Daily Archive: Sunday, December 4, 2011

(Jamaica Gleaner) Jamaicans are to go to the polls on Thursday December 29, 2011.

MUMBAI, (Reuters) – India has put a plan to open  up its retail industry to foreign supermarkets on hold, a senior  government source said yesterday, an embarrassing turnaround for  a beleaguered government fighting to retain the support of key  allies.

The police say that during investigations into reports of threats made on a woman by a man with whom she had recently ended a relationship, they found two magazines and five rounds at Ogle Street, Friendship, ECD, at about 0630h today.

The police say they are investigating an incident that occurred at about 0010h today at Ann’s Grove, ECD, during which Kwesi Fernandes, 31 years of Two Friends Village, ECD, was shot and injured by a licensed firearm holder.

The Cabinet of President Donald Ramotar is to be sworn in tomorrow at 1 pm at State House, according to an advisory from the Office of the President.

Three male students of the Aishalton Secondary School have been found dead and President Donald Ramotar has dispatched a team to the area to investigate.

MOSCOW, (Reuters) – Vladimir Putin’s ruling  party suffered a big drop in support in a parliamentary election  today, exit polls showed, as voters  signalled their growing  unease with his domination of Russian politics before a planned  return to the presidency next year.

MUMBAI, (Reuters) – Movie actor and director Dev  Anand, known for his joie de vivre as Bollywood’s “evergreen  hero”, has died aged 88, an aide said, bringing the end to an  era of Indian cinema.

(Jamaica Observer) Prime Minister Andrew Holness last night announced that a forensic audit will be undertaken to determine how funds under the controversial Jamaica Development Infrastructure Programme (JDIP) have been spent.

(Barbados Nation) Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves says he is saddened by the recent arrest of a Vincentian pilot in Barbados on drug trafficking charges.

(Trinidad Express) The board of directors of the Tourism Development Company (TDC) has been dismissed.

(Trinidad Express) The security evaluation of the intelligence report which detailed the alleged assassination plot against the Prime Minister and other members of the Cabinet found the information to be highly speculative and poured cold water over the conclusion arrived at that there was a credible security threat.

Donald Ramotar was yesterday sworn in as Guyana’s seventh executive President and said that the new parliamentary make-up will test the maturity of the country’s political leaders and will demand that “pettiness” be cast aside.

Gizmos and Gadgets Georgetown Pitbulls and the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) President’s XI will lock horns today in the final of Carib Beer/Pepsi Twenty20 competition at the Albion Community Centre Ground.

Herstelling is located on the East Bank of Demerara and is known not only because of its new housing scheme, Somerset Court, but because its ample size and proximity to Georgetown (7.9 kilometres) notwithstanding, it remains a close-knit country community.

As popular, Caribbean and appropriate as it was at the time, David Rudder’s converted anthem “Rally Round the West Indies” is wearing a little thin for cricket supporters despairing over whether there will ever be a revival.

The recent 51st Guyana Teachers’ Union/Ministry of Education, National Schools Cycling, Swimming and Track & Field Championships showcased a number of talented athletes despite the logistical problems that continue to plague this pre-eminent annual event.

Former president Bharrat Jagdeo says he will not be taking up any formal position in a Donald Ramotar-led administration, but he is prepared to assist the new president in a more informal way.

The elections results were bittersweet for many residents of Linden, in Region 10, who voted overwhelmingly for opposition coalition APNU and were disappointed that it did not win the presidency.

It happens all the time in small, closely-knit groups – cabinets, party executives, boards of directors, sports associations, church congregations or club committees.

Fans in Trinidad and Tobago will be massively disappointed, as there will be no regional T20 cricket played in this country next month, as was previously advertised.

Side-by-side, they walked together and the moment her husband signed the oath of office, Deolatchmee Ramotar became the First Lady of Guyana.

The Georgetown Football Club ground will this evening come alive with eight teams down to  compete in the Mayor’s (Hamilton Green) Birthday Football Fiesta.

Approximately 15 years ago yesterday, a young man from Berbice arrived at Niagara Falls, Ontario.

