NEWS
Procurement Regulator: We are ready to work
Procurement Regulator Moonilal Lalchan says he and his board are ready to work as soon as the Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Property (Amendment) Bill 2020 is assented to. Speaking at a webinar hosted by the TT Transparency Institute (TTTI) on Wednesday, Lalchan said his board was ready to get started. “We are fully funded and ready but the regulations are the sticking points.” Read more here
Peacemaker trying to part fight killed
A 39-year-old man who attempted to part a fight was instead stabbed to death in Matura on Tuesday night. According to a police, at about 8.45 pm Darron Mc David, 39, of Lp 4 Railway Road Guaico, #2 Sangre Grande, went to part a fight between persons he knew near the Honey Corner Bar, Mora Trace, Matura. However, eyewitnesses told police that while he was attempting to stop the fight, he was stabbed once in the left upper abdomen by one of the brawling men. Mc David collapsed on the scene and died. Read more here
POLITICS
Abdool-Richards: Ministry awaiting confirmation on covid19 mutations
The Ministry of Health is liaising with regional and international health organisations after reports that covid19 has mutated into a different strain in the United Kingdom, according to principal medical officer in charge of health institutions Dr Maryam Abdool-Richards. On Tuesday the BBC reported that a new variant of the virus had been detected in southeast England, and had been found in places where the rate of infections were higher. Read more here
OAS must verify facts on situation first
Foreign Affairs Minister Dr Amery Browne is supporting Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley in his criticism of the Organisation of American States (OAS) over its comments over the recent Venezuelan migrant tragedy. Browne stood behind Rowley yesterday, as he said the OAS should ensure it only comments on verified information. “It is critically important that the OAS relies only on verified and factual information on all matters, and that the organisation avoids inaccurate and speculative output and statements that can mislead member states,” Browne said in an interview with Guardian Media. Read more here
BUSINESS
Go gourmet for Xmas with Uptown Treats
Annalisa Patience, self-taught dessert chef and owner of Uptown Treats dessert bakery, loves ponche de crème. She doesn’t care for ginger beer. Ham and turkey, she’s had her share. But ponche de crème is her favourite thing about her favourite time of year. It was this love for ponche de crème which led to the birth of her new Christmas dish – ponche de crème brulee. Read more here
REGIONAL
COVID Crackdown On Sports
Minister of Health and Wellness Dr Christopher Tufton is clamping down on unauthorised sporting events while issuing a stern warning to organisers that no gratuitous exceptions will be granted as Jamaica continues to grapple with the spread of the coronavirus disease. Tufton was speaking to The Gleaner in light of the Ministry of Health and Wellness’ recent suspension of the JN Bank Men’s Invitational Exhibition tennis tournament, which began on Monday and was scheduled to run until Friday. Read more here
Dubai sees ‘sweetness’ in Guyana’s sugar
Sugar had lost its ‘taste’ over the years, becoming an industry that depended on Government bailouts to stay afloat, but a new impetus and strategic plan derived by the new Government have not only ‘breathed’ life into local ‘sugar-dependent’ communities, but has attracted one of the world’s wealthiest states, Dubai, which has signalled a strong interest to invest here. This willingness to invest in sugar was initially expressed by members of the eight-member delegation from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which visited Guyana in November, this year. Read more here
INTERNATIONAL
Glimmers of progress in stimulus negotiations as Trump's election sideshow drags on
For the first time in months there were small signs of a functioning government Wednesday as congressional leaders negotiated a Covid-19 relief package and millions of vaccine doses were shipped out under the watchful eye of officials with Operation Warp Speed while carrying out contingency planning for delays due to the winter storm. Read more here
Emmanuel Macron: French president tests positive for Covid
France's Emmanuel Macron has tested positive for Covid-19, forcing several European leaders to self-isolate after coming into contact with him. The 42-year-old president was tested after developing symptoms and will now self-isolate for seven days, the Elysée Palace said in a statement. He "is still in charge" of running the country and will work remotely. European Council chief Charles Michel and Spanish PM Pedro Sánchez are among the leaders having to self-isolate. Read more here
17th December 2020