Daily Archive: Friday, February 4, 2011

She blew in just about two weeks ago. Not like a gale as one might have expected, but more like a puff of smoke, wafting around her “comrades” in the PPP presidential nomination race.

Sugar workers will receive five days’ pay API for 2010 following an agreement between the GAWU and the Guyana Sugar Corporation.

Guyana’s world class bodybuilder Hugh Ross and female boxing champion Shondel Alfred have been voted as the 2010 Sportsman and Sportswoman of the year, respectively.

The Associated Press says a  magnitude 5.2 earthquake rattled islands this morning in the southern Caribbean causing alarm but no reports of damage.

DUBAI, (Reuters) – The Qatar-based satellite channel  Al Jazeera said today that its office in Egypt’s capital  Cairo had been burnt and destroyed by “gangs of thugs”.

Malvin Taylor, the man accused of shooting at his wife, her sister and another man was today remanded to prison after appearing before acting Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court.

A pensioner of Cotton Tree Village, West Coast Berbice died this morning after he was struck by a truck while riding his bicycle at D’ Edward Village.

Less than a year after it opened its doors in Canal Number One, the Al-Aziz Splash Inc fruit juice factory was completely destroyed last night in what is believed to be an arson attack.

Legendary broadcaster and philanthropist Dame Olga Lopes-Seale passed away this morning in Barbados.

(BBC) The Prime Minister of St Vincent and the Grenadines appears to be turning up the heat on Trinidad and Tobago, the richest member of the Caribbean Community (Caricom).

(de Ware Tijd) —  Suriname is playing an active role in the erecting of a monument at the United Nations (UN) to commemorate slavery and the transatlantic slave trade.

LONDON, (Reuters) – British prosecutors today  charged three Pakistan cricketers with taking bribes to fix  incidents in an international match in England last year.

The water main for the new “elite” housing development at Sparendaam was laid late last year, according to residents.

Government will inject $1 billion into the struggling Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) to clear debts and pay off the 2010 Annual Production Incentive (API) to sugar workers.

With the extension of his tenure in office, Police Commissioner Henry Greene continues to earn a statutory salary, but PNCR-1G MP Deborah Backer said this is in violation of the constitution, which no longer recognises the office as a statutory one.

The Justice Sector Reform Programme is likely to wrap up at the end of March this year, following some hiccups which postponed its completion date, Attorney General Charles Ramson said yesterday.

The Guyana Elections Com-mission (GECOM) has written to the government on the resuscitation of the Media Monitoring Unit (MMU), which the administration disbanded last year to the surprise of many including the people at the commission.

It is a tight fit for students at the Philadelphia Primary School.

Two weeks of debate on the 2011 National Budget and consideration of estimates in the Committee of Supply of the National Assembly concluded yesterday with the House passing the Appropriation Bill 2010, giving the go-ahead for public spending this year.

A memorandum of agreement for bilateral co-operation has been signed between Brazilian Services of Support For Micro and Small Business Enterprise (SEBRAE) and several local private sector agencies potentially opening avenues for more commercial activities between the two countries.

A husband and wife who were accused of assaulting each other had the charges dismissed on Monday after each declined to offer evidence against the other.

Contrary to statements made by Mayor Hamilton Green on Wednesday, the enquiry into extortion allegations against City Treasurer Andrew Meredith is still ongoing, lead investigator Keith Burrowes said.

The commencement of the preliminary inquiry (PI) into the attempted murder of Police Constable Rajindra Singh and Detective Damintra Intrapaul that should have started yesterday was again postponed.

A hairdresser was yesterday placed on self-bail after she appeared before acting Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry on an assault charge.

The Alliance For Change (AFC) yesterday took its campaign ‘Action Plan’ to the University of Guyana (UG) Turkeyen Campus, where it called on the institution to step up research in order to play a bigger role in economic and social development.

A man was yesterday remanded to prison when he appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court accused of being in possession of cannabis for the purpose of trafficking.

