Daily Archive: Friday, September 3, 2010

-says fears for life Fugitive Tyrone Kacey Rowe, called ‘Cobra,’ surrendered to police amidst tears yesterday, while proclaiming his innocence in a range of crimes, including murder and armed robbery.

The remains of Jason Fraser, 19, a labourer at the Barama Company’s Buckhall, Essequibo River operation, was yesterday pulled from a wood shedding machine, three days after he went missing.

An importer attempted to evade paying duties which amounted to just under $1M on 2,200 bags of Holland potatoes and was detained last week by the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA).

-probe underway An investigation has been launched by the regional authorities in Region One after in excess of $10M from the region’s current finances was reported missing on Monday.

A police rank attached to the Tactical Services Unit at Linden appeared before the Christianburg Magistrate’s Court to answer eleven traffic offences, including  hit-and-run,  all allegedly committed over a two-week period.

A 30-year-old man accused of attempting to murder another was yesterday remanded to prison when he appeared before acting Chief Magistrate Melissa Robertson at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court.

Two teenagers accused of robbing a man while using  violence were yesterday granted $25,000 bail each when they appeared before acting Chief Magistrate Melissa Robertson at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court.

Parbattie Joseph and her son Gavindra Joseph have been missing for a week as of today and her husband and mother are baffled as to what could have happened to the pair who were heading home on the day that they disappeared.

Minister of Home Affairs, Clement Rohee yesterday met with members of the National Oversight Committee on Domestic Violence at the Ministry’s boardroom.

A Kwakwani man was sentenced to two months community service and fined a total of $35,000 yesterday when he appeared before acting Chief Magistrate Melissa Robertson charged with disorderly behaviour, assaulting a police officer and possession of narcotics.

The two men who were injured in the Mahdia fire on Wednesday morning are now patients at the Burn Care Unit of the Georgetown Public Hospital and are said to be “recovering” by relatives.

By Kwesi Isles The government’s US$30M One Laptop Per Family (OLPF) initiative is in its final planning stage and distribution is likely be linked to ongoing community development projects.

-eyes and ears operation to be revived Greater collaboration is needed between the private sector and the authorities to address crime in the country.

Agriculture Minister, Robert Persaud said yesterday that “so far” the sugar industry is not in danger of losing a disbursement from the European Union (EU) that hinges on the construction of the Enmore sugar packaging plant and machine delivery.

-ruling finds gov’t union ‘conspiracy’ in non-union workers’ fees In dismissing a long-running court dispute over the deductions of agency fees from the salaries of public servants, acting Chief Justice Ian Chang recently called the 1976 Agreement governing the deductions “a conspiracy” between the administration and the Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU).

-Ramsammy Health Minister Dr. Leslie Ramsammy said people are “blowing up” the unavailability of the antiretroviral drug Efavirenz and he has assured that it will be in the country.

Ramnaresh Sarwan yesterday broke his silence on being overlooked for a West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) retainer contract because he was not fit enough by stating that he was not surprised by the decision.

TAUNTON, England, (Reuters) – Pakistan test captain  Salman Butt and opening bowlers Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif  face possible life bans after they were charged yesterday  under the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) anti-corruption  code.

The Guyana Netball Association’s Senior Netball Tournament begins today at the Mandela Gymnasium from 15:45 and spectators can expect to be thrilled as  Emanie and All Stars, believed to be the two top teams,  take to the court.

The Guyana Defence Force basketball team struck from behind in the final quarter of their game against the Nets to seize a 49-40 points win when the teams met in the Pepsi Street Series on Wednesday evening at the Burnham Court.

Waning in the penultimate position in Monday’s round robin matches, team Uchiha won their way through Tuesday night’s elimination round at the St Stanislaus College Forum to emerge the ultimate winner of the advanced division of the Junior Hockey Summer Camp as the exercise came to a close.

The 2010 Ministry of Culture, Youth & Sport Mahdia Inter-Block Football Competition kicks off this evening at the Mahdia ground.

MELBOURNE, (Reuters) – Any players found guilty of  being involved in match-fixing or any other form of illegality  related to gambling in cricket should be banned for life,  former Australian spinner Shane Warne has said.

NEW YORK, (Reuters) – Andy Murray sent an ominous  warning to his U.S.

NEW YORK, (Reuters) – A year ago, Kim Clijsters was  the mom in the spotlight at the U.S.

The Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports/National Sports Commission’s first ever East Coast Under-17 Cricket Camp, which was held at the Enterprise Busta Sports Club, came to a close yesterday with two cricket matches played by the participants in the three-day camp.

Faced with a decline in commercial bank loans to the agriculture sector, the Agricul-ture Ministry is developing a “market-based area-yield index insurance scheme” for the rice sector.

ISTANBUL, (Reuters) – The World Championship first  knockout round is poised to produce a pair of classics after  Serbia beat Argentina 84-82 in an enthralling Group A match yesterday to set up a meeting with Balkan neighbours Croatia.

As is currently the case in Guyana, record gold prices have reportedly swelled the ranks of small-scale gold mining operations in neighbouring Suriname, bringing them under increasing official scrutiny over allegations that the current ‘gold rush’ is cutting a swathe through the former Dutch colony’s tropical rainforest.

LONDON, (Reuters) – Fast bowler Graham Onions is  expected to be out of action for a further nine months once he  undergoes back surgery next week, the England and Wales Cricket  Board (ECB) said yesterday.

NEW DELHI, (Reuters) – The  Pakistan spot-fixing scandal has once again shone the spotlight  on illegal betting in the sub-continent and reopened the debate  on the legalisation of gambling in India.

WASHINGTON, (Reuters) – Israeli and Palestinian  leaders agreed to a series of direct talks yesterday, seeking  to forge the framework for a U.S.-backed

Dear Editor, I refer to the article, ‘Accused tax evader feared dead after jumping into M’cony River’ published by KN on Tuesday, August 31, with the intention of setting certain facts right.

GETULIO VARGAS, Brazil,  (Reuters) – With its  biofuels business increasingly dominated by giant corporations,  Brazil is seeking to extend its biofuels sector to include  farmers like Lucas Scariot, who makes around $10,000 per year  from selling grain.

Dear Editor, There is an increasing sight in the stores in Lethem, especially those selling shoes and clothes, for the price tags to be in Brazilian currency (reais).

MEXICO CITY,  (Reuters) – At least 25 suspected drug  gang members were killed in an army raid in rural northeastern  Mexico yesterday, the army said in a press release.

(Barbados Nation) There is a call for all Guyanese nationals living in Barbados to come out in their numbers and support the Guyana team of Ansil Norville and Vanessa Robinson when the bell sounds at the 2010 AIBA World Women Boxing Championships at the Wildey Gymnasium next Thursday.

NEW ORLEANS, (Reuters) – An oil and gas platform  operated by Mariner Energy burst into flames in the Gulf of  Mexico yestersday, but the crew of 13 escaped and there were  no signs of an oil spill, the U.S.

A fire of unknown origin yesterday destroyed the upper flat of a Barnwell, East Bank Essequibo house, resulting in losses estimated to be in the millions.

Tough Choices After five years of double-digit increases in borrowing, Guyanese households may have lost their appetite for borrowing to spend on themselves and their homes. 

MELBOURNE, (Reuters) – Opening batsman Phillip  Hughes has returned from a dislocated shoulder while  wicketkeeper Brad Haddin remains unavailable for Australia  after selectors confirmed their test squad for two matches in  India next month.

Dear Editor, Cheddi Jagan has at least two types of admirers:  some like me, who recognise his essential goodness – his deep humanism, commitment to the working people, openness, friendliness and humour – and believe that his mistakes were made not out of malice but mainly from a misunderstanding of his contextual conditions; and others who not only subscribe to Jagan’s goodness but regard him as a god contrasted with the evil Forbes Burnham.

VENICE, (Reuters) – Critics are queuing up to praise  Natalie Portman in her latest movie “Black Swan”, the opening  picture at this year’s Venice film festival, with one review  saying the performance “elevates her … to a major star.”

Guyana’s agro-processing exports have suffered a decline in value as a result of plummeting international commodity prices over the past two years.

Dear Editor, According to the findings of the NACTA opinion poll conducted in July, people are most impressed with the performance of Agriculture Minister Robert Persaud while Robeson Benn is disliked the most.

By Dr Bertrand G. Ramcharan Previously Chancellor of the University of Guyana; UN High Commissioner for Human Rights; and Professor at the Geneva Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies.

HATTERAS ISLAND, N.C.,  (Reuters) – Hurricane Earl  began to strafe North Carolina’s barrier islands with dangerous  surf and winds yesterday as it spun parallel to the U.S.

Guyanese medium-pacer Subrina Munroe gained the regional selectors’ nod as one of two newcomers in the 14-member West Indies Women’s squad that will contest the International Cricket Council Challenge in Potchefstroom, South Africa next month.

