Daily Archive: Sunday, December 13, 2009

– guilty of medical misconduct Police Surgeon Dr Mahendra Chand has been found guilty of medical misconduct by the Medical Council of Guyana, which has suspended him for his actions in the treatment of the teen boy who was tortured in police custody.

– as probe continues The Guyana Police Force is sifting through the information that has been submitted to the team investigating the criminal activities of drug convict Roger Khan — reputed head of the infamous ‘Phantom Squad’– during the years 2001 to 2006.

Pawan Outar will celebrate her birthday on Thursday homeless and as she puts it, “without any clothes on my back” after a fire completely destroyed her two-storey home at Mon Repos, East Coast yesterday morning.

– McCormack tells human rights day forum Saying that deep-seated structural flaws plague the Guyana Police Force, Mike McCormack has urged that those long-ignored recommendations of the Disciplined Services Commission need to be addressed to foster a better human rights climate in the country.

The cruelty recently meted out to a teenage boy in police custody was condemned as an act of torture, but subsequent charges which were later instituted amounted to unlawful wounding, triggering the question as to whether a person can be charged with torture in Guyana.

– population report A binding international agreement on reducing greenhouse gas emissions is what is expected from the climate talks which kicked off in Copenhagen last week, but just last month the State of the World Population report called on leaders to factor in the human and gender dimensions of every aspect of the problem.

Registering its concern over the proposed sale of GuySuCo’s land at Diamond, the Alliance for Change (AFC) said on Friday that the long-term viability of the corporation would be compromised if the land was put on the market.

The People’s Progressive Party hailed its former chairman Brindley Benn as a national liberation fighter who had made great contributions to the country.

A man was granted his pre-trial liberty in the sum of $200,000 on charges of two counts of carnal knowledge when he appeared at the New Amsterdam Court on Friday before Magistrate Nigel Hawke.

Police at Berbice raided several houses and abandoned buildings and arrested several persons for various offences last week.

The hyped ‘Keep the Peace’ concert featuring Jamaican’s Vybz Kartel and his contingent, the Portmore Empire was cancelled yesterday after the artiste reportedly failed to show.

The poor quality photographs on new national identification (ID) cards have been a major issue during the continuing distribution exercise, to AFC MP David Patterson has noted.

Minister of Local Govern-ment and Regional Develop-ment Kellawan Lall has disclosed that the Guyana Elections Commissions (GECOM) has indicated that it will be fully prepared for the holding of Local Govern-ment elections by the first quarter of 2010.

Despite enhanced security after a past robbery, bandits have managed to penetrate the postal system twice within the last few months, a sign of worry for Chairman of the Guyana Post Office Corporation (GPOC) Bishop Juan Edghill who is offering a reward for the arrest of the culprits.

Castellani House is hosting an exhibition and sale of artists’ works for the Christmas season, a news release said.

For this week’s column, let me begin by re-emphasizing a couple of observations I have made about global inter-governmental negotiations thus far, as I continue to evaluate the low-carbon development strategy and the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), between the Government of Guyana and the Government of the Kingdom of Norway, as well as its related Joint Concept Note between the two parties to the agreement.

In spite of the steady progress being made to have its cell phone customers register their SIM cards, the Guyana Telephone & Telegraph Company (GT&T) will most likely have to extend the deadline for completing this process, its Director of Rate Marketing Gene Evelyn said.

A miner was transferred to the Georgetown Hospital late Friday night, hours after gunmen with bags over their faces shot him in the chest while relieving him of raw gold at 14 Miles, Issano.

Business Page– Christopher Ram, Managing Partner, Ram & McRae, Chartered Accoun-tants.

I remember long ago saying to that warm and intelligent human being, Winnie Gaskin, Minister in the PNC government at the time, that I wasn’t interested in politics, that I grew bored by its petty complexities, that I loathed its sour and unbrotherly antagonisms, that I had better things to do than get mixed up in all the unsavoury manoeuverings that went into lusting after political power. 

The Working People’s Alliance has accused the government of remaining silent on the widespread and routine use of torture by members of the security forces while dismissing such cases as “roughing up”.

If you had asked me 10 years ago whether the United States will ever change its interdiction-focused counternarcotics policies – and perhaps even decriminalize marijuana consumption at home – I would have told you, “never.”

-Dr Frank AnthonyYesterday was a red-letter day in Guyana’s rich sporting history.

You can’t have Christmas without black cake – well maybe you can but then it wouldn’t be a Guyanese Christmas.

The Select Committee of the National Assembly on November 22, 2009 in a newspaper advertisement invited written submissions from consumers, dealing with the Court of Appeal (Amendment) Bill 2008.

PHOENIX, Arizona, (Reuters) – The Phoenix Suns  improved to a perfect 8-0 at home with a down-to-the-wire 106-103  victory over the Orlando Magic on Friday.

It’s that time of year when we’re cleaning house and decking the halls.

‘King Pele’ born Edson Arantes de Nascimento greets a Guyanese fan outside City Hall yesterday.

The Guyana Lawn Tennis Association (GTTA) season-ending Banks Masters Invitational tournament got off to fine start on Friday with the top two men’s seeds in action at the Le Meridien Pegasus Hotel courts.

Pet CornerContinued Bad breath Let us turn today to a problem which I had promised to address some time ago – bad breath (halitosis) in dogs, and the supposed cures associated with this problem.

