Daily Archive: Saturday, October 9, 2021

The Ministry of Health (MOH) this afternoon confirmed the deaths of ten more persons who tested positive for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), taking the country’s death toll from the virus to 835.

The 24th Meeting of Military Exchange between Guyana and Brazil concluded late yesterday with agreement on a number of areas including heightened simultaneous patrolling to curb illicit activities such as the operation of illegal airstrips.

(Trinidad Guardian) Friends and relatives of Shenice George say they are still puzzled as to why the 21-year-old woman was gunned down in cold blood in Marabella on Thursday night.

BEIRUT, (Reuters) – Lebanon has no centrally generated electricity after fuel shortages forced its two largest power stations to shut down, a government official told Reuters today. 

The State, through Attorney General Anil Nandlall SC, is suing Digicel Guyana for what it says is its unauthorised use of the spectrum in breach of the Telecommunications Act.

Three Berbice residents were killed in separate bee attacks on Thursday and yesterday.

Permanent Secretary (PS) of the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs Sharon Hicks was on Thursday afternoon arrested by police after she was allegedly caught in a sting operation accepting a bribe from a contractor, who provides security services to the ministry.

Guyana on Friday received 100,620 doses of the Pfizer vaccine that are intended for inoculation of pregnant women and lactating mothers.

Following the move by former Executive Director of the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) Winston Brassington to garnish sums in a bid to recover the almost $40 million in damages he has won in judgments against the Kaieteur News (KN), the newspaper company is appealing for time to pay.

The Environmental Assessment Board on Thurs-day heard objections to the decision by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to not require an environmental impact assessment for the proposed Vista Trading and Logistics Guyana cement facility at Le Ressouvenir, on the East Coast of Demerara.

Owing largely to higher output from petroleum, the mining and quarrying industries are estimated to have grown by 23.1 % in the first half of 2021, according to the Ministry of Finance’s Mid-Year Report.

The Guyana Prison Service (GPS) yesterday received tools and equipment worth $11 million to improve the rehabilitation of inmates, while lowering the current recidivism rate.

Over 15 families living in close proximity to Unu Creek, Cullen, in Region Two, had to move their possessions to higher ground on Friday afternoon after seawater gushed into their lower flats due to a breach in the sea dam which resulted in severe flooding. 

Four more COVID-19 deaths were confirmed on Friday. The Ministry of Health in a press release stated that the country’s total deaths as a result of the virus, increased to 825 with the new fatalities.

Two persons were arrested on Friday after the Customs Anti-Narcotic Unit (CANU) intercepted a truck with quantities of cocaine and cannabis hidden among cargo aboard at Providence, East Coast Demerara.

Minister of Home Affairs Robeson Benn yesterday said that the case file on the killing of Dartmouth businessman Orin Boston, who was shot dead by a policeman at his home three weeks ago, is still with the Police Complaints Authority (PCA).

(Reuters) – Heavyweights Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder tipped the scales at their biggest weights yet on the eve of their highly-anticipated third fight in Las Vegas today with the WBC belt on the line.

The management of the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) is currently engaging the supplier of a recently commissioned security scanner to conduct remedial work as the machine has encountered issues, Minister of Public Works Juan Edghill yesterday said.

Dear Editor, This letter from the Women and Gender Equality Commission is addressed to Ministers Collin Croal and Susan Rodrigues who have responsibility for Housing and Water.

A pardoned fraud convict was on Friday released on a total of $3 million bail after she was faced with new charges of fraud and forgery.

A Kitty youth was on Friday freed of one of three robbery charges he was faced with after one of his accusers told a city court that she wishes to discontinue the matter.

Dear Editor, Why do all the bright and forward thinking administrations of the last two decades so much enjoy living in the past – a behaviour not recognisable by their regional and international counterparts?

Dear Editor, The GAWU’s attention was drawn to a letter titled “GAWU must remember that all managerial staff were also affected” which appeared in the October 8, 2021 Stabroek News under the hand of “A human resources management observer”.

Cyclists get ready, all systems are go for the 10th edition of the Kadir Mohamed Memorial ‘Ounce of Gold’ road race tomorrow.

A fish vendor who is accused of stealing rings during an altercation was released on $80,000 bail after he denied the charge. 

Dear Editor, Construction on the Linden Riverfront utilizing the $30M funding from the Ministry of Public Works has been initiated.

Reconstruction of the Brickdam Police Station is being discussed at Cabinet and while a cost has not yet been determined, Minister of Home Affairs Robeson Benn has indicated that it could possibly run into billions of dollars.

SANTIAGO, (Reuters) – Chile’s public prosecutor said yesterday it would open an investigation into the sale of a mining project involving the family of President Sebastian Pinera after new details emerged about the transaction in the Pandora papers leak.

Dear Editor, I take all the points raised in the SN editorial of October 8, 2021: “Gandhi renaming” as matters to consider.

Unlike her average peer, teenager Miranda James spends her free time crocheting, knitting, crafting and weaving hammocks in the comfort of her St Ignatius, Central Rupununi home.

Former West Indies opener Philo Wallace has expressed concern over the current form of several West Indies players ahead of the International Cricket Council’s T20 World Cup starting later this month.

A young motorcyclist is now an amputee after his right leg was crushed in an accident at Sophia, Greater Georgetown on Thursday.