Lindener Sherronica Cummings, who had sustained severe pelvic damage while delivering what turned out to be a stillborn baby at the Linden Hospital Complex (LHC) in October last year, has been readmitted to the hospital with complications relating to that injury.

The Guyana Rugby Football Union (GRFU) yesterday named their 12-man team that will be representing Guyana at the International Rugby Board (IRB) Sevens World Series on February 12 and 13 in Las Vegas, United States.

With the selection of the national sports awardees just hours away,  2009 Sportswoman of the Year Jevina Straker has her fingers crossed in hopes of retaining  the title for 2010.

NAIN, Jamaica, CMC – Jamaica will look to being their defence of the WICB Regional first-class championship, with another dominant performance over weakened old rivals Guyana in the opening round, starting today at the Alpart Sports Complex.

LONDON, (Reuters) – British prosecutors will announce  today whether three Pakistan cricketers accused of taking  bribes to fix incidents in an international match in England  last year will be charged with criminal offences.

TORONTO, (Reuters) – The struggling Toronto Raptors  will be without forward Linas Kleiza for the remainder of the  season after he underwent surgery on his right knee, the NBA  team said yesterday.

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, CMC – Their own indisciplined batting and bowling combined with Upul Tharanga’s ninth One-day International hundred condemned West Indies to an eight-wicket defeat at the hands of Sri Lanka in the rain-affected second ODI yesterday.

AUCKLAND, (Reuters) – Pakistan won their first one-day  series since November 2008 when they beat New Zealand by 41 runs  in the fifth game of their six-match series at Seddon Park in  Hamilton yesterday.

(Jamaica Gleaner) After months of uncertainty, The Gleaner understands that Jamaica will, after all, host this year’s troubled Carifta Games, in the second city of Montego Bay between April 23-25.

LONDON, (Reuters) – When she was a little girl in  India, Monisha Kaltenborn dreamed of being an astronaut.

– say Webster error should not have occurred Public interest in President Bharrat Jagdeo’s One Laptop Per Family (OLPT) project took a new turn over the past two days following the admission by Junior Finance Minister Jennifer Webster that the figure of $295,000 per laptop which she quoted in the National Assembly on Tuesday was in fact US$295.

MUMBAI, (Reuters) – The form and experience of  returning fast bowler Brett Lee can lead Australia to a fourth  successive World Cup title, former captain Steve Waugh told  Reuters yesterday.

The Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) has told Stabroek Business that while it continues to engage with stakeholders in the small business sector,

OKLAHOMA CITY, (Reuters) – Kevin Durant continued his  prolific scoring streak with 43 points on Wednesday to lift the  Oklahoma City Thunder to a 104-93 victory over the New Orleans  Hornets.

A regional body designed to accelerate the involvement of young Caribbean people in entrepreneurial pursuits could be established by mid-2011 according to Regional Technical Coordinator for Youth Business Trusts in the Caribbean Marcia Brandon.

The Guyana Telephone and Telegraph (GT&T) company has once again established themselves as major sponsors of the national Sevens rugby team.

A 38-year-old labourer, who is said to be mentally ill according to his brother, was on Wednesday admitted to self-bail after being charged for pelting a bottle at a woman, causing her to sustain injuries.

Acting Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry yesterday handed down a three-month sentence to a man for assaulting his reputed wife.

MUMBAI, (Reuters) – Kumar Sangakkara or Mahela  Jayawardene should drop down and bolster a concerning middle  order if Sri Lanka are to be successful at this month’s World  Cup, former skipper Arjuna Ranatunga told Reuters.

The recent upheaval arising out of the displacement of several vendors from outside the Stabroek Market following the grenade explosion early last month raises once again the issue of how to treat seriously with urban street vending.

Dear Editor, Minister of Human Services Ms Priya Manickchand behaved with apoplectic rage in response to a conclusion in a report by her parliamentary colleague Mrs Sheila Holder that the number of persons to whom the Old Age Pension (OAP) is paid is inflated by 17,640 (phantom persons, according to Mrs Holder) with a loss to the state of over $1.3 billion.

