Daily Archive: Saturday, November 26, 2011

Amid concerns about what help it will be providing to the police on polling day, the Private Sector Commission tonight said that there was nothing sinister about its role and it will be offering logistical support where necessary.

(De Ware Tijd) SCHIPHOL – Yesterday, Suriname’s Consul-General in Amsterdam, Rou Lieuw A Sie opened the special desk at Schiphol Airport where travelers to Suriname can purchase a tourist card.

(Trinidad Guardian) People who had short-term investments with Colonial Life Insurance Company (Trinidad) Ltd (Clico) and British American Insurance Company Ltd, where the principal balance was TT$75,000 and over, will have their transactions processed from December 1.

(Trinidad Express) Insurance companies will soon need to hold hundreds of millions of dollars or, in some cases, in excess of $ 1 billion, in additional regulatory capital under new legislation which was tabled in the House of Representatives yesterday.

OAS elections observing mission head, Professor Gordon Shirley today said that after a series of meetings and interviews here he was encouraged that all stakeholders were confident that there are “no significant impediments to delivering a smooth and inclusive general and regional election”.

High Court Judge William Ramlal today granted bail to the four men who were yesterday remanded on unlawful wounding charges after Wednesday’s attack on three teens at Non Pareil.

The Guyana Police Force today said it wished to remind the general public that under the Representation of the People Act Chapter 1:03 of the Laws of Guyana, all premises to which spirit shop licences and off licences have been issued under the Intoxicating Liquor Licensing Act shall be closed and kept closed on Election Day, Monday November 28, 2011.

Police today said that investigations are being conducted into a fatal shooting that occurred at about 2200h yesterday at Great Diamond Sea Dam, EBD, where an armed robbery suspect known as “Douglah” was fatally shot during an armed confrontation with the police.

NEW YORK, (Reuters) – The National Basketball  Association (NBA) and its players have reached a tentative deal  on a new collective bargaining agreement which paves the way for  a 66-game season starting on Christmas Day.

MUMBAI, (Reuters) – West Indies snatched a  thrilling draw with the scores level to deny India a series  clean sweep on the final day of the third test today.

YAKKAGHUND, Pakistan, (Reuters) – NATO helicopters  attacked a military checkpoint in northwest Pakistan today, killing up to 28 troops and prompting  Pakistan to shut vital supply routes for NATO troops fighting in  Afghanistan, Pakistani officials said.

(Barbados Nation) LIAT is to carry out an internal probe into how  one of its pilots has ended up on marijuana smuggling charges in Barbados.

LONDON, (Reuters) – Tests and Twenty20s are the  future of international cricket and 50-overs matches should be  scrapped, according to England spinner Graeme Swann.

Chairman Dr Steve Surujbally last evening announced that the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) is fully prepared for Monday’s polls.

GECOM Chairman Dr Steve Surujbally yesterday said that “by and large” both the media and the political parties have adhered to the codes of conduct that they had signed ahead of the elections.

The PPP/C’s hiring of Trinidadian soca artiste Destra for its final rally today has ignited a firestorm with objections raised by other political parties resulting in the artiste shutting her Facebook page but despite this, she will be here.

In the lead-up to the general elections, former Stabroek News journalist Iana Seales is writing a series of articles on Guyana, focusing on life, democracy, and the responsibility to vote.

Four men have been arraigned on unlawful wounding charges after the attack at Non Pareil, East Coast Demerara, where three teens were beaten on Wednesday.

With elections just two days away, the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Brickdam held an all night vigil for the preservation of peace and justice for the nation.

The Organization of American States (OAS) will for the first time in Guyana assess the participation of men and women in the electoral process including at leadership levels.

Human Services Minister Priya Manickchand yesterday urged all women to protect themselves from violent partners and to utilize the various programmes formulated to help fight the scourge of domestic violence.

The elections are upon us and this year has seen more focus on women’s issues on the political platforms than ever before.

Red Thread yesterday blamed the lack of political will to ensure enforcement of legal protections for creating a “culture” that excuses and ignores domestic violence.

MUMBAI, India, CMC – West Indies seamer Ravi Rampaul said yesterday he and head coach Ottis Gibson had carefully plotted the demise of batting legend Sachin Tendulkar.

Though she did not set herself apart from her eight rivals by winning any special prizes, 24-year-old Alana Seebarran rose to the occasion and fluently answered her question in the intelligence segment of the Miss India Guyana 2012 Pageant and was later announced the new queen.

