Daily Archive: Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Executive members of the two unions – University of Guyana Workers Union (UGWU) and the University of Guyana Senior Staff Association (UGSSA) – met with the University’s negotiating team at the Ministry of Labour today in an effort to reach an agreement for the resumption of work on the Turkeyen campus, a statement from the unions said.

Police say that investigations are being conducted into the circumstances surrounding the death of Thakoordial Jaisiri, 65 years of Charity Housing Scheme, Essequibo Coast, which occurred last night.

GuySuCo today voiced concern over strike action by sugar workers saying delayed payment of the Annual Production Incentive was due in part to the difficulty in securing working capital.

Five people, three Bahamians, ages 56, 45 and 32 along with two Guyanese ages 28 and 26 years, are in police custody after they were found in possession of a large quantity of suspected cocaine, according to a report in the bahamasweekly.com.

LILLE, France,  (Reuters) – Former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn was questioned by police today over his dealings with an alleged prostitution ring that was run from the northern French city of Lille and organised sex parties in Paris, Brussels and Washington.

CARACAS, (Reuters) – Venezuela’s government scoffed today at a report that Hugo Chavez is in Cuba for more urgent cancer treatment, denouncing it as part of a “dirty war” by the opposition ahead of a presidential election in October.

(Reuters) – India once again wilted against quality pace bowling as Sri Lanka defeated them by 51 runs in the eighth match of the one-day Tri-series at the Gabba in Brisbane today.

(Trinidad Guardian) Duane O’Connor is the 2012 National Calypso Monarch. The reigning 2012 Young King Calypso Monarch won the title and $1 million first prize with his two selections The Hunt Is On and Long Live Calypso at the final of the Calypso Monarch Competition staged as an element of the Dimanche Gras show at the Grand Stand, Queen’s Park Savannah, Port-of-Spain, on Sunday night.

The police say they are investigating the murder of a man so far known only as “Tall Man”, which occurred at about 1800h yesterday at Konawaruk Backdam.

(Jamaica Observer) Jamaica will not meet its target of 85 per cent of students achieving mastery in the Grade Four Numeracy Test (GFNT) if the education system continues on its present path, according to Dr Tamika Benjamin, director of the Centre for Excellence in Mathematics Teaching at The Mico University College.

(Jamaica Observer) Security Minister Peter Bunting this morning announced that 165 murders have been recorded since the start of the year.

According to SKNVibes, Guyanese man Nail Dalton and Resia Caines, recently dubbed the Cheese Bandits, begged the court for leniency on Feb.

(de Ware Tijd) PARAMARIBO – It is a ‘responsible strategic move’ by President Bouterse not to discuss the border dispute with Guyana immediately at the start of bilateral talks.

(Trinidad Express) Two women, who were nabbed with switch blades hidden in their breasts while entering Port of Spain early yesterday, pleaded guilty to the offences when they appeared before a Port of Spain Magistrate.

(de ware Tijd) PARAMARIBO – President Desi Bouterse bestowed the highest Surinamese decoration on Guyanese Ambassador Merlin Udho and her Brazilian counterpart José Luis Machado in appreciation for their service during their time in Suriname.

(Barbados Nation) There are more poor people in Barbados today than 12 years ago, according to Government, and Opposition Leader Owen Arthur agrees.

Acting Chief Justice Ian Chang yesterday instructed state prosecutor Naresh Harnanan to produce the statements used by Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Shalimar Ali-Hack to advise that a rape charge be instituted against Police Commissioner Henry Greene.

Armed bandits early yesterday morning launched two separate attacks in Cummings Lodge, East Coast Demerara escaping with millions in cash and jewellery but swift work by police and the victims led to the arrest of eight persons at a house in the area and the discovery of an unlicensed gun.

Linden’s Amelia’s Ward Football Club sent Buxton Stars packing after dropping three goals on the East Coast natives when the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) Super League tournament continued last Sunday in Linden at the Mackenzie Sports Club ground.

Guyana’s national cricket team, basking in the euphoria of their hard-fought,  four-wicket win over the Combined Campuses and Colleges team in the just concluded third round of the West Indies Cricket Board’s (WICB) Regional Four-Day competition, will receive a timely boost with the additions of Ramnaresh Sarwan and Trevon Griffith.

An elderly man is now battling for his life at the Georgetown Public Hospital after two pit bulls, which had just killed another dog, turned on him, almost severing his arm, and inflicting numerous other injuries.

The Guyana national rugby team has one of its  toughest tasks ahead as they prepare for the HSBC Sevens World Series in Hong Kong from March 23-25.

Story and photos by Shabna Ullah Frustrated East Bank Berbice residents decided yesterday that enough was enough and blocked a section of the road at Glasgow during heavy downpours to protest its deplorable condition and demand immediate action.

