Daily Archive: Friday, June 8, 2012

BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND,  (Reuters) – West Indies batsman Shivnarine Chanderpaul could play in the rain-affected third and final test against England at Edgbaston after scan results showed a side injury was not serious.

LOS ANGELES,  (Reuters) – Oscar-winning actress Shirley MacLaine was honored with the American Film Institute’s Life Achievement Award on T hursday night for roles in movies including “Terms of Endearment,” “Steel Magnolias” and “Postcards from the Edge.”

NEW YORK,  (Reuters) – I’ll Have Another was retired from racing after suffering a freak injury on the eve of Saturday’s $1 million Belmont Stakes, ending his bid to win the elusive Triple Crown of American thoroughbred racing.

PARIS,  (Reuters) – No man has won seven French Open titles and no man in 43 years has won four grand slams in a row – and only one of these dreams will be realised at the French Open after Rafa Nadal and Novak Djokovic on Friday set up a lip-smacking final showdown.

(Reuters) – The Miss Universe Organization today launched a legal action for defamation against a beauty queen who said recent Miss USA pageant results were rigged.

NEW YORK,  (Reuters) – Jamaican world champion sprinter Yohan Blake would not mind if history repeated itself on Saturday at the New York grand prix meeting, a key Diamond League series test in the run-up to the London Olympics.

LOS ANGELES,  (Reuters) – Actress Lindsay Lohan escaped injury in a major car crash today after her Porsche collided with an dump truck on a Southern California highway.

(Reuters) – Reclusive Grammy-winning singer Lauryn Hill responded today to charges of failing to file federal income tax returns, saying she had chosen to “defer” payments during a period of withdrawal from society to protect her family’s safety.

(Trinidad Express) Hours after Government announced its new anti-crime campaign on Wednesday, four thieves smashed their way into the Port of Spain branch of the Bank of Baroda, and demanded the keys opening the vault to millions of dollars.

(Jamaica Observer) Prime Minister Portia Simpson-Miller is not the only high-profile public figure whose National Housing Trust (NHT) account was affected in an embarrassing case of fraud at the housing agency for which five persons, including a senior employee, have been charged.

(Jamaica Observer) In imposing the maximum sentence on Christopher ‘Dudus’ Coke, Judge Robert Patterson said the testimonies of two prosecution witnesses was credible enough and had been corroborated.

The case of Christopher Husbands, a Guyanese who has been charged with the killing of a man and the wounding of six others at Toronto’s Eaton Centre has sparked controversy in Canada over the systems for background checks and the monitoring of house arrest.

Low cost carrier REDjet which attracted many passengers in Guyana and other parts of the Caribbean today formally signalled its closure and has applied for bankruptcy protection.

(Jamaica Gleaner) Prime Minister  Portia Simpson Miller says her administration has no intention of severing ties with the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).

(Jamaica Gleaner) Confessed Jamaican gangster Christopher ‘Dudus’ Coke has been sentenced to 23 years in prison.

The police say they are investigating the murder of Vishnauth Narine called “Buddy”, 26 years of Plastic City, Vreed-en-Hoop, WCD, which occurred at about 0750h today at Plastic City.

Five St Kitts men charged in connection with robbing cruise ship passengers on the road to Brimstone Hill in November 2010 pleaded guilty when they re-appeared in Court on Wednesday in a case that shocked the Caribbean island and roiled its tourist industry.

Police say that at about 1000h today, the body of Colin Sealey of Zes Kinderen, Mahaicony, ECD, was found along the foreshore at Mahaicony by a search party comprising police ranks, relatives and public spirited persons.

(Barbados Nation) Government yesterday started a comprehensive programme to at least halve the rat population, which is estimated to be in the region of one million, in the capital city of Bridgetown and its environs over the next 12 months.

BIRMINGHAM, England, CMC – Rain has forced the abandonment of the second day of the final Test between England and West Indies today.

MAIDUGURI, Nigeria,  (Reuters) – A bomb blast at the entrance of the police headquarters of northeast Nigeria’s Borno state killed many people today, mostly police, witnesses and security officials said.

