Daily Archive: Friday, February 11, 2011

ALGIERS, (Reuters) – Thousands of police in riot gear  were in position in the centre of the Algerian capital today to stop a planned demonstration from mimicking the  uprising which forced out Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.

Police this afternoon issued a wanted bulletin for this unnamed man who is wanted for questioning in relation to obtaining by false pretence.

The three men accused of robbing an Avon employee of $1M were today remanded to prison after appearing by acting Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry.

CAIRO,  (Reuters) – Hosni Mubarak stepped down as  Egypt’s president today, handing over to the army and ending  three decades of autocratic rule, bowing to escalating pressure  from the military and protesters demanding that he go.

(Barbados Nation) National hero and cricketing legend Sir Garfield Sobers yesterday described the late English cricket all-rounder and journalist Trevor Bailey as a “wonderful person”.

CHENNAI,  (Reuters) – South Africa are determined to  make a new start at the World Cup opening on Feb.

More than 50% of workers scheduled to be at the Linden Hospital Complex this morning downed tools and have taken to the streets in protest over the Ministry of Health’s decision not to incorporate a gratuity payment into the February payroll.

Fire-fighters were able to contain a fire at Anna Regina early this morning but not before a general store and store room were completely gutted.

(Barbados Nation) I’m sorry! A repentant Tino Best has unreservedly apologized for the conduct that led to his omission from the Barbados team for the second round WICB regional four-day match against England Lions starting today at Kensington Oval.

BANGALORE, (Reuters) – Australia captain Ricky  Ponting is relishing the opportunity of another batting duel  with India’s Sachin Tendulkar in what will probably be their  last World Cup.

(BBC) Cash-short Montserrat has been told by the British government not to expect any additional budget support from London.

(de Ware Tijd)- France and the Netherlands will remain allies in spite of the fact that Suriname would like to move its gateway to Europe from the Netherlands to France.

Education Minister Shaik Baksh yesterday assured teachers that commitments to fast-track house lot applications and to introduce low-input loan schemes for them would be honoured.

Pupils at the Sisters Village Nursery School at Goed Intent, West Bank Demerara were forced to return home yesterday after major leaks in the roof forced the suspension of classes.

The Canadian government is providing some TT$12,000 for an initiative aimed at reducing the use of guns in the commission of violent crimes across CARICOM countries, the regional bloc announced yesterday.

A Guyanese man illegally in New York, who contended that he would be tortured if he was returned here, has had his petition for a review of his case denied by the United States Court of Appeals, second Circuit.

A pregnant teacher at Wisburg Secondary School was admitted to the Linden Hospital Complex (LHC), after she experienced fainting spells having inhaled the fumes from malathion and gas oil used to spray the school on Wednesday evening.

Soon there will be a new agreement between Guyana and Venezuela on combating drug trafficking and related offences, replacing a 1987 agreement between the two countries.

Officials at Avon headquarters on Camp Street believe that the perpetrators of Wednesday’s mid afternoon armed robbery were watching the comings and goings at the location before they struck.

The two men accused of beating and robbing taxi driver David Christopher Megwah were yesterday freed after he told the court he did not want to offer evidence.

Commissioner General of the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) Khurshid Sattaur says discussions with Suriname to combat cross-bordering smuggling have been ongoing and he is looking forward to a proposed visit by that country’s Customs Chief.

A mixed jury was empanelled yesterday morning for the trial of Shawn Richardson, who allegedly kidnapped and murdered a taxi driver in late 2003.

PNCR Leader Robert Corbin has described the party’s town hall-style public meetings as hugely successful and based on the suggestions from the nominees the meetings could be extended before the Special Congress later this month.

Creativity was on show at yesterday’s continuation of the Children’s Mashramani Competition  as students from nursery to secondary took to the centre of the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall to compete in displaying their Mash costumes.

The Mayor and City Council (M&CC) said in excess of four inches of rainfall over a 24-hour period combined with high tide and wanton littering to cause overtopping in several parts of the city yesterday.

The Linden Hospital Complex is likely to face a total shutdown today as the Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU) has signalled its intention to call out all of its workers after unsuccessful negotiations to broker a compromise on gratuity payments.

Seven companies have submitted bids for the construction of roads, drains, structures and the installation of a pure water distribution network at Leonora, West Coast Demerara, in Region 3, with one company submitting a bid three and a half times that of the engineer’s estimate.