The rivalry between  organizers Mark `Jumbie’ Wiltshire and Neville `Cody’ Cadogan will be taken to the next level today when their respective female teams  clash at the Dynasty Sports Club in a feature event.

Retrospect When I was first invited by the then Editor-in-Chief David de Caires about a decade ago to write a regular Sunday column for the Stabroek News, which would focus on locating  Guyana’s situation  in the context of regional and international developments, I readily agreed to undertake this task. 

Joy Reid, owner of Joy Reid’s Realty Ltd, got a surprise on Friday when she was evicted from her Oronoque Street home of 21 years.

Guyanese Ron Smith (Welterweight elite) and Delon Charles (Bantamweight novice) each copped a gold medal while Richard Williamson (Flyweight elite) settled for silver at the

Dear Editor, At the press briefing on December 1 to announce the results of the 2011 national and regional elections, the chairman of Gecom mentioned that Gecom had been ready for the local government elections when they were postponed yet again by the government. 

Dear Editor, In other circumstances, a simple parliamentary manoeuvre would have resolved the PPP’s problem.

BRISBANE, (Reuters) – Captain Michael Clarke rode his luck to score 139 and help steer Australia to a 132-run first innings lead over New Zealand with a total of 427 on the third day of the first test yesterday.

After being an almost permanent fixture in local politics for 50 years, The United Force (TUF) will not be represented when the tenth Parliament of Guyana is convened.

Introduction At a time when the National Insurance Scheme is experiencing the results of more than two decades of bad governance it has just dished out some $600 million to buy the CLICO building on Camp Street.

Dear Editor, A lack of an overall government majority in Parliament, is the best thing that could have happened, as it forces otherwise myopic tribal politicians, to work together, and results in a more ethnically representative and informed reality.

DHAKA, (Reuters) – Nasir Hossain smashed his maiden century for Bangladesh but they were unable to prevent Pakistan easing to a 76-run win yesterday for an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match one-day international series.

The Electoral Assistance Bureau (EAB) says it is in the process of analyzing observer reports of the polling process across the country.

By Tom Naughton Mercer County Community College New Jersey Terry Ferreira grew up working at his family’s bicycle shop in New Amsterdam, near his country’s psychiatric hospital.

Dear Editor, Why are we always finding some people sawing at sawdust?

The Demerara Cricket Club second division team yesterday grabbed  first innings points from their arch rivals the Georgetown Cricket Club on the first day of their two-day Noble House Seafoods second division competition at  Bourda.

In sharp contrast to the gloom surrounding US and European economic news, a new United Nations report has good news for Latin America; it says that poverty levels in the region have dropped to their lowest levels in 20 years, and will continue falling in 2012.

A man was last Friday held at gunpoint and robbed of $1.5 million, but swift action by a relative resulted in the capture of a suspect and the recovery of the getaway car.

The badly decomposing body of an elderly woman was on Friday night found at her home in Kitty.

HARARE, Zimbabwe, CMC – Another exhilarating Chris Gayle century proved in vain as his Matabeleland Tuskers missed out on a spot in the domestic Twenty20 final when they went down by 23 runs to Mashonaland Eagles in the playoff here yesterday.

ear Editor, At its post election press conference on Friday, September 2, the Private Sector Commission (PSC) Chairman Ramesh Dookhoo stated that he was not in favour of power-sharing/shared governance in Guyana.

Easter Monday, 7am, March 24, 1913 the residents of Georgetown were awakened to the rhythmic purr of a flying machine overhead, as George Schmitt took off from the Bel Air Park (Canon race course field) in a historic five-minute flight – the first ever in British Guiana.

Three Customs officers and a Berbice Anti-Smuggling Squad (BASS) senior monitoring officer are under investigation after they allegedly colluded with a prominent businessman to evade over $10 million in taxes on 250 boxes of cigarettes brought in from Suriname.

CAIRO (Reuters) – Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood called on its rivals to accept the will of the people yesterday after a first-round vote set its party on course to take the most seats in the country’s first freely elected parliament in six decades.

SEVILLE, Spain,  (Reuters) – David Nalbandian and Eduardo Schwank trounced Spain’s Feliciano Lopez and Fernando Verdasco 6-4 6-2 6-3 to secure Argentina’s first point of the Davis Cup final  yesterrday and keep the best-of-five tie alive ahead of today’s reverse singles.