Jacqueline Graham was recently awarded the Cameron & Shepherd Prize for best graduating Guyanese student of the Hugh Wooding Law School for 2009 in Civil Procedure 1 and 2 over the two-year course for the Legal Education Certificate.

ST JOHN’S, Antigua, CMC – West Indies have been scheduled to play only three Tests against South Africa in the Caribbean next year, as their quantity of matches against high profile opposition continues to dwindle.

Denise Dresser is Professor of Political Science, Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México.

MIAMI, (Reuters) – Fans and colleagues of golfer  Tiger Woods yesterday lamented the stunning fall from grace  of one of the world’s sporting titans, and commercial sponsor  Gillette said it would limit his role in its marketing.

By Dr Kiran Koora, MDS (Paedodontics) It is important that primary teeth are taken care of.

ST JOHN’S, Antigua, CMC – West Indies Cricket Board chief executive Ernest Hilaire believes the 2010 Home Series against Zimbabwe and South Africa will provide the ideal opportunity for fringe players to make their mark.

COPENHAGEN (Reuters) – Tens of thousands of climate  activists marched in Copenhagen yesterday to urge negotiators  at UN talks to agree a strong treaty to fight global warming  but violence marred a rally that began as a carnival.

PERTH, Australia, CMC – Former Australia captain Steve Waugh says West Indies will find it difficult to win the final Test at the WACA next week because even though fast bowler Kemar Roach was an excellent find, he lacked support in the pace department.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) – Critics said the 2003 US  invasion of Iraq said was driven by oil, but United States oil  majors were largely absent from an Iraqi auction of oil deals  snapped up instead by Russian, Chinese and other firms.

Arts On Sunday During this week the work of two of the most important Guyanese authors, Martin Carter and Edgar Mittelholzer,  will be celebrated since it will mark two anniversaries. 

SAO PAULO (Reuters) – Brazil and Peru yesterday  condemned the refusal by the de facto government of Honduras to  allow ousted President Manuel Zelaya to leave the country  unless he drops his demand to be reinstated.

Seven health centres and one health post, situated between the villages of Belladrum and Ithaca, now have access to proper disposal of medical waste after the US Embassy commissioned a third ‘De Montfort’ style incinerator at the Fort Wellington Hospital, West Coast Berbice.

“When the going gets tough, the tough get going” is one of sport’s oldest maxims – and the going could not have been tougher for the West Indies and, more especially, for captain Chris Gayle entering the second Test against Australia in Adelaide 10 days ago.

Dear Editor, Our not-so-friendly roads continue to take lives even as this year wraps up.

CARACAS (Reuters) – Venezuela said yesterday it  arrested the former president of its National Securities  Commission, the capital markets regulator, in a widening  criminal probe into seven small private banks shuttered by  authorities last week.

The view from Europe In early December the President of the Domi-nican Republic, Leonel Fernandez, was in Europe.

Barrel time: Barrels and other items posted from overseas on this truck on Church Street heading to be delivered yesterday, a common feature at Christmas time.

HARARE (Reuters) – Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe  was yesterday endorsed to lead his ZANU-PF party for another  five years and vowed to resist demands by his opponents to  reform the country’s security forces.

PERTH, Australia,  CMC – Marquee middle order batsman Ramnaresh Sarwan is confident West Indies can level the series by beating Australia in the third and final Test starting next Wednesday (10.30pm Tuesday Eastern Caribbean Time).

(Jamaica Observer) Assis-tant Commissioner Justin Felice, head of the constabulary’s Anti-Corruption Branch, says he has been the subject of deep resentment from members of the force as well as the public.

Dear Editor, A recent front page publication in the Kaieteur News of December 11, 2009 titled ‘Unused $153M De Willem sluice falling apart’ is both mischievous and misleading to the public.

ChessWe are not expecting chess games which feature deep and inventive play from those schoolchildren who have converged in Georgetown for the National Schools Chess Championship. 

Ho! Ho! Ho! Banks DIH Santa was on this truck yesterday as it drove along the East Ruimveldt section of Mandela Avenue handing out gifts to children.

MOSCOW (Reuters) – The presidents of Russia and the  United States agreed yesterday to extend talks to secure a new  pact to cut vast arsenals of nuclear weapons, the Kremlin said yesterday.

On November 4, former Commissioner of Police Floyd McDonald, Assistant Commissioner Seelall Persaud and Head of CANU James Singh went bounding off to Caracas for a meeting of the Guyana-Venezuela Mixed Commission on Drugs.

Dear Editor, Turn around, and in the blink of an eye, there is a new business venture on the rise. 

Christmas clean up? This young man was cleaning the drain outside the Ministry of Education building in Croal Street yesterday.

HAVANA (Reuters) – Cuba and Venezuela were set to  sign cooperation deals worth about $3 billion yesterday, underscoring Caracas’ role as the communist-run  island’s closest political and commercial ally.

A Gardener’s Diary A few words about climbers, an invaluable group of plants which can cover up anything unsightly like concrete, soften the most angular of structures,  and  raise the general level of flowering plants in the garden.  The

PERTH, Australia, CMC – A former Australia fast bowler has raised questions over the hosts’ pace attack ahead of the final Test against West Indies here next week and believes speedster Kemar Roach will be the main threat on a pitch expected to provide plenty pace and bounce.

COPENHAGEN (Reuters) – More than 250 million people  risk losing their livelihoods because of dying tropical coral  reefs in what a senior UN environmental economist said   yesterday was part of a double climate crisis facing the world.