Guyanese Diaspora News

15/12/2023

Guyana and Venezuela promise they won't use force, but don't resolve border dispute

The leaders of Guyana and Venezuela promised in a tense meeting Thursday that neither side would use threats or force against the other, but failed to reach agreement on how to address a bitter dispute over a vast border region rich with oil and minerals that has concerned many in the region.

NBC- By Associated Press

The dispute centers on the vast border region rich with oil and minerals between the two countries.

11/12/2023

From NBC News: Guyana agrees to talks with Venezuela over Territorial Dispute

Guyana's President Irfaan Ali said Sunday that his country will meet on the Eastern Caribbean island nation of St. Vincent on Thursday to discuss where border lines between the two nations are drawn.

Ralph Gonsalves, Prime Minister of St. Vincent, will chair the meeting, while Brazil, which shares borders with both Venezuela and Guyana, and which had also placed troops on alert, will act as an observer.

NBC- By Associated Press

The century-old dispute between the two South American nations recently reignited with the discovery of masses of oil in Guyana.

18/03/2021

GUYANA'S NEW HIGH COMMISSIONER TO INDIA PRESENTS LETTERS OF CREDENCE
Mr. Charrandass Persaud today presented his letters of Credence to the President of India Shri Ram Nath Kovind. In his presentation, Persaud highlighted the role India plays in revamping and resuscitating Guyana's Sugar Industry and Vaccines for Covid-19.

12/02/2021

CASE ADJOURNED

CHARRANDASS "HAVING FUN" WITH RAMJATTAN'S ATTORNEY LINE OF QUESTIONING

High Court Judge Justice Joanne Barlow grants adjournment in the Defamation of Character Case - Charrandass vs Ramjattan

Former AFC Parliamentarian Charrandass Persaud has sued Former Minister of Public Security, Khemraj Ramjattan for GUY$30 Million for Defamation of Character, following remarks made after he, Persaud being a member of the APNU/AFC government voted in favor of a no-confidence motion tabled by the Opposition in December 2018.

Ramjattan who ordered an investigation leading up to the vote accused Persaud of a corrupt act, taking a bribe, colluding with the opposition, smuggling gold among other accusations.

The case was heard in the High Court before Justice Joanne Barlow on January 15, 2021 and was set for conclusion today, February 12, 2021. However, Justice Barlow granted an adjournment with a date yet to be determined.

Persaud is represented by Attorneys at Law Christopher Ram and Christopher Robertson.

On January 15th, 2021 Persaud was cross examined for two and a half hours by Roysdale Forde who is representing Ramjattan.

When contacted by Guyanese Diaspora News, Charrandass Persaud said he was having fun being cross examined by Forde on January 15 and missing another fun day today as the case was adjourned.

For example Persaud pointed out that in the cross examination, Forde questioned him on events that took place before, during and after the vote of no-confidence.

Persaud related that Forde asked him, "whether he gave an interview to Canada’s CBC news? To which Persaud replied: Yes Sir, I did."

Persaud recounted that Forde questioned him saying: “You told the CBC news that on the night before the no-confidence motion that you cried all night. Is that so?
To which Persaud responded in an affirmative Yes, saying - Yes Sir, I did cry all night.”

In the line of questioning according to Persaud, Forde went on to ask Persaud - “Would you care to tell the court why you cried all night?”

In response Persaud related to Guyanese Diaspora News that he said, “Yes Sir. I was dating a very young and pretty girl and the night before on December 20th, 2018 she dumped me and I was heartbroken and I cried all night."

According to Persaud, Forde continued his questioning by saying - "You said on the CBC interview that you were afraid for your life and asked for protection. Would you care to elaborate?"

Persaud related that he responded again in the affirmative saying, “Yes Sir, I was afraid for my life and so I asked my good friend Dr. Peter Ramsaroop whom I confided in, for protection.”

According to Persaud, Justice Barlow realizing that the defense lawyer Forde had given the witness much latitude by asking open ended questions, intervened at this point, pointing out to Forde saying that, “she was sure that, (he) Forde knew that Persaud is a Lawyer, hence the need to ask him questions to build (his) Forde’s case as the witness - Persaud, had already presented his evidence.”

It is also public knowledge that Ramjattan while still serving as Public Security Minister had admitted that the police were working on allegations and suspicions and had not obtained substantial evidence to indict Persaud on any charges.

Following the no-confidence motion on December 21, 2018, which toppled the Government of the day, Persaud fled for his life hours after, to Canada. He returned in October, 2020 after the People’s Progressive Party Civic Government led by Dr. Irfaan Ali took office on August 2, 2020.

Persaud has since been selected to be High Commissioner to India and will also serve Sri Lanka, Thailand and Malaysia.

Ramjattan and Forde requested the adjournment to today’s hearing due to the budget presentation which will take place over the next two weeks. A new date will be determined later.