LONDON, (Reuters) – This year’s World Cup will cast a  long shadow over the 2011 Six Nations as the teams battle for  supremacy in the northern hemisphere.

Dear Editor, Recently there has been an increase in prosecutions by the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) against registrants under the VAT Act, who for various reasons, have failed to file VAT returns as required by law. 

E= Mc 295,000

True and accurate The condition of the manufacturing sector offers a glimpse of what is wrong with the economic conduct and policy of the current administration. 

Sixteen persons suffering from congenital heart disease will be travelling from Guyana to India next Friday for treatment.

Surgery for appendicitis on Tuesday has ruled national powerlifter Paul Adams out of competition and training for the next six months.

PORT-AU-PRINCE, (Reuters) – Haiti yesterday heeded  foreign pressure and amended the results of its November  first-round election, setting up a presidential runoff that  excludes a government-backed candidate hit by fraud  allegations.

Dear Editor, When the criminal charge against the two police officers who were involved in the teen-torture case was dismissed, I submitted that it was then too late to institute disciplinary proceedings against them at the departmental level.

The West Indies Cricket Board and Scotiabank recently launched its Kiddy Cricket Programme for primary school age children at the Georgetown Cricket Club.

(BBC) The European parliament yesterday approved a deal to reduce import tariffs on Latin American bananas.

The Guyanese American community in Central Florida will this year celebrate Guyana’s 41st Republic anniversary with the annual fundraising gala on February 19.

Dear Editor, A statistician, letter writers, bloggers and Minister Manickchand have responded to Mrs Sheila Holder’s thesis of phantom pensioners by proposing projected data on the number of individuals above the age of 65.

(Jamaica Gleaner) The 18th renewal of the annual Bob Marley Birthday Bash, which was not staged last year because of a temporary ban the police placed on the MXIII Lawn in Negril, is set to return with a bang this weekend at the scenic West End Road venue.

Courts Guyana is hosting a Fitness Expo today to demonstrate the uses and benefits of its gym equipment.

WASHINGTON, (Reuters) – U.S. officials said yesterday they are discussing with Egyptians a variety of ways  of moving toward an orderly transition of power in Egypt, which  may lead to a speedier departure of President Hosni Mubarak.

The Athletics Association of Guyana (AAG) season is scheduled to get underway on Sunday at the Police Sports Club Ground, Eve Leary, with a developmental track meet from 11:30 hours.

Dear Editor, I refer to two letters published in the Guyana Chronicle by ghost writers about Navin Chandarpal.

The names Melissa Barnwell, Jameer Shamshudeen and Rawle Small are probably known to few people outside their immediate circles of friends and families.

Another pulsating day of golf is anticipated when the annual Stag Beer Medal Play tournament sponsored by Ansa McAl comes off on Saturday at the Lusignan Golf Course.

BRASILIA, (Reuters) – At least once a week during her  young presidency, Dilma Rousseff has met with trusted advisers  to try to solve an intractable problem — China.

Dear Editor, “Optimal.” That is the word Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee, used to describe law and order in Guyana.

Politikles

RIO DE JANEIRO, (Reuters) – A widespread drought in  the Amazon rain forest last year was worse than the  “once-in-a-century” dry spell in 2005 and may have a bigger  impact on global warming than the United States does in a year,  British and Brazilian scientists said yesterday.

After proudly chalking up eighteen (18) years of this column, non-stop, last Friday, I’m taking one of those “time-outs” to be most brief today.

Even as more and more people eschew the radio for the visual immediacy of television and the interactive, multimedia experience of the Internet, Tuesday, February 1, 2011 was quite an interesting day to be listening to the BBC World Service.

GASCI (www.gasci.com/telephone Nº 223-6175/6) reports that session 393’s trading results showed consideration of $598,592 from 35,223 shares traded in 14 transactions as compared to session 392 which showed consideration of $2,973,537 from 237,248