There have been several changes at the mining agencies with former army chief, retired Major General Joe Singh now the Chairman of the Board of the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) and Head of the Budget Department at the Ministry of Finance Sonia Roopnauth now Chairperson of the Guyana Gold Board.

Raymond Rodney, who pleaded guilty to marijuana trafficking, was yesterday sentenced to three years imprisonment by Magistrate Hazel Octive-Hamilton at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court.

A couple was yesterday charged over the wrongful confinement of Bank of Nova Scotia employee William Blackman.

Officials of the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB) yesterday opened bids by companies for the project to construct roads, drains, structures and to install a pure water distribution network at Mahdia, in Region 8.

The police are investigating the death of a man whose body was found along a road on Leguan Wednesday night.

A man accused of snatching two gold chains from a woman’s neck was yesterday placed on $50,000 bail when he appeared before Magistrate Hazel Octive-Hamilton at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court.

The School of Nursing and its programme have not been accredited, the National Accreditation Council (NAC) said yesterday.

A Brazilian gold miner was robbed at Robb Street, Bourda on Wednesday night by three gunmen who shot at his car before escaping in a waiting vehicle.

Digicel has taken a controlling stake in Netxar Technologies, the leading systems integrator in the Caribbean region, and this combination is expected to see customers optimizing their ICT infrastructure and saving money.

Justice James Bovell-Drakes granted an injunction on Wednesday barring Bissondyal Singh and members of his faction of the Demerara Cricket Board (DCB) from acting as president and performing any duties of the Board pending the hearing of a matter on February 14.

The Guyana Telephone & Telegraph Company’s (GT&T) 10/10 Softball tournament has exceeded expectations according to one of the organizers, Richard Sukhdeo.

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, CMC – They may be a long-shot for the World Cup, but Chris Gayle has indicated West Indies’ aim is to reach at least the Super Eight stage.

Pegasus Chairman Robert Badal earlier this week confirmed with this newspaper that the local operating franchise for the chicken and seafood restaurant, Popeyes, which he has held since 2003, has been sold to another Guyanese businessman.

Heavy and persistent rain on Wednesday night left the outfield of the Georgetown Cricket Club (GCC) ground, Bourda inundated, with only the pitch and parts of the 30-yard circle visible up to press time yesterday.

The long-practiced scourge of illegal copying and distribution of published school texts may soon be engaging the attention of the court as overseas publishers, their agents in Georgetown and the few remaining local bookstores  seek to launch a counter-offensive against pirates who have been operating with impunity for years.

KARACHI, (Reuters) – Pakistan’s World Cup captain and  coach believe an outstanding performance in the tournament will  lead to the return of international cricket to the country and  also redeem Pakistan’s image in the cricket world.

DHAKA, (Reuters) – Cricket minnows Canada have no  intention of being the whipping boys of the World Cup and are  determined to cause upsets and advance to the second round,  skipper Ashish Bagai said yesterday.

Since the formal opening of the Takutu Bridge in September 2009 by President Bharrat Jagdeo and then Brazilian President Luis Ignacio Lula Da Silva, there has been a significant intensification of public discourse regarding the prospects of stronger trade and economic ties between Guyana and Brazil.

Richard Ishmael Secondary’s “Guardian of the Water” captured 3rd place in the Fantasy category of the Children’s Mashramani Competition yesterday.

Tax act In presenting the 2011 budget, the administration informed the country that it was reducing the tax rates that were applied to the income of commercial and non-commercial companies doing business in Guyana. 

National Sevens rugby Captain Theodore Henry told reporters shortly after arriving in Las Vegas for the International Rugby Board (IRB) Sevens World Series that their game against England tomorrow will be like David versus Goliath.

The Business Cartoon

North Georgetown Primary School secured 1st place with a costume titled ‘Queen of Queens’ displayed by Kureece King in the 8-10 years individual segment.

By Clinton Urling Recently, I took my sons to the Guyana Zoological Park, hoping to show them many of the animals they see in books and on television.

LONDON, (Reuters) – Former England all-rounder Trevor  Bailey has died in a fire at his home at the age of 87, Essex  county cricket club said yesterday.

