Daily Archive: Thursday, July 5, 2012

NEW YORK, (Reuters) – Pop star Rihanna has sued her former accountants for mismanaging the singer’s finances, including claiming they earned huge commissions from concert tours that resulted in her losing millions of dollars.

Lawyers for the defence in the $10M libel suit brought against columnist Freddie Kissoon and the Kaieteur News newspaper today signalled that they would field more than a dozen witnesses to prove that former President Bharrat Jagdeo was an “ideological racist.”

LONDON,  (Reuters) – Former England batsman Mark Ramprakash, widely regarded as one of the most gifted stroke players of his generation, has retired from all forms of cricket.

(Trinidad Guardian) Officers from the police Anti-Corruption Investigation Bureau (ACIB) visited the newsroom of the T&T Guardian yesterday seeking information about a story on the Integrity Commission.

(Jamaica Gleaner) Starting an airline is a complicated business. Running a profitable airline is even tougher, as the process involves constant learning and adaptation.

(Jamaica Gleaner) A 4.6 magnitude earthquake just off Anguilla shook the island and other parts of the northern Leeward Islands late yesterday, creating a scare for some residents in the British territory.

(Barbados Nation) Almond Resorts Inc. shelled out Bds$9.7 million in severance and other payments to the near 600 workers who lost their jobs when the flagship Almond Beach Village in St Peter was closed at the end of April.

The body of Guyanese Roxane Jones – also known as Roxane Gilbert – was found in her four-wheel-drive vehicle last Saturday in Australia in an area  popular with people for walking, motorbike riding and fishing near Gladstone.

(Barbados Nation) In the dead of night, a new enemy stalks the endangered hawksbill turtle.

The union NAACIE is calling for the removal of Guyana Power and Light CEO, Bharat Dindyal.

(Trinidad Express) Yet another murder has been recorded in the Laventille area, bringing to four the total number of people to be killed in the crime hotspot in just over 24 hours.

(Trinidad Express) Within its 116 square miles of land and the waters that surround it, Tobago possesses a vibrant culture and rich heritage that the Tobago House of Assembly (THA) remains committed to preserving.

(Barbados Nation) The trade dispute between Pine Hill Dairy (PHD) and the food and drug authorities in Trinidad and Tobago is on the way to being resolved.

(Trinidad Express) Sabotage! This is how the Ministry of Education yesterday described the purported leak of Secondary Entrance Assessment (SEA) Examination results that were published on the controversial website WikiLeaks.

President Donald Ramotar urged his Heads of Government colleagues in CARICOM yesterday to give  more impetus  to the regional agricultural transformation programme.

In a column penned shortly before his resignation from the executive of the PPP over the weekend, Ralph Ramkarran questioned whether the time has arrived for national unity.

The man suspected to have murdered Enmore farmer Gangaram Bharrat and buried him in a shallow grave in his backyard was yesterday apprehended by police at Berbice along with a female accomplice.

The Joint Services yesterday afternoon captured prison inmates Sean Hopkinson and Carlton Sampson who had escaped from the Mazaruni Prison on Sunday.

Emo Fox, 39, was yesterday charged with the attempted murder of his father.

KINGSTON, Jamaica,  CMC – Following a series of up-and-down performances in recent months, captain Darren Sammy found himself yesterday  repeating the mantra that has now become his rallying cry.

Prime Minister of Saint Lucia, Dr. Kenny D. Anthony, the Incoming Chairman of the Caribbean Community, called on his colleague Heads of Government yesterday to craft responses to jointly address corruption and the abuse of power in order to have better governance.

By Iva Wharton Talks of another protest in the Digicel School’s football tournament currently underway countrywide was abandoned after Guyana Industrial Training Centre (GITC) team was knocked out of the competition by the New Campbellville Secondary yesterday at the Georgetown Football Club (GFC) Ground, Bourda.

The AFC will seek to have the appointments of the 11 staffers of the Auditor General’s Office reversed and there is specific focus on the promotion to Audit Director of Gitanjali Singh, the wife of the Finance Minister because of the conflict of interest it presents.

The Private Sector Commis-sion will on Tuesday decide if newly elected Chairman of the entity Yog Mahadeo will continue to hold the position, in the wake of revelations which led to his demitting office as the CEO of Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company and to a number of other senior functionaries being fired.

Plaisance Academy made a case for being considered one of the most dangerous teams in the National School Basketball Festival (NSBF) when the Youth Basketball Guyana (YBG) organized programme continued last Tuesday evening at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall (CASH).

Pressure is once again mounting on the Government to rehabilitate the East Bank Berbice Road in Region 6 after two cement trucks nearly caused a major accident yesterday.

A post mortem examination performed yesterday on the body of suspected burglar Ryan ‘Budram’ Ramkarran revealed that he died as a result of manual strangulation and blunt trauma to the head.

Come Sunday all roads will lead to the South Dakota Circuit as the Guyana Motor racing and Sports Club stages its Race of Champions meet.

The probe into financial irregularities at the state-owned broadcaster NCN is continuing, Chairman of the Board of Directors, Dr.

Allan Downes managed to pull off a stunning win against Caribbean Under-13 champion Benjamin Meckdeci on the opening night of the Digicel National Senior Squash Championship at the Georgetown Club Squash Courts last night.

More than a month after Nidal Watkins was shot dead by police outside his Vergenoegen, East Bank Essequibo home, investigators have been unable to complete their file on the case as they are still to get a statement from one of the two police ranks injured in the confrontation with the man.

The local hockey fraternity is in a state of mourning following the passing of its long serving Secretary Elton Gregory Sills yesterday after a prolonged illness.

It was name and nature for Dennis DeRoop of the Simply Royal Stables whose bay mare Who So Ever was simply royal in winning the feature event at the Ryan Crawford Memorial Turf Club and Sports Facility in association with Banks DIH Limited CARICOM Day Horse Race meet on Monday.

United States Ambassador to Guyana Brent Hardt said Guyana and the US will continue to deepen the bonds of friendship and cooperation and pointed to the results of the November 28, 2011 as one manifestation of the successes of the collaboration between the two countries.

Even though there have been two arson attacks on properties used by murdered Pest Control Plus boss Mohammed Baksh, Crime Chief Seelall Persaud says that investigators are no closer to cracking the case.

Regional civil society organizations have called on the Caribbean Community heads of government at their July 4-6 summit in St Lucia to implement an Organization of  American States (OAS) General Assembly resolution on sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) that every state supported last month.

EUGENE, Oregon,  (Reuters) – Soft-spoken and humble, American Tyson Gay seems so different from most modern-day sprinters.

KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – Back-to-back defeats for Usain Bolt has left tongues wagging about a changing of the guard at the upcoming London Olympics but the sprint double World record holder hardly seems worried by the chatter.

KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – West Indies vice-captain Dwayne Bravo says the regional side needs to break its worrying trend of slow starts to series if it is to beat New Zealand in the upcoming five One-Day Internationals.

Dear Editor, Despite all the antics over the past seven months, the opposition has been extremely lazy.

The government has amended its supporting affidavit in its High Court application to restore the funds cut from the national budget, while lawyers for Opposition Leader David Granger yesterday asked for more time to reply to submissions made by the Attorney General and his team.

The prosecution concluded its reply to the no-case submission made by the defence in the Sherwin