(Barbados Nation) One man has died and another is in the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) following a drinking binge on Wednesday.

(Barbados Nation) It seems to be the end of the line for grounded low-fare carrier REDjet.

Mexico City, Mexico – Guyana’s Golden Jaguars and CONCACAF powerhouses Mexico ranked 99th and 19th in the FIFA world rankings lock horns in a group B encounter on the opening day of the third round 2014 World Cup qualifiers at the world famous Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, from 7:00 pm (8:00pm Guyana time).

National swimmers Niall Roberts and Britany van Lange will compete in swimming at the illustrious 2012 Summer Olympics to be held in London, England from  July 27 – August 12.

OSLO, Norway,  CMC – Jamaican Usain Bolt overcame a sluggish to produce a blistering finish, getting up in the final few metres to beat counterpart Asafa Powell and set a new meet record at the Diamond League Bislett Games here  yesterday.

A mother is claiming that her second child died one day after being delivered at the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPH) due to the negligence and procrastination of doctors and nurses.

A 28-year old Georgetown Prison Officer was yesterday electrocuted at his Anns Grove, East Coast Demerara home, while attempting to replace a burnt drop cord from his domestic transformer.

Attorney General Anil Nandlall yesterday presented arguments to acting Chief Justice Ian Chang, opening government’s legal bid to restore over $20B in allocations cut from the national budget.

Acting Minister of Tourism Irfaan Ali yesterday called claims by Pegasus Hotel owner Robert Badal’s that his business was being discriminated against by the Tourism Ministry “baseless and wicked,” charging that they were driven by “political and selfish desires.”

Television station, CNS Channel 6 celebrated 20 years of operations in Guyana yesterday and according to owner Chandranarine Sharma, the significant anniversary stimulates reflection.

1987 football fiasco revisited… Guyana’s Golden Jaguars will oppose a Mexico national football team today as the third round qualifying campaign in North, Central America and the Caribbean for Brazil 2014 kicks off today with a number of contests.

Acting Chief Justice Ian Chang yesterday dismissed a 12-year-old action brought by Cara Investments Limited against Chartered Accountant Christopher Ram and the Bank of Nova Scotia over the sale of Hotel Tower.

(Reuters) – The San Antonio Spurs ended the regular season with 10 straight wins and carried the momentum into the playoffs with another 10 triumphs before the run came to a screeching halt against a young, hungry and athletic Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Inter-American Develop-ment Bank’s (IDB)  Basic Nutrition Programme in Guyana has seen the distribution of micronutrient supplements, “sprinkles”, reduce overall cases of anaemia by around 30 percent among pregnant women and children under five years old.

BIRMINGHAM, England,  CMC – Rain wrecked the opening day of the third and final Test between England and West Indies at Edgbaston here yesterday, forcing play to be abandoned without a ball bowled.

Fitness Express has been a consistent and important supporter of powerlifting and bodybuilding in Guyana and continues to show its commitment to local athletes by aiding two University of Guyana students in their quest

Crime Chief Seelall Persaud yesterday said that so far police investigations have revealed that 17-year-old Iana Ramsarran died as a result of natural causes and not foul play, as is suspected by her family, which believes that she was killed because she was a witness in a court case.

BIRMINGHAM, England,  CMC – Veteran left-hander Shivnarine Chanderpaul is a doubt for the final Test against England after picking up a side strain.

A fugitive murder accused was among four men charged on Wednesday with a multi-million dollar robbery at East Canje.

Guyana was introduced as a sailing destination on Tuesday evening when dozens of yachters from across the world flocked to the Lure Restaurant in Chaguaramas in Trinidad.

National 100 and 200 metres champion Rupert Perry’s dream of making the London 2012 Olympic Games came to an abrupt end due to an ankle injury.

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados,  CMC – Dominican umpire Billy Doctrove has pulled stumps on a sterling international career, citing a hectic travel schedule and family commitments as the reasons behind his decision.

The mood of scores of rice farmers on the Essequibo coast strikes a distinct contrast to that of other businessmen who appear upbeat about the vibrancy of the Cinderella County’s economy.

The Guyana Water Incorpora-ted (GWI) is undertaking a pilot survey in several villages across the three counties aimed at reducing instances of water lost through leaks and wastage.

