Daily Archive: Friday, December 30, 2011

LAS VEGAS, (Reuters) – Welterweight boxing  champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. pleaded no contest today in  Las Vegas to misdemeanor battery against a security guard,  prosecutors said.

(Reuters) – Opposition leader Portia Simpson Miller  is set to become Jamaica’s prime minister for a second time  after her People’s National Party, tapping into voter discontent  over mounting economic woes, scored a landslide victory in  general elections.

LOS ANGELES,  (Reuters) – British actor Russell Brand  filed for divorce from his singer wife Katy Perry today  after just over a year of marriage.

The Board of Directors, Management and staff of the Guyana Post Office Corporation bid farewell to its Chairman, Juan Edghill at a simple ceremony yesterday at its Lamaha and Carmichael Streets location, a release from the post office said.

The deadlock among opposition parties as to who should be the next Speaker continues.

It’s well worth the while for those of us who know better to take some time off to make the point to Roger Luncheon that a time will come when scholars of media history will decide to sit down with the mountains of recordings of all of the strange pronouncements that he has unleashed upon this nation and decide that when it comes to propaganda the Doctor might  be incomparable……….and

(Trinidad Express) Attorney General Anand Ramlogan yesterday expressed disappointment over the recent spate of murders and admitted that it was “troubling” that post State of Emergency (SoE)measures by Police Commissioner Dwayne Gibbs have failed.

(Trinidad Express) The Government’s management of the CLICO collapse and the State’s financial policies have seen a continued positive credit rating from international ratings agency Standard and Poor’s, Finance Minister Winston Dookeran said yesterday.

(Barbados Nation) The Barbados Policyholders and investors Alliance (BIPA) wants an investigation into the auditing of the troubled local operations of CLICO and British American Insurance Company Limited (BAICO).

(Barbados Nation) The August 26, 2007 cave-in that claimed the lives of a family of five at Arch Cot, Brittons Hill, St Michael, could have been avoided, and was yesterday described as an act of man forcing the hand of God.

The Mahaica, Mahaicony, Abary-Agricultural Development Authority says that all water sporting activities viz the use of jet skis, large high-speed craft etc are prohibited with immediate effect in the Mahaica River until further notice.

The Youth Coalition for Transformation (YCT) is calling on all organisations, citizens and NGOs to support its cause as the group undertakes a ‘Resolution March’ in the city today starting at the Square of the Revolution.

(Barbados Nation) By Murtland Cadogan As a visitor from Guyana, I am taking the time to share some concerns regarding the recently held elections in Guyana as well as on some wider societal issues of governance in that country.

(Jamaica Observer) Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) campaign director Karl Samuda last night said the Dudus/Manatt episode has cost the party dearly.

(Trinidad Express) Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of Anti-Crime Operations, Mervyn Richardson, last night expressed shock over the number of police officers who swooped down on CCN TV6 yesterday to execute a search warrant.

(Jamaica Gleaner)  For the second time in Jamaica’s recent political history, a father and son team has been elected to serve together in the House of Representatives.

NEW DELHI, (Reuters) – Just one test into the  four-match series against Australia and India are confronting  the grim reality that they remain international cricket’s  slowest starters, especially on tour.

(Jamaica Observer) The People’s National Party (PNP) sent the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) back into Opposition after scoring a crushing 41-22-seat victory in yesterday’s 16th general election that pollsters and analysts had said was mostly too close to call.

Farmers of De Buff Village and Canal Number Two Polder North Section, West Bank Demerara, who are struggling to cope with the loss of millions of dollars in crops and livestock after more than 8 days of heavy rain and flooding, blame the authorities for poor drainage maintenance.

Small scale gold miners yesterday protested at the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) for more time at the former Omai Gold Mines concession—but the regulatory agency says it is time for the miners to leave because several extensions have been granted and they are in breach of mining regulations.

APNU Leader David Granger says that his party remains committed to negotiating with the AFC over the position of Speaker in the National Assembly, but says that the opposition coalition does not feel that the AFC nominee Moses Nagamootoo would be the best person for the job.

The German government has come to the aid of Guyana’s Protected Areas Systems (GPAS) with an injection of US$6.5 million for Phase 2 of the project, which was initiated 15 years ago to protect some of the country’s richest biodiversity sites.

A bandit carted off in excess of $1M in jewellery from one of three houses he targeted early yesterday morning in Uitvlugt, West Coast Demerara.

A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) sees the building of trust among the three parliamentary parties as one of the keys in ensuring better governance of the country.

A man who admitted to physically abusing his partner was yesterday sentenced to three months in jail.

Hits and Jams Entertainment has been advertising an Old Year’s Night event to be hosted at the Promenade Gardens but Georgetown Mayor Hamilton Green yesterday said the venue will not be available.