Despite “great strides” in eliminating the worst forms of discrimination against women, the inability of the society to protect women and girls from violence is proof of a fundamental flaw, according to the Guyana Human Rights Association (GHRA).

Guyanese girls, aged 12 to 14 years old, will soon be able to benefit from the free distribution of the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccine, which should provide immunity from the virus responsible cervical cancer, the leading cause of cancer among women.

We might be laughing, but we are not amused. Not one bit.

Four days after the commissioning of the $427.5M Leonora Technical and Vocational Training Centre, the image of it bustling with students will remain a mere thought as it will not be operable until January 2012.

(reprinted from the FIFA website) “We came from all over the world,” enthused Leon Cort about Guyana’s Golden Jaguars, the national team he has helped captain to unprecedented success in recent months.

The $293.5M Leonora Secondary School was on Wednesday commissioned by Minister of Education Shaik Baksh and is expected to accommodate students from January 2012.

By Emmerson Campbell After 18 months of creating awareness and raising the sport of boxing out of the doldrums by live television coverage of each Pro Am Friday night card,  the Guyana Boxing Board of Control (GBBC) will no longer broadcast the event live.

The government yesterday commissioned the first fire station for the East Coast of Demerara at Mahaica, where Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee said that the unveiling on the eve of elections was a mere coincidence.

Dear Editor, Parliament was prorogued in late September, meaning that we now have no parliament and the passage of new laws including those for incurring of new debts must await the next parliament. 

Hi Everyone, You will recall last month (October), I invited you to a meet-up so that we could go eat at the Stabroek Market Cook Shops and show support for this vibrant part of Guyana’s street-food culture.

CLICO’s gargantuan office building at Lots 200-201 Camp Street has been sold to the National Insurance Scheme (NIS) for $600M.

Dear Editor, Yesterday, November 25, 2011, the world observed International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women (IDEVAW) and the start of 16 days of activism against violence against women.

There is a low prevalence of trafficking in persons in Guyana and government continues to sustain programmes to respond to any cases, according to the report of the ministerial task force on trafficking in persons released yesterday.

KINGSTOWN, St Vincent, CMC – Left-arm spinner Veerasammy Permaul and pacer Shannon Gabriel grabbed wickets at crucial stages to fire West Indies A to a comfortable 34-run win over Bangladesh A in the second One-Day game here yesterday.

The Scene Cartoon

A top Guyana Goldfields executive has said that the company has signed confidentiality agreements with six parties interested in buying the company and its Aurora gold project here.

The Banks DIH sponsored Powerade Under 13 league organized by the Georgetown Football Association will kick off today with a double header at Thirst Park.

Dear Editor, The Private Sector Commission should not be involved in these elections except as an observer.

The National Communi-cations Network (NCN) yesterday expressed deep concern and disappointment at the characterization of the network as the “national criminal network” by A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) at its Vreed-en-Hoop meeting.

Dear Editor, The letter by Mr Perry is quite revealing and raises the question, how can someone who was so instrumental in positively shaping the minds of so many at the University of Guyana  receive such a pittance as a pension?

MUMBAI, India, CMC – Batting star Sachin Tendulkar agonisingly missed out on his 100th international century but Ravi Ashwin stroked a surprise maiden one to frustrate West Indies and send the third and final Test ambling toward a draw here yesterday.

The PPP/C has said it is a “breach of principle” for the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) to use advertising agency Tagman Inc to relay election results since APNU is also utilizing the services of the “partisan” firm – statements at which the company expressed surprise.

Kenneth Joaquim walked out of the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court a free man after illegal possession of firearm and ammunition charges against him were dismissed on Wednesday.

Junior hockey players of the Hikers Hockey Club’s Western Union programme departed Friday for Trinidad and Tobago where they will compete in the Magnolias International Indoor tournament.

In a letter by Mr Vishnu Bisram captioned ‘We will find out the ethnic percentages after the election…‘  which appeared in our edition yesterday, reference was made to the “Clive Thomas poll.”

Help and Shelter last evening held a candlelight vigil for the victims of domestic violence at the St George’s Cathedral, under the theme “A vigil of light against the darkness of Domestic Violence.”

Crowd support for Brandon Harding, a finalist in the GT&T Jingle and Song Competition was overwhelming as he and ten other finalists sang with winning in mind at the National Cultural Centre on Wednesday evening last.

