Thandeka Percival

Efforts to reopen the Rose Hall, Skeldon and Enmore estates have so far cost the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) $126 million and resulted in the rehiring of 690 workers.

Six executive members of The New Movement (TNM) have resigned from the party following what they described as attempts to use the fledgling political movement for private gain.

The Guyana Police Force (GPF) yesterday offered a $3 million reward for information leading to the arrest and prosecution of the person/s responsible for the murders of West Berbice youths Joel and Isaiah Henry and Haresh Singh, which the lawyer for the family of two of the youths called an admission of failure.

After recently winning millions in a judgment against the Guyana Police Force after the unlawful arrest of him and other members of his family, a youth is hoping that the case inspires others to go to the law to ensure that law enforcers are aware that they have to account for their actions. 

Following a virtual five-hour Ministerial engagement yesterday, the G-77 and China negotiating bloc is calling on developed countries to live up to their obligation to provide climate financing to assist developing countries in realizing their ambition to grow along low carbon pathways and develop resilience. 

None of the 11 political parties which contested the March General and Regional Elections (GRE) has submitted their declaration of expenses to the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) as required by law, sources familiar with the matter have revealed.

On October 13, Guyana attended yet another meeting of the Lima Group and expressed concern about the situation in Venezuela.

Following concerns here and across the region about this year’s results, the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) yesterday announced that an Independent Review Team had found its testing, marking and grading during the 2020 Examination cycle to be “technically sound and quality assured”.

The Ministry of Housing commenced a two-day land title distribution exercise also at the National Stadium at Providence, where President Irfaan Ali assured those who more interested in getting house lots that new developments would soon be underway. 

Despite government’s threats of sanctions against health workers who have been protesting for better benefits for those on the frontline in the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU) yesterday signalled that it intends to proceed with planned industrial action this week unless its demands are met.

A split between A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) and the Alliance For Change (AFC) over the election of the Vice Chairman of the Region Four Regional Democratic Council (RDC) yesterday resulted in David Patterson tendering his resignation as General Secretary of the AFC with immediate effect.

While maintaining that his government is committed to improving the lives of all workers, President Irfaan Ali yesterday suggested that recent protests staged by frontline health care workers over demands for better wages and salaries and conditions were being instigated by persons seeking to exploit current circumstances.

Saying it was satisfied with the marking of test scripts for this year’s exams, the Caribbean Examination Council (CXC) yesterday maintained it would only conduct grade reviews that are requested through its official process or via a Ministry of Education.

Controversy has erupted here and in other parts of the Caribbean over what has been described as the “shockingly low” and flawed grades awarded by CXC in this year’s  CSEC and CAPE examinations.

`It has taken good and special care of some interest groups, but left 90% of the people out altogether – particularly the working class and poor’ APNU+AFC MP Raphael Trotman and Minister in the Ministry of Public Works Deodat Indar yesterday clashed over  the merits of Budget 2020 as debate  on the long-delayed presentation began at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre.

The People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) government yesterday tabled a $329.5 billion budget for the year 2020  projecting Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth this year within the range of 48.4% to 51.2% but with the country’s overall deficit to  increase to 6.5% of GDP.

According to Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Government, Gail Teixeira, the APNU+AFC Coalition has not been included in any of the state boards announced because they continue to refer to the government as “illegitimate.”

The Permanent Council of the Organization of Ameri-can States (OAS) will meet again to discuss and possibly pass a resolution on the electoral situation in Guyana; once a final ruling in the current judicial matter is delivered.

Guyana’s Court of Appeal is set to rule on Thursday on the challenge brought by Misenga Jones to prevent the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) from using the results of the national recount of the votes cast at the March 2nd elections to declare a winner.

GECOM yesterday moved closer to the declaration of the PPP/C as the winner of the March 2nd general elections with Chairperson Claudette Singh  setting aside the 10 declarations submitted to the Commis-sion on March 13, 2020 and ordering the embattled Chief Election Officer (CEO) for the fourth time to submit the results of the painstaking recount.