The fifth annual Inter-Organization Basketball tournament organized by VP Promotions will tip off tomorrow at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall (CASH) from 11:00hrs.

The murder trial of Sherwin Barnwell began with a voir dire (trial within a trial) before Justice Franklyn Holder, at the High Court yesterday.

By Emmerson Campbell After four nights of intense ball weaving, $200,000, the first place trophy and bragging rights will be up for grabs when the winner of the Guinness Greatest of the Streets competition is decided tonight at the National Cultural Centre tarmac.

Government is persisting in its efforts to recoup billions of dollars in outstanding loans granted by the now wound-up Guyana National Cooperative Bank, (GNCB) and has considerably reduced the amounts, according to Keith Burrowes, who heads Guyana Cooperative Financial Services (GCFS), the agency set up by government to administer debt collection.

LOS ANGELES, (Reuters) – Bob Welch, an early member of rock band Fleetwood Mac who enjoyed a successful solo career with hits such as “Ebony Eyes,” died yesterday of an apparent suicide at home in Nashville.

By  Johann Earle in Washington As the US’ oldest LGBT publication, the Washington Blade has come a long way in advocating the rights of gays and lesbians in America even as the country now prepares for an election in which gay marriage more than ever could be a deciding factor.

Since 2010 farmers in several regions of the country have been participating in what is best described as an experiment designed to further promote the application of hydroponics to agriculture in Guyana.

BRUSSELS, (Reuters) – European Union governments would be able to suspend passport-free travel in parts of Europe for as long as two years under regulations proposed yesterday to address concerns over large-scale immigration.

Opposition leader Brigadier (ret’d) David Granger is calling on the government to bring out a comprehensive national environment strategy, in light of what he says is the adverse effects of climate change and man-made damage here.

WASHINGTON,  (Reuters) – New York City’s top health official yesterday shot back at critics who have blasted the city’s plan to limit the sale of oversized sugary drinks such as soda, calling beverage industry opposition ridiculous.

On Tuesday Sahodori Megnauth took the day off to travel to Georgetown to receive an award from Partners of the Americas for her work as one of a growing number of converts to hydroponic vegetable production.

At the ceremony, Chairperson David Bhola noted that over 1,000 employees were engaged in training and educational sessions that discussed matters pertaining to general health in the workplace and the community.

A Ministry of Public Works maintenance crew yesterday transported wooden planks to shore up the rapidly eroding Salem, East Bank Essequibo sea dam.

Satisfactory first quarter The Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company, generally referred to as GT&T, was formed in 1991 after the Government of Guyana (GOG) under the late President Desmond Hoyte sold an 80 per cent share of the state-owned entity Guyana Telecommunications Corporation (GTC) to Atlantic Tele-Network, or ATN. 

Dear Editor, Too many wrongs have become entrenched in this country.

CANBERRA,  (Reuters) – Australia will lift its remaining financial and travel sanctions against Myanmar and double its aid in a move to encourage further democratic reform as the country tentatively emerges from decades of military rule, Foreign Minister Bob Carr said.

Leslie Anthony exports mangoes and vegetables to Canada. He has an arrangement with Caribbean Airlines (CA), which can sometimes be hit or miss, since his cargo is dependent on the availability of space on the aircraft.

Police have hit a dead end in the investigation of the death of Indira Narine, whose decomposing body was discovered at her Vergenoegen, East Bank Essequibo home, after the cause was ruled as “undetermined” by the pathologist who performed the autopsy.

Dear Editor, Two mothers and two babies sleeping on one bed measuring 6ft 3″ x 3ft 2″ – isn’t this truly unacceptable?

BRUSSELS, (Reuters) – World powers will insist on Iran curbing its production of high-grade uranium at the next round of nuclear talks in Moscow, a senior European Union negotiator told her counterpart in Tehran yesterday.

MEXICO CITY, (Reuters) – A Mexican court cleared the way yesterday for authorities to extradite Sandra Avila, Mexico’s highest-profile woman drug smuggler and known as the “Queen of the Pacific”, to face trafficking charges in the United States.

