Daily Archive: Wednesday, March 23, 2022

The U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary (DAS) for Caribbean Affairs and Haiti, Barbara A.

LVIV/MYKOLAIV/KHARKIV, Ukraine,  (Reuters) – A veteran aide of President Vladimir Putin has resigned over the Ukraine war and left Russia with no intention to return, two sources said today, the first senior official to break with the Kremlin since Putin launched his invasion a month ago.

WARSAW,  (Reuters) – Poland is expelling 45 Russian diplomats suspected of working for Russian intelligence, the foreign ministry said today.

(Reuters) – Search and rescue crews combed through rubble overnight in New Orleans after a tornado blasted the east side, killing at least one person, destroying homes and knocking down power lines.

American Airlines (AA) has apologised to the Guyana Government over a more than four-hour delay in the departure of a February 27 flight to Miami on which President Irfaan Ali was a passenger.

(Trinidad Guardian) Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley says in the coming days, he will meet with this country’s Ministry of Health officials to discuss the full reopening of T&T’s operations, as there has been no-post Carnival spike in COVID-19 cases.

Leader of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) Aubrey Norton has once again called on the government to immediately implement measures to cushion the skyrocketing cost of living.

Business executive and long-serving Private Sector Commission member, Ramesh Dookhoo is the private sector’s nominee for the Natural Resource Fund (NRF) board which will oversee oil and gas revenues.

Government is examining ways to reduce the cost of bandwidth for students who are currently pursuing education under the Guyana Online Academy of Learning (GOAL), according to Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo.

The Ministry of Health (MOH) employee who was found in possession of illegal firearms and ammunition along with a large quantity of cash remains in police custody and is likely to be charged today.

Police are investigating the alleged kidnapping of an 18-year-old East Bank Demerara (EBD) girl, who was found with injuries about her body yesterday afternoon, one day after she went missing.

Almost six months after it closed the application process for the filling of key vacancies, the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) is yet to interview the shortlisted applicants and now Opposition-nominated Commissioner Vincent Alexander is raising concerns about what he sees as the deliberate slothfulness in the process.

The Guyana National Bureau of Standards’ (GNBS) Certification Services Department yesterday certified Caribbean Surgery Inc after it demonstrated conformance to the requirements of the Guyana Standard (GYS 170:2009) – General requirements for the operation of a laboratory.

Golden Jaguars head-coach Jamal Shabazz, has recalled the trio of Sam Cox, Neil Danns, and Terell Ondaan, as part of their six-member overseas contingent which will form a portion of the roster for the Courts Caribbean Classic in Trinidad and Tobago this weekend.

With fuel prices having risen dramatically in recent weeks, Stabroek News visited three of the main gas stations in central Georgetown to check on prices.

LVIV/KYIV, Ukraine,  (Reuters) – Talks between Ukraine and Russia are confrontational but moving forward, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said yesterday, as the West plans to announce more sanctions against the Kremlin amid a worsening humanitarian crisis.

Guyana XI registered a 76-run win over American Cricket Society (ACS) yesterday at Everest Cricket Club.

The Mayor and Councillors of the City of Georgetown will be conducting a sanitization and cleaning exercise at the Bourda Market and its immediate environs today from 7 am.

GRUENHEIDE, Germany,  (Reuters) – Elon Musk was cheered as he oversaw the handover of Tesla’s TSLA.O

Convicted sex offender Esan Germain who is currently serving a 65-year sentence for sexually abusing a 4-year-old on three occasions—with the final assault at age seven—now faces an additional 30 years behind bars for raping a 15-year-old girl three times.

The Demerara Inter-Association Under15 cricket competition continued with Georgetown continuing their run with a nine-wicket win over East Bank Demerara yesterday.

Dear Editor, On March 4th 2022 the residents of the Indigenous Village of Wikki/Calcuni in the Berbice River sent a petition to the Minister of Amerindian Affairs, Honourable Pauline Sukhai Campbell, M.P. 

PARIS/LONDON,  (Reuters) – French oil major TotalEnergies TTEF.PAsaid on Tuesday it would not renew its Russian gasoil and crude oil supply contracts for its German refinery, but would source gasoil from Saudi Arabia and crude via Poland instead.

Dear Editor, Please allow me the space to applaud the people of Berbice for speaking out against noise nuisance.

The last time the Leeward Islands played Guyana in the regional cricket competition, they won.

President Irfaan Ali has stated that the Caribbean region is a stable platform with all of the components for a modern and emerging economy According to a release from the Office of the President yesterday, Ali made this remark during his keynote address at the Caribbean Investment Forum (CIF2022), hosted by the Caribbean Export Development Agency, in association with the Caribbean Association of Investment Promotion Agencies (CAIPA) in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Dear Editor, In a market economy, price is an important signal which causes consumers to compare it to their value for the commodity, and producers to their cost of production. 

LeBron James erupted for a game-high 38 points along with 11 rebounds and 12 assists to power the visiting Los Angeles Lakers to a 131-120 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday.

UNITED NATIONS, (Reuters) – U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres yesterday urged an end to the “absurd war” started by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine one month ago, warning that the conflict is “going nowhere, fast” and that the Ukrainian people are “enduring a living hell.”

The Spark Programme which will introduce students to Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology was launched on Monday at the National Centre for Educational Resource Development (NCERD).

