Daily Archive: Friday, December 17, 2021

(Reuters) – Two years into the coronavirus pandemic, the United States is confronting another dark winter, with the red-hot Omicron variant threatening to worsen an already dangerous surge of cases.

The InterCaribbean Airways inaugural flight touched down at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, Timehri today.

Guyana today received 55,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines procured through support from Canada. 

 (Reuters) – Myanmar’s ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi appeared in court today wearing a white top and a brown wraparound longyi that is the typical uniform for prisoners in the Southeast Asian country, a source with knowledge of the court proceedings said.

Traditional giants, Back Circle, Leopold Street, and North East La Penitence, earned contrasting wins while newcomer Foot Steppers romped to an easy victory when the Guyana Football Federation (GFF)/Kashif and Shanghai Organization Futsal Championship continued yesterday.

After more than sixteen months in office, the PPP/C government yesterday tabled its first oil and gas legislation which will permit, if passed, the withdrawal of the entire amount attributable to the Natural Resource Fund in the first fiscal year and be governed by a Board of Directors (BoD) which it appears will be handpicked by the administration.

Six years after the discovery of oil offshore and more than two years after production began, Guyana’s Local Content Bill was yesterday laid in the National Assembly, setting out the minimum percentage employment and goods and services procurement for locals, while requiring that the data to substantiate the claims be submitted every year.

‘Visit Rupununi’ is a non-profit Regional Destination Marketing and Management Organization (RDMMO) comprising private, public and community-based entities in Region Nine.

With the People’s National Congress Reform’s (PNCR) 21st Biennial Delegates Congress set for tomorrow, the party’s Chief Election Officer (CEO) Vincent Alexander is reporting that all systems are in place to ensure a free, fair and transparent elections process.

(CMC) – Nicholas Pooran’s career-best fifty pushed West Indies to a 200-plus total for only the third time in three years but Mohammed Rizwan and captain Babar Azam registered equally destructive half-centuries of their own, as Pakistan pulled off a record run chase to make a clean sweep of the three-match Twenty20 International series yesterday.

Two former Guyana Defence Force (GDF) ranks who were responsible for procuring fuel on behalf of their employer have been charged with stealing over $700 million worth of it. 

Even as the global beauty care industry continues to thrive on chemicals-based products, a recently disclosed study undertaken by Rutgers University in the United States is pointing to the role which it says the use of some of those products play in likely impacting maternal health care.

The government’s application for additional funds for security in all 10 regions is due to the threats to public institutions, according to Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, Nigel Dharamlall.

Grossly inadequate official monitoring of the importation of beauty care products believed to be harmful to users’ health continue to undermine what a source in the beauty care industry has told the Stabroek Business is the likely continued exposure of users to likely longer term ‘health issues’.

After being derelict for 16 months in its responsibility to activate the Natural Resource Fund (NRF) Act, the government yesterday tabled a wholly unacceptable bill in the National Assembly that must be withdrawn and recomposed.

The recent promulgation of an Indigenous Peoples Economic and Trade Cooperation Arrangement (IPETCA), which New Zealand’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nanaia Mahuta says is intended as part of a journey “towards achieving greater economic empowerment for Indigenous Peoples” in the Asia-Pacific region is more than worthy of the attention here in Guyana where issues relating to the scarcity of meaningful official interventions, over the more than half a century of political independence to improve the quality of life in Indigenous communities has increasingly become the subject of public and political commentary.

Credit to Jon Watts, director of “Spider-Man: No Way Home” and the screenwriters Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers: in this third iteration of the MCU’s version of our friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man, they have finally managed to liberate Tom Holland’s Peter Parker from Tony Stark and the previous films’ strange class politics.

WASHINGTON, (Reuters) – Democrats in the U.S. Congress suffered a major setback yesterday in their effort to grant work permits to millions of immigrants who have been living in the United States illegally for a decade or longer.

The sum of $434 million was yesterday approved for the procurement of more tractors for the development of projects in Amerindian communities after some questioning by Parliament’s  Committee of Supply.

