Daily Archive: Friday, February 10, 2012

It’s probably worth mentioning that just as we were beginning to wonder when Mr.

Chairman of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), Desiré Delano Bouterse, President of the Republic of Suriname will lead members of the Bureau of Heads of Government on a two-day mission to Haiti on 13-14 February.

The police say they are investigating an armed robbery that occurred at about 0945h today at the Raj Jewellery and Fashion Store, Sheriff Street, Georgetown.

A Guyanese-born woman was last month sworn in as a judge in the Queens Supreme Court in New York and will be presiding over criminal matters.

(BBC) Leicestershire have signed West Indies batsman Ramnaresh Sarwan as their overseas player for the 2012 season.

President Donald Ramotar this afternoon warned that his administration will not be held to ransom by any “intractable posture” by members of the opposition as he seeks to govern the country.

Former president Bharrat Jagdeo from all indications will not be appearing as a witness in the $10 million libel suit that he filed against columnist Freddie Kissoon and Kaieteur News.

(Jamaica Observer) The United States Government has pledged to provide the Ministry of National Security with non-lethal weapons to assist the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) in its efforts to reduce the number of police-related fatalities.

(Jamaica Observer) Thick plumes of smoke covered large sections of the Jamaican capital yesterday as a fire at the Riverton City Landfill raged for a fourth day, posing a health risk to tens of thousands of residents.

(Jamaica Gleaner) Days before Christopher ‘Dudus’ Coke is to be sentenced in a New York court, reports are surfacing that while he was Jamaica’s most wanted, he found a safe haven at a government house in the hills of St Ann.

GENEVA, (Reuters) – La Nina, a weather phenomenon usually linked to heavy rains and flooding in Asia-Pacific and South America and drought in Africa, seems to have reached its peak and is expected to fade between March and May, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said today.

President Donald Ramotar has proposed that a team of technical specialists make a presentation on the Amaila Falls Hydro Project to the plenary of the tripartite talks in response to proposals from the Alliance For Change (AFC) and A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) for scrutiny of major projects.

With Repsol’s Atwood Beacon commencing drilling at the Jaguar – 1 site on Tuesday, CGX Energy Inc.’s

The Muslim scholar charged with sexually molesting three boys was granted $750,000 bail in the High Court on Wednesday but his freedom was short lived as he was rearrested yesterday while leaving the Sparendaam Magistrate’s Court, where he had made his second appearance.

The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) is continuing to put the pressure on the Government of Guyana (GoG) over its establishment of the Interim Management Committee (IMC) to deal with the affairs of local cricket by pulling more matches from the National Stadium at Providence.

As lecturers and students of the University of Guyana continue to fight for better conditions at the Turkeyen campus, Opposition Leader, David Granger has indicated his support of these efforts and proposed a 10-point plan to them.

President of Alpha United, Odinga Lumumba, at a press briefing at the Water Chris Hotel yesterday brought to the public’s attention his  efforts to end the impasse between the Georgetown Football Association (GFA) and  the Guyana Football Federation (GFF).

Musician and legendary pannist, Roy Geddes, was yesterday attacked by a lone gunman who carted off two gold chains after beating the 72-year-old in front of his home.

The Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU) says it is concerned about the sloth of rehabilitation works on the building that houses the labour and human services ministry and it called for a probe of the High Street building which has been stalled for sometime now.

The local Sevens Rugby team suffered a defeat on the opening day of the 2012 Las Vegas Invitational Sevens three-day tournament yesterday.

Battered by years of piracy, Meadowbank Wharf fishermen yesterday picketed the Office of the President and were moments later summoned to a meeting with President Donald Ramotar who they said listened to their pleas for coast guard patrolling and the overall security of Guyana’s fishing zone.

ST. JOHN’S, Antigua, CMC – Pressure continues to mount on Gregory Shillingford to resign, but the Leeward Islands Cricket Association president appeared set to remain in control of the game in the sub-region.

Newly-crowned Female Sports Personality of 2011, power lifter Dawn Barker says she is elated to win the award and it means a lot since she is from the mining town of Linden, but she wouldn’t be resting on her laurels.

Councillors of the Region 10 Democratic Council were told yesterday that several of the 16 incomplete projects for which monies were paid in full were abandoned, while others were halted because of inclement weather.

A man was yesterday found dead in a trench situated behind his Mon Repos, East Coast Demerara home and relatives have ruled out foul play.