Magistrate Hazel Octave-Hamilton remanded 21-year-old Michael ‘Mikey’ Persaud who allegedly strangled the mother of his child at their Lot 8, North Sophia home.

Minister of Natural Resources and the Environment Robert Persaud says Guyana’s gold production for the year so far is 350,000 ounces and this has surpassed the year’s target by 30,000 ounces.

The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) has scheduled a directors’ meeting in St Lucia this weekend and the current situation here as regards the formation of an Interim Management Committee (IMC) to run the affairs of the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) is one of the very prominent items on the agenda.

The Commonwealth Observer Group said that while accuracy in vote tabulation is critical, it is equally clear that the process is time sensitive and said the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) should consult stakeholders with a view to speeding up the process by streamlining it.

A man who threatened and assaulted a police officer was yesterday given a one-year suspended sentence along with a $15,000 fine by Magistrate Hazel Octave-Hamilton.

(Reuters) – Former FIFA vice-president Jack  Warner said he was sold the World Cup television rights for  Trinidad and Tobago for as little as $1 in return for supporting  FIFA president Sepp Blatter in soccer elections.

The case involving Presidential Advisor Odinga Lumumba and a polling day presiding officer is still being investigated by the police.

(Reuters) – The struggling Phoenix Suns have  signed former All-Star guard Michael Redd to boost their scoring  depth, the National Basketball Association (NBA) team said yesterday.

Re-evaluating properties to facilitate rates and taxes assessment for Neighbour-hood Democratic Councils (NDCs) and municipalities will be one of the main goals of the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development next year, Junior Minister Norman Whittaker says.

MELBOURNE, (Reuters) – Australia’s makeshift pace  attack performed above and beyond expectations yesterday,  tearing through India’s formidable batting unit to propel the  hosts to an emphatic 122-run victory in the first test.

Government has leased a plot of land at Babu John to the Guyana Central Arya Samaj Humanitarian Mission for the construction of a benevolent home to meet the needs of vulnerable persons.

MELBOURNE, (Reuters) – India captain MS Dhoni  gave a frank assessment of his team’s fourth day collapse to  lose the first test against Australia, saying the Melbourne  Cricket Ground wicket was benign enough to reel in the victory  target.

Water jets being used by the

Turkish national Hasan Tuluy has been appointed the World Bank’s new Vice-President for Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) effective from January 1.

MELBOURNE, (Reuters) – Australia captain  Michael Clarke praised his bowlers for knocking over India’s  potent batting lineup to win the first test in Melbourne on  Thursday and paid tribute to their ability to cobble together  runs after the hosts’ bats failed to fire.

Despite mounting the PPP/C platform for the recent general elections, Collin Croal, the former Permanent Secretary (PS) within the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs, has been appointed the new PS within the Ministry of Local Government.

Mining is not pretty: The worksite at

Dear Editor, With reference to your editorial titled ‘Russia’s Putin under challenge’ published in the December 28 issue of Stabroek News, we would like to bring to your attention the following information.

(Jamaica Observer) All Island Preliminary Results. 6586 Of 6629 Boxes Counted. The

BEIRUT, (Reuters) – Syrian security forces shot  dead 25 people yesterday, including in cities being visited by  Arab League monitors to check whether President Bashar al-Assad  is keeping a pledge to end a crackdown on popular unrest.

Neal and Massy Caledonia AIA of Trinidad and Tobago and Pele secured similar 3-1 victories over Victoria Kings and Mill Ballers respectively, when action in 22nd annual Kashif and Shanghai tournament continued at the Beterverwagting Ground on Wednesday evening.

DURBAN, South Africa, (Reuters) – Diminutive  left-arm spinner Rangana Herath took five wickets as Sri Lanka  recorded their first test win in South Africa with a 208-run  victory at Kingsmead yesterday.

The Omai miners at

Dear Editor, The further decadence into which our society is sinking was indeed evident through the ruckus and noise caused by several music sets along Main Street, New Amsterdam on Christmas Eve night.

Children at the Guyana Red Cross Society Convalescent Home in D’Urban Backlands benefited from a Boxing Day visit by the United States Navy construction battalions the Seabees.

MADRID,  (Reuters) – The Spanish king’s  son-in-law was charged yesterday in a fraud and embezzlement  case that has damaged the royal family, which this week took the  uprecedented step of disclosing its income.

CAIRO, (Reuters) – Egyptian prosecutors and  police raided offices of 17 pro-democracy and human rights  groups yesterday – drawing criticism from the United States  which hinted it could review its $1.3 billion in annual military  aid.

