Daily Archive: Friday, May 21, 2021

President Irfaan Ali this morning attended the funeral service of Eshwar Vevakanand Persaud also known as ‘Uncle Vic’ at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception on Brickdam.

The Board of Directors of the Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) today said that a fraud was perpetrated at a commercial bank and resulted in the debit of GWI’s bank account of nearly $30m.

Chairman of the Police Service Commission and former Assistant Commissioner Paul Slowe will be vigorously defending the allegations and criminal charges of conspiracy to defraud and sexual assault.

The Ministry of Health today said that two more persons who tested positive for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) have died.

Education Minister Priya Manickchand today said that public schools will remain closed for the remainder of May, June, July and August.

Pandit Rajin Lalaram, of Region Five, succumbed to COVID-19 on Thursday evening in the Intensive Care Unit at the Liliendaal Hospital, sending his family, friends and admirers into a state of mourning.

BRUSSELS,  (Reuters) – Pfizer and BioNTech pledged today to deliver 1 billion doses of their COVID-19 vaccine to poorer nations this year and another 1 billion next year, the boss of Pfizer said.

LONDON,  (Reuters) – The British government vowed tpday to examine how the BBC was run, after a damning inquiry into how the broadcaster got its bombshell 1995 interview with Princess Diana and unprecedented criticism from her son Prince William.

(Trinidad Express) A police officer was killed on the Solomon Hochoy Highway, near the Brian Lara Stadium on Thursday night.

(Trinidad Guardian) Surrich Ramkhalwhan, 56, spent two days searching for the body of his son Sunil Ramkhalwhan, 34, who died of COVID-19 related complications on Tuesday.

Retired and serving senior police officers were yesterday arraigned on charges of conspiracy to defraud the Guyana Police Force (GPF) of over $10 million, stemming from a paid review of the force’s Standing Orders.

Tower Suites co-owner Shervington ‘Big Head’ Lovell was sentenced to 11 years in prison yesterday by United States Judge Paul G.

Police in Orealla, Region Six  yesterday afternoon arrested two Brazilian nationals after the plane they were onboard crashed-landed in the village with a quantity of suspected cocaine.

Commissioner of Police (ag) Nigel Hoppie has ordered that an investigation into the fatal shooting of robbery accused Peter Headley by a cop be “swiftly” concluded.

A Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) prosecutor was taken into police custody on Wednesday afternoon after he was allegedly caught collecting a $300,000 bribe to drop a court case.

Insisting that it used global best practices to determine the amounts of the fines catered for in the revised Liza-1 Environmental Permit, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) yesterday assured that Guyana will not have to pay a cent of the US$30 per Co2 equivalent fine catered for in the document and said that its current staff is competent enough to calculate the penalties.

Guyana on Thursday recorded 136 new cases of the novel coronavirus.

Floodwater in Regions Nine and Ten is slowly receding as teams continue to conduct assessments of the damage caused.

The March 2021 first shipment of crude oil from Guyana to a refining destination in India has triggered energetic speculation in the sector that, going forward, the global oil refining giant is positioning itself to become one of the country’s major long-term markets.

Tenders were on Tuesday opened at the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board for the construction of dorms at the Kato Secondary School in Region Eight.

The judiciary yesterday commissioned a new building which houses the Bartica Magistrate’s Court as well as a fully-furnished living quarters—which all together—are pegged at a cost of $177,331,000.

Even as the business sector continues to worry over the erratic economic climate that has persisted for more than a year now on account of the COVID-19 pandemic, the will to survive and, where possible, even to realise a modicum of growth is still evident in the outlook of small farmers and agro-processors across the country.

In the period ahead the Government of Guyana will probably have to make some key decisions concerning its relations with Taiwan and by extension, its long-standing diplomatic and, in more recent years, deepening economic ties with the People’s Republic of China.

Experienced Golden Jaguars midfielder Neil Danns has reiterated his desire to represent the Golden Jaguars Senior Men’s Program, at the impending 2022 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers slated to resume in St.

The Guyana Philatelic Library was officially opened yesterday with a ceremony that was held at the Guyana Post Office Corporation on North Street, Georgetown.

There appears to be literally no end to the wide assortment of champion vegetables that are widely cultivated in Guyana and Ochro, Okra, Okro or ‘Ladies Fingers’ (the tongue-twisting scientific name for Okra is Albelmoschus Esculentus) rank high on the list.

