Daily Archive: Monday, March 2, 2020

GECOM Chair, Justice (rtd) Claudette Singh and Chief Election Officer Keith Lowenfield held a press conference this evening to discuss how general elections went today.

Stabroek News will provide General Elections 2020 results from the Statements of Poll posted up outside of polling stations around Guyana as they become available. 

Unrest was continuing this evening at the Mon Repos Primary School on the East Coast after allegations by APNU+AFC that fake IDs were being distributed.

The police in Region 3 (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara) were summoned to a polling station on the West Bank of Demerara where residents staged a protest after it was alleged that persons attempted to vote with fake ID cards.

Head of the European Union (EU) Observation Mission, Urmas Paet today said that the electoral process was “very smooth” as of midday with no complains/concerns.

With only two minor hiccups reported, the Guyana Elections Commission says that voting today got off to a smooth start and Chairperson Justice (rtd) Claudette Singh anticipates an “incident-free day”.

Former Prime Minister of Senegal Aminata Toure, who is co-head of the Carter Center’s observer mission for these elections, today called on Guyanese to be patient as they go out to cast their votes.

(Trinidad Express) A Canadian couple, who returned to Trinidad for Carnival celebrations, drowned at a beach in Cumana, Toco, on Sunday.

(Jamaica Star) After two failed pregnancies, Angela Cole, 61, and her husband, 61-year-old Lambert, welcomed their only child, Lamaro Cole, in January of 1997.

(Jamaica Gleaner) The Santa Cruz police are lamenting that constant gridlock in the St Elizabeth town’s streets is hampering their efforts to maintain law and order, as it facilitates an easy escape for hoodlums on motorcycles fleeing crime scenes.

(Jamaica Gleaner) The children of 65-year-old Patsy Donaldson-Powell are in shock and have been overcome with grief after finding their mother with her throat slashed allegedly by a 76-year-old farmer who lives with his wife and children in Junction, St Elizabeth, but has a child with the deceased.

Voting got underway at 6 am in the Guyana 2020 general and regional elections.

Even as it awaits final approval for Payara, its third oil well development, ExxonMobil is pressing ahead with its fourth oil well project offshore at Hammerhead-1 as it aims to ramp up production.

Excessive weight from vehicular traffic and the mining of sand close to the Linden-Soesdyke Highway are the main contributing factors to the soil erosion along the road, which has led to the speed limit being reduced from 100km/h to 80km/h.

KANDY, Sri Lanka, CMC – All-rounder Fabian Allen’s late cameo almost did the trick but luckless West Indies failed in their bid to avoid a second successive whitewash on Sri Lankan soil when they suffered a narrow six-run defeat in a nerve-wracking final One-Day International here yesterday.

“Guyana is a land of many promises…broken promises,” a resident of Plastic City at Vreed-en-Hoop on the West Coast Demerara lamented even as residents prepare to go out in their numbers and vote today with the hope that the winning party remembers that they exist.

Coach of the Guyana Under-15 side Ryan Hercules said he is satisfied with the team despite a winless run in the Guyana Cricket Board/Bel Air Rubis Under-17 Inter-County tournament.

With an unserved market in the Greater Antilles from Guyana and increased interest in the country, Turks and Caicos-based interCaribbean Airways has filed an application with the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) to extend its operations in Guyana.

Despite repeated requests, GECOM has not responded to queries over the process for joining the votes of three of the smaller parties, according to ANUG’s presidential candidate Ralph Ramkarran.

The Lady Jaguars secured their place in the quarterfinal round of the CONCACAF Women’s U20 Championship, defeating Cayman Islands 2-0 yesterday at the Felix Sanchez Stadium, Dominican Republic.

Underscoring the importance of doctors being aware of the elements of medical negligence, attorney Kamal Ramkarran at a seminar held recently said it is key to this group of caregivers in effectively carrying out their “promise to abstain from doing harm.”

Tucville, New Central High and Golden Grove secured contrasting wins when the eighth Milo Secondary Schools football competition continued yesterday at the Ministry of Education ground, Carifesta Avenue.

Convicted drug trafficker Roger Khan has lodged a complaint with the Police Complaints Authority (PCA) accusing Crime Chief (ag) Michael Kingston of persecuting him since his return to Guyana.

Owner of RNK Investments Inc., Rizwan Khan is suing business process outsourcing company Emerge BPO to recover the US$40,000 which he says they owe in unpaid rent for the month of February for the seven floors they occupy at one of two of his Robb and Camp streets properties.

As customary, the Kennard Memorial Turf Club (KMTC) will kick off its calendar of activities with the traditional Post Phagwah horse race meet.

