Daily Archive: Wednesday, February 15, 2012

(Barbados Nation) REDjet has had a significant impact on Barbados’ visitor arrivals from the Caribbean and Tourism Minister Richard Sealy has affirmed government’s commitment to supporting the local carrier as a result.

REDjet today announced plans to begin service to St Maarten from Barbados.

(Barbados Nation) Contrary to rumours, Whitney Houston’s ex-husband Bobby Brown has not been banned from attending her funeral.

The AFC this afternoon called on President Donald Ramotar to apologise to the electorate and retract charges he made in a newspaper interview that the AFC and the APNU manipulated the election results at certain polling stations.

The police say they are investigating an incident that occurred at about 0245h today where a suspected molotov cocktail was thrown at a building at Sheriff and Garnett Streets, Georgetown. 

A man who travelled to the US from Guyana last Sunday was busted with 11 pounds of cocaine packed in the false sides of his bag at the J F Kennedy Airport in New York.

Head of the Presidential Secretariat Dr. Roger Luncheon today said that President Donald Ramotar’s recent accusations that APNU and AFC manipulated the results of the 2011 general elections are justifiable.

CARACAS, (Reuters) – Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has launched a wave of state-backed social programmes in the run-up to an October presidential election.

Former West Indies captain Clive Lloyd has resigned from the West Indies Cricket Board citing the controversy posed in relation to his role as Head of the Interim Management Committee to run local cricket.

Minister of Home Affairs Clement James Rohee has upped and moved himself to Eve Leary and it appears that the move has created an outbreak of “the jitters” among the Police Force’s Top Brass.

TEGUCIGALPA,  (Reuters) – A massive fire swept through an overcrowded prison in Honduras and killed  more than 350 inmates , including many trapped inside their cells, officials said today.

(Jamaica Gleaner) For a second consecutive week, the Parliamentary Opposition has attempted to have Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller answer oral questions in the House of Representatives.

(de Ware Tijd) PARAMARIBO – Fifty farmers from the District of Para will export pepper seeds next year as a result of the ‘Chili Pepper’ project.

(Barbados Nation) Barbados is spending more than Bds$1/2 million to fix up Government House and meet expenses for an official state visit of the Earl and Countess of Wessex later this month.

A 14-year-old girl was yesterday arraigned on an attempted murder charge for allegedly poisoning a family.

University of Guyana (UG) lecturers are today scheduled to begin a one-week sit-in, in conjunction with steady protests over the administration of the institution.

Ken Moore M.S., former Stabroek News chief photographer, passed away yesterday morning at the Georgetown Hospital, where he was being treated for several ailments.

Alleged arsonist Nigel Armstrong will today be arraigned at the Vreed-en-Hoop Magistrate’s Court to answer charges of intentionally setting ablaze his family’s Parika Dam home on Monday and also escaping from lawful custody.

Christine Persaud’s family is refusing to accept that she killed herself, saying that marks of violence found on her body after her death and her husband’s suicide days later told a different story.

A badly decomposed body believed to be that of Jaikishan ‘Josey’ Seebarran, 38, of No 3 Village, West Coast Berbice was discovered at the No 5 foreshore yesterday with suspected marks of violence.

As part of its overall renovations, the Pegasus Hotel has opened a new restaurant, the Aromas Café and plans a roof restaurant.

Chairman of the Private Sector Commission, Ramesh Dookhoo met with President Donald Ramotar at the Office of the President yesterday in what the former described as a warm-up meeting for a larger engagement between the President and heads of various private sector companies tomorrow.

Police investigations have led to the capture of one of three men seen entering the yard of Sita Reddy, shortly before she was found dead in her home with her throat slit.

(Trinidad Express) Founder of the Adult Literacy Tutors Association (ALTA), Paula Lucie-Smith, has been named as one of three persons who will receive this year’s Anthony N Sabga Caribbean Awards for Excellence.

Oil companies Repsol and CGX Energy Inc yesterday briefed stakeholders on their disaster management plans as part of the emergency and contingency measures not only in the event of an environmental mishap but also for the management of medical emergencies on board the rigs.

The Georgetown City Council on Monday said the municipality was neither involved nor consulted in the creation of the new set of one-way streets, adding that this move was inconsistent with the Greater Georgetown Development Plan and the good governance of the city.

By Carwyn Holland Known for making the truest of predictions among the Caribbean’s top boxing pundits, leading trainer and internationally acclaimed expert Maurice ‘Bizzy’ Boyce is once again bold in his predictions of the outcome of a Wayne ‘Big Truck’ Braithwaite fight.