A Springlands jeweller, who left home to go for a drive with his brother is now dead while his best friend is battling for his life at the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPH), after their car crashed into a bridge and then a parked truck at Crabwood Creek on Sunday night.

MUNICH,  (Reuters) – British boxer David Haye is wanted for questioning by German police over his brawl with fellow British heavyweight Dereck Chisora following a WBC title clash in Munich on Saturday, a police spokesman said  yesterday.

Sugar workers from GuySuCo’s Rose Hall Estate yesterday remained off the job as they continued to protest the non payment of their Annual Production Incentive (API).

Well-known Bartica resident Conan Belle was last evening in a critical condition at the Georgetown Public Hospital following a motorcycle accident at the mining community yesterday afternoon.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates,  CMC – West Indies Under-19s will open their campaign in the Youth World Cup against former champions India, when the tournament opens in Australia later this year.

(BBC) Asafa Powell and Usain Bolt to go head-to-head in Rome in May Jamaican sprinter Asafa Powell will take on compatriot Usian Bolt at the Golden Gala in Rome in May, meeting organisers have confirmed.

Murdered Sophia mechanic Marlon ‘Junior’ Welcome was shot to the head, Crime Chief Seelall Persaud revealed yesterday.

LONDON,  (Reuters) – Danish Kaneria will be called before the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) integrity committee to explain his involvement in a spot-fixing probe that saw former Essex team mate Mervyn Westfield jailed.

ST JOHN’S, Antigua, CMC – Not even a late cameo from vice-captain Anisa Mohammed could prevent West Indies from a narrow three-run defeat to India in their second Twenty20 International of their five-match series here Sunday.

A Brazilian miner was killed and another man sustained minor injuries when the All Terrain Vehicle (ATV) they were travelling on turned over several times on Sunday at Jonestown, Port Kaituma.

The Interim Management Committee (IMC) under the stewardship of its chairman Clive Lloyd completed its countrywide public seminar tour on Sunday at the Berbice High School.

The police have in custody the driver of motor car PGG 751 which struck down pedal cyclist Rabindranauth ‘Bull Bai/Ben Sack’ Ramlingam at Cottage, Mahaicony, East Coast Demerara on Sunday around 10.25 am.

The minnows have been eliminated and the stage is now set for fierce battles in the quarter-finals of the NAMILCO 16-team Football festival beginning tomorrow evening at the Tucville ground.

CHITTAGONG, Bangladesh, CMC – West Indies batsman Marlon Samuels stroked a excellent unbeaten half-century to help Duronto Rajshahi undertake a superb run chase, and whip Barisal Burners by nine wickets in the Bangladesh Premier League here yesterday.

The suspect in last Thursday’s stabbing to death of an East Coast Demerara (ECD) fisherman over a woman will make his first appearance in court today.

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa,  CMC– Chris Gayle was expected to undergo a fitness assessment here yesterday to determine if he will take his place in the Dolphins side for the domestic Twenty20 Challenge.

A 43-year-old man accused of assaulting his reputed wife at Port Kaituma was yesterday placed on $20,000 bail after he appeared before Magistrate Hazel Octive-Hamilton at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court.

Rusley Trevor Mendonca, 34, was yesterday found guilty after several court proceedings on the charges of unlawful possession of firearm and ammunition and was sentenced to jail.

Prime Minister and Minister of Sport, Portia Simpson Miller, is firmly opposed to any suggestion of Jamaica seceding from a unified West Indies cricket team and standing on its own.

St John’s, Antigua – The West Indies Cricket Board regrets the comments made by Prime Minister of Jamaica, the Honourable Portia Simpson-Miller at the Jamaica Cricket Association awards dinner.

A 20–year-old man was charged yesterday with the murder of 53-year-old mining camp watchman, Kumar Plummer whose trussed-up body was found at Arimu Backdam, Cuyuni about seven days ago.

Dear Editor, I was involved in the planning and execution of Mash for the period 2000 to 2003 and I have a very good idea of what it entails, but what I saw over the last two days left a very bad taste in my mouth.

Assistant Superintendent of Police Trevor Reid completed his evidence in chief when the Preliminary Inquiry continued yesterday 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.

Basseterre, St Kitts – It took Assad Fudadin longer than expected to register his maiden first-class century, but now that he has it under his belt, the Guyana batsman is looking for many more.

AMMAN (Reuters) – Syrian forces opened fire with live ammunition on demonstrators in Damascus overnight, wounding at least four, activists said early today as unrest continued to spread in the capital.

