission and to do so quickly.

(Reuters) – Australia crushed India by eight wickets inside three days of the first test at Adelaide Oval on Saturday, skittling the tourists for their lowest innings score in 88 years of test cricket and taking a 1-0 lead in the four-match series.

(Jamaica Observer) Business tycoon Ian Levy is convinced Andrew Holness will go down in history as one of the best, if not the best prime ministers Jamaica has ever had.

(Jamaica Gleaner) Oral Nelson, a 32-year-old Jamaican who faced a double murder charge shortly after he was deported from the United States of America in August 2019, was freed last week of the charges but says the ordeal has left him traumatised and depressed.

(Jamaica Star) Dewayne and Feleca Jonas were like peas in a pod when they were growing up in Belmont district, Lawrence Tavern, St Andrew.

(Trinidad Express) Trinidadian businessmen are involved in the illegal trade of Venezuelans to this country for the sale of their bodies through prostitution and also sale of their organs.

(Trinidad Guardian) A Trinidadian doctor who was among the historic first round of healthcare workers to get Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine is advising citizens to put their fears aside and get vaccinated when it becomes available.

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) yesterday ruled that it has jurisdiction to determine the validity of the 1899 Arbitral Award on the frontier between Guyana and Venezuela in what is seen as a major victory for this country in its bid to definitively settle a decades-old controversy.

Guyana crossed a major hurdle yesterday when the International Court of Justice (ICJ) announced it would adjudicate the border controversy with Venezuela but it is likely to take as much as nine years before the matter is finally settled, according to Guyana’s co-agent in the case, former Minister of Foreign Affairs Carl Greenidge.

President Irfaan Ali yesterday welcomed the ruling by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) that it has jurisdiction to hear Guyana’s case seeking the validation of the 1899 arbitral award establishing the boundary with Venezuela, calling it a victory that demonstrates what can be achieved through unity.

Although the 26 Haitian nationals who were detained for weeks at the state-run Hugo Chavez Centre for Rehabilitation and Reintegration have left Guyana, acting Chief Justice Roxane George yesterday denied a request by Attorney General Anil Nandlall to dismiss the pending application filed on their behalf over the alleged violation of their fundamental rights by the state. 

The Childcare and Protection Agency (CPA) has received over 2,700 abuse reports between January and October this year and biological and step parents were found to be the perpetrators in 85% of cases.

A Corentyne fisherman was yesterday sentenced to eight years in prison after he pleaded guilty to manslaughter at the High Court in Berbice. 

Thirty-four new COVID-19 cases were recorded on Friday. According to the Ministry of Health’s COVID-19 dashboard, the 34 new cases increased Guyana’s total number of positive confirmed cases to 6,076.

President Irfaan Ali on Thursday said the police would advise him on whether additional help is needed in the investigations into the murders West Coast Berbice (WCB) teenagers Isaiah and Joel Henry and Haresh Singh.

Georgetown were declared winners of the Demerara Under-19 Inter-Association tournament after persistent rainfall made cricket impossible yesterday.

Alliance For Change (AFC) executive Valerie Garrido-Lowe yesterday called on the Minister of Health, Dr Frank Anthony, to ensure that persons who worked temporarily at the Kumaka District Hospital (KDH) during the period that the Moruca sub-district was a COVID-19 hotspot are paid for the work that they had done.

Planning for the inaugural `Big Man Cricket tournament’ is back on stream, according to the organisers.

A post-mortem examination conducted on the body of Leonard Singh, the seaman who was struck down along the Annandale Public Road on November 10th, revealed that he succumbed due to multiple injuries.

Roscoe McIntyre, the man accused of setting fire to the Arakaka Police Outpost, was on Thursday charged with the crime.

WASHINGTON,  (Reuters) – The United States yesterday imposed sanctions on two people and a company it says played a role in fraudulent elections in Venezuela, keeping up pressure on socialist President Nicolas Maduro even as U.S.

By Readawne Henery City Engineer Colvern Venture on Thursday said his Department is being hindered in the performance of its duties by the inability of the city’s Finance Department to procure needed material, which has been stalling critical works.

The Guyana Football Federation (GFF) will partner with Brazilian business and marketing consultancy Alabanquima to expand and tap into commercial opportunities for the Golden Jaguars brand of the Guyana senior Men’s national team.

‘Hola Guyana,’ the sole Spanish/Latin radio programme on the local airwaves, on Wednesday marked a year since it first aired in Guyana.

Dear Editor, On the subject of constraining production and implementing a depletion strategy, and the possibility of a reduction in oil prices due to changing global energy demand.

(Reuters) – Moderna Inc’s coronavirus vaccine yesterday became the second to receive emergency use authorization (EUA) from the U.S.

The establishment of a comprehensive financial assistance plan for its members, the launch in 2021 of a professional league and the implementation of a club charter to accelerate football development when the sport resumes after the pandemic were among the raft of initiatives announced by the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) when it held its 2020 Ordinary Congress recently at the Pegasus Hotel.

MEXICO CITY,  (Reuters) – The former governor of the Mexican state of Jalisco was shot dead early yesterday  in a restaurant bathroom in the beach town of Puerto Vallarta, one of the most high profile political killings since Mexico embarked on its “War on Drugs” in 2006.

SANTIAGO,  (Reuters) – Chilean President Sebastian Pinera was slapped with a $3,500 fine on Friday after posing for a selfie on the beach with a bystander without wearing a mask as required during the coronavirus pandemic, health authorities said.