Dear Editor, Just before Phagwah 2022 Dr Vindhya Persaud, the head of the Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha and Minister of Human Services, called on people to stop disrespecting Hindu festivals with alcohol and vulgarities.

 (Reuters) – Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed a proclamation yesterday acknowledging Emma Weyant as the winner of a women’s college swimming event after her recent loss to a transgender athlete and accused the NCAA of destroying opportunities for women.

MEXICO CITY, (Reuters) – Flaring by the energy sector in Mexico hit record levels last year while the number of sites where gas is burnt off also rose despite government pledges to reduce such activity, research by a leading team of scientists showed.

The driver of the vehicle which fatally struck two persons along the Number 70 Public Road on Friday evening was yesterday remanded to prison after he was charged with causing death by dangerous driving, failure to report the accident, and failure to render assistance.

KINGSTON, (Reuters) – Britain’s Prince William and his wife Kate arrived in Jamaica yesterday as part of a week-long Caribbean tour, hours after activists protested to demand reparations for slavery amid growing scrutiny of the British Empire’s colonial legacy.

Dear Editor, I would again like to raise the question whether the PPP Government will honour its promise to issue “Order of Democracy” awards, since it likes to say, “Promise made, Promise kept.”

The mother of Roger Brandt, the man who disappeared almost one month ago while waiting outside a Sheriff Street, Georgetown supermarket is offering a substantial reward for any information on his whereabouts or safe return.

OTTAWA,  (Reuters) – Canada’s ruling Liberal Party and opposition New Democratic Party (NDP) have reached a surprise agreement that aims to keep the minority government in power until 2025, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said yesterday.

(Reuters) – Russian grandmaster Sergey Karjakin has been banned from competition for six months because of his support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the International Chess Federation (FIDE) said on Monday.

GUATEMALA CITY,  (Reuters) – Guatemala’s Supreme Court of Justice said yesterday it has suspended Judge Pablo Xitumul, who is known for his fight against corruption and handling high-profile cases against the military and former government officials.

Dear Editor, It is a seriously worrying matter that a state employee would have on the work site guns and ammunition and large amounts of cash. 

WELLINGTON, New Zealand, CMC – West Indies Women’s bowling coach Corey Collymore believes a defeat like the one to Pakistan Women had always been on the cards, especially with the Caribbean side failing to resolve their inconsistency with the bat.

While much debate is ongoing as to when and who will fill the two empty seats on the Opposition side of the National Assembly, Leader of the PNCR Aubrey Norton has assured that those seats will be occupied by the next sitting of the House.

WASHINGTON, (Reuters) – Sidelined in high-level talks between the United States and Venezuela, the South American country’s opposition is pressing Washington to condition any easing of oil sanctions on political concessions, three people involved in the matter said, adding new hurdles to oil companies hoping to resume operations there.

COLOMBO,  (Reuters) – Sri Lanka posted soldiers at hundreds of state-run gas stations yesterday to help distribute fuel after a sudden rise in prices of key commodities and accompanying shortages forced tens of thousands of people to queue for hours.

(Trinidad Guardian) Stakeholder consultations on the idea to increase the retirement age gradually from 60 to 65 started last month with the National Union of Government and Federated Workers (NUGFW) and a meeting is also being arranged with the Public Services Association (PSA).

(Reuters) – Australia’s relentless march through the Women’s World Cup continued with captain Meg Lanning thrashing an unbeaten century as the tournament favourites dealt South Africa a humbling five-wicket defeat in Wellington yesterday.

Dear Editor, I pen this letter seeking help from anyone who may be related to Subratti (Jahangeer) or know of his life.

Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo yesterday told an Essequibo outreach that the Government is currently examining ways to establish a fertiliser plant within the next five years to ensure affordable fertilisers for rice farmers. 

(Reuters) – A large tornado swept into New Orleans yesterday, shearing off roofs and trapping people, local media reported, a day after twisters destroyed homes and injured people elsewhere in the deep South.

By Michael Ignatieff VIENNA – We know what Russian President Vladimir Putin wants in Ukraine: to wipe the country off the map.

By Gordon Brown EDINBURGH – The world has responded to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine with sanctions, travel bans, and deliveries of humanitarian and military aid, all of which have been stepped up as Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war crimes claim more lives every day.

MANAGUA, (Reuters) – A judge late on Monday sentenced former Nicaraguan presidential candidate Cristiana Chamorro to eight years of detention for money laundering and misuse of funds, in a case that government opponents argue was politically motivated.

Dear Editor, Criticism for the sake of criticism is no criticism at all as it lacks objectivity.

(Reuters) – Kazakh weightlifter Nijat Rahimov, who won gold in the 77kg at the 2016 Rio Olympics, has been banned from the sport for eight years for a doping offence and will be stripped of his medal, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) said yesterday.

As the Russian invasion of Ukraine enters its fourth week, we, as a nation, should be paying close attention to the continuing violation of the integrity and sovereignty of this state.

Seven new COVID-19 cases have been recorded out of 704 tests that were done.

MEXICO CITY, (Reuters) – Flaring by the energy sector in Mexico hit record levels last year while the number of sites where gas is burnt off also rose despite government pledges to reduce such activity, research by a leading team of scientists showed.