Daily Archive: Friday, March 13, 2020

Alliance For Change (AFC) executive Dominic Gaskin today said he was not “sufficiently convinced” that the results declared by the Returning Officer (RO) for Region Four on March 5th accurately reflected the statements of poll from the 879 polling stations.

Region 4 Returning Officer Clairmont Mingo completed the count of votes cast in the General Election just after 7 pm this evening amidst objections from several political parties as well as international and  local observers.

Commonwealth Secretary General Patricia Scotland today warned that if the ongoing voter tabulation for Region Four is not completed in accordance with Wednesday’s ruling by Chief Justice Roxane George it would constitute a “serious violation of the fundamental political values of the Commonwealth”.

The Management of the Guyana/Suriname Ferry Service today advised the general public that its services will be suspended from tomorrow, Saturday, 14th March, 2020 until further notice.

On the heels of the pullout today of the OAS observer mission, the missions from the Commonwealth, the European Union and the Carter Center today expressed grave concern about the continued lack of transparency in the determination of the March 2nd election results for Region Four.

(Trinidad Express) Two police officers are expected to appear before a Port of Spain Magistrate today charged with misbehavior in public office to with robbing three Venezuelan nationals on Monday.

In a sign of the deepening crisis for Guyana and the caretaker Granger administration, the OAS election observer mission today announced it was withdrawing from the country as the tabulation process for Region Four is not transparent despite the many complaints about it.

The envoys of the US, UK, the EU and Canada today ratcheted up the pressure on the Granger administration and GECOM by warning that the swearing in of any President on the basis of flawed results could lead to Guyana’s isolation.

(Jamaica Star) Family members of Patient Zero, the first person to test positive for the novel conoravirus – COVID-19 – in Jamaica, say they have been subjected to harsh and unkind words by some members of the public.

The Ministry of Education today advised that with effect from Monday, March 16, 2020, all schools will be closed for two weeks.

The OAS Electoral Observation Mission in Guyana, led by the former Prime Minister of Jamaica, Bruce Golding, yesterday said that it was dismayed that in spite of the ruling of the High Court on March 11, the Guyana Elections Commission was not able to move ahead yesterday, with the tabulation of the results for Region 4.

(Jamaica Gleaner) Jamaica has confirmed six more cases of the Coronavirus (COVID-19).

(Trinidad Express) A dispute over land is the suspected motive for the killing of a woman in Gasparillo on Thursday.

MUMBAI,  (Reuters) – The start of the Indian Premier League Twenty20 tournament has been postponed until April 15 as a precautionary measure against the spread of the coronavirus, the Indian cricket board (BCCI) said today.

GENEVA,  (Reuters) – If the coronavirus crisis lasts another two or three months, it could force carriers to collapse and spark more consolidation in the beleaguered airline industry, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) chief told Reuters today.

(Trinidad Guardian) Phagwa celebrations across the country have been cancelled in light of confirmation yesterday that Trinidad and Tobago has its first COVID-19 case.

(Trinidad Guardian) At 2.45 pm yesterday, Trinidad and Tobago joined the list of over 150 countries across the world with a confirmed case of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).

Guyana Jaguars’ seamers bundled out Barbados Pride for 174, before closing the opening day at Providence on 19 for two yesterday.

 LONDON/NEW YORK (Reuters) – The coronavirus pandemic shredded the global sporting calendar yesterday, with men’s tennis shut down for six weeks, top European soccer leagues placed on hold, NHL suspended and Major League Baseball’s opening day postponed.

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – Cricket West Indies’ domestic itinerary has been put in “jeopardy” following the first reported cases of the coronavirus in the Caribbean, and chief executive Johnny Grave said yesterday a decision would be taken shortly on whether to suspend the schedule altogether.

MOSCOW (Reuters) – The Russian athletics federation has been fined $10 million for breaching anti-doping rules and a maximum of 10 Russian track and field athletes will be allowed to compete at the Tokyo Olympics as neutrals, World Athletics said yesterday.

ANCIENT OLYMPIA, GREECE (Reuters) – The Tokyo 2020 Olympics torch relay got under way yesterday when the flame was lit by the rays of the sun in ancient Olympia in a scaled-down ceremony overshadowed by the coronavirus pandemic.

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – Despite a suggestion that veteran West Indies opener Chris Gayle is no longer needed for T20s, Cricket West Indies (CWI) chief selector Roger Harper has made it clear that any available player will have a chance to be chosen for the regional side for the upcoming World Cup.

President David Granger and Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo met together with a visiting delegation of Caribbean Community (CARICOM) heads of government on Wednesday night and committed to upholding the law to resolve the current elections impasse, CARICOM Chairperson and Prime Minister of Barbados Mia Mottley reported yesterday.

NAIROBI (Reuters) – Kenya’s athletics authority said yesterday it had barred its athletes from travelling to international events due to concerns over the coronavirus outbreak.

Relatives of the 52-year-old woman who died from the Novel Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on Wednesday along with staff members of the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) who were in contact with her are among dozens who have been quarantined.