A more proactive local construction sector can benefit from external market opportunities including existing ones in the Caribbean, President of the Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association (GMSA) Clinton Williams told Stabroek Business in a telephone interview earlier this week.

‘Dawn of a New Day’, performed by Richard Ishmael Secondary, secured 1st place in the Fantasy category.

BANGALORE, (Reuters) – Speculation over the future of  master batsman Sachin Tendulkar and coach Gary Kirsten are more  distractions India will have to ignore if they are to lift the  World Cup on home soil, captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said yesterday.

CAIRO,  (Reuters) – President Hosni Mubarak provoked  rage on Egypt’s streets today when he said he would hand  over powers to his deputy but refused to step down after more  than two weeks of protests demanding that he quit.

SYDNEY,  (Reuters) – While Ricky Ponting and co were  boarding a plane for the World Cup on Wednesday evening, lesser  known Australian cricketer Glenn Maxwell was blasting his way  into the record books with a 19-ball half century.

WASHINGTON, (Reuters) – President Barack Obama said  yesterday the Egyptian government had yet to put forward a  “credible, concrete and unequivocal” path to democracy.

First prize winner, Rischandra Stephenson of Cummings Lodge Secondary, during the costume display, “Fortifying our Culture, Educating our Nation in 2011,” in the Topical category.

Commercial Boulevard at Happy Acres on the East Coast Demerara appears at first to be an ideal setting for a quiet, gated community.

Dear Editor, The ‘One laptop per family’ giveaway programme is not only ill-conceived but is also an irresponsible project that will not achieve much.

The resurgent trend in the Caribbean’s tourism industry may turn out to be a mixed blessing for the region as increasing numbers of visitor arrivals spur greater demand for imported foods to cater to their tastes.

NEW YORK, (Reuters) – Longtime Utah Jazz coach Jerry  Sloan said yesterday a drop-off in energy was behind his  sudden decision to resign after 23 years with the NBA team.

(Barbados Nation) They are scaling down their fleet, but the British Royal Navy will still have a presence in the Caribbean.

Dear Editor, Recently, Mr Abu Bakr expressed concerns about former members of ROAR infiltrating the AFC, ‘corrupting’ and ‘adulterating its ideas (Have the ex-ROAR members of the AFC influenced its thinking?’

MARDAN, Pakistan,  (Reuters) – A boy in a school  uniform blew himself up at a Pakistani army recruitment centre  yesterday, killing 31 cadets, officials said, in an attack  that challenges government assertions it has weakened militants.

Final InstalmentIntroduction This is the third and final part of a short series of articles on the Guyana Coali-tion of Services Providers (GCSP) and Promoting the Services Sector in Guyana.

WASHINGTON,  (Reuters) – The World Bank and  International Monetary Fund are warning poor regions that have  so far not been hit by rising food prices, like sub-Saharan  Africa and the Caribbean, to get ready to face them.

Dear Editor, This country always had crime. It is the inevitable fate of the destitute. There

BOSTON, (Reuters) – A doctor from the Dominican  Republic was convicted and sentenced in Boston on Thursday of  offering to surgically alter the fingerprints of illegal  aliens, the U.S.

CARACAS,  (Reuters) – Venezuelan lawmakers exchanged  punches in parliament today when a fight erupted between  members of President Hugo Chavez’s socialist party and rivals,  in a sign of the OPEC member nation’s political polarization.

GASCI (www.gasci.com/telephone Nº 223-6175/6) reports that session 394’s trading results showed consideration of $5,886,590 from 167,758 shares traded in 19 transactions as compared to session 393 which showed consideration of $598,592 from 35,223 shares traded in 14 transactions. 

Two eminent Guyanese economists, Dr Havelock Brewster and Prof Clive Thomas, are perhaps most famous in integrationist circles for their seminal 1967 work, The Dynamics of West Indian Economic Integration, the centrepiece of a series on regional economic integration put out by the University of the West Indies.

Don’t  Plunder the Public Purse Today’s offering, in one sense, may be considered as a tribute, of sorts, to the Kaieteur News, the other acknowledged private “independent” newspaper in this country.

Politikles

OVALLE, Chile,  (Reuters) – A long drought has dried  up hydroelectric power production in Chile, sending electricity  costs soaring and making renewable power sources like wind,  solar and geothermal more attractive, particularly to  energy-hungry miners reaping a copper windfall.