Daily Archive: Friday, May 1, 2009

The Bel Air residence of two now-deceased presidents of Guyana, Dr Cheddi Jagan and Mrs Janet Jagan, has been converted into a heritage home.

-opposition calls for caps ignored The government last evening used its parliamentary majority to pass a bill to legislate benefits for former presidents, despite opposition concern over its scope.

-cites $20.9M payments for disposal of backlog cases Embattled Supreme Court Registrar, Sita Ramlal yesterday accused the acting Chancellor of the Judiciary, Justice Carl Singh of poor execution of a 2005-2007programme to reduce the backlog of cases and of “enjoying the rich rewards” of  $20.9M of government’s money set aside for the scheme, but the Chancellor has rejected the allegation saying that it is a malicious attempt to mislead.

The government yesterday tabled legislation which will see the Bank of Guyana (BoG) taking over the functions of the Commissioner of Insurance (CoI).

ST. JOHN’S, Antigua, CMC – Donald Peters has resigned from the post of Chief Executive Officer of the West Indies Cricket Board with immediate effect, the regional governing body announced last evening.

Justice Winston Patterson yesterday ordered that a Rule Nisi be directed to the Guyana Rice Producers Association (GRPA) to show cause why their intended District Association elections should not be prohibited.

Pitbulls favoured With $1 million in prizes at stake and being the strongest team in the competition on paper, Gizmos and Gadgets Georgetown Pitbulls are favoured to cart off the DJ Stress T20 festival which is set to bowl off today at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence.

The Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) yesterday issued bulletins for two men.

MIAMI, (Reuters) – Olympic champion sprinter Usain  Bolt of Jamaica has dropped out of a race this weekend after  suffering minor injuries in a car crash on the outskirts of his  Caribbean homeland’s capital, his agent said yesterday.

-Essequibo beaten by 145 runs Demerara skipper Rajendra Nikbarran starred with both the ball and bat as Demerara steamrolled Essequibo by 145 runs in their first round encounter of the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB)/GTM-sponsored Under-19 Inter-county limited overs match at the Police Sports Club ground, Eve Leary yesterday.

-to craft plan for life without gov’t subvention The Guyana Trades Union Congress (GTUC) has appointed a new Board to manage the Critchlow Labour College (CLC) even as the institution remains starved of the annual government subvention.

Dear Editor, I am happy that Ms Joyce Jonas has aired the issue of what constitutes proper or improper dress in the public offices of Guyana.

Rose Hall Town Windies Sports Bar (RHTWSB) reached the finals of the Berbice Cricket Board organized Associated Business Services (ABS) 40-overs-a-side cricket tournament when they edged past arch rivals Port Mourant by seven runs at the Area “H” ground on Wednesday.

-official A senior Precision Woodworking Limited official says that the company has not shut down but it is in the process of “restructuring”.

Milerock and Blueberry to clash in final Upper Demerara Football Association (UDFA) 2008 League champions Milerock came from behind to defeat Topp XX, whilst Blue Berry Hill United needled Eagles United to set up a clash in the final of the Linden Town Week senior football tournament last Tuesday at the Mckenzie Sports Club ground.

-Advisory Council Chairman ‘Persons are being injured, maimed and killed in the workplace and and not enough is being done to penalize employers’ Cost-cutting measures by businesses designed to respond to reduced profits arising out of the current economic downturn could result in the removal of vital safety and health  mechanisms designed to ensure the safety and health of workers, according to Chairman of the National Advisory Council on Occupational Safety and Health (NACOSH) Dale Beresford.

Head of Security at the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GT&T) Edgar Blackman has told Stabroek Business that the significant reduction in the incidence of vandalizing of the company’s installations by copper thieves is probably due to the measures put in place by government to monitor the operations of local scrap metal dealers more closely.

-250,000 to 350,000 ozs per annum targeted The spectre of the Omai gold mines spill, concerns about river water, and other issues were among the “significant” raised when a public scoping meeting on the proposed Guyana Goldfields Inc large-scale Cuyuni gold mine, was held at Bartica on Wednesday.