30/01/2021

BREAKING NEWS
CHARRANDASS PERSAUD SLATED TO BE GUYANA’S NEW HIGH COMMISSIONER TO INDIA

Guyanese Diaspora News has been reliably informed that Charrandass Persaud will head Guyana’s Diplomatic Mission to India.

Persaud who will be Guyana’s seventh High Commissioner to India will take up the post late February, 2021, according to a high placed source.

The two former British colonies which became Republics have since May 26th, 1966 established diplomatic relations and have since enjoyed solid and friendly ties. The two countries have sought to foster their developmental agenda for the advancement of both nations and peoples, especially in the areas of trade and investment.

Charrandass Persaud made the historic No-Confidence vote in the National Assembly on December 21, 2018 brought to the house by then Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo, which toppled the Government led by A Partnership for National Unity/ Alliance for Change (APNU/AFC) regime.

Following the vote Persaud fled for his life to Canada where he remained according to him in ‘self exile’ until his return to Guyana late October, 2020 following the swearing in on August 2, 2020, of democratically elected 9th Executive President of Guyana, Dr. Irfaan Ali, of the People’s Progressive Party, Civic (PPP/C).

President Ali is expected to make this announcement of Persaud’s posting shortly.

Persaud will be Guyana’s High Commissioner to India, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Malaysia.

Meanwhile, in the case of Libel, Persaud vs Ramjattan, Persaud has sued former Minister of Public Security, Khemraj Ramjattan for GUY$30 Million, for Libel committed after the passage of the no-confidence motion where Ramjattan who ordered an investigation leading up to the vote accused Persaud of a corrupt act, taking a bribe and colluding with the opposition among other accusations.

The case was heard on January 15, 2021 and is set for conclusion on February 12, 2021.

Reporting by Jennifer Jabbar

27/12/2020

INTERWOVEN ~ Being Mohamed Afzal Amin ~ The Human Experience
A powerful and uplifting documentary which chronicles the life journey of Mohamed Afzal Amin from Guyana to America. Being the survivor of hate crime violence, sexual assault, bullying, stigma and discrimination and being courageous enough to turn his scars into stars to become Internationally acclaimed Dancer Zaman and Sundari, the Indian-Goddess.

25/12/2020

PRELUDE | INTERWOVEN
INTERWOVEN beautifully captures the various nuances that exist within Mohamed Afzal Amin.
PREMIERES Sunday December 27th at 7:00PM - Eastern Standard Time

15/12/2020

PPP/C 134 DAYS IN OFFICE
The investment climate is ripe in Guyana with the Guyana Office for Investment which falls under the purview of the Office of the President attracting billions of dollars in investment in a matter of weeks. Chief Executive Officer at GINVEST Dr. Peter Ramsaroop gives us the scorecard for the performance of the PPP/C Government since assuming office on August 2nd.

14/12/2020

SANDRA LINDSAY FIRST TO RECEIVE COVID-19 VACCINE IN NEW YORK

Shortly after 9 a.m. on Monday, the first vaccination took place in Long Island Jewish Medical Center in Queens.

The pandemic has scarred New York State profoundly, leaving more than 35,000 people dead and severely weakening the economy.

“I believe this is the weapon that will end the war,” Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said at a news conference Monday morning, shortly before the shot was given to Sandra Lindsay, a Jamaican-American intensive-care nurse.

State officials said the shot was the first to be given outside of a vaccine trial in the United States.

Ms. Lindsay, who has treated patients throughout the pandemic, said that she hoped her public vaccination would instill confidence in New Yorkers that the shots were safe.

“I feel like healing is coming,” she said. “I hope this marks the beginning of the end of a very painful time in our history.”

09/12/2020

Tune in soon on Guyanese Diaspora News for our first documentary film. It is our honor and privilege to work on this project.

08/12/2020

FIRST UK CITIZENS RECEIVE COVID-19 VACCINE

90 year old British woman receives first Covid-19 Vaccine in the UK
Tells others to “Go for it, if I can do it, well, so can you.”

CNN - The first Briton to get the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine -- 90-year-old Margaret Keenan -- received the first of two doses at 6:31 a.m. local time on Tuesday at University Hospital in Coventry, less than a week after the UK became the first country to approve it.

The UK is the first Western nation to administer the vaccine.

Keenan, who turns 91 next week, said she felt "privileged" to be the first to get the shot.

"It's the best early birthday present I could wish for because it means I can finally look forward to spending time with my family and friends in the New Year after being on my own for most of the year," she said, according to a statement released by the UK's National Health Service (NHS).

Keenan advised others eligible for the vaccine to take up the offer: "I would say go for it," she said. "If I can do it, well, so can you."

There will be 50 vaccination hubs in hospitals across England and dozens more across Wales and Scotland. People over 80 and frontline healthcare workers who are at the highest risk of serious illness from Covid-19 will be the first to be vaccinated.

