Daily Archive: Friday, January 13, 2012

The last defendant in the 2007 JFK Airport terror plot which snared three Guyanese was today sentenced in a New York court to life imprisonment.

NEW YORK, (Reuters) – Standard & Poor’s carried  out a mass downgrade of euro zone countries today, stripping France and Austria of their top-grade AAA  ratings in a move that may complicate efforts to solve a  two-year old European debt crisis.

(Reuters) – A federal judge in Houston said a team of  attorneys representing Allen Stanford, who is accused of running  a $7 billion Ponzi scheme, must stay on the case despite their  request to withdraw.

MIAMI, (Reuters) – Ousted former FIFA  vice-president Jack Warner said today he had documented  evidence to back his claim that he was gifted World Cup  television rights in return for FIFA votes and accused the  organisation of being “disingenuous and dishonest”.

The police are investigating a fatal accident that occurred at about 1050h.

LIMA,  (Reuters) – Dutch citizen Joran Van der  Sloot was sentenced to 28 years in prison by a Peruvian court today for killing a woman in Lima in 2010, exactly five years  since 18-year-old Alabama native Natalee Holloway disappeared  after spending time with him.

(Jamaica Observer) Two men have been charged by detectives in Westmoreland for the December 27 murder of a man and injury of three others during a Jamaica Labour Party rally in Savanna la Mar.

A taxi driver was discovered dead in his vehicle this morning at Goedverwagting Road, Plaisance, on the East Coast of Demerara.

(Trinidad Express) Environmentalist Dr Wayne Kublalsingh who was part of a movement which successfully fought plans to establish steel plants at Claxton Bay and La Brea says there must be consultation with residents of La Brea before any industrial plant is built.

(Trinidad Express) A pipeline project which aims to export natural gas from Trinidad and Tobago to other Caribbean islands has found new investors.

(Trinidad Guardian) NEW YORK—A Queens judge sentenced three members of a  Richmond Hill family to serve a combined 418 years in jail for a brazen immigration and real-estate scam.

Legendary music promoter Cyril Shaw passed away today just short of his 90th birthday.

Whenever will those banners exhorting people to “VOTE” for this party or that party and those pictures of the people who are now the winners and losers at last November’s general elections stop adorning lamp posts and traffic light signal canisters in the city.

(Trinidad Express) Another violent clash erupted at the office of the Public Services Association (PSA) yesterday evening as the group deemed the PSA rebels stormed the union’s offices, on Abercromby Street, Port of Spain, in a bid to reclaim leadership of the association.

(Trinidad Express) Conjugal visits for convicted prisoners, as well as mandatory testing for HIV and AIDS, are privileges to be afforded under the new Prisons Rules, which are to be tabled in Parliament shortly.

PERTH, (Reuters) – David Warner smashed the fastest  test century by an opening batsman as Australia battered India  on the first day of the third test today, dismissing the  tourists for 161 before racing to within 12 runs of that tally.

The Alliance For Change’s (AFC) leader Raphael Trotman, a former member of the PNCR, is the new Speaker of the National Assembly, an historic first for the opposition in Guyana’s parliamentary history that also saw the position of Deputy Speaker going to APNU’s Deborah Backer.

The body of 54-year-old Denesh Persaud was found in his home on Tuesday last and it was revealed that the man died of manual strangulation.

President Donald Ramotar yesterday said that the election of Raphael Trotman as Speaker of the National Assembly by the opposition majority was “disappointing,” while accusing APNU and AFC of squandering an opportunity to usher in an era of greater political cooperation and consensus.

The government has terminated the Amaila Falls Access road contract with the Fip Motilall-run Synergy Holdings Inc, citing the contractor’s failure to meet deadlines and the Works Ministry is taking steps to complete the project.

Although AFC leader Raphael Trotman was yesterday elected Speaker of the National Assembly with full support from the opposition benches, APNU leader David Granger says that no final decision has been made on whether the post will be rotated between the two opposition parties.

Police were yesterday summoned to the Transport and Harbours Department (T&HD) dock at Kingston, after passengers stormed and overloaded the Lady Northcote ferry, demanding to be taken to the North West District with or without tickets.

Synergy Holdings Inc CEO Fip Motilall says that the government made a bad move to terminate his firm’s Amaila Falls road contract and contended that he is owed more than US$1M for works completed.

Terrence John, who is accused of shooting at a police corporal and having an unlicensed gun and ammunition in his possession, was yesterday remanded to prison.

Two days after he was shot during a robbery, popular businessman Roger Hinds was yesterday discharged from hospital and he said that the attack on him was a set up.

