Staff Editor

The Ambassador of the United States of America, Sarah-Ann Lynch, the British High Commissioner, Greg Quinn, the Canadian High Commissioner,  Lilian Chatterjee, and the Ambassador of the European Union, Fernando Ponz-Canto, in a joint statement today noted the plans put forward for a recount of ballots from the 02 March elections.

WASHINGTON, (Reuters) – U.S. private employers laid off a record 20.236 million workers in April as mandatory business closures in response to the novel coronavirus outbreak savaged the economy, setting up the overall labor market for historic job losses last month.

(Trinidad Guardian) After 70 days waiting to ensure they were safe of COVID-19, 33 Trinidadian nationals were finally released from the step-down facility in Tacarigua and allowed to return to their homes yesterday.

The PPP today objected to an aspect of the recount process that would leave the Chief Election Officer, Keith Lowenfield in sole possession of the Statements of Recount (SoR) for some period.

The Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) today said it has taken note of a publication on social media which suggests that a local air operator allegedly piloted an aircraft with passengers from Trinidad to Guyana without the relevant approval on Monday May 4, 2020.

Containers with ballot boxes are being transported today from the Kingston Headquarters of the Guyana Elections Commission to the Arthur Chung Conference Centre in Liliendaal in preparation for the long-awaited start of the recount of votes from the March 2nd general elections.

MASERU,  (Reuters) – Hours before she was shot dead on the outskirts of the capital, Lesotho’s former first lady, Lipolelo Thabane, made a surprising decision.

KABUL, (Reuters) – Afghanistan’s government began distributing free bread to hundreds of thousands of people across the country this week as supplies have been disrupted during the coronavirus shutdown and prices have soared, officials and experts said.

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.

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.

A senior Canadian government official this evening called on President David Granger to “immediately approve” the return of the Carter Center to monitor the recount of votes from the March 2nd general elections that is due to begin on Wednesday.

The recount of votes from the crisis-ridden March 2nd general elections is expected to finally get underway on Wednesday, GECOM agreed today.

Pressure is mounting on the Guyana Government to permit the return of the Carter Center to observe the recount of votes with the UN Resident Coordinator here, Mikiko Tanaka adding her voice.

The Private Sector Commission (PSC) today urged that the authorities take steps to ensure that the Carter Center is able to return to observe the recount of votes from the March 2nd general elections.

(Reuters) – Billionaire investor Warren Buffett on Saturday said the United States’ capacity to withstand crises provides a silver lining as it combats the coronavirus, even as he acknowledged that the global pandemic could significantly damage the economy and his investments.

 (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