Staff Editor

A Rosignol robbery last night left a 78-year-old man dead and two others injured.

Alliance For Change (AFC) executive Dominic Gaskin today said he was not “sufficiently convinced” that the results declared by the Returning Officer (RO) for Region Four on March 5th accurately reflected the statements of poll from the 879 polling stations.

Region 4 Returning Officer Clairmont Mingo completed the count of votes cast in the General Election just after 7 pm this evening amidst objections from several political parties as well as international and  local observers.

Commonwealth Secretary General Patricia Scotland today warned that if the ongoing voter tabulation for Region Four is not completed in accordance with Wednesday’s ruling by Chief Justice Roxane George it would constitute a “serious violation of the fundamental political values of the Commonwealth”.

The Management of the Guyana/Suriname Ferry Service today advised the general public that its services will be suspended from tomorrow, Saturday, 14th March, 2020 until further notice.

On the heels of the pullout today of the OAS observer mission, the missions from the Commonwealth, the European Union and the Carter Center today expressed grave concern about the continued lack of transparency in the determination of the March 2nd election results for Region Four.

In a sign of the deepening crisis for Guyana and the caretaker Granger administration, the OAS election observer mission today announced it was withdrawing from the country as the tabulation process for Region Four is not transparent despite the many complaints about it.

The envoys of the US, UK, the EU and Canada today ratcheted up the pressure on the Granger administration and GECOM by warning that the swearing in of any President on the basis of flawed results could lead to Guyana’s isolation.

The Ministry of Education today advised that with effect from Monday, March 16, 2020, all schools will be closed for two weeks.

The OAS Electoral Observation Mission in Guyana, led by the former Prime Minister of Jamaica, Bruce Golding, yesterday said that it was dismayed that in spite of the ruling of the High Court on March 11, the Guyana Elections Commission was not able to move ahead yesterday, with the tabulation of the results for Region 4.

MUMBAI,  (Reuters) – The start of the Indian Premier League Twenty20 tournament has been postponed until April 15 as a precautionary measure against the spread of the coronavirus, the Indian cricket board (BCCI) said today.

GENEVA,  (Reuters) – If the coronavirus crisis lasts another two or three months, it could force carriers to collapse and spark more consolidation in the beleaguered airline industry, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) chief told Reuters today.

(Trinidad Guardian) Phagwa celebrations across the country have been cancelled in light of confirmation yesterday that Trinidad and Tobago has its first COVID-19 case.

(Trinidad Guardian) At 2.45 pm yesterday, Trinidad and Tobago joined the list of over 150 countries across the world with a confirmed case of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).

An existential threat continues to be posed by the Region Four Returning Officer, Clairmont Mingo  to the declaration of valid results for the March 2nd general elections.

Acting US Assistant Secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs, Michael G Kozak today said that it is vital that the High Court mandated tabulation for Region Four be done in a fair and transparent manner and he also warned of consequences for those who benefit from electoral fraud and impede a peaceful transition of power.

The European Union (EU) Election Observation Mission has written to the Returning Officer of Region Four, Clairmont Mingo asking to see the Statements of Poll that he used to prepare a spreadsheet of results which is intended to be utilised  for the declaration of results for Demerara-Mahaica.

(CAL press release) Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, March 12, 2020.

Following separate meetings earlier yesterday, President David Granger and Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo last night met together with the visiting CARICOM delegation here to discuss the way forward given the current elections impasse and gave commitments to a free and transparent process, CARICOM Chairperson and Prime Minister of Barbados Mia Mottley today said.

With the coronavirus being confirmed as present here, pharmacies and stores today experienced a rush for hand sanitisers and disinfectants among other supplies.