Dear Editor, I would like to congratulate the Hindus of Berbice who turned out in thousands to support the Berbice Hindu Milan, a three-evening programme at the Albion Sports Complex last weekend.

…but government must do more to attract, keep investors General Secretary of the Caribbean Congress of Labour (CCL) Lincoln Lewis has said that he believes that the Jagdeo Initiative that seeks to centre regional food security around Guyana’s agricultural potential is deserving of the attention of the rest of the region given the circumstances in which the Caribbean finds itself.

The Berbice Cricket Board junior cricket selection committee has made two changes to the Berbice squad that played Essequibo recently for the upcoming Guyana Cricket Board (GCB)/GTM-sponsored one day tournament.

The St Joseph High School Old Students Association is hosting a week of activities to celebrate its Fourth Triennial International Reunion.

Dear Editor, With the completion of the Berbice River Bridge, it was felt that the long waiting period to cross the river using the ferry was finally over.

MEXICO CITY,  (Reuters) – Mexico began shutting  down parts of its economy yesterday to slow the spread of a  new flu strain as officials urged increased worldwide  precautions against an imminent pandemic.

LONDON, (Reuters) – Liverpool’s hopes of prising  the Premier League title from Manchester United’s grip will be  boosted by the return of captain Steven Gerrard for Sunday’s  match at home to Newcastle United (1230 GMT).

–power theft remains big problem As it continues to work to curb the frequency of outages particularly in Demerara, the power company is urging care as the situation remains tenuous and as it struggles with rampant electricity theft.

JEDDAH, (Reuters) – A 50-year old Saudi man has  agreed to divorce his 9-year-old bride, media reported yesterday, after the marriage drew international criticism.

After the revelations of the Customs/Fidelity fraud the Guyana Revenue Authority has been seeking to send signals to the public that it is keen to close some of the loopholes that have given rise to widespread accusations of various corruption-related scams within the Authority.

Dear Editor, Two Sundays ago I was at the on Homestretch Avenue awaiting the usual horse-cart racing that is held there weekly.

Minister of Labour Manzoor Nadir has urged workers to commit to the principle of strength in unity.

Dear Editor, Presumably the collapsed culvert and the underlying metal pipe have been fixed and traffic is restored to Sheriff Street and the Railway Embankment intersection.

SYDNEY, (Reuters) – This year’s Ashes series in  England is shaping up to be one of the most even in years,  former Australia captain  Steve Waugh said yesterday.

Rawle Lucas is a Guyanese-born Certified Public Accountant and Assistant Vice-President of the Lending Services Division.

MATAMOROS, Mexico, (Reuters) – Mexico captured a  suspected leader of the ruthless Gulf cartel who is wanted in  the United States, the latest arrest in its army-led war  against drug gangs, the government said.

APELDOORN, Netherlands, (Reuters) – A Dutchman  deliberately drove his car towards an open bus carrying Queen  Beatrix and her family yesterday, killing five people and  injuring 12 in a crowd watching the parade.

Duprey, Karen in showdown (Trinidad Express) – Government was expected to put its demands in writing for a greater say in the management control of the troubled CL Financial Group on the table yesterday.

Acting Chief Magistrate Melissa Robertson yesterday remanded to prison the man accused of stabbing a Vryheid’s Lust man to death last Sunday as he was visiting a relative.

Dear Editor, The Calypso Symposium that was televised on Sunday night, April 19, was very  enlightening, and gave some sort of hope that our calypsonians are not prepared to sit and accept the sad and deteriorating state of this fine art form brought about to some extent by themselves, but moreso because of fraud, as was implied by some of the participants.

CENTURION, South Africa, (Reuters) – A half-century  by Tillakeratne Dilshan steered the Delhi Daredevils to a  six-wicket win over Deccan Chargers at Centurion as they joined  them at the top of the Indian Premier League yesterday.

By Andre Griffith Several weeks ago, I had an interesting encounter with the Chief Financial Officer of GT&T Mr.

(Trinidad Express) – Known to residents of Covigne Road, Diego Martin, as “Wounded Soul”, reputed gang leader Keron Charles and his cousin, Kendall “Pooh Bear” Charles, were killed by police gunfire early on Wednesday.