As the new parliament was being convened yesterday, members of APNU-affiliate Youth Coalition for Transformation (YCT) staged a peaceful protest in front the Public Buildings to lobby the new Members of Parliament (MPs) to deal with issues that are important to the people.

A total shutdown of the Demerara Interconnected System occurred on Wednesday at about 16:01 hours and power was restored in all 50Hz areas by 16:25 hours but 60Hz areas were not fully restored until 19:00 hours.

(Trinidad Newsday) The Civil Aviation Authority of Trinidad and Tobago (CAA) is disassociating itself from a statement by the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) which says that Caribbean Airlines flight, BW 523, which crash landed in Guyana on August 30 last year, was not in a position to land safely.

A three-year-old boy is in a critical condition after he and his sister were struck down at Mahaicony on Wednesday morning by a minibus driver who allegedly fell asleep at the wheel.

NORTH SOUND, Antigua, CMC – An unbroken, opening stand between Dwayne Smith and captain Kirk Edwards raced Barbados to an emphatic 10-wicket victory over the Netherlands in a low-scoring affair in the Caribbean Twenty20 tournament last night.

PERTH, (Reuters) – India were 73-4 at lunch today with its top four batsmen back in the pavilion.

Acting Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry remanded to prison a 23-year-old man who after disembarking a minibus allegedly snatched a gold chain from another passenger.

Dear Editor, Recent newspaper articles featuring Education Minister Manickchand’s “unbridled ambition towards improvement of the education sector,” and Dr Henry Jeffery’s (a former Minister of Education) contribution to the “improvement of the education sector” discussion,  ‘Parental engagement can make big difference to a child’s life chances‘ (SN, Jan 4), make interesting reading, and I take the opportunity to offer some comments.

The Guyana Government issued a statement yesterday refuting claims that it has reached any consensus with the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) as it relates to the roles of the Interim Management Committee and the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) as  reported by Stabroek Sport yesterday.

A Jamaican man accused of trafficking in a quantity of cocaine by attempting to mail it out of Guyana in postcards was yesterday remanded to prison when he appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court.

Dear Editor, We the residents of Adelaide Street, Charlestown, continue to be subjected to the most humiliating stench, due to the overflowing of sewage from the gully and chambers.

Dear Editor, Regrettably, again I find myself impelled to respond to another publication of the Stabroek News.

Clive Lloyd says that the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) is “messing with the wrong person” after that organisation, through its General Secretary Anand Sanasie, wrote Sport Minister Dr.

A 15-year-old girl was struck down yesterday by a Ministry of Public Works vehicle at Church Hill, Soesdyke after she left school to go to a nearby shop.

The announcement earlier this month by the Canadian-based oil and gas exploration company, CGX Energy Inc that a semi-submersible drilling rig is due to arrive in Guyana by month end to commence offshore drilling for oil appears to have gone largely unnoticed by Guyanese as a whole; never mind the fact that the announcement clearly seeks to provide the country with a definitive signal that we might now have inched much closer to becoming an oil-producing country.

Dear Editor, As I follow the theatrics involving the opposition I am forced to conclude that if there was any doubt about the possible success of shared governance, the answer is staring us in the face.   

A man accused of stealing his family friend’s gold band was yesterday admitted to bail in the sum of $50,000, after appearing before acting Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court.

LONDON, (Reuters) – A computerised scoring  system designed for the boxing competition at the London 2012  Olympics will be scrapped after the Games as the sport’s  governing body seeks to encourage fighters to win with style.

The Guyana Manufactur-ing and Services Association (GMSA) said it has left behind a year in which its own profile as much as the interests of its members was served by its focus on business support initiatives.

Focusing Belated New Year’s greetings to all Guyanese and in particular to the readers of the Stabroek News and its Business Section!

Several persons sustained minor injuries about their body following a mid-afternoon accident along the East Coast Public Road after a car slammed into the back of a Route 50 minibus.

NORTH SOUND, Antigua, CMC – Jamaica followed up a steady half-century from Nkrumah Bonner with purposeful bowling to sweep to a 50-run victory over Sussex in the Caribbean Twenty20 tournament last evening.

Dear Editor, As you may be aware, several letters have been written to the media regarding the state of affairs for employees at the Bureau of Statistics (BOS).

Dear Editor, It is with a great deal of sadness that I read of the passing of Dr Moti Lall, a distinguished medical practitioner and political activist.

Plans for the direction of the mining and forestry sectors are likely to be high on the agenda when Minister of Natural Resources Robert Persaud meets stakeholders in the sectors next Monday.

The Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) says it will demonstrate zero tolerance to customers who reconnect their water services illegally and will impose a $25,000 fine on them.

Dear Editors, I have been reading in our daily newspapers with deep concern the comments made by several cricket enthusiasts about the decision of the Government of Guyana to form an Interim Management Committee (IMC) to manage the affairs of the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) for at least six months.