A convict, who is serving an eight years jail sentence, on Saturday afternoon escaped from the Mazaruni prison while he was carrying out labour duties at the penitentiary’s farm.

The trial of Dennis Marks for the 2016 murder of Police Sergeant Leonard La Rose commenced on Wednesday before Justice Sandil Kissoon and a 12-member jury at the High Court in Georgetown.

PARIS, (Reuters) – Several hundred determined athletes defied a government-ordered ban on large public gatherings to run Paris’s half-marathon yesterday.

SYDNEY, Australia, CMC – West Indies missed out on the semi-finals of the Women’s Twenty20 World Cup for the first time in six tournaments when they suffered a 46-run defeat to England in a lopsided contest here yesterday.

The Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners Association (GGDMA) on Friday held a symposium to focus on alternative technologies and techniques for better recovery and the reduction in the use of mercury in Guyana. 

LONDON, (Reuters) – Manchester City continued their imperious stranglehold over the League Cup with a 2-1 victory over Aston Villa in the final yesterday as goals from Sergio Aguero and Rodri secured the trophy for a third straight season.

Dear Editor, ChildLinK has recognized that children who are separated from their parents experience a lack of physical interaction which contributes to lost opportunities of forming and strengthening the emotional bond necessary for a loving parent to child relationship. 

BASSETERRE, St Kitts, CMC – What appeared to be an unavoidable defeat for Trinidad and Tobago Red Force almost ended in a victory but Leeward Islands Hurricanes held on grimly for a draw in tense moments late on the final day of their sixth round game here yesterday.

Minister of Social Cohesion, Dr George Norton has called on all Guyanese to be “respectful and courteous” as they cast their votes in today’s general elections.

Dear Editor, I see and feel how beautiful our Guyanese people are feeling.

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – Keron Cottoy’s maiden first class hundred was in vain as Test seamer Kemar Roach snatched a six-wicket haul to spearhead Barbados Pride’s emphatic 127-run victory over Windward Islands Volcanoes.

Dear Editor, Reference is made to your editorial, `Tensions’ (SN Feb 27) wherein you state the fact that observers are essential to validate the electoral process,  and even then parties rejected unfavourable results.

(Reuters) – Health officials in Washington state said yesterday a second person infected with the coronavirus had died there, while New York’s governor said his state confirmed its first case of the illness.

TOKYO, (Reuters) – A line of masked spectators raises muffled cheers for elite marathon runners, and a baseball bat’s thud on a ball echoes around a vast, empty stadium: Sport in Tokyo this weekend set the tone for how a coronavirus-hit Olympic Games could play out.

The polling station close to Windsor Estates that was reported by the Guyana Times as situated on “…unprepared land…used for grazing cows” and was almost inaccessible, was yesterday being prepared for today’s polls and accessibility was not an issue.

Russell Westbrook scored a game-high 41 points, and James Harden found redemption from a poor shooting night with two free throws with 24.3 seconds left in overtime as the Houston Rockets capped a season sweep of the host Boston Celtics with a 111-110 win Saturday.

Dear Editor, Today, Monday, March 2nd marks the point from which we assemble for the way forward. 

(Reuters) – Pete Buttigieg dropped out of the race for the Democratic presidential nomination yesterday, saying he no longer saw a chance of winning, the day after fellow moderate Joe Biden won a big victory in South Carolina.

The owner of Sweet Sunnah Guyana, on Thursday took the witness stand to lead his defence before Magistrate Rondell Weaver in the trial for two charges set to begin this year.

This is the time for all stakeholders to demonstrate commitment to democratic principles, processes and institutions and not lose sight of the fact that legitimate elections represent the voice and will of the people.

No case of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) has been reported in the Caribbean (Editor’s note: The Dominican Republic confirmed one case yesterday).

CHRISTCHURCH, (Reuters) – aIndia stormed back into the second and final test against New Zealand yesterday, taking all 10 wickets to dismiss the hosts for 235 and extend their slender lead to 97 by the close of play on day two at Hagley Oval.

Dear Editor, I want Mr. Granger to know that I hold no grudge against him for considering me a person not fit and proper to Chair the Elections Commission.

SANTIAGO,  (Reuters) – A study by Massachusetts Institute of Technology experts that called into question the alleged election fraud that drove Bolivian President Evo Morales to resign has triggered sniping between left and right-leaning governments in Latin America.

With the stakes for Elections 2020 being as high as they are, it is important that the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) and the Guyana Police Force (GPF) discharge their myriad obligations today competently and efficiently.

Dear Editor, The back track route between Guyana and Suriname is closed due to a potential Coronavirus risk. 

Health officials have confirmed some cases of the coronavirus (Covid-19) in the Caribbean. Dr Carissa F.