Minister of Health, Dr Frank Anthony yesterday announced that a COVID-19 vaccination drive-thru is expected to be held tomorrow, May 22nd  at the national stadium in an attempt to reach more persons.

New data generated by the World Bank indicates that private participation in infrastructure (PPI) in developing countries, including those in the Caribbean, has seen what it describes as a “very modest uptick” in the second half of the year against the backdrop of the advent of a COVID-19 pandemic that had been “widespread and swift.”

Minister of Local Government and Regional Development Nigel Dharamlall on Wednesday confirmed that he tested positive for COVID-19 in January.

By Deodat Maharaj    A new economic turn Seismic shifts are taking place in the global economic architecture as countries accelerate efforts to transition to clean and green economies.

President of the Athletics Association of Guyana (AAG), Aubrey Hutson, has appealed to the government and the Guyana Olympic Association (GOA) for funding to send a formidable team to the Senior South American Athletic Championships in Ecuador. 

Education Minister Priya Manickchand on Wednesday said that reports about plans to eliminate the Grade Six placement exams are inaccurate, instead, she says, the Ministry is looking for ways to equalise the resources at secondary schools across Guyana.

Dear Editor, I read about the upcoming inaugural diasporan event this week and went to the website of the Guyana Disapora Project (GDP) at http://guydproject.minfor.gov.gy/about-mgd,

Dear Editor, As a former Minister for Mines and Minerals (1992 to 2011) I write in response to that startling front page, headline in Kaieteur News of Tuesday May 18th, and “Chinese company pays G $1000 rent per acre yearly for Guyana’s largest gold claim.”

The police constable who struck down Navindra Ramnarine in a hit and run accident along the Better Hope Public Road, East Coast Demerara , almost two weeks ago, was on Wednesday released on $400,000 bail after denying a causing death by dangerous driving charge.

The Caribbean COVID-19 Tourism Task Force is pointing to what it says is a strong link between continued diligence and adherence to public health safety protocols in the Caribbean and the pace at which the region realises a return to normalcy in a tourism industry upon which the economies of several of the countries are heavily dependent.

The fifth edition of the Guyana’s Ex-Athletes Association and Friends Inc.

Dear Editor, The Management of Guyana Goldfields refers to an article appearing in the Kaie-teur News edition of Tuesday, May 18, 2021, titled “Secret contract exposed… Chinese company pays G$1,000 rent per acre for Guyana’s largest gold claim”.

This week’s Fruits & Vegetables personality is Parika, East Bank Essequibo resident and vendor, Rajwanti.

Omesh Lakeram, the Corentyne resident who was wanted by the Customs Anti-Narcotic Unit (CANU) in relation to the recent seizure of 207 lbs of suspected cannabis turned himself into the agency on Wednesday.

Sisters Rose and Pauline Moses of Wowetta Village in the Rupununi region, have created local history by advancing from white to brown belt at their maiden grading exercise which was conducted on April 30, taking them a step closer to their goal of becoming instructors of the discipline.

A sharp reduction in the consumption of unhealthy foods, tobacco and alcohol use and diminished air pollution are among the priorities which the Caribbean must embrace urgently if the region is to shed the dubious distinction of having the highest mortality rate in the Americas resulting from cardiovascular disease, the Trinidad and Tobago-based Caribbean Public Health Association (CARPHA) is saying.

A taxi driver was on Wednesday released on $75,000 bail on a felonious wounding charge.

Dear Editor, On May 20th this year CNN reported on a ground breaking study to do with alcohol and its effect on the brain.

GAZA/JERUSALEM, (Reuters) – An Egyptian-mediated truce between Israel and Hamas began yesterday, but Hamas warned it still had its “hands on the trigger” and demanded Israel end the violence in Jerusalem and address the damages in Gaza Strip after the worst fighting in years.

(Trinidad Express) The Caribbean Examination Council (CXC) is considering postponing its examinations.

Kitco Market Data Gold Prices for the three day period ending Thursday May 20, 2021

In a news item in yesterday’s issue of Stabroek News titled `Zane Ramotar tops Caribbean at CAPE’, a photograph was erroneously captioned as that of Stefan Hamilton.

Dear Editor, Kaieteur News reported on its issue of Wednesday May 19th, with the headline “City moving closer to imposing stiffer penalties with new anti-littering bylaws.”

LONDON, (Reuters) – An inquiry into how the BBC got a sensational 1995 interview with Princess Diana in which she disclosed intimate details of her failed marriage found yesterday that the journalist involved had acted deceitfully and the broadcaster had covered it up.