CAIRO, (Reuters) – Protesters demanding an end  to army rule in Egypt sought last night to build on momentum  from a mass protest, bedding down in Cairo’s Tahrir Square for a  ninth day just two days before the first free parliamentary  polls in living memory.

Dear Editor, Mr Godfrey Adams has just recently left the service of the University of Guyana. 

The GTUC has said it does not support calls to have November 28 declared a national holiday since public transportation draws to a halt and this would affect a sizeable portion of persons who depend on such transport.

The semi-finals of the ongoing Carib/Pepsi Twetnty20 competition will take place today at the Georgetown Cricket Club (GCC) ground.

PORT OF SPAIN,  (Reuters) – Trinidad and Tobago’s  prime minister came under public pressure yesterday to reveal  more details of an alleged death plot against her that she  blamed on criminals fighting back against a government  crackdown.

(Reuters) – Rafa Nadal was eliminated from the ATP World Tour Finals on Thursday after being outgunned by an inspired Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in an absorbing late-night battle at the O2 Arena.

The Private Sector Commission (PSC) yesterday called on all minibus operators to ensure that they are available on Monday to transport electors to and from polling stations.

Dear Editor, It’s here at last! The time has come for us to make our decision.

The Indian Cultural Centre invites all members of the public to see the film Gandhi My Father at the Indian Cultural Centre today from 5.30 pm.

Dear Editor, For some reason or the other, GT&T is not living up to expectations in bringing about improvements to its landline service.

(Jamaica Observer) Ariwa Records, the independent label of Guyana-born music producer Neil ‘Mad Professor’ Fraser, will celebrate its 30th anniversary in January with the Back To Africa Music Festival in The Gambia.

An election observer mission from the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) has arrived in Guyana and will be monitoring elections on Monday together with the other local, regional and international observer groups.

(Reuters) – Roger Federer completed his round-robin matches at the ATP World Tour Finals with a 6-1 3-6 6-3 defeat of American Mardy Fish at the O2 Arena on Thursday.

JOHANNESBURG, (Reuters) – Time is quickly  running out to strike a deal at global climate talks to save a  Kyoto Protocol in its death throes and make major cuts in the  greenhouse gas emissions that scientists blame for rising  temperatures, wilder weather and crop failures.

THE HAGUE/MEXICO CITY, (Reuters) – Mexican  human rights activists want the International Criminal Court to  investigate President Felipe Calderon, top officials and the  country’s most-wanted drug trafficker, accusing them of allowing  subordinates to kill, torture and kidnap civilians.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Singer and rapper Nicki Minaj was named Billboard’s 2011 Rising Star on Wednesday, following her international success this year with her album, ‘Pink Friday’.

Dear Editor, In his special contribution to poetry in his ‘Arts on Sunday‘ column (Sunday Stabroek, November 20), Al Creighton neglected to inform us that Claude McKay’s poem ‘If We Must Die‘ was quoted by Winston Churchill during the Second World War.

A number of streets in Kingston closed to vehicular traffic from yesterday to facilitate arrangements for Monday’s elections.

The Georgetown Football Club (GFC) ground will come alive today when the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport hosts the final of their 2011 seven-a-side inter-block football tournament from 17:00hrs.

A Greenwich Park, East Bank Essequibo man was killed in a motorbike crash on Thursday night.

Dear Editor, The day of truth is almost here. Elections will determine who the populace has confidence in.

CARACAS, (Reuters) – The first shipment of gold bars  arrived home in Venezuela yesterday after President Hugo Chavez  ordered that almost all of the country’s foreign bullion  reserves be repatriated from Western bank vaults.

Embattled protests at Tahrir Square and, despite severe repression, tenacious opposition movements in Yemen and Syria indicate that the Arab Spring is far from over.

LONDON, (Reuters) – World number one Novak Djokovic followed Rafa Nadal and Andy Murray out of the ATP World Tour Finals yesterday when he lost to fellow Serb Janko Tipsarevic for the first time.

Politikles

(Barbados Nation) REDjet is at the crossroads in its operations. It needs an Bds$8 million injection now to allow it to keep fulfilling its investors’ mandate to provide affordable air transport for Caribbean people – otherwise, the future of the airline could be in jeopardy.

(Trinidad Express)  A 13th suspect was arrested by police in downtown Port of Spain yesterday in connection with an alleged plot to assassinate Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar and three members of her Cabinet.

(Trinidad Express) “Hysterical political expediency!” That was Opposition Leader Dr Keith Rowley’s response to Government’s actions arising out of an alleged assassination plot against the Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar and three members of her Cabinet.