A week after wreaths were laid at the site where trucker Jadesh Dass was found dead, in observance of what would have been the man’s 33rd birthday, the man’s family says witnesses remain afraid to go to the police.

Dear Editor, I did a check of my internet connection a few nights ago and found some shocking numbers.

(Jamaica Gleaner) With the sentencing of confessed gangster Christopher ‘Dudus’ Coke today, a cable obtained under the Freedom of Information Act has revealed that mortars were used by the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) in the operation to capture him in Tivoli Gardens in May 2010.

The sense of urgency being demonstrated by small farmers in the region on the matter of maximizing agricultural production to boost earnings and improve security in the Caribbean is not being matched by their governments, Specialist in Crop Production and Nursery Operations at the Ministry of Science, Technology and Tertiary Education in Trini-dad and Tobago Douglas Gregg said.

The 16-year-old girl who was brutally chopped with a cutlass by her lover at Big Creek Backdam, North West District (NWD) last month has been transferred to the Female Medical Ward of the Georgetown Hospital.

KABUL, (Reuters) – Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said yesterday the United States was reaching the limits of its patience with Pakistan because of the safe havens the country offered to insurgents in neighbouring Afghanistan.

Dear Editor, It has been with great concern that I have noticed the increase in the number of attacks on women and men accused of infidelity, more often than not resulting in the death of one or both partners.

As part of its focus on meeting the requirements of its overseas-based clients, the recently launched Guyana Logistics and Support Services (GLASS), will be seeking to source the skills required to meet the needs of investors, Director of the entity Romona Van Sluytman told Stabroek Business in an interview last week.

(Trinidad Guardian) T&T spends more of its national budget on security than most other Caribbean countries, says Ashley Taylor, president of the Point Lisas Port Development Corporation Ltd (Plipdeco).

Dear Editor, Some people talk all kinds of things simply because it’s so easy for them to do so, and they have a means by which they can.

LIMA, (Reuters) – Public prosecutors in Peru have opened an inquiry against the leading foe of Newmont Mining’s $4.8 billion Conga mine for apparently inciting a crowd to say President Ollanta Humala, who supports the project, should be “removed.”

It may be early days yet for Guyana’s small but animated community of hydroponic farmers currently benefiting from a Shadehouse Vegetable Production and Marketing Project, but the potential for the further popularization of the project and perhaps the eventual securing of overseas markets has already begun to energize participants.

LONDON,  (Reuters) – Parasitic mites have turbo-charged the spread of a virus responsible for a rise in honey bee deaths around the world, scientists said yesterday.

The paternal grandparents of the 17-year-old student of a private school who attempted suicide by ingesting a poisonous substance after they allegedly abused her were arrested by the police yesterday.

BEIRUT,  (Reuters) – United Nations monitors were unable to visit the village of Mazraat al-Qubeir yesterday where activists say at least 78 people were massacred, and will continue efforts to reach the site today in daylight hours, a spokeswoman said.

GASCI (www.gasci.com/telephone Nº 223-6175/6) reports that session 462’s trading results showed consideration of $2,897,117 from 150,495 shares traded in 12 transactions as compared to session 461 which showed consideration of $2,354,250 from 172,000 shares traded in 8 transactions. 

Some of us might have noted the delicious irony of Guyana-born Colleen Harris, former press secretary to Queen Elizabeth II’s son, Prince Charles, being invited by the BBC World Service, on the occasion of the monarch’s Diamond Jubilee Thanksgiving Service on Tuesday, to provide insights into that most hallowed of British institutions, the Royal Family.

I’ve been persuaded to participate in introducing to the wider Guyana, a new Non-Government Organisation (NGO).

Police have arrested a suspect over the murder of miner Colin Jackson called “Jacko” who was fatally shot at the Ikewan Backdam  in the Cuyuni on Tuesday night.

Dear Editor, There is a cattle nuisance at Britannia Village, Seafield/Tempe, West Berbice, Region 5.

(de Ware Tijd) PARAMARIBO – Chairman Rudy Balak of the shopkeepers’ association VvW does not object to government plans to expand store hours, since “this is the current situation anyway.”