(Trinidad Express) An additional 24,000 AstraZeneca vaccines have been donated to Trinidad and Tobago from St Vincent and the Grenadines, and Bermuda.

Nineteen-year-old former labourer, Richard Harrichand, now awaits sentencing for the 2019 killing of Supenaam Essequibo youth, Clive Osborne, 17.

Dear Editor, When Barry Goldwater ran for President of the USA in 1964, the Democrats ran two simple ads.

(Reuters) – Germany’s World Cup-winning midfielder Sami Khedira said he will retire following his club Hertha Berlin’s final match of the Bundesliga season against Hoffenheim tomorrow.

SYDNEY, (Reuters) – Samoa’s expected new prime minister has pledged to cancel a $100 million Chinese-backed port development, calling it excessive for the small Pacific island that is already heavily indebted to China.

(Trinidad Guardian) A fish vendor and a businessman were murdered during separate incidents on Wednesday night.

(Reuters) – Surfing’s long-awaited Olympics debut in Japan will showcase its talented athletes and enviable beach lifestyle to an audience of millions, many of whom will be watching the sport for the first time.

(Reuters) – Four-times major winner Brooks Koepka recovered from a shaky start to grab a share of the early first-round lead at the PGA Championship yesterday with defending champion Collin Morikawa lurking one back.

The South Turkeyen Sports Committee will today run off a pre-independence ‘Champion of Champions’ three-a-side small-goal football championship on Sunday May 23, the committee announced in a release yesterday According to the correspondence, several teams from various villages within the Georgetown and East Coast Demerara environs, are slated to compete in the event. 

Dear Editor, According to articles in the American media on May 20th, a former president of the United States of America had some very pointed and piercing words for the last president that departed the White House. 

(Reuters) – The India women’s team will play their maiden pink-ball test later this year, against Australia in Perth, cricket boards of both the countries announced yesterday.

(Reuters) – Cristiano Ronaldo leads a formidable front line for defending European champions Portugal as coach Fernando Santos unveiled his Euro 2020 squad yesterday.

(Reuters) – Local hero Charles Leclerc went from last to first on home town streets to lead a stunning Ferrari one-two in a red-flagged second Monaco Grand Prix practice yesterday.

In 2005, Guyana raised its age of consent from 13 to 16.

(Reuters) – International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach plans to arrive in Japan on July 12, 11 days ahead of the planned opening ceremony of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, amid continued local concern about the games going ahead.

(Reuters) – Atletico Madrid began their La Liga title chase with a sprint before ceding ground and almost losing their balance but they head into the deciding weekend with the finish line in sight, trying to stay ahead of a valiant but exhausted Real Madrid.

(Reuters) – Cheteshwar Pujara still feels the sting of last year’s drubbing in New Zealand but the batsman says India will be a different proposition when the sides clash again at the neutral venue of Southampton in next month’s World Test Championship (WTC) final.

GASCI (www.gasci.com/telephone Nº 223-6175/6) reports that session 915’s trading results showed consideration of $14,655,455 from 138,949 shares traded in 26 transactions as compared to session 914’s trading results which showed consideration of $3,718,273 from 22,456 shares traded in 21 transactions.

(Reuters) – England fast bowler Jofra Archer is set to undergo surgery on his troublesome right elbow today, the country’s cricket board (ECB) said.

Police on Wednesday arrested six persons in Albouystown, Georgetown for possession of marijuana and a gun.

(Reuters) – The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said yesterday it had received the approval from the United Arab Emirates government to stage the remaining 20 matches of the suspended Pakistan Super League twenty20 tournament in Abu Dhabi.

(Reuters) – The first trans woman playing at the top level of amateur rugby with the endorsement of her national federation said yesterday it was time for other countries and other sports to follow French rugby and let trans women play.

(CMC) – Organisers yesterday confirmed the dates for this year’s ninth edition of the Cricket Premier League, with the Twenty20 showpiece set to run for just over three weeks.

– Poor me, I’ll never see… In the past two columns I wondered whether the People’s National Congress (PNC) leader David Arthur Ganger was “fully retired”.

This is not the first occasion on which the Stabroek Business has made a pointed editorial comment on Guyana’s failure, up until now, to take any sort of initiative to speak of, to mark the United Nations-designated International Year of Fruits and Vegetables (IYFV).

On Sunday we reported on Mr David Granger’s comments made in the course of his party’s ‘Public Interest’ programme.