(Prepared by the Guyana Marketing Corporation and published by Stabroek News Business as a public service.)

DETROIT/WASHINGTON, (Reuters) – Chrysler LLC filed  for bankruptcy yesterday and announced an industry-changing  deal with Fiat, after being pummeled by sliding auto sales and  unable to reach agreement on restructuring its debt.

Dear Editor, With reference to your well-written editorial of Monday, April 27, captioned ‘Guns for hire,’ we must understand that with the best rules and equipment there is still the human factor to contend with.

DERBY, England, CMC – Rain allowed just 28 overs but West Indies struggled in the time available on the opening day of the four-day tour match against England Lions yesterday.

Despite the unanimous adoption by Parliament of ILO conventions 86, 98, 151, on free collective bargaining, the government has acted in contravention by crudely imposing on workers, salary increases less than the inflation rate for over six years, GPSU President Patrick Yarde has said.

Dear Editor, Another May Day, workers’ holiday, has come, and the Critchlow Labour College continues to be denied its subvention by the government. 

BAKU, (Reuters) – Thirteen people were killed at a  university in Azerbaijan yesterday when a gunman went from  floor to floor firing on teachers and students after the bell  rang for morning classes.

(Reuters) – Indian Premier League results and  standings on Thursday. Delhi Daredevils beat Deccan Chargers by six wickets Chennai Super Kings beat Rajasthan Royals by 38 runs Standings                                          P     W    L    T    NR   PTS Deccan Chargers                            5      4     1    0     0       8 Delhi Daredevils                             5      4     1    0     0       8 Kings XI Punjab                              5      3     2    0     0       6 Mumbai Indians                             5      2    2     0     1      5 Chennai Super Kings                     6      2    3     0     1      5 Rajasthan Royals                            6      2    3     0     1      5 Bangalore Royal Challengers     6      2    4     0     0      4 Kolkata Knight Riders                   6       1   4     0     1      3 * T denotes tied, NR no result Playing today Kolkata Knight Riders v Mumbai Indians, East London   (1030) Bangalore Royal Challengers v Kings XI Punjab, Durban (1445)

Plea bargaining and plea agreement procedures can now be used by the Police and other relevant agencies and departments.

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – Mexico is not doing enough to punish troops suspected of involvement in several cases of murder, rape and torture as they fight drug cartels, Human Rights Watch said in a report released on Wednesday.

GASCI (www.gasci.com/telephone Nº 223-6175/6) reports that session 301’s trading results showed consideration of $168,064 from 4,448 shares traded in 3 transactions as compared to session 300 which showed consideration of $469,394 from 39,454 shares traded in 5 transactions. 

Cuba was on practically everyone’s lips in hemispheric political and diplomatic circles before and during the Fifth Summit of the Americas.

Capitalism –for and against workers...So, how “polarised” are we?Even as I suspect that my typical economically–challenged working class employees, have little time to consider intellectually/analytically, the profundities of systems, theories and ideologies, as they fight to survive daily, I still share with them these thoughts on (practical) capitalism and its challenges these days.

LOUISVILLE, Kentucky,  (Reuters) – The $2.2 million  Kentucky Derby tomorrow is unlikely to unearth a potential  Triple Crown winner with the 20-strong field featuring a solid  yet unspectacular crop of three-year-olds.

NEW YORK, (Reuters) – Call her the modern day  Goldfinger. A New York woman was charged on Wednesday with stealing as  much as $12 million in gold bullion and jewelry over a period  of six years, lifting the ill-gotten booty from her employer by  concealing the stash in the lining of her pocketbook.

Dear Editor, Re: ‘Polar beer scam… Fourteen charged with fraud, forgery’ (SN, April 29), brings to a head the long awaited charges that the acting Auditor General recommended in a report he submitted four months ago, following an extensive and intensive probe of the Polar Beer-Fidelity scam.

The Assemblies of God Church in Guyana is celebrating Rev John Oswald Smith’s 40th year of service with a five-day celebration which started yesterday.

Minister meets displaced workers Workers of the St Kitts Marriott Resort who were made redundant earlier this month were due to meet the labour minister yestersday, to discuss possible options for re-employment.