Daily Archive: Monday, May 4, 2020

De facto Minister of Public Health Volda Lawrence today reported 10 new cases of COVID-19 pushing the total number of cases to 92.

President David Granger today welcomed the announcement of a date for the start of the recount of votes from the March 2nd general elections and said that he will abide by the result.

Guyana’s Liza-1 oil field has produced  over eight million barrels of oil since extraction started last December and its top projected capacity of 120,000 barrels per day is expected to be attained by early June 2020.

(Trinidad Express) A twenty four year-old doctor from San Fernando allegedly jumped to his death from a third-floor apartment in Champs Fleurs early yesterday morning after using a mixture of alcohol, LSD and marijuana.

A reported COVID-19 party in Las Cuevas ended in tragedy early Sunday when a Barataria woman lost her life and several others were injured when the vehicle they were returning home in crashed.

(Jamaica Gleaner) Moviegoers went to the now-defunct Harbour View Drive-in Cinema for film, frolic, and, ahem, more.

(Jamaica Observer) NEW YORK, USA — For one group of Jamaican nationals here the outbreak of the coronavirus may have already caused permanent economic damage.

(Jamaica Observer) The death toll among Jamaicans in the United States as a result of the coronavirus pandemic is showing signs of receding, according to usually reliable sources within the Global Jamaica Diaspora Council, as well as other well-placed sources here.

HARARE, (Reuters) – Zimbabwe is headed for a health and economic catastrophe from the coronavirus pandemic because its debt arrears mean it cannot access foreign lenders, the finance minister warned in a letter to the IMF.

 (Reuters) – J. Crew Group Inc filed for bankruptcy protection on Monday with a plan to hand over control to lenders, adding to a list of brick-and-mortar retailers pushed to the brink by widespread store closures in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

(Trinidad Express) There are only three COVID-positive patients in hospital as of Sunday night.

LONDON, CMC – Reigning Twenty20 world champions, West Indies, have moved up to ninth in the International Cricket Council’s rankings, gaining one place after languishing in 10th for several months.

Young Warriors Cricket Club’s Carl Gilgeous is working hard to secure a spot in the Guyana under-19 team.

Not too many athletes make the successful transition from one sport to another, but, for Nicholas Verwey, the move from the football pitch to the squash court has seen him establish himself as one of Guyana’s premier junior squash players. 

GECOM has set Wednesday for the start of the much-delayed recount of votes from the March 2nd general elections but a major battle remains to be settled over live streaming of the exercise and yesterday seven of the parties which contested reiterated reservations over aspects of the process.

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, May 2, CMC – All-rounder Jason Holder says he does not want to be pigeon-holed as simply a Test player but believes he has a contribution to make to West Indies cricket in all three formats.

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC – West Indies fast bowler Shannon Gabriel says motivation is key to remaining focussed during the current lockdown caused by the outbreak of the global COVID-19 pandemic.

The US, Canada and the United Nations yesterday urged the Guyana Government to pave the way for the return of observers from the Carter Center for the recount of votes from the March 2nd general elections which is scheduled to begin on Wednesday.

Dear Editor, Twenty-five years ago, on May 4, 1995, our National Assembly passed one of our more significant pieces of legislation for social and gender justice, the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act.

The Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company  (GTT) last night denounced information circulating on social media that it was in talks with the government to limit internet speeds during the recount of votes from the March 2nd general elections so that the spread of information could be contained.

Chief Executive Officer of Cricket West Indies, Johnny Grave has confirmed that West Indies players will be tested for the Novel Coronavirus (Covid-19) upon arrival in England.

Dear Editor, In a landmark decision (see Riley v California) by the United States Supreme Court, written by its Chief Justice, Hon.

With over 30,000 liters of Bunker C fuel having spilled into the environment, Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL) is facing a $1.6 million dollar fine and will foot the cost of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) environmental impact assessment, Executive Director of the EPA, Vincent Adams told Stabroek News yesterday.

The International Association of Federation Basketball (FIBA) Americas via its Zone Board has enacted several changes to their youth tournament qualifying systems and as such, simplifying and making it easier for smaller members such as Guyana to qualify for Centrobasket championships.

Guyana Goldfields Inc’s (GGI) gold output for the first quarter of this year was 23% less than the corresponding period last year and it has also announced the demobilisation of its open pit contractor, Stracon of Peru.