(Trinidad Guardian) Police on Wednesday carried out a court order to seize all removable assets from the Dundonald Street office of the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation (TTFF).

Students of the Kuru Kuru Training Centre (KKTC) on Wednesday received a vehicle and a number of computer systems from the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport and Food for the Poor Guyana.

Guyana will be looking to build on the momentum gained from their opening round victory over the Leeward Islands when they face off with the Windward Islands today in the second round of the 2011/12 West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) regional four-day competition at Windsor Park, Roseau, Dominica.

By Gino Peter Persaud LL.M Attorney-at-Law I am confident that the existing parliamentary mechanisms that allow for the finding of common ground and the meeting of minds will, where necessary, be fully utilized.

One of the Caribbean’s best known investment managers, the Barbados-based Fortress Fund Managers, says the performance of Guyana’s economy places it foremost on the list of Caribbean territories in which it is earnestly seeking new opportunities to broaden its investment thrust.

By Janette Bulkan In three earlier articles in this series on distortions in the rule of law in the forest sector in Guyana (Stabroek News, 12 and 30 January, and 06 February 2012), non-application or selective application of laws, policies and administrative procedures were shown to make it possible for timber log traders to maximize personal incomes by avoiding national policies for in-country processing and value addition. 

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC – Dr. Allen Sammy said national batsman Darren Bravo and off-spinner Sunil Narine face big career decisions over the next few weeks.

Dear Editor, I feel compelled to pen this letter after reading the concern raised by the Manager of SOL Guyana, Mr Ken Figaro (‘Dead Freight in silted Demerara channel cost SOL millions,‘ SN,  January 31).

(Reuters) – San Antonio’s Tony Parker scored 37 points to continue his hot scoring stretch and lead the Spurs to a 100-90 road win over the Atlantic Division-leading Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday for their sixth successive victory.

The rains may have brought other forms of business activity to a shuddering halt but for Ghamandi & Sons Enterprises it is an uncharacteristically busy period.

The police say that they conducted searches yesterday in Tucville and West Ruimveldt, Georgetown, during which a

BERLIN, (Reuters) – Retired former Tour de France winner Jan Ullrich has been found guilty of doping in relation to a blood-doping scandal that engulfed his sport six years ago and has been banned for two years, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) said yesterday.

CARICOM Secretary-General, Ambassador Irwin LaRocque on Tuesday called on the Community Council to equip the CARICOM Secretariat to be the change agent that it  required.

Dear Editor, On Wednesday, January, 25, fifteen persons took the oath of office as Regional Councillors of Region 9. 

Intentions At a sitting of the National Assembly today, the country was likely to hear the views and vision of President Ramotar as he addresses the members of the august parliamentary institution. 

(Reuters) – Captain Brendan McCullum smashed his fourth one-day international century off 79 balls as New Zealand completed a sweep of their three-match series against Zimbabwe with a 202-run victory at McLean Park in Napier yesterday.

LONDON,  (Reuters) – With growing worries about the threat of “cyber warfare”, militaries around the world are racing to recruit the computer specialists they believe may be central to the conflicts of the 21st century.

Police say that at about 2015h on Wednesday night, Police Constable Jermaine Brown was shot to his left hip by

A three-decade battle by the popular Jamaican brand Grace Kennedy to have its canned and packaged foods become fixtures on the supermarket shelves of the major retail outlets in the United States is beginning to bear fruit according to a recent report on the news service Caribbean 360 website monitored by  this newspaper.

Dear Editor, The recent revelation by Head of the Child Protection Agency, Ms Ann Greene, presents a very disquieting situation with regard to the incidence of the sexual molestation of our children.

Australia is aiming to strengthen its relationship with the Caribbean Community (Caricom) by identifying ways that it can expand aid to the region through a development needs assessment exercise.

AMMAN/BEIRUT, (Reuters) – Syrian government artillery barrages killed dozens of civilians in Homs yesterday, activists said, as President Bashar al-Assad, bolstered by Russian support, ignored appeals from world leaders to halt the carnage.

National cycling coach Hassan Mohamed will pedal off his second ‘Teach Them Young’ cycling programme for the 2012 season tomorrow at the National Park Circuit, when Olympic hopeful Alonzo Greaves will be challenged to repeat his performance last year when he won the  35-Lap feature race.