Government’s plan to establish a specialist hospital at Liliendaal, on the East Coast of Demerara, has raised questions as to why local hospitals were not seemingly considered for upgrades instead and why taxpayers’ money is being used to prepare the site.

(Trinidad Express) Multiple charges of murder and that of causing grievous bodily harm were on Wednesday read to the man accused of setting a Laventille apartment on fire which resulted in the deaths of four people, including a ten-month-old baby and two-year-old child.

(Reuters) – San Antonio squashed some of the hype  surrounding the revamped Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday with  a 115-90 victory that lifted the Spurs to 2-0 in the new season.

The Stanleytown Pump

Dear Editor, Over the years Indian-Guyanese have been pummelled by many writers and, in particular, Kaieteur News columnist, Freddie Kissoon, for voting for the PPP.

Workers at Bauxite Company of Guyana Incorporated, mainly owned by RUSAL, are to get thinner pay-packets whenever they are about to go on vacation because the company has decided to stop paying them vacation allowance.

Vinod Jaghdir displays one of

WASHINGTON,  (Reuters) – The United States will  sell $29.4 billion in fighter jets to Saudi Arabia, in a deal  the White House said would support more than 50,000 jobs and  help reinforce regional security in the Gulf amid mounting  tension with Iran.

Dear Editor, There is an article in SN of December 29 concerning a power surge at Reliance, East Canje, where some residents lost their electrical equipment and were being asked by GPL for receipts of purchase to process applications for compensation.

KARACHI,  (Reuters) – Interim Pakistan coach Mohsin  Khan said his team were hoping for a ‘fresh start’ when they  take on England for the first time since the spot-fixing scandal  next month.

(Trinidad Guardian) It’s official. The Trinidad and Tobago Stock Exchange is the fifth best-performing stock market in the world for 2011, according to a report on Wednesday in the Business Insider publication, which stated that most equity investors around the world were “licking their wounds from a tough 2011.”

SYDNEY,  (Reuters) – Australian Sam Stosur is determined to show on home soil in 2012 the form that won her a first grand slam singles title at the U.S.

MOSCOW, (Reuters) – Russia tried to submerge a  burning nuclear submarine at a navy shipyard yesterday after  battling for hours with helicopters and tug boats to bring the  raging blaze under control.

The Local Government and Regional Development Ministry plans closer collaboration with other ministries and agencies next year in order to cut costs at the local government level while advancing development at the community level.

LOS ANGELES,  (Reuters) – Making a film about an  iconic politician like Britain’s Margaret Thatcher is akin to  walking into a movie minefield, and casting an American — even  one as revered as Meryl Streep — is asking for more trouble.

Dear Editor, I refer to a letter which appeared in your edition of December 10, captioned ‘Samaroo misinformed about homes built by Food for the Poor at St Cuthbert’s’ where Mr Leon Davis, Director of Food for the Poor Guyana (FFTP), replied to your columnist Shaun Michael Samaroo. 

(de Ware Tijd) PARAMARIBO – In a presidential resolution, President Desi Bouterse has granted a pardon to Romano Meriba, who had been sentenced to 15 years in prison for manslaughter.

Proud owner of South America’s fastest knockout, Simeon ‘Candy Man’ Hardy had his breakthrough year this year in the sport of boxing.

Eddoe plants covered

(Trinidad Express) Police are probing an incident in which two sons of Local Government Minister Chandresh Sharma were beaten during an incident while attending a poolside party at the Hilton Trinidad, St Ann’s on Tuesday.

Naturally there will be numerous reviews of 2011 as the year winds down tomorrow. 

Dear Editor, My nomination for Stabroek News’ Person of the Year is Ms Syeada Manbodh.

LOS ANGELES,  (Reuters) – Veteran rockers Van Halen  unyeiled plans on Monday for a tour with original lead singer  David Lee Roth returning to the stage.

Pak-choy plants that were

Guyana Rugby Football Union (GRFU) President Kit Nascimento has hit out at the lack of government support for the men’s rugby team’s preparation for the upcoming Cathay Pacific/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens tournament.

For many people, the end of one year and the beginning of the next are naught but an arbitrary division imposed by the Julian calendar.

Politikles

(Reuters) – Some 8 million people received  emails from the New York Times on Wednesday offering a special  discount if they would reconsider their decision to cancel their  subscriptions.

(Trinidad Guardian) The Clico Policyholders Group (CPG) yesterday said that it has received several complaints from Clico policyholders who have not received either the TT$75,000 cash payment or the confirmation letters of bond holdings (allotment letters).

(Trinidad Guardian) Attorneys-at-law Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, Attorney General Anand Ramlogan, Chief Justice Ivor Archie and Director of Public Prosecutions Roger Gaspard are among 16 who will be appointed Senior Counsel (SC) by President George Maxwell Richards today.