After a somewhat predictable and easy 234-run opening round victory over the Leeward Islands – the Guyanese  moved to the more stringent task of engaging the regional heavyweights.

REDjet is examining adding new routes out of Guyana, company CEO Ian Burns says, but he is warning that protectionism in the region can hurt travellers and restrict them to high fares.

By Emmerson Campbell Jamie McDonald is not your average powerlifting champion.

Residents of Noitgedacht and neighbouring communities Fair’s Rust and Watooka say if the BOSAI bauxite company fails to address the prevailing dust, noise and flooding problems as they have committed to doing they are prepared to take to the streets.

Director of Digicel, PJ Mara; CEO, Digicel Guyana, Gregory Dean and Group Projects Manager Lisa Lewis yesterday called on President Donald Ramotar at the Office of the President and Mara later indicated that the company plans to broaden its operations here.

Graphic designer Wayne St. Hill survived three gunshot wounds after he was attacked by a masked bandit, who attempted to rob him of a gold chain at a Mandela Avenue Car Wash on Monday evening.

Two men accused of using a cutlass to inflict injuries to a man at the Sophia minibus park were yesterday placed on $45,000 bail each when they appeared in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court.

Carlos Grant, who was shot after he was found in a man’s yard last month, was yesterday sentenced to 18 months imprisonment after he pleaded guilty to stealing $75,000 in articles.

A man who was allegedly found with an unlicensed firearm and ammunition hidden in the crotch of his pants was on Monday remanded to prison by acting Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry.

Three men were yesterday nabbed by police after they allegedly attacked and robbed a woman at La Bonne Intention (LBI), on the East Coast of Demerara.

By Iva Wharton The problems affecting the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) and the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) could be a thing of the past if the recent Sports Administrators Course run by the Guyana Olympic Association (GOA) bear fruit.

Two talented Guyanese cricketers are currently involved in a bold move to revive the fortunes of one of central Trinidad’s leading cricket clubs.

DHAKA, Bangladesh, CMC – Discarded West Indies opener Chris Gayle continued to weave his magic with his willow, pummeling yet another century in the Bangladesh Premier League.

The Berbice Regional Health Authority appealed to parents to allow their daughters to be inoculated with the Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine when it was launched at the All Saints Primary School on Tuesday.

The Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation (TTFF) now has a fresh issue to deal with: the reported disappearance of Haiti Aid funds.

Technical support, loans and grants are expected to flow here from an assistance programme being conceptualised by the Caricom Development Fund (CDF) in partnership with the Guyana Government.

The Berbice Cricket Board’s (BCB) Special Events Committee and its Coaching Department last Sunday hosted a coaching clinic for junior wicket keepers.

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – Barbados have a named an unchanged squad to face archrivals Trinidad and Tobago in their third round match of the Regional Four-Day Championship starting here tomorrow.

Guyana was last Thursday presented with a copy of the Tourism Circuit Manual of the Amazon Tourism Trail which focuses on developing integrated tourism among Guyana, Suriname and Brazil, at a workshop convened by the tourism ministry, Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA) and the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO) to discuss its uses and application.

AMMAN, (Reuters) – Syrian government forces launched an offensive on the city of Hama early yesterday, firing on residential neighbourhoods from armoured vehicles and mobile anti-aircraft guns, opposition activists said.

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC – A High Court is expected to decide on Friday what legal action could be handed down to have the former special advisor to the Trinidad & Tobago Football Federation (TTFF), Austin “Jack” Warner provide “all relevant documents” regarding all the finances relating to the country’s participation in the 2006 World Cup.

OTTAWA, (Reuters) – A new law gives police stronger powers to track what Canadians do online, but raises concern from the privacy watchdog about “warrantless access to personal information.”

An original digital voice recording was yesterday played in court for the first time when the Preliminary Inquiry continued into the treason charge against Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Major Bruce Munroe, his wife Carol Ann Munroe and ex-soldier Leonard Wharton who are accused of treason.

ABUJA,  (Reuters) – Nigeria’s corrupt police force acts on the whims of the highest bidder and officers carry out extra-judicial killings and torture, the acting inspector general of police said.

The Guyana Relief Council (GRC) is celebrating 18 years of serving the public with a photographic exhibition on the ground floor of the National Library.

(Reuters) – LeBron James helped Miami finally find a way past the Milwaukee Bucks, scoring 35 points in the Heat’s 114-96 victory on Monday.

First and second division cricket competitions in Georgetown will commence shortly.