LOS ANGELES, (Reuters) – Burger King Holdings Inc  agreed to sell itself to investment firm 3G Capital for $3.26  billion, giving the No.

Dear Editor, The recent NCATA poll has once again found that Senior Counsel Mr Ralph Ramkarran is the leading PPP candidate for the presidency.

The draft Environmental and Social Management Plan (ESMP) for the Amaila Falls access road and transmission lines will soon be released to the public, Director of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Dr Inderjit Ramdass says.

(Jamaica Gleaner) The head of the body representing rank-and-file police personnel across the island has accused the Government of “blatant corruption” and support of criminals at the expense of those tasked with enforcing the law.

Holding commemorative stamps yesterday, l-r, Trevor Thomas, Permanent Secretary in Ministry of Human Services and Social Security, Shirley Ferguson, coordinator of the Child Rights Division within the Ministry, Bishop Juan Edghill, chairman of the Guyana Post Office Corporation, Minister Priya Manickchand, Dr.

KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – Jamaican sprinter Yohan Blake, who pulled up during his 100m victory over American Justin Gatlin at Tuesday’s Palio della Quercia meet in Rovereto, Italy, has called a premature end to his season.

Despite a periodic shortage of chicken on the local market, Guyana’s poultry industry has recorded significant growth over the past five years, according to Ministry of Agriculture statistics.

Dear Editor, I bet the 911 operator who hung up on my emergency and sucked her teeth a few weeks ago thought she would get off scot free, and that I would shut up and let the matter go silently by.

CARACAS,  (Reuters) – Venezuelan President Hugo  Chavez defended his socialist government’s security record yesterday, rejecting pre-election claims by the opposition that  crime had risen sharply during his 11 years in power.

The Beepat Scorpions notched a 71-52 victory over the Colours Panthers last evening in the Pepsi Street Series Division Three and Open Leagues at the Burnham Basketball Court.

The cover gives an appearance of a coffee table magazine, probably chockfull of photographs and text for light reading, the inside pages don’t disappoint, and this was among the reasons that Demerara Distillers’ Ltd.

Maybe nothing was in the air yet for some reason I kept thinking that Vienna’s air was different; it was certainly fresh. 

(Trinidad Express) Prime Minister of St Vincent and the Grenadines Ralph Gonsalves is accusing two US businessmen of engaging in a smear campaign to destabilise his Government.

Chinese Ambassador to Guyana Yu Wenzhe on Wednesday, on his first official function here, donated a quantity of military gear to Chief of Staff of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Commodore Gary Best at Camp Ayanganna, Thomas lands.

GUATEMALA CITY,  (Reuters) – Hermelindo Maquin set  out from his home in the Guatemalan countryside in early  August, leaving behind his small farm and pregnant wife as he  began the long, perilous journey to the United States.

GASCI (www.gasci.com/telephone Nº 223-6175/6) reports that session 371’s trading results showed consideration of $26,784,580 from 1,739,858 shares traded in 14 transactions as compared to session 370 which showed consideration of $2,675,200 from 186,334 shares traded in 13 transactions. 

WELLINGTON, (Reuters) – Martin Snedden glances across  the far left corner of his harbour-side office to the digital  clock above the entrance to Rugby New Zealand 2011’s 11th-floor  Wellington headquarters.

Little if any public attention has been paid to the significance of the new US$60m submarine telecommunications cable for relations between the two South American Republics that share the cable and what this might mean for the bettering of a bilateral relationship which, over the years, has been blighted by a bitter controversy over borders.

Oh dear, here I go breaking and breaching my own self-imposed rule: “try not to join in offering  comments on current robust issues and controversies which are attracting the daily attention of those much more analytical, erudite and intellectual than I can ever hope to be, or become”.

Dear Editor, I have got to acknowledge the local participating teams and overseas contingent for their brilliant, colourful and uniformed images that were showcased during the march-past of the just concluded 56th Police Athletics Meeting.

It is a cruel irony that the one item to displace the human tragedy of the devastating floods in Pakistan from top billing on the BBC World Service’s news last weekend was the shocking account of allegations of spot-fixing by members of the Pakistan cricket team currently on tour in England.

(Jamaica Gleaner) Chairman of the Electoral Commission of Jamaica (ECJ), Professor Errol Miller on Wednesday announced the start of an active process to flesh out legislation aimed at governing campaign financing.