Dear Editor, The Clerical & Commercial Workers’ Union (CCWU) has expressed great concern to the Guyana Oil Company Limited (GUYOIL) about the Company’s recent decision not to honour an Agreement with the Union.

Recording artiste and spoken word poet Leeanna Allen earlier this week released her latest single.

SAO PAULO/RIO DE JANEIRO,  (Reuters) – Brazilian engineering group Odebrecht, whose name became synonymous with graft due to its role in the nation’s sweeping Car Wash corruption investigation, is changing its name as it tries to turn the page on that scandal-plagued history.

(Reuters) – Suspected Russian hackers who broke into U.S. government agencies also spied on less high-profile organizations, including groups in Britain, a U.S.

Dear Editor, Wonderful contributions to the ongoing and imperative discussions on ethnic relations in Guyana were made by Mr.

Members of the National Commission for the Family were installed on Thursday and Minister of Human Services Dr Vindhya Persaud has urged that they recommend impactful policies which will improve the quality of family life in the Guyanese society through the promotion of stable cohesive campaigns.

CARACAS,  (Reuters) – Venezuela’s National Constituent Assembly, a pro-government legislature created in 2017 that was widely criticized for undermining democracy, will cease operations at the end of 2020, President Nicolas Maduro said yesterday.

WASHINGTON,  (Reuters) – The U.S. Congress yesterday passed and sent to President Donald Trump a two-day stopgap extension of existing federal funds to avoid a midnight government shutdown, as negotiators work on a $900 billion coronavirus aid bill and a $1.4 trillion government-wide spending bill through September 2021.

Dear Editor, Following the culmination of the contentious national and regional elections on March 2, several groups and organizations have mushroomed and strenuously agitated for ‘democracy’ to prevail.

BOGOTA,  (Reuters) – Colombia has inked deals with pharmaceutical companies Pfizer and AstraZeneca to provide 20 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines, President Ivan Duque said yesterday.

The Ministry of Labour’s Central Recruitment and Manpower Agency (CRMA) on Tuesday held an awards ceremony for companies that have played a part in making employment opportunities available for citizens.

(Reuters) – Strong currents have taken hold of a massive Antarctic iceberg that is on a collision course towards South Georgia Island, causing it to shift direction and lose a major chunk of mass, a scientist tracking its journey said yesterday.

This week brought news that hackers, reportedly linked to Russia, had successfully penetrated critical US government infrastructure networks in a campaign that may have lasted for years.

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad,  CMC – Former captain Merissa Aguilleira said the recent performances of the West Indies Women’s team was painful to watch and she would be willing to play a part to help reinvigorate the team.

(Reuters) – Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Amir announced his retirement from international cricket at the age of 28 on Thursday, claiming he could no longer play in an atmosphere where he did not feel welcome in the national team.

SYDNEY, (Reuters) – Cricket Australia are monitoring an outbreak of COVID-19 in Sydney but do not consider the third test against India to be under threat, interim chief executive Nick Hockley said yesterday.

PARIS, (Reuters) – The inclusion of breakdancing at the 2024 Olympics may been surprising but organisers were drawn to the sport’s potential to attract a younger fanbase and grow the Olympic audience in the internet age, Paris Games chief Tony Estanguet said.

CAPE TOWN, (Reuters) – South Africa has confirmed two unnamed players have tested positive for COVID-19 ahead of their two-match test series against Sri Lanka that starts in Pretoria on Boxing Day, forcing the call-up of three players as replacements.

(Reuters) – India dismissed Australia for 191 in 72 overs yesterday to take a 53-run first-innings lead that looked highly unlikely in the first half hour of a dramatic second day of the day-night first test at Adelaide Oval.

MOSCOW, (Reuters) – The Kremlin said on Friday it regretted Russia was unable to avoid doping sanctions but some officials declared a small victory after sport’s highest court halved a ban on athletes competing at the Olympics under the Russian flag to two years.

(Reuters) – Women’s World Cup winner Megan Rapinoe has said her inclusion in FIFA’s “Women’s World11” team of the year despite playing so little is a sign that the women’s game needs more visibility and exposure.

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC – West Indies T20 batting star, Evin Lewis, smashed a half-century and former Test seamer, Ravi Rampaul, grabbed a four-wicket haul, as Trinidad and Tobago Red Force continued their preparation for next February’s Regional Super50.

Dear Editor, While Xmas is a festive season that represents peace on earth and goodwill to mankind, my sentiments go out to all those who have lost loved ones during the year especially those who were murdered  by their spouses in domestic violence.

After a gap of nearly three months, there will be a sitting of the National Assembly on December 23rd, when a motion on the coronavirus pandemic will be debated and several new bills introduced.

Procurement for the construction of the Ogle to Diamond Road is expected to commence at the start 2021 now that the scope of works has been redesigned and reviewed, Minister of Public Works Juan Edghill HAS SAID.

(Barbados Nation) The days of having an Auditor General’s report that highlights a myriad of accounting inconsistencies and financial irregularities in Government departments, may soon be at an end.

LOS ANGELES, (Reuters) – LeBron James can strengthen his case to be called basketball’s greatest player of all time as he looks to win back-to-back championships with the Los Angeles Lakers, though even a fifth NBA title would not be enough to match Michael Jordan’s tally.

The Mocha Arcadia Multi-Purpose Agricultural Co-operative Society (MAMPA) will be hosting the village’s first Market Day on Sunday from 6am.

Guyana’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Hugh Todd on Monday urged international financial institutions to further increase aid to vulnerable developing states in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.