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – Cricket West Indies (CWI) chief selector Roger Harper has expressed disappointment in the performance of players with West Indies experience in the ongoing Regional Four-Day Championship, saying they have not shown their full worth at the crease.

Today at 9 am the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) will attempt once again to complete the tabulation of the votes cast in Region Four during the March 2 General and Regional Elections (GRE).

With the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) developing into a global threat, the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) remains uncertain if the upcoming 2021 Gold Cup Qualifiers match against Barbados will be cancelled by the regional confederation, CONCACAF.

The confirmation of at least one Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) case has sparked panic buying across Georgetown, leaving a number of businesses completely out of stock of some essential disinfectants and cleaning supplies since Wednesday.

An existential threat continues to be posed by the Region Four Returning Officer, Clairmont Mingo  to the declaration of valid results for the March 2nd general elections.

Due to the unfortunate occurrence of the country’s first case of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), the Georgetown Amateur Basketball Association (GABA) yesterday opted to suspend the start of the inaugural Andrew Ifill Knockout tournament.

Despite the recent collapse in oil prices and a dim medium-term outlook, there appears to be no end to the intoxicating superlatives which knowledgeable international industry analysts are employing to quantify the extent of Guyana’s oil reserves and potential wealth.

President David Granger yesterday said that he was satisfied with the mediation efforts of the five Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Heads of State who concluded a two-day visit here yesterday and promised to abide by the constitution and the decision of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) on the outcome of the March 2 general and regional elections.

SANTIAGO (Reuters) – South American qualifying matches for the 2022 Qatar World Cup have been postponed after a request from the region’s football federation amid concerns over the spread of coronavirus, FIFA announced yesterday.

Seeking, it seems, to mount a response to the increasing criticism being levelled at the global oil & gas sector in response to the linkage between fossil fuels and what the global environmental lobby says continues to be an alarmingly degraded environment, a high profile associate in SCF Partners, a US-based energy service company, had been seeking to mount a pushback against what he says has been the “demonizing of oil and gas,” contending that it could take up to three decades for alternatives to be developed to replace the product.

Former policeman, Teon Allen, was yesterday remanded to prison after being charged with murdering his girlfriend.

Dear Editor, Once again, Chief Justice (acting) Roxane George-Wiltshire deserves kudos for the speed with which she heard and gave judgment in the matter of the tabulation of the Statements of Polls by the Returning Officer of Region (District) Four Clairmont Mingo.

LONDON (Reuters) – Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has tested positive for the coronavirus, the club said yesterday, prompting the Premier League to announce an emergency meeting today.

There appears to be no end to the number of Guyanese women who, belatedly in many instances, are taking purposeful strides down entrepreneurial roads.

Mohammed Wazir Khan, an economics teacher, was yesterday formally read a charge of engaging in sexual activity with a minor.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump said yesterday officials should consider delaying the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games for one year amid the coronavirus pandemic, saying the summer event would not be the same without spectators.

Dear Editor, The Chief Justice (ag) of Guyana, Roxane George-Wiltshire, must be commended on the decision handed down on March 11, 2020: (1) she treated the matter with the urgency that it deserved; (2) she delivered a clear judgment in a timely manner; and (3) she made the court process truly public.

NEW YORK/WASHINGTON,  (Reuters) – From Disneyland to the U.S. Supreme Court, from Wall Street to Dodgers Stadium, nearly every facet of American life fell into turmoil yesterday as the coronavirus outbreak caused sweeping closures and economic disruption.

In light of Guyana’s recent general elections, a consortium of more than 100 environmental and human rights organisations and eminent persons from around the world have issued a statement calling on ExxonMobil and other oil companies to declare “unequivocally” that they will only conduct business with a lawfully installed government.

The Sonia Noel Foundation, the organization responsible for the planning and Execution of the annual Women in Business event has announced that this year’s event will now be staged on Saturday April 4th and Sunday April 5th, effectively a postponement from the March 21-22 period that had been set.

Dear Editor, Thursday, March 12, 2020 will go down as a Day of Shame in Guyana, a day when the Guyana Elections Commission, GECOM, with the Constitutional responsibility for managing the Electoral process, failed miserably in having one of its Returning Officers carry out the very clear Orders handed down by the Chief Justice of Guyana on Wednesday, March 11, 2020.

NORTH SOUND, Antigua, CMC – Test fast bowler Alzarri Joseph narrowly missed out on what would have been a superb hundred while fellow speedster Jeremiah Louis chimed in with a half-century, as they frustrated Jamaica Scorpions with a brilliant century stand to rescue Leeward Islands Hurricanes.

BEIJING, (Reuters) – The global coronavirus pandemic could be over by June if countries mobilise to fight it, a senior Chinese medical adviser said on Thursday, as China declared the peak had passed there and new cases in Hubei fell to single digits for the first time.

• Guyana, Latin America oil earnings will take a hit too The international oil and gas industry, the life-blood of business and commerce globally has bowed to the impact of the dreaded Coronavirus by announcing earlier this week that it was calling off a number of its key networking events, including its various technical and academic meetings and resorting instead to virtual conferences, a decision which a Reuters report which appeared earlier this week said was taken in response to mounting concern about the virus and what the report said was now its “fast-growing toll”. 