In England, the first wave of vaccinations will only be administered in hospitals. In Wales, all health boards today began administering the country's 40,000 doses -- they hope to have given more than 6,000 jabs by the end of the week.

The Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine offers 95% protection against Covid-19. According to the UK's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), more than one in 10 recipients may suffer side effects including pain at the injection site, headache, muscle pain, chills, joint pain, and fever. A handful of other, less common, side effects are also listed.

The Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine needs to be stored at around minus 70 degrees Celsius (minus 94 degrees Fahrenheit), which makes its distribution difficult. Moderna's vaccine, if approved, could be a more practical option for the care homes, as it can be kept at minus 20 degrees Celsius (minus 4 degrees Fahrenheit).

07/12/2020

TREE LIGHTING BY RHSOP

TREE LIGHTING BY RHSOP
The message of Resilience was resounding at the 2nd Annual Christmas Tree lighting by the Richmond Hill South Ozone Park Lions Club held last evening at the Romeo Hitlall Triangle in Richmond Hill, Queens.

Deck the Halls B by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100368Artist: http://incompetech.com/

05/12/2020

COMING UP ON GUYANESE DIASPORA NEWS

Exclusive Interview with Mohamed Afzal Amin
Popularly known as International Dancer Zaman and
Sundari the Indian Goddess

We document the life’s journey of Mohamed from a traumatic experience of growing up in Canal Number 2 in Guyana, transitioning and assimilating to life in America, facing bullyism, stigma and discrimination, being the victim of hate crime, standing up and advocating for LGBTQ rights and being bold and confident to authentically express various messages to effect change through the performing ARTS and Entertainment.

Be sure to look out for this profoundly impacting feature in the coming week.

05/12/2020

PRESIDENT ALI SEEKS COMMON GROUND WITH FORMER PRESIDENT GRANGER
Other Former Presidents invited to meeting on December 15th

The 9th Executive President of Guyana, Dr. Irfaan Ali announced on Friday evening that he will convene a meeting of former Presidents of Guyana come December 15th.

Letters have been dispatched to Former Presidents David Granger, Bharrat Jagdeo, Donald Ramotar and Samuel Hinds.

President Ali is quoted as having said that “we will talk about how we see Guyana’s development, different perspectives and then work out a model and framework on how we will engage in the future and how we have continuous contributions.”

This “open flow” meeting according to President Ali was something he spoke about at his inauguration although he had quite recently displayed a spirit of non-cooperation with the opposition on the grounds that the opposition had not recognized him as the legitimately elected President of Guyana.

Former President Granger has not issued a response to President Ali’s request as yet. Other former Presidents including Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo have also not responded up to last evening.

04/12/2020

SECOND WAVE IS UPON US - MAYOR de BLASIO

New York City's three core indicators are the most aligned they've been in months and all trending in the wrong direction, Mayor Bill de Blasio said Thursday as he more firmly than ever declared "the second wave upon us."

The city's daily case average is on the verge of 2,000 (1,962, by the mayor's data) for the first time since late April, while the seven-day rolling positivity rate has topped 5 percent.

It was just two weeks ago that the mayor closed schools to in-person learning because that rate hit his 3 percent threshold. Before the October clusters, it had been around 1 percent for more than a month.

"What we're now seeing more than we have seen in a long long time is these three indicators all moving in the wrong direction, or in the case of daily cases, moving greatly in the wrong direction," de Blasio said.

Citywide hospitalizations are up more than 120 percent over the last three weeks, though the mayor says capacity at hospitals and in ICUs is holding for now. The increases have rendered the current three core indicators much less relevant, with the city exceeding or on the verge of exceeding all three of the mayor's established thresholds. He said the city would devise new information to help people understand what comes next, though didn't elaborate Thursday.

"It's quite clear at this point that this second wave unfortunately is right upon us," de Blasio said Thursday. "We are seeing a different reality for the hospitals for sure than in the spring. The ability of our hospitals to handle this has greatly improved, not as much stress on our ICUs."

30/11/2020

DON'T MISS THE VIRTUAL BROADCAST OF THE FLAME & THE RIBBON
Presented on December 1st, World AIDS Day by Artistes in Direct Support.

29/11/2020

DESIREE EDGHILL- WORLD AIDS DAY - MY DRIVE COMES FROM ANDRE SOBRYAN
In commemoration of World AIDS Day (December 1st), Guyanese Diaspora News features Desiree Edghill, recipient of 2018 Medal of Service Award and the 2020 Queens, Commonwealth Points of Light Award.
Desiree Edghill is a stalwart at educating the public through the Arts and Entertainment about the HIV virus.
She contributed 28 years of helping to break the stigma and for the population to have publicly open dialogue about HIV and its effect.

26/11/2020

President Elect Joe Biden Thanksgiving Message

We're going to lead the world by the power of our example not just the example of our power.

We will finally root our systemic racism in this country

We're going to build an economy that leads the world