Dear Editor,  Inasmuch as I am perplexed by some of the decisions made by Chairman of Gecom, I will not cast aspersion on her competence and capability.

(BBC) Britain’s Chris Froome thinks the Tour de France can work without spectators but does not know how organisers can stop large crowds from attending.

LONDON, (Reuters) – England’s Jason Roy is ready to play in empty stadiums if the post-coronavirus situation demands so, said the opener who got a taste of it in his last outing.

Dear Editor, In my humble opinion, what GECOM is offering is not a credible recount.

Guyanese-born physician assistant, a frontline worker at a New York hospital, successfully beat the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and returned to her job when it was “overloaded” with patients, many of whom were dying. 

WASHINGTON, (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump said yesterday he now believes as many as 100,000 Americans could die in the coronavirus pandemic, after the death toll passed his earlier estimates, but said he was confident a vaccine would be developed by the year’s end.

SYDNEY, (Reuters) – Usman Khawaja believes he is still among Australia’s top six batsmen and can force his way back into the squad after being dropped a few days ago from the list of contracted players.

Dear Editor, Why is there this continuing hold up and holding out? 

Even with a 3.87% improvement in its net half-year profit after tax, Republic Bank (Guyana) Limited is trimming its interim dividend this year to $1 per stock unit compared to $1.60 per stock unit last year.

WASHINGTON,  (Reuters) – Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said yesterday there was “a significant amount of evidence” that the new coronavirus emerged from a Chinese laboratory, but did not dispute U.S.

Dear Editor, It was reported shortly after the political parties met with GECOM on Saturday that the APNU+AFC is the only political party which is not in favour of the recount to be live-streamed.

(Reuters) – Premier League clubs are bleeding money and their finances would be entering “uncharted waters” if the season that was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic is not finished, Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish has said.

Former Chancellor of the Judiciary, Attorney General and longtime professor at the University of Guyana are just some of the portfolios the late Keith Massiah SC will generally be remembered as having held and in terms of juris-prudence a landmark decision on wages as property will be part of his legacy.

(Reuters) – Roche has won emergency approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for an antibody test to determine whether people have ever been infected with the coronavirus, the Swiss drugmaker said http://pdf.reuters.com/htmlnews/htmlnews.asp?i=43059c3bf0e37541&u=urn:newsml:reuters.com:20200503:nGNE71pdqt

Dear Editor,  The process is a work in progress and is incomplete. 

(Reuters) – Former Olympic pole vault champion Renaud Lavillenie of France and Sweden’s world record holder Mondo Duplantis shared the spoils in the Ultimate Garden Clash, despite competing in locations 8,000km apart during the COVID-19 lockdown.

For the second day in a row, no new tests for COVID-19 have been reported  raising concerns as whether there is a problem at the National Public Health Reference Lab.

BRASILIA/RIO DE JANEIRO, (Reuters) – Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro attacked Con-gress and the courts in a speech to hundreds of supporters yesterday as the number of coronavirus cases blew past 100,000 in Brazil, underlining the former army captain’s increasing isolation as he downplays the impacts of the pandemic.

On May 1st, de facto Minister of Public Health, Volda Lawrence expressed exasperation at the rise in the number of COVID-19 cases and the threat that this posed to the general population.

The [Caribbean] Community calls on all concerned to ensure a credible and transparent recount process in order to provide legitimacy to any government, which would be sworn in as a result.

Dear Editor, The maneuverings, modus operandi and attitude of the government after the No Confidence Motion, and following the 2020 elections has left me continuously humming Natalie Burke’s mega soca hit ‘Do wah yuh want wid me’.

The families of the three soldiers who were killed in an explosion that occur-red at the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Base Camp Stephenson, Timehri, last Thursday are expected to meet with the GDF’s Welfare Officer today.

(BBC) Manchester United will speak to defender Marcos Rojo about his conduct after apparently flouting Argentina’s coronavirus lockdown rules.

CARACAS, (Reuters) – Venezuela’s government said it foiled a marine incursion on Sunday by “terrorist mercenaries” who attempted to enter the country on speedboats from neighboring Colombia, which opposition leaders dismissed as a staged incident.

By Kamala Kempadoo Kamala Kempadoo is Professor in the Department of Social Science at York University, and is the 2020-2021 Craig M.