Last Saturday, year, the local operations of the Trinidad and Tobago company Ramps Logistics, entered into the traditional spirit of the typical Guyanese Christmas, staging its Kids Christmas Motorcade  that allowed for the distribution of seasonal gifts to two hundred and forty five (245) children  resident at the the St.

Current Chairperson of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) Volda Lawrence has finally broken her silence in relation to contesting for the leadership of the party at its 21st Biennial Delegates Congress, saying that her name would not be appearing on any ballot paper owing to “personal reasons”.

Former English test player, Roland Butcher, believes that there are several positive signs from the new dispensation of West Indies cricket.

Plagued by the protracted underperformance of its oil sector upon which the country’s economy remains heavily dependent, the government of Venezuela has reportedly sent signals that it expects that crude exports will play an improved role in financing the country’s budget in 2022.

CAP-HAITIEN, Haiti,  (Reuters) – Haitians yesterday celebrated U.N. cultural agency UNESCO’S declaration that the country’s traditional pumpkin soup known as “soup joumou” is of intangible cultural value to humanity, a rare bright spot for a country battered by tragedy this year.

Dear Editor, Shocking and deserving of legal action is my response to the news that “Approximately 9,284 persons out of 11,098 (83%), who gained eligibility for the COVID-19 Pandemic Assistance Voucher … did not receive anything.”

CAP-HAITIEN, Haiti, (Reuters) – The last 12 Canadian and American missionaries from a group kidnapped in October in Haiti have been released, police said yesterday, ending an ordeal that brought global attention to the Caribbean nation’s growing problem of gang abductions.

GT Panthers recorded the largest margin of victory to date in the Guyana Football Federation (GFF)/Guyana National Women’s Football Association (GNWFA) Super-16 Women’s Festival, mauling Mahdia All-Stars 13-0 yesterday at the National Training Centre, Providence.

Local micro and small businesses seeking to navigate their way through what, these days, has become an increasingly challenging business environment, can hardly overlook the opportunity the festive season affords, to bring to the attention of consumers the fruit of their productive efforts.

(Reuters) – The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention yesterday recommended Americans choose to receive one of two other authorised COVID-19 vaccines over Johnson & Johnson’s shot, due to rare but sometimes fatal cases of blood-clotting.

From next year, all branch and regional Commanders of the Guyana Police Force (GPF) will be required to pursue a degree or masters programme at the University of Guyana (UG) at the expense of the Government.

After using his sharp physique to slice through the competition in October at the Santo Domingo Open, held in the Dominican Republic, the muscleman plans to replicate his gold medal performance on Sunday when the Guyana Bodybuilding and Fitness Federation hosts its flagship National Seniors Championship at the National Cultural Centre in Georgetown.

(Trinidad Guardian) A woman who died at a house in Freeport on Monday has been identified as Nita Gajadhar, 31, of McBean Village in Couva.

Dear Editor, On December 8, 2021, I started scripting this letter but gave up on it to pay attention to more meaningful and worthwhile community activities.

KINGSTOWN,  (Reuters) – The Caribbean nation of St. Vincent and the Grenadines will not be able to manage the growing impact of climate change without the assistance of multilateral lenders, the prime minister said in an interview.

(Rigzone) – The new Omicron variant of Covid-19 could cost the global oil market as much as 2.9 million barrels per day of demand in the first quarter of next year, bringing total demand down to 95.7 million barrels per day, if it triggers more lockdowns or restrictions.

The northern portion of the Thomas Lands Road in the vicinity of the Young Men Christian Association (YMCA) has been sinking for a number of months posing a serious traffic hazard.

Dear Editor, Truly am I confounded by what Rohit Kanhai has written (“The power to shape our future was always in our hands,” SN, 16 December). 

Following the passing of former national player George Greene, local football stalwarts, Earl O’Neil and Gordon “Ultimate Warrior’ Brathwaite, have announced that two memorial matches will be staged in his honour.

(Trinidad Express) The owner of Darryl’s Famous Foods (formerly Japs Fried Chicken) Darryl Mahabir has died of Covid-19, as did his mother ten days ago.

