Daily Archive: Thursday, February 4, 2021

With the Trump administration now having passed noisily into history, US oil companies appear to be wasting no time in seeking to persuade the administration of the country’s new President, Joe Biden, to roll back the crippling sanctions which have placed harsh restrictions on Venezuela’s oil exports and damaged the sector as a whole to a point where repair could take a time span that is difficult to determine.

Two more men have died from COVID-19 bringing the death toll to 179.

The APNU+AFC coalition today hammered the government for the fiasco over a Taiwan office here and expressed concern that relations with China had been damaged.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs today said that an agreement which had been announced yesterday for the setting up of a Taiwan office has been terminated.

Acting Chief Justice Roxane George-Wiltshire SC has ordered the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) and the Guyana Energy Agency (GEA) to release to Atlantic Fuels Inc (AFI) the 635,353 litres of diesel fuel it had seized and detained.

Leader of the Opposition Joseph Harmon today expressed concern that a Taiwanese Office for Investment will be established in Guyana.

(Jamaica Star) Organiser of the annual 10,000 Men and Family’s March in Spanish Town, Bishop Rohan Edwards, says the time has come for pastors to arm themselves to protect their congregation from vicious men.

THE HAGUE, (Reuters) – A former Ugandan child soldier who became a commander of the rebel Lord’s Resistance Army was convicted today of dozens of crimes, including widespread rape, sexual enslavement, child abductions, torture and murder, including killings of babies.

ANTWERP, Belgium,  (Reuters) – An Iranian diplomat accused of planning to bomb a meeting of an exiled opposition group was sentenced to 20 years in prison today in the first trial of an Iranian official for suspected terrorism in Europe since Iran’s 1979 revolution.

WUHAN, China,  (Reuters) – A member of the World Health Organization-led team searching for clues to the origins of COVID-19 in the central Chinese city of Wuhan said work was needed to try to trace genetic elements of the virus in bat caves.

(Trinidad Express) It has been seven days since court clerk, Andrea Bharatt, was last seen and the nation has united in a desperate search for her.

(Trinidad Guardian) In a near three-hour long memorial service held yesterday for the late calypso icon Sandra “Singing Sandra” Des Vignes-Millington at the Queen’s Hall, in St Ann’s, Port-of-Spain, tributes in song, dance, written expressions, and even extempo came filing in for the woman they all affectionately called “Mother.”

(Trinidad Guardian) Trinidad  has recorded an additional COVID-19 related death bringing the toll to 135.

Guyana has acquiesced to the establishment of a Taiwanese investment office here, a move certain to upset its 48-year ties with the People’s Republic of China which have been underpinned by adherence to the `One China Policy’.

Two vessels with 12 Guyanese aboard are expected back in Guyana’s waters later this week after being illegally detained by the Venezuelan Navy on January 21.

A taxi driver was shot in the head on Tuesday night while attending a party in North East La Penitence.

A supervisor at the Edward B Beharry and Company Limited, Mandela Avenue location, died on Tuesday in a worksite accident involving a pressurized air hose.

President Irfaan Ali yesterday helped to turn the sod for what is expected to be one of the largest malls in Guyana and which will be situated at Leonora, West Coast Demerara.

IDB Invest, a member of the IDB Group, has approved a US$4 million loan to Surinamese company, Fernandes Guyana Enterprise (FGE) to expand bread production here.

CHATTOGRAM, Bangladesh, CMC – Left-arm spinner Jomel Warrican snatched three wickets but veteran all-rounder Shakib-al-Hasan anchored two critical late partnerships to keep West Indies at bay on the opening day of the first Test here yesterday.

Although the Ministry of Education (MoE) has extended the timelines for the completion of several projects ongoing at the University of Guyana (UG) Turkeyen campus, it has warned it will terminate those not completed on the revised schedule.

In light of the positive Covid-19 result of a member of the Golden Jaguars senior men’s training programme, the Guyana Football Federation (GFF), the sport’s local governing body, is scheduled to commence their second phase of testing for players and coaching staff today.

Wicketkeeper/batsman, Tevin Imlach believes the Guyana Jaguars will need to master the art of winning critical moments of the game if they are to lift the Regional Super50 title this year.

With the Cricket Administration Act no longer suspended, the Demerara Cricket Board (DCB) is likely to now be able to hold its elections to select office-holders.

Fred VanVleet set a club record with 54 points, including a career-best 11 3-pointers in 14 attempts, as the visiting Toronto Raptors defeated the Orlando Magic 123-108 on Tuesday night.

Introduction In the last week, Stabroek News has carried several articles on the deplorable conditions encountered by residents in mainly rural coastal communities.

Minister of Public Works, Juan Edghill yesterday appealed to vendors who sell on the Seawall to comply with the applicable regulations.

NEW DELHI, (Reuters) – India will hope to have recovered from their dramatic victory in Australia to maintain their formidable home record against England who have boldly placed players’ well-being above team prospects in the four-test series beginning tomorrow.

NEW DELHI, (Reuters) – England welcomed back a fit-again Ollie Pope yesterday after he recovered from a shoulder injury but the tourists’ batting consultant Jonathan Trott said batsman Zak Crawley’s participation is in doubt after he injured his wrist.

(Reuters) – Anyone criticising England’s much debated rotation policy has not spent time inside a bio-secure bubble to understand the toll its strict COVID-19 protocols takes on players’ mental health, fast bowler Jofra Archer said on Tuesday.

An undisclosed number of students at the University of Guyana (UG) are expected to face disciplinary action after the university received a “selfie video” showing the students breaching the COVID-19 guidelines.

Guyana yesterday  recorded 36 new COVID-19 cases after over 600 persons were tested during the most recent testing cycle.