Dear Editor, In an SN article, ‘Haier announces plans for assembly plant, $10M industrial park,’ (February 18), it was disclosed that the Chinese firm, Haier Electrical Appliances Limited, is looking to build a plant that will assemble laptops and computers, and some Guyanese seemed to welcome the news as a sign of development.

TUNIS (Reuters) – The third-largest party in Tunisia’s constituent assembly, charged with writing a new constitution, yesterday proposed a draft document based on Islamic law which will likely alarm the country’s secularists.

James Krakowsky was the winner of the Danny’s Auto Sales sponsored scrabble competition organised by the Guyana Association of Scrabble Players (GASP) on Sunday at the Malteenoes Cricket Club, Thomas Lands.

Big losses were suffered by the Ministry of Health due to the expiration of large quantities of drugs, the 2010 report of the Auditor General has stated.

Dear Editor, When we sit back and think about tourism we imagine ourselves on the beach of a tropical island sipping a pina colada in our beach wear and straw hat, and breathing the fresh Atlantic air.

Magistrate Hazel Octive-Hamilton remanded a 19-year-old North Sophia man to prison after he appeared before her to answer the charge of attempted murder.

LIMA (Reuters) – Flooding rivers in Peru and Chile have ruined houses, displaced people, and turned up something more sinister: land mines, which closed the border between the two countries yesterday.

Dear Editor, I had thought that, with my (third) letter in the Sunday Stabroek of February 19, 2012, I had drawn attention to most of the major infelicities that I had noticed in the original TSC Vacancy Notice, 2012, and its (correcting) Addendum that had been published in Stabroek News of Wednesday, February 15, 2012.

SYDNEY, (Reuters) – Australia’s former captain Ricky Ponting does not expect to play international one-day cricket again after he was dropped from the team on Monday but would continue to be available for test matches, he said  yesterday.

HAVANA (Reuters) – Cuban Economy Minister Adel Yzquierdo Rodriguez has been named a vice president on the Council of Ministers, the government said yesterday, as he continued a rapid ascent up the political ladder.

Thursday’s float parade promises to be bigger and better than ever; yesterday Mash camps buzzed with excitement and anticipation and tension and competitiveness.

TRIPOLI,  (Reuters) – Libya’s Olympic chief is targetting the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro for the country’s first medal as he attempts to overcome the years of sporting neglect under Muammar Gaddafi’s regime.

Dear Editor, A writer comes to Guyana. He does not stray far from the country’s underbelly and he writes a book about the characters and situations he encounters there.

ADEN/SANAA (Reuters) – Yemenis vote today for a successor to President Ali Abdullah Saleh in hopes of ending a year-long struggle that began with mass protests to oust him and almost led to the collapse of the state.

(Jamaica Gleaner) Low-cost carrier REDjet, which offered airfares for as little as US$9.99 at start-up 10 months ago, has bumped up tariffs for the period leading up to and after Easter for passengers travelling to and from Jamaica, Barbados and Trinidad.

LONDON (Reuters) – Britain said yesterday it was putting its border guards under separate control ahead of the London Olympics after a critical report found hundreds of thousands of people had been allowed into the country without full security checks.

(Reuters) – All-Star guard Derrick Rose made a triumphant return to the Chicago Bulls lineup by scoring a game-high 23 points in a 90-79 victory over the visiting Atlanta Hawks yesterday.

Presidential Advisor on Governance Gail Teixeira expects the recent events in the National Assembly will overshadow future tripartite talks between government and the opposition, but she insists that the PPP/C administration remains committed to the engagement.

Dear Editor, I wish to remind Dr Prem Misir (and the few “misguided others”), of a basic tenet of natural law: ‘Justice delayed, is justice denied.’  

Hot Momma’s Advice: What you really want for your child is a happy and fulfilling life and with encouragement and support.

PARAMARIBO (de Ware Tijd) – The Aluku tribe is disappointed because gold concessions its members had applied for repeatedly turn out to have been granted to a political loyalist.

Politikles

Hindus pays homage to Lord Shiva

(Reuters) – Boston Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo has been suspended two games for throwing a ball at an official and striking him in the chest, the National Basketball Association (NBA) said yesterday.

Dear Editor, Just about two years ago the music world lost an icon in the form of Michael Jackson, and recently another one, Whitney Houston, has “Gone Too Soon.”

Residents of Kwakwani have agreed that the solution to most of their problems can be realized through Local Government Reform and in that light they held their first Town Hall meeting with officials of the 7th council of the Regional Democratic Council of Region 10.

HARARE (Reuters) – Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe praised the coalition pact that has seen him share power with his political enemies, saying in an interview yesterday that he and long-time foe Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai can now share a cup of tea.

Relatively few people read the Annual Report of the Auditor General.