WASHINGTON, (Reuters) – The United States will accept the use by international visitors of COVID-19 vaccines authorized by U.S.

Dear Editor, Protect human health and safety. Protect the environment. Those two principles alone grant us the license to regulate oil operations with the fine-tooth comb that keeps our shores and mangroves safe, our bodies intact and some of our more interesting futures possible.

I don’t know about you, but often, cooking for me is coming up with something on the fly, throwing together ingredients, putting together a little something, or using out certain ingredients.

OSLO/MOSCOW/MANILA,  (Reuters) – Journalists Maria Ressa and Dmitry Muratov, who braved the wrath of the leaders of the Philippines and Russia to expose corruption and misrule, won the Nobel Peace Prize yesterday, in an endorsement of free speech under fire worldwide.

A Chinese national is suspected to have drowned after he went to swim at the Trail Boss Landing, Essequibo, and reportedly went under water and never resurfaced.

Linden’s Bauxite Flyers Cycling Club recently received sponsorship from  the Guyana Breweries Incorporated, under their Ginseng brand.

The period between the last week in September and the second week in October always feels like that interval between Christmas Day and New Year’s Day for me.

(Barbados Nation) The High Court has thrown out the matters, brought by trade unionist and Senator Caswell Franklyn and two small businessmen, challenging the constitutionality of Government’s COVID-19 protocols.

DAKAR, (Reuters) – Democratic Republic of Congo should renegotiate its $6 billion infrastructure-for-minerals deal with Chinese investors, according to the draft of a report commissioned by a global anti-corruption body of governments, companies and activists.

Dear Editor, I refer to the letter by Elijay Bijay, “By what authority could the suggestion be conceived that Promenade Gardens be renamed for foreigner who has no connection to this country?”

The Guyana Police Force (GPF) has launched an investigation into the suspected arson of a car.

The curtains came down on the first Georgetown Dominoes Association (GDA) Fund Raising drive on Monday last at the Dynasty Sports Club which saw Players, Turning Point and Cody Girls facing off after some grueling rounds of dominoes that started on Saturday last.

Gospel singer/songwriter, Clement Glasgow will release a new single in the coming week.

RIO DE JANEIRO,  (Reuters) – Brazil became the second country in the world to pass 600,000 COVID-19 deaths yesterday, a dark milestone for a government that has been sharply criticized for mismanaging the outbreak.

PARIS, (Reuters) – A group of 136 countries yesterday set a minimum global tax rate of 15% for big companies and sought to make it harder for them to avoid taxation in a landmark deal that U.S.

Dear Editor, Reference is drawn to comments by Hamilton Green denigrating Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, popularly known as the Mahatma (Great Soul) in your Oct 6th edition wherein Green claims that “Proposal to rename Promenade Gardens would be insult of monumental proportions to descendants of African slaves”.

Former West Indies quick Kenny Benjamin has sounded a call for the Caribbean to rally behind the West Indies in their International Cricket Council’s T20 World Cup title defence.

The government will soon be allocating house lots to some 37 low-income families in Balthyock Housing Scheme, Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice), through the Ministry of Housing and Water’s Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA).

SAO PAULO,  (Reuters) – Brazil’s state-run oil company Petrobras said yesterday it has agreed to pay 1.4 billion reais ($254 million) to settle three civil suits relating to the leak of an oil pipeline in southern Brazil in 2000.

Dear Editor, Frustration being blamed for two recent criminal acts.  In one case it led to the alleged burning down of a police station, while the staging of the theft of a vehicle for insurance purposes is the other.

It was announced last week that the Indian government will provide US$7.2m in credit towards delivering solar systems to 30,000 households in the hinterland. 

AUSTIN, Texas, CMC – Jamaica Reggae Boyz suffered another huge setback in their bid to reach the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, when Ricardo Pepi scored twice in the second half to give the United States a 2-0 victory in their CONCACAF qualifier on Thursday.

MOSCOW, (Reuters) – Russia has repeatedly delayed inspections by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) necessary for the certification of its Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine in the European Union, the EU’s ambassador to Moscow was quoted as saying yesterday.

Are we unperturbed when we read headlines such as there being no word from the police concerning the probe of the killing of Orin Boston?

A 71-year-old retiree is calling on the Guyana Police Force to explain why members of the SWAT team with guns in hands stormed into to his apartment building two months ago, ransacked it and then left without an explanation.

DUBAI, CMC – Kolkata Knight Riders are keeping their fingers crossed that West Indies all-rounder Andre Russell will be fit enough to be part of their side for the playoffs in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

ISTANBUL, CMC – Seven-time Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton received a 10-place grid penalty for the Turkish Grand Prix after Mercedes took a new engine.

DUBAI,CMC – West Indies all-rounder Jason Holder took 4-52 from four overs for Sunrisers Hyderabad, and though his side crashed to a 42-run defeat, they ended the title defence of last year’s champions Mumbai Indians in a run fest in the Indian Premier League yesterday.

The 13th edition of Guyana Where and What for 2021-22 is out and already in circulation in hotels, travel agencies, embassies, airports, the Guyana Tourism Authority, and the Tourism and Hospitality Association of Guyana.

In keeping with a promise made by Junior Housing and Water Minister Susan Rodrigues, 20 Goed Faith, Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice) households are now accessing potable water for the first time in several years.