With the rising number of Venezuelans settling in Mabaruma and facing various challenges, the Guyana Medical Relief (GMR) spearheaded a three-day outreach to provide them with medical and dental treatment and even facilitated immigration services.

The GMR collaborated with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), as well as the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the Migrant Support Network (MSN) to conduct the medical and dental outreach.

President of the GMR, Sharir Chan, told Stabroek News (SN) that his organisation was saddened at the dire circumstances of the immigrants and saw the need to reach out. Over 800 people, including residents of Mabaruma, benefited from the outreach that was held earlier this month in an effort to bring some ease to the sufferings of residents and the Venezuelans.(Stabroek news)…[+]

Boris Johnson and his Conservative Party have won a decisive majority in the UK’s general election. First reactions from world leaders have stressed the importance of shaping future relations with the UK. US President Donald Trump congratulated Mr Johnson on his “great win”.

Mr Johnson said he now had a mandate to take the UK out of the EU next month “no ifs, no buts” and some EU leaders have said they welcomed the clarity on the Brexit issue.

President Trump said the US and UK would now be free to strike a “massive” new trade deal after Brexit. “This deal has the potential to be far bigger and more lucrative than any deal that could be made with the EU,” he said in a tweet.

European Council President Charles Michel said the EU was prepared to negotiate a free-trade agreement with Britain. He also said the EU expected a quick vote in the British parliament on Brexit. “It’s important to have clarity.”

German Chancellor Angela Merkel congratulated Mr Johnson for the clear win. “I look forward to our further co-operation towards the friendship and close partnership of our countries,” she said in a statement posted on Twitter.(BBC)…[+]

Thousands of creatures resembling penises have washed up on a beach in California. The pulsating creatures are fat innkeeper worms, or Urechis caupo.

Although they are a type of worm, they are widely referred to as the “penis fish”. The worms bury themselves deep beneath the sand, but recent storms have uprooted them and Drakes Beach, about 50 miles north of San Francisco, has been covered in the creatures. “Yes, the physical design of the fat innkeeper worm has some explaining to do. But the fat innkeeper is perfectly shaped for a life spent underground,” wrote biologist Ivan Parr. There is fossil evidence of the creatures dating back 300 million years and some live for up to 25 years, he added. Urechis unicinctus, the species found in East Asia, is a delicacy in countries including South Korea.(BBC)…[+]

Avisha Best, the 22-month-old who was diagnosed with acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) last month, departed Guyana on Monday for emergency medical treatment in the United States, for which funds are still desperately needed. The announcement was made in a Facebook post made by non-governmental organisation Saving Hands Emergency Aid (SHEA). The estimated cost needed for Best’s treatment is US$20,000, which is equivalent to GY$4.1 million.(Stabroeknews)…[+]

The UK is going to the polls for the country’s third general election in less than five years. The contest, the first to be held in December in nearly 100 years, follows those in 2015 and 2017. Polling stations in 650 constituencies across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland opened at 07:00 GMT.

After the polls close at 22:00 GMT, counting will begin straight away. Most results are due to be announced in the early hours of Friday morning. A total of 650 MPs will be chosen under the first-past-the-post system used for general elections, in which the candidate who secures the most votes in each individual constituency is elected.

In 2017, Newcastle Central was the first constituency to declare, announcing its result about an hour after polls closed. Elections in the UK traditionally take place every four or five years. But, in October, MPs voted for the second snap poll in as many years. It is the first winter election since 1974 and the first to take place in December since 1923.(BBC)…[+]

Three patients died when hundreds of lawyers attacked a hospital in Lahore during a furious dispute with doctors. Video showed the lawyers ransacking wards at the cardiac hospital, beating up staff and smashing equipment.

As panic spread, doctors and paramedics hid, leaving patients unattended, including those in a critical state. Riot police fired tear gas to disperse the lawyers and more than 20 arrests were made. It took more than two hours to restore order, officials said. The lawyers had been protesting over the alleged mistreatment of some of their colleagues by hospital staff last month. But the final trigger for the violence appears to have been a video posted on social media by a doctor on Tuesday night in which he poked fun at the lawyers.

According to hospital administrators, more than 200 lawyers wielding sticks stormed Lahore’s Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC) at midday on Wednesday.

Hospital officials said the lawyers forced their way past security and split into groups, attacking various departments and wards. Video footage shared on social media showed lawyers – in suits and ties – smashing medical equipment and windows, and beating up staff and officials including Punjab information minister Fayazul Hasan Chauhan who had arrived on the scene to try to restore calm.(BBC)…[+]

Emergency works to repair a collapsed section of the Leguan Stelling commenced yesterday morning and the contractor is aiming to complete the rehabilitation to reopen the facility to the public by Friday, General Manager of the Transport and Harbours Department (T&HD) Marcelene Merchant said yesterday.

Protesters stormed the Palace of Fine Arts in Mexico City on Tuesday over a painting showing revolutionary hero Emiliano Zapata striking an unconventional pose. They shouted “burn it, burn it”, arguing that the painting, which shows Zapata in high heels and a pink hat naked on an aroused horse is offensive. Zapata’s grandson, Jorge Zapata González, wants it to be removed.  “We are not going to allow this,” he told the Associated Press.

For us as relatives, this denigrates the figure of our general, depicting him as gay,” Mr Zapata González said, adding that the family would sue if the painting was not removed. Emiliano Zapata was a leader in the Mexican revolution before being assassinated in 1919 at the age of 39. He remains a hero in the eyes of many Mexicans.(BBC)…[+]

Doctors treating the victims of the New Zealand volcano are importing skin to treat those burned in the eruption. It is part of the intense medical response to treat those caught up in the disaster. When someone has a burn injury, skin is used as a “natural plaster” to help healing. It helps stop infections and reduces scarring and pain. Doctors take skin from another part of the body, such as the thigh or behind the ear, but donated skin is used if that is not possible.

It is donated after death, like other organs, and can be banked for several years. Burns units keep a supply of donor skin – enough to cope with the normal needs of their patients. But the White Island eruption is an extreme situation.

Medical authorities in New Zealand say they are currently caring for 29 patients in intensive care and burns units at four hospitals in Middlemore, Waikato, Hutt Valley and Christchurch.

Twenty-two are in a critical condition because of the severity of their burns. One Australian patient is being transported home by air ambulance, with others set to follow over the next 24-48 hours so they can be cared for nearer their families.

Local media has reported only five to 10 people donate skin in New Zealand each year. And since each adult has about two sq m (22 sq ft) of skin, doctors have requested 120 sq m (1,300 sq ft) of skin from the US, where there are more tissue banks. An initial skin graft normally lasts a couple of weeks. The idea is the body can begin to repair itself, but replacement grafts are often needed.(BBC)…[+]

Police ranks in Region No. 3 (Pomeroon-Supenaam) acting on information received, yesterday at about 13:20hrs intercepted a motorcar at Charity, Essequibo Coast but seconds after, the vehicle sped away and the driver disposed of a bag through the front passenger side window. A statement from the police today said that the bag was retrieved and the ranks pursued and arrested the driver a short distance away and upon examination of the bag in his presence, found same to contain two parcels of suspected cocaine which when weighed amounted to 2.5 kilograms.

The police say that the suspect Dwayne Gildharie, 40, of Lima, Essequibo Coast, appeared today at the Anna Regina Magistrate’s Court charged with Possession of Narcotics for the Purpose of Trafficking; he pleaded not guilty and was remanded to Prison until January 7, 2020.(Stabroeknews)…[+]