Dear Editor, Lately in 2011, in an act of pure defiance, vessels started carrying the Falklands/British flag, and in support of Argentina, all Latin American countries and most of the Caribbean agreed to refuse these ships harbour unless the vessels exchanged the flag, if not necessarily for an Argentinean one, at least for a British flag.

The Ministry of Agriculture is commissioning a $57M pontoon earmarked for drainage and irrigation works in Region Two today.

The pair of junior players Narayan Ramdhani and Nicholas Ali will look to upstage the more experienced pair of Gokarn Ramdhani and Marlon Chung when the final of the Guyana Badminton Association Open men’s doubles competition take place tonight at the Queen’s College courts.

(Reuters) – WASHINGTON – U.S. President Barack Obama told Chinese leader-in-waiting Xi Jinping on Tuesday that Beijing must play fair in international trade and vowed to keep pressing China to clean up its human rights record.

(Reuters) – Kane Williamson produced some brilliant placement under pressure to guide New Zealand to a five-wicket victory over Zimbabwe in their second Twenty20 international at Seddon Park in Hamilton on Tuesday.

Dear Editor, Help & Shelter invites the Ministers of Education and Human Services to inform the Guyanese people what they are doing and propose to do about the rape, sexual abuse and sexual harassment of students by teachers, including those at private religious institutions.

A 19-year-old man accused of snatching a woman’s gold chain while she was sitting in a car was placed on $20,000 bail when he appeared in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court yesterday.

SYDNEY,  (Reuters) – Steve Waugh has questioned recalling Ricky Ponting as captain of the Australian one-day team in the absence of the injured Michael Clarke, reflecting widespread confusion in the country about the role of the vice-captain.

A man accused of having 29 grams of cannabis in his pants crotch at Mahdia was yesterday remanded to prison when he appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court.

(Reuters) – India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni fell just short of pulling off another thrilling run chase as his team fought out a dramatic tie with Sri Lanka in the fifth triangular series match at Adelaide yesterday.

Dear Editor, A casual drive by the Solid Waste Department and Mechanical Workshop of the Mayor & City Council located on Princes Street would leave any citizen confounded as to the reasons why the citizens (rates and taxes are being spent to staff a mechanical workshop when every conceivable space has been taken up by vehicles in various stages of disrepair and all of which have been cannibalized.

The new UK Department for International Develop-ment (DFID) in the Caribbean has announced that it will provide £4.9M to enhance the monitoring and evaluation framework at  the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre.

Dear Editor, When the Georgetown-Rosignol highway was built, there were no big trucks like those we have today.

Commissioning service

Acting Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry on Monday imposed six months community service and a $3,000 fine on a Sophia man who pleaded for mercy after admitting that he had two grams of cannabis in his possession.

Dear Editor, Over the past few weeks, there were several publications of significance to the practice of education in Guyana.  

Intensified

(Trinidad Guardian) Almost two weeks after Valencia schoolgirl Amanda Pamponette was chopped to death by a group of men near her home, three men, among them a neighbour, appeared in court yesterday charged with her murder.

All who care to already know that funding is the major ailment affecting the University of Guyana.

(Reuters) – National fundraising committees for the Democratic and Republican parties, President Barack Obama,     and other major politicians have declined to return campaign     donations totaling $1.8 million from Houston financier R.

The family of Shaffeik Khan remains hopeful about his rescue or the recovery of his body, more than a week after he went missing while on a mission to help stranded co-workers.

The direction of the civic uprising in Syria must seem increasingly incomprehensible to outside observers.

 Good Morning Peppers

Dear Editor, “No man is indispensible” goes the saying, no matter how remarkable, great or invaluable their contribution to society.

CARICOM member states and Chile have committed to intensifying political dialogue and cooperation as part of their efforts towards sustainable development, and the improvement of the well-being of their peoples, the CARICOM Secretariat at Turkeyen said in a press release.

Of the seven Caribbean countries surveyed in the recent United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Citizens Security Survey, Guyana has experienced the greatest loss in human development caused by inequality between the respective achievements of men and women.

(Trinidad Guardian) The system of disposal of used vehicles will change in “due course” and that may be an environmental issue to deal with, Trade Minister Stephen Cadiz said yesterday.

(Trinidad Guardian) Two men were killed in separate incidents between yesterday and Monday night in Gonzales and Laventille.

(Trinidad Guardian) The Oilfields Workers’ Trade Union (OWTU) served an official strike notice on Petrotrin yesterday morning and in a surprising twist, it was Government Senator David Abdulah who signed the notice, heralding “90 days of  war.”