Daily Archive: Monday, September 14, 2020

The police today said that Isaiah Henry and Joel Henry were murdered two weekends ago at one location and taken to another and they are continuing to search for the primary site.

APNU+AFC MP Raphael Trotman today issued a veiled warning to the government not to commit to anything during the upcoming visit of US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo that could jeopardise Guyana’s pursuit of a judicial settlement of the border controversy with Venezuela.

The GPF today said that yesterday at  about 10. 20 pm  Police from Issano, Region 7, acting on information received went to the 9 Miles Airstrip , Issano , Middle Mazaruni River where they found a Red and white 206 Cessna   suspected to be a Brazilian aircraft along with three male foreign nationals: a 38-year-old pilot, from Boa Vista, Brazil; a 29-year-old pilot from Tumeremo, Venezuela; and a 35-year-old internet technician from Manaus, Brazil were found.

(Jamaica Observer) A Corporate Area schoolteacher is heaping praises on members of the local medical community today after a frightening brush with what she believed was the dangerous novel coronavirus.

PARIS, (Reuters) – France’s independent analysis has concluded that Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny was poisoned with the Soviet-style nerve agent Novichok in an attempted assassination, the presidency said today.

KIGALI, (Reuters) – Paul Rusesabagina, portrayed as a hero in a Hollywood movie about Rwanda’s 1994 genocide, faced 12 charges including terrorism in a Kigali court today in a case shining a spotlight on opposition to President Paul Kagame.

(Jamaica Gleaner) The fresh probe launched into the controversial death of Jamaica-born Rasheed Edwards has forced some residents of a New Jersey township to raise questions over the transparency of the police and post-mortem reports.

(Trinidad Express) Police Commissioner Gary Griffith yesterday called on Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley to retract his statements regarding the Bayside Towers incident, saying it was all about race and colour.

(Trinidad Guardian) Former government minister Jack Warner has been discharged from the Couva Hospital where he was warded as a COVID-19 patient.

(Trinidad Guardian) One of the standout hair moments in Beyoncé’s film Black is King is a 30-foot-long braided wig.

Cries for justice rose louder yesterday as the two teenagers hacked to death last weekend were memorialised in  emotional ceremonies in the city before being laid to rest in the Number 5 Village, West Coast Berbice (WCB) burial ground.

With an agenda not yet fixed, a United States government team arrived yesterday in Guyana and will today begin preparations for Secretary of State Michael Pompeo’s visit later this week, Minister of Foreign Affairs Hugh Todd  said.

Four more persons are now in custody over the alleged home invasion which ended with the murder of Bath Settlement businessman, Mohamed Haniff, bringing the total number of persons detained  to five. 

Minister of Natural Resources Vickram Bharrat says that US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo’s visit this week is in no way tied to permits being processed for ExxonMobil’s Payara well and that the US oil major must meet the necessary requirements and environmental standards before any approval is granted.

A secret recording of US oil executives at a gathering last year in Colorado revealed that they were worried that some producers were intentionally flaring or burning off far too much natural gas, threatening the industry’s image, the New York Times (NYT) yesterday reported.

Repairs to a section of the retractor span on the Demerara Harbour Bridge (DHB) were completed yesterday and openings for marine traffic are expected to return to normal from today.

Almost half a year since the pandemic lockdown, families are still struggling to put food on the table and while a COVID-19 vaccine could be a major breakthrough, there is skepticism as it relates to possible side effects.

Another two persons have died from COVID-19 as revealed by the Ministry of Health’s dashboard for yesterday, taking the death toll to fifty-six.

For the second time in just over a month, bandits broke and entered a building which houses the Roman Catholic Church and carted off a quantity of cash and other valuables.

In observance of this year’s World Suicide Prevention Day, the Massy Group is once again collaborating with government agencies and NGOs to promote suicide prevention and mental health awareness to promote a range of activities.

The Ministry of Education yesterday said that over 24,000 Guyanese have registered for online learning on global platform Coursera and the deadline for applications has now been extended to October 31, 2020.

(Barnados Nation) The Royal Barbados Police Force (RBPF) said yesterday 35-year-old Monesh Persaud has been found alive.

Competition for places in West Indies T20 side, particularly the World Cup squad, got more interesting following the conclusion of this year’s Caribbean Premier League (CPL). 

The four hour long Budget Speech 2020 presented by Bishop Juan Edghill was one of many firsts: the latest Budget in the history of this country, the first budget of the Irfaan Ali Administration, the first presented outside of the Public Buildings and significantly the first presented by an Administration of which no substantive the Minister of Finance has been appointed.

West Indies women’s team pacer, Shamilia Connell, has set her sights on leading the side to a series win over England in the five-match T20I series later this month.

 2019 ■             Growth in Real GDP of 5.4% compared with an initial target of 4.9%. 

Dear Editor, I am obliged to respond to the former Minister of Finance Winston Jordan in relation to his statements in the Stabroek News of  September 12th 2020 in the news item `‘Private sector’ budget has eroded revenue base, pumped up deficit – Jordan’ Mr.

Another developmental boost is scheduled to be received by the local women’s game with football’s governing body, the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA), issuing the inaugural ‘Women’s Football Administrator Handbook’, which aims to increase female participation in the discipline.

Introduction The rather extensive sub-theme of the 2020 Budget was “Protecting our People in a COVID-19 Environment, Strengthening Democracy and the Rule of Law, Incentivising Growth and Job Creation, Enhancing Welfare”.

Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports, Charles Ramson Jr., is pleased with the sector’s allocation but revealed that much more is to be expected from the 2021 budget for sport.

Dear Editor,  I have to admit that my eyebrows could not be raised any higher by the initial brief reporting on Saturday afternoon by the Stabroek News of the planned visit of US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to Guyana, that “The two-day trip would be seen as an expression of confidence in the PPP/C government and a signal of deeper cooperation between the two countries.” 

Dear Editor, A few things are on my mind as I write this letter but I will limit it to two issues.

The main elements of the 2020 Plan are: Total current revenues are projected to decrease by $14,109 million to $226,476 million or by 5.9%.

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates, CMC – Explosive all-rounder Kieron Pollard arrived here Saturday to begin his stint with reigning champions Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League, fresh from leading Trinbago Knight Riders to their historic capture of the Caribbean Premier League.

Analysis of expenditureIntroduction Under normal circumstances, the caption of this section would be by and large accurate.

Dear Editor, Something has been incrementally transforming the Guyana I once knew.

MANCHESTER, England, Reuters) – England won the second ODI by 24 runs to level their three-match series against Australia after the visitors, chasing a modest target of 232, suffered a dramatic collapse yesterday.

(Reuters) – Six-time world champion Lewis Hamilton took his tally of Formula One wins to 90 and the brink of Michael Schumacher’s record yesterday, but he said it felt like he had just done three in a day.

In this section we consider the measures announced by the Minister, analyse them, evaluate their impact and discuss the extent to which they provide useful economic benefits to stakeholders.

TALENT, Ore., (Reuters) – Search-and-rescue teams, with dogs in tow, were deployed across the blackened ruins of southern Oregon towns yesterday as smoldering wildfires still ravaged U.S.

(Trinidad Guardian) Public health restrictions implemented a month ago to roll back on the reopening of the economy as the country’s COVID-19 spread worsened will be extended for another four weeks, Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley announced on Saturday.

Dear Editor, John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist Church, proclaimed that the Methodist Church was raised up to spread scriptural holiness for the reformation of the nation.

Pro-Poor Policies The word “poor” was used two times and the word “poverty” once in the 2020 Budget while in the last (2019) Budget Speech of the Coalition Government the word “poverty” was used five times.

NEW YORK, (Reuters) – The U.S. Open finishes yesterday having largely pulled off what was once seen as impossible: hosting an international sports mega-event amid the COVID-19 outbreak.

WASHINGTON,  (Reuters) – President Donald Trump signed a new executive order yesterday aimed at lowering drug prices in the United States by linking them to those of other nations and expanding the scope of a July action.

NEW YORK,  (Reuters) – Michael Bloomberg, who spent $1 billion of his own money on a failed 2020 presidential bid, will inject at least $100 million to help Democrat Joe Biden’s campaign against President Donald Trump in Florida.

Dear Editor, In your September 1, 2020 edition of Stabroek News you carried an article captioned ‘Ali promises private sector 60% cut in energy costs over three years’.

Dear Editor, For a few days in Guyana, there were rumours of a pending visit of a top US official: it is now clear that the rumours were not without foundation.

Paragraph 4.130 of the Budget Speech states emphatically that the PPP/C will “immediately engage the oil and gas companies in better contract administration/renegotiation”.

Houston coach Mike D’Antoni said farewell to the Rockets yesterday after four seasons.

LONDON, (Reuters) – Former prime ministers Tony Blair and John Major yesterday said Britain must drop a “shocking” plan to pass legislation that breaks its divorce treaty with the European Union, in a breach of international law.

HAVANA,  (Reuters) – Cuban state media reported on Saturday interprovincial transportation would be shut down and a curfew in Havana extended until the end of the month as a surge in COVID-19 cases in the capital spreads to other areas.

COL DU GRAND COLOMBIER, France,  (Reuters) – Tadej Pogacar beat fellow Slovenian and overall leader Primoz Roglic to win the 15th stage of the Tour de France as defending champion Egan Bernal all but abandoned his crown after a brutal failure yesterday.

By Alissa Trotz Alissa Trotz is Editor of the In the Diaspora Column On Friday September 11th (birth anniversary of Andaiye, social justice warrior and co-founder of Red Thread), Red Thread invited all Guyanese to a virtual speakout streamed live on Facebook (you can view it on Red Thread Women: Crossroads Women’s Centre).

Dear Editor, I don’t have to scratch my head to figure out the startling announcement of this surprise visit of US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, to Guyana.

As Minister Edghill proudly declared “this administration is decidedly pro-Guyana, pro-private sector”.

When he presented the high-deficit $329.5b budget for 2020 on Wednesday, Minister of Public Works Juan Edghill highlighted two “overriding priorities” in the last quarter of the year: bringing the spread of COVID-19 under control and opening up the economy and restoring economic activity to some level of normalcy.

On 30 September 2019, the Auditor General presented to the Speaker of the National Assembly his report on the audit of the public accounts for the fiscal year ended 31 December 2018.

LONDON,  (Reuters) – AstraZeneca has resumed British clinical trials of its COVID-19 vaccine, one of the most advanced in development, after getting the green light from safety watchdogs, the company said on Saturday.

(Trinidad Express) The body of a woman was found floating in the Gulf of Paria near the Hyatt Regency hotel in Port of Spain yesterday.

HOUSTON,  (Reuters) – Offshore platforms and one refinery along the U.S.