KABUL/WASHINGTON,  (Reuters) – A video showing  what appears to be American forces urinating on dead Taliban  fighters prompted anger in Afghanistan and promises of a U.S. 

The Indian High Commission has announced the availability of 44 scholarships for undergraduate, post graduate and doctoral studies in universities and institutions in India for the academic year 2012 to 2013.

A senior local private sector official has told Stabroek Business that government’s handling of the economy this year must include measures aimed at broadening the tax net to ensure that the large numbers of self-employed persons who have been able to evade taxes are no longer able to do so.

The Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago cricket teams affectionately known by their respective supporters as the “Amazon Conquerors” and “Red Fury” in recent times, clash this evening at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Antigua, in a crucial Group A match of the 2012 Caribbean Twenty20 competition, in which the winner will almost certainly have one foot in the semi-finals.

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC) – A High Court judge yesterday ordered the Trinidad & Tobago Football Federation to have its former special advisor Austin “Jack” Warner present all “relevant documents” regarding all the finances of the country’s participation in the 2006 World Cup.

LOS ANGELES, (Reuters) – Chris Paul and the Los  Angeles Clippers survived their biggest test of the season with  a 95-89 overtime victory over the Miami Heat on Wednesday,  proving the home team can stand toe-to-toe with the best of the  NBA.

President Donald Ramotar says the late former Chairman of the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) Dr Moti Lall was a PPP stalwart as he joined Minister of Housing and Water Irfaan Ali to sign a book of condolences at the ministry.

Against the backdrop of having approved financing for projects in the Caribbean totalling more than US$19 billion last year, the Inter American Development Bank (IDB) is seeking a more assertive posture from governments in the region in the fight against crime, violence and corruption.

TEHRAN – U.S. allies in Asia and Europe voiced support yesterday for Washington’s drive to cut Iran’s oil exports,  although fear of self-inflicted pain is curbing enthusiasm for  an embargo that a defiant Iran says will not halt its nuclear  programme.

Dear Editor, I am extremely supportive of the people’s power to choose a government and a parliament at the same time. 

PORT-AU-PRINCE,  (Reuters) – Haitians marked the  second anniversary of the earthquake that ravaged their  impoverished Caribbean nation yesterday, mourning the dead as  their president held out hope for a better future.

Dear Editor, I wish to convey my deepest condolences to the wife, children and other relatives of the late Dr Moti Lall who passed away on January 10 at his Republic Park, East Bank Demerara residence. 

NORTH SOUND, Antigua, CMC – Breath-taking batting, led by a brutal, unbeaten 56 from Kieron Pollard, restored the gloss on reigning champions Trinidad & Tobago, firing them to an emphatic, 167-run victory over Leeward Islands in the Caribbean Twenty20 tournament on Wednesday night.

(Trinidad Express) Former prime minister Patrick Manning called for secrecy in the government’s handling of the financial difficulties facing CL Financial, in an attempt to prevent an immediate collapse of the conglomerate.

An article published in last Monday’s edition of the Barbados Business Monday is reporting progress in the diplomatic exchanges between Guyana and Barbados over the vexed issue of the mistreatment of Guyanese traveling to Barbados by immigration officials at the Grantley Adams Airport.

I was thrown into a minor dilemma as I was preparing this piece much earlier in the week.

PERTH, (Reuters) – Mahendra Singh Dhoni has hinted he  will quit test cricket if he decides to lead India in their  World Cup defence in Australia and New Zealand in 2015.

(Trinidad Express) Chairman of the Police Service Commission (PSC) Prof Ramesh Deosaran has summoned an emergency meeting, scheduled for 10 a.m.

While the country was still coming to grips with the delayed election results last month, another in the seemingly interminable round of Latin American and Caribbean summits was being held in Caracas, on December 2-3.

Guyana’s small business sector can perhaps best be compared with an undernourished child that simply refuses to roll over and die even though the prospects for its growth and development and survival to a ripe old age are far from readily apparent.

PORT BLAIR, India, (Reuters) – India ordered  the arrest yesterday of a tour operator for running a “human  safari” after a video emerged showing police making half-naked  women from a tiny island tribe dance in return for food.

GASCI (www.gasci.com/telephone Nº 223-6175/6) reports that session 442’s trading results showed consideration of $154,401 from 20,000 shares traded in 8 transactions as compared to session 441 which showed consideration of $175,751 from 11,659 shares traded in 6 transactions. 

Dear Editor, It is indeed with a heart filled with regret that I learned of the death of Dr Moti Lall, who for years served the Guyanese community and more recently the West Demerara community with distinction. 

Business Cartoons