Kitco Market Data Gold Prices for the three day period ending Thursday December 16, 2021

PEDEKIK, Indonesia,  (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – In a rural office on Bengkalis island, off the northeast coast of Sumatra, 30-year-old Mayasari runs a face mask dyed with tree sap through an antique sewing machine.

Flood-affected residents of both the Upper and Lower Pomeroon River in Region Two were yesterday issued black tanks with purified water.

Kevin Anthony was re-elected unopposed as President of the East Bank Demerara Football Association, when the entity staged its Electoral Congress and Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Friday, December 10 at the Diamond Community Centre.

Dear Editor, Reference is made to Vincent Alexander’s “GECOM’S CEO selection process raises many questions on adherence to procedures” (Dec 16), the critical remarks made about my commentary on Vishnu Persaud (Dec 12) and the Chair of GECOM for her vote hiring Persaud as CEO of the body.

An unvaccinated man from Region One is the latest casualty of COVID-19.

After cancelling their original match-day of December 12 owing to inclement weather, the Georgetown Office Assistants Promotional Committee will instead conduct their Inter-Ministries/Government Agencies eight-a-side Tape Ball Cricket Competition, on Sunday December 19, at the National Cultural Centre tarmac from 9:00am.

(Reuters) – David Warner fell short of his century but Marnus Labuschagne remained on course for a hundred as they put Australia, missing regular skipper Pat Cummins, in a strong position against England in the day-night second Ashes test yesterday.

(Trinidad Guardian) Sixty-one-year-old Cpl Ian Regis passed away yesterday at the St James Medical Hospital after contracting COVD-19.

GASCI (www.gasci.com/telephone Nº 223-6175/6) reports that session 945’s trading results showed consideration of $8,004,390 from 28,306 shares traded in 18 transactions as compared to session 944’s trading results which showed consideration of $55,768,515 from 354,804 shares traded in 25 transactions.

(Reuters) – Red Bull’s Max Verstappen collected his Formula One world champion’s trophy at a gala awards ceremony yesterday and looked forward to fighting seven times title-holder Lewis Hamilton again next season.

(CMC) – Cricket West Indies president, Ricky Skerritt, said the board had been forced into “significant decisions” in the “tough times” created by the COVID-19 pandemic, and believes the correct decision was made in postponing the One-Day International series against Pakistan.

(Reuters) – World sport was again hit by COVID-19 infections yesterday with soccer and rugby matches called off, a cricket series cancelled and holiday action in North America under threat.

He migrated to the United States of America as a happy, athletic child, who enjoyed running, climbing fruit trees, playing games with his friends outside, and having great fun as a growing boy in Guyana.

(CMC) – West Indies departed Pakistan for the Caribbean yesterday after a COVID-19 outbreak in the camp forced the postponement of the One-Day International series set to bowl off tomorrow in Karachi.

Violence Against Girls and Women remains a common feature in Guyana.

Welcome back Atlantic Symphony Joe was naughty! Belligerent! Pugnacious! Even vicious in his repudiations, assertions and rejections.

OTTAWA,  (Reuters) – The Omicron variant of COVID-19 is spreading rapidly in Ontario, Canada’s most populous province, and could overwhelm intensive care units early next month without prompt intervention, a panel of experts said yesterday.

While we wrestle with the peculiarities of our political system or the essentials to be included in a local content law, sometimes the truly grand-scale projects slip by largely unremarked. 

(Reuters) – Men’s world number one Novak Djokovic has been named the 2021 ITF world champion for a record seventh time while women’s number one Ash Barty has picked up her second crown, the International Tennis Federation (ITF) said yesterday.

If there has been, in recent weeks, an editorial preoccupation on the part of the Stabroek Business pertaining to the hinterland, more particularly, coverage of some of the socio-economic currents in Region Nine, that is to say Lethem and some of its satellite communities, that is because the underdevelopment of the hinterland and the marginalisation of its communities continue to be serious fault lines in the country’s overall governance structure.