A new documentary on the life of reggae legend Bob Marley is scheduled to open April 20 in the United States.

Local scrap metal dealers remain hopeful that their efforts to save the industry from extinction will bear some fruit when the government makes its now overdue latest pronouncement on whether or not there are sufficient safeguards in place to remove a ban on exports, which has been in place since April last year.

Dear Editor, I watch the BBC news, CBS news and RT news and in all the reports I pay close attention to the developments between Iran and the Western axis.

President of the Jamaica Boxing Board of Control, Stephen ‘Bomber’ Jones credits the leadership demonstrated by Peter Abdool, president of the Guyana Boxing Board of Control (GBBC) and the Caribbean Boxing Federation (CABOFE) for opening opportunities for regional boxers in the United States and further afield.

MADRID, (Reuters) – Spain’s Supreme Court disbarred crusading Judge Baltasar Garzon for 11 years yesterday for illegally recording defence lawyers’ conversations with clients, which may effectively end his career in international human rights trials.

Dear Editor, I wish to respond to the articles relating to the collision along Victoria Village, ECD involving Victor Adams.

The projection by the World Tourism Organization that global tourist arrivals will reach a billion this year signals a dramatic and remarkably quick recovery for an industry that had been hard hit by the global economic crisis.

(Trinidad Guardian) United States Ambassador to Trinidad and Tobago Beatrice Wilkinson Welters has written to the Government, raising concerns about the Government’s proposal to award two projects worth US$5.3 billion to a consortium led by the Saudi Arabia’s state company SABIC.

GASCI (www.gasci.com/telephone Nº 223-6175/6) reports that session 446’s trading results showed consideration of $2,338,910 from 123,146 shares traded in 14 transactions as compared to session 445 which showed consideration of $2,167,147 from 128,043 shares traded in 8 transactions. 

Business Cartoons

Believe me, today I intended to indulge in pure, sweet justified escapism.

Based on the number of complaints we continue to receive from consumers claiming to have bought goods, which, after a relatively short period of use, manifest defects or sometimes cease to function altogether, we believe that a case may well exist for even greater vigilance on the part of the local consumer protection authorities.

Piracy protest:  Fishermen of the

Just in case anyone believes that Caricom states are still capable of consistently clever diplomacy, then think again.

ROME, (Reuters) – Roman Catholic Church leaders unveiled an Internet teaching project yesterday to help clergy around the world root out paedophiles in their ranks and protect children from potential abusers.

(Trinidad Express) After almost seven hours in committee stage, the DNA Bill (Deoxyribonucleic Acid Bill, 2011) was passed yesterday morning unanimously.

Politikles

Dear Editor, Mr Moses Bhagwan, one-time leader of the Indian Political Revolutionary Associates (IPRA) who now resides in the USA which with his Marxist beliefs he once sought to denigrate, cannot be faulted for springing to the aid of Mr Frederick Kissoon, especially if he is motivated by altruism and all that is excellent in the land of American opportunity and capitalism.

(Reuters) – England fast bowler Chris Tremlett has undergone an operation on his back after he was forced to return home early from the losing test series against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates.

(Barbados Nation) The American University of Barbados, whose official opening is set for today, can pose serious challenges to the University of the West Indies (UWI) medical school at Cave Hill when it comes to foreign students.

(CMC) ST. JOHN’S Dinanath Ramnarine said the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) unilaterally moved the forthcoming third Test between West Indies and Australia and Regional Four-Day Tournament matches from Guyana to Dominica.

(Trinidad Express) Energy Minister Kevin Ramnarine said yesterday his Ministry responded to concerns raised by United States Ambassador Beatrice Wilkinson Welters over proposed energy projects worth US$5.7 billion with Saudi Arabian state company SABIC.

(Trinidad Express) Dismissed executive director of the Caricom Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (Impacs) Lynn-Anne Williams has taken her former employers to court.

(Trinidad Express) First it was the TV6’s offices last December, and now the police have stormed Newsday’s offices at Chacon Street in Port of Spain.

(Trinidad Express) Seven directors of the board of Caribbean Communications Network Ltd (CCN) have received letters from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) requesting interviews on the issue of the airing of certain tapes on the Crime Watch programme on TV6.

(Trinidad Express) Deputy chairman of the Integrity Commission, Gladys Gafoor, has been suspended from duty by President George Maxwell Richards.