ESSEN, Germany, CMC – Jamaica international winger Leon Bailey broke the deadlock with an extra-time goal in a German Cup match on Tuesday night, but then saw Bayer Leverkusen bundled out by fourth-tier Rot-Weiss Essen in a shock 2-1 defeat.

(Reuters) – Australia’s national cricket coach Justin Langer said media reports that his coaching style had caused discontent in the dressing room will serve as a “wake-up call”.

Robbery charges against a Police Tactical Services Unit (TSU) constable have been dropped after he agreed to pay compensation to the victim.

Agriculture Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha and a team of senior officers from the ministry on Friday told farmers from along the Pomeroon River in Region Two that they will soon benefit from an improved drainage and irrigation system and aid with planting materials.

Dear Editor, Just my opinion and it may not be acceptable to a number of people.

CHATTOGRAM, Bangladesh, CMC – Three years ago, Jomel Warrican starred with a six-wicket haul in the opening Test at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium.

Stating that Guyana does not have the capacity to host two major examinations simultaneously, Minister of Education Priya Manickchand says that the Ministry is awaiting the disclosure of dates for the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) exams before setting a date for this year’s Grade Six Assessment (NGSA).

(Reuters) – Sri Lanka are looking to reschedule their tour of West Indies after head coach Mickey Arthur and opening batsman Lahiru Thirimanne tested positive for COVID-19, the country’s cricket board (SLC) said  yesterday.

Dear Editor, In conversation with many Guyanese folks, following my letter published in this newspaper on Jan.

WASHINGTON,  (Reuters) – The U.S. Justice Department arrested and charged a top member of the Seattle chapter of the far-right Proud Boys group yesterday over allegations he had a role in the storming of the U.S.

WASHINGTON,  (Reuters) – The Biden administration yesterday reaffirmed U.S. recognition of opposition leader Juan Guaido as Venezuela’s legitimate president and ruled out negotiations anytime soon with President Nicolas Maduro, branding him a “dictator” and calling for free and fair elections.

A man who claims to be Guyanese recently admitted in a Barbados court to jumping off a cement boat and swimming to the shores of the Land of the Flying Fish where he remained illegally for months before being arrested.

(Reuters) – South Africa batsman Rassie van der Dussen says his team mates must show more application at the crease if they are to beat Pakistan in the second and final test to share the series.

Dear Editor, Permit me to share with your readers as it pertains to a very important concern; as a former serving regional councillor for Region Four, I feel I owe it to myself and to the newly placed councillors also.

TORONTO,  (Reuters) – Canada’s most populous province of Ontario will resume in-person classes for primary and secondary students across all regions by Feb.

(Trinidad Express) Andrew Morris, 35, one of the suspects in the kidnapping of Andrea Bharrat, died at the Arima Hospital around 12.45 am on Monday.

(Reuters) – Former fast bowler Merv Hughes has been inducted into the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame, the country’s cricket board said on Tuesday.

The Ministry of Health has not made use of thousands of antibody tests that were donated to Guyana but plans to employ them for surveillance in the first quarter of 2021.

(Trinidad Guardian) Relatives of safety technician Matthew Scipio believe that the gunman who took his life mistook him for someone else.

Dear Editor, I read statements by His Excellency President Irfaan Ali on the issue of race in Guyana.

(Reuters) – Newly unsealed court documents and other records show that Merck & Co and U.S.

(Reuters) – South Africa are sweating over the fitness of their two frontline spinners Keshav Maharaj and Tabraiz Shamsi ahead of the second test against Pakistan that starts in Rawalpindi today.

Dear Editor, I write with reference to a letter titled `Bring back the constituency system and reform the rights commissions’ which was published in your online edition dated February 2, 2021.

WASHINGTON,  (Reuters) – The International Monetary Fund said yesterday it is launching a new method of assessing debt sustainability for countries with access to financial markets to more accurately predict risks of financial crises and improve transparency.

MANACAPURU, Brazil,  (Reuters) – Health workers sped along the Amazon river this week to start vaccinating riverside communities, bringing hope to a region hard hit by COVID-19 and now facing a lethal surge driven by a new Brazilian variant of coronavirus.

Having completed hearing all the arguments in the Director of Public Prosecutions’ (DPP) appeal to the High Court ruling quashing her order that Marcus Bisram be tried for the murder of Faiyaz Narinedatt, the Guyana Court of Appeal is now set to rule.

A teen was yesterday released on bail for an escaping custody charge and a robbery charge after assuring the court that he will attend his court dates.

A Linden taxi-driver was yesterday charged with inflicting grievous bodily harm on a man.

The dry earth was still booming and vibrating in remote southern Guyana on a blazing Sunday afternoon, but across the Atlantic, it was just after 8 p.m.

 Dear Editor, Once again, our beloved nation state is being distracted by a level of folly, and unnecessary energy, being spent on things like gifts and the strange behaviour by sections of the Police Force and our Judiciary.

(Reuters) – More people are now vaccinated against COVID-19 than have been infected by the virus that has swept the globe over the past year, a milestone on the road to ending the pandemic, based on data reported yesterday.

A man who admitted to damaging the Kingston Seawall Bandstand was placed on 40 hours community service.

It probably looks good on paper, but the Government of Guyana’s $25,000 COVID-19 relief and household support grant, much like its handling of the transmission of the infection and other aspects of the pandemic to date, is far from even handed and shamefully steeped in politics.

BRASILIA,  (Reuters) – Brazil’s Car Wash anti-corruption unit has officially shut down, the end of an era for a team of prosecutors that helped send dozens of Latin American political and business leaders to jail, including several former presidents.

The postponement of the Test series between South Africa and Australia means New Zealand have become the first team to qualify for the inaugural ICC World Test Championship final to be held in England from June 18 to 22, with June 23 as the reserve day. New