Viola Agatha McPherson, surrounded by family and loved ones, celebrated her 100th birthday at AME Zion Church on March 11th, finally fulfilling a life-long desire.

Dear Editor, Now that the court has ruled, procedurally the fate of the elections is in the hands of the Guyana Election Commission (GECOM) and not with the political parties.

Our story in this issue of the Stabroek Business arising out of some of what is currently being reported on the impact so far of the globally worrying Coronavirus (COVID-19) and the manner in which it has been impacting globally in the region and in neighbouring countries, is timed to raise awareness of the malady and to help alert the authorities as much as the general populace to the fact that we too are vulnerable. 

TAROUBA, Trinidad, CMC – Captain Imran Khan and Jyd Goolie struck unbeaten half-centuries as Trinidad and Tobago Red Force dominated Windward Islands Volcanoes on yesterday’s opening day of their eighth round encounter at the Brian Lara Stadium.

PARIS,  (Reuters) – French group Tereos, the world’s third-largest sugar maker, has asked regular suppliers for price reductions to help it cope with tumbling sugar prices, letters sent to suppliers showed.

Devon Johnson, 24, who was charged with the murders of two vagrants, was yesterday freed of one of the charges after a city court ruled that the evidence against him was insufficient for him to face trial.

MIAMI, Florida, CMC – Continental governing body, CONCACAF, has put an immediate halt to its Champions League, amidst the growing cases of the coronavirus across North America.

Dear Editor, It is now very clear to Guyana and the world that the PNC and its coalition partners do not intend to respect the law or to comply with any judicial orders as they pertain to GECOM providing a declaration of lawfully verified results for the March 2, 2020 general and regional elections.

(Reuters) – Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s wife Sophie Gregoire Trudeau has tested positive for coronavirus, a spokesman for the prime minister said.

Kitco Market Data Gold Prices for the three day period ending Thursday March 12, 2020

As investigations into the death of Farm teenager, Coyan Trotz, who was the victim of a hit and run accident on St Valentine’s night, are being brought to a close, lawmen are preparing to seek legal advice.

CARACAS,  (Reuters) – The Venezuelan government removed some six tonnes of gold from the central bank’s vaults between late 2019 and early 2020 to raise more hard currency for President Nicolas Maduro’s cash-strapped administration, according to two government sources familiar with the movement.

HAMILTON, Bermuda, CMC – Antigua and Barbuda has delivered a blow by announcing it has pulled out of next month’s CARIFTA Games to be staged here because of fears over the worldwide spread of the novel coronavirus.

Dear Editor, Guyana has recorded its first death due to the Coronavirus – COVID -19, and from all appearances we are scrambling to put systems in place, as we are unprepared.

*Prices only represent the average Wholesale Farmgate and Retail Prices at the above mentioned markets and are NOT prices set by the Guyana Marketing Corporation or Ministry of Agriculture.

Fifteen foreign nationals were on Tuesday fined a total of $900,000 and were ordered deported after admitting to illegally entering Guyana by way of Springlands, Corentyne.

SANTOS, Brazil,  (Reuters) – Years of rooting out drugs at the Brazilian seaport of Santos had given customs inspector Oswaldo Dias a good nose for suspicious cargo.

BUENOS AIRES,  (Reuters) – Several Latin American countries stepped up measures yesterday to slow the spread of the coronavirus, including halting flights to and from Europe, banning public gatherings and closing schools.

Dear Editor, The attempt to declare the 2020 Region 4 election results prematurely was not in “conformity” with the law, that is, “unlawful”.

(Reuters) – The World Indoor Athletics Championships will take place in March next year in the Chinese city of Nanjing after being postponed due to the coronavirus, the World Athletics Council said yesterday.

GASCI (Guyana Association of Securities Companies and Intermdeiacies)  reports that session 868’s trading results showed consideration of $9,065,090 from 68,198 shares traded in 19 transactions as compared to session 867’s trading results which showed consideration of $3,325,437 from 24,345 shares traded in 11 transactions.

Our elections are always an interesting period to observe. The fear, mistrust and misinformation that usually festers unnoticed has the tendency to run amok in times such as these.

The godmother of a homeless man was granted permission to compensate a man who was wounded by her godson.

(Reuters) – Facebook Inc and Twitter Inc said yesterday they had taken down a network of Russian-linked fake accounts operated out of Ghana and Nigeria which targeted the United States.

It would appear, given the fact that there had already been reports of cases of the Coronavirus elsewhere in the Caribbean, that Guyanese, as we are  inclined to do in these situations, had pre-empted the arrival of the malady here.

– living, coping with any unliked government Hello there, I wanted to discuss the PPP’s Madam Teixeira’s comments related to how His Excellency’s state watches and hears all of us, as well as a short piece on bandits and thugs as political protesters.

WASHINGTON, (Reuters) – The United States yesterday imposed sanctions on another subsidiary of Rosneft, ramping up pressure on the Russian state oil giant that the Trump administration has said provides a financial lifeline to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

A new factor has entered into Guyana’s complicated equation, and this one in a sense comes from left field.