Dear Editor, The declaration of the preliminary results of the November 28, 2011 general and regional elections by the Chief Elections Officer brings to a close an unfortunate period of unease and angst in the population, which was precipitated by the inordinate three-day delay in the announcement of the results.

As mentioned in a previous discussion, there is no shortage of celebrated verses to mark the United Nations designated International Year of People of African Descent (IYPAD) in 2011. 

CARACAS (Reuters) – A new Latin American and Caribbean organization backed Argentina’s claim to sovereignty over the British-ruled Falkland Islands and slammed US sanctions on Cuba at yesterday’s end of a two-day summit.

A 19-year old girl and a 22-year-old man were yesterday rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital following an accident which occurred along Hague Public Road around 2 am.

The Alliance For Change (AFC) yesterday decided on six of the seven members who will represent the party in the National Assembly.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has admitted it is in discussion with the international cricket players union to find a solution to the non-payment of Sri Lanka player salaries.

(Trinidad Express) Director of Public Prosecutions Roger Gaspard on Friday said he has not yet been consulted by the police in connection with an alleged plot to destabilise the country and assassinate Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar and three government ministers.

VLADIVOSTOK, Russia (Reuters) – Vladimir Putin’s ruling party could see its vast parliamentary majority cut back in elections that began today in the icy tundra and sparsely-populated swathes of Russia’s far east.

Solving one problem in the garden always seems to lead to another one, for our hobby is a never-ending one – joy, sorrow, frustration or anger.

Dear Editor, With minority government the stage is now set for Guyana to move speedily into a new political era.

(Reuters) – Heavyweight world champion Vladimir Klitschko broke off training ahead of next week’s title defense against French challenger Jean-Marc Mormeck to have a kidney stone removed, his management said Saturday, adding the bout was still going ahead.

A post-mortem examination performed on the body of Dwayne Little, called “Tattoo” on Friday revealed the cause of death as multiple gunshot wounds.

ATLANTA (Reuters) – US Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain effectively ended his 2012 White House race yesterday, saying “false and unproved” sexual accusations have made it impossible for him to carry on a credible campaign.

Dear Editor, I must congratulate Mr Khemraj Ramjattan, the leadership of the Alliance for Change and the passionate supporters for securing a significant 10.3% of total votes cast as declared by the Guyana Elections Commission.

(Trinidad Express) Trade union leaders, silenced over the last 104 days under the State of Emergency, are prepared to hit the ground running as early as the day after the SoE is lifted.

For practical reasons, we can equate coma with unconsciousness. Some scientists speak instead of a very depressed level of consciousness, since they argue that there is never a complete state of unconsciousness.

A Brazilian miner was last Thursday found with a suspected gunshot wound under the chin at Arangoy, Cuyuni River and police believe that he might have taken his own life.

BEIRUT (Reuters) – At least 23 people were reported killed in Syria yesterday as violence intensified in the eighth month of an uprising against President Bashar al-Assad, pushing the death toll close to 4,600, an activist group said.

The people have spoken. But as always in these circumstances why they said what they said is not necessarily a subject on which there is unanimity.

(Reuters) – Tiger Woods endured a challenging day in gusting winds before finally surrendering his overnight lead to fellow American Zach Johnson in yesterday’s third round of the Chevron World Challenge.

Dear Editor, In a recent statement released at the end of emergency talks on Syria, the head of the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu called upon the regime of President Bashar al-Assad to “respond to the decisions of the Arab League, to stop the use of unnecessary force” on its own citizens.

(Barbados Nation) Twenty-eight people have been made redundant from Banks Breweries.

TEHRAN (Reuters) – The storming of the British Embassy in Tehran has bared a rift in Iran’s ruling elite with conservative hardliners pushing Iran towards global isolation as they manoeuvre for the upper hand over President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad ahead of elections in 2012.

With the present Eurozone on the point of collapse, the world’s developed economies on the brink of a second recession, and a slowing in advanced developing economies such as China and Brazil, the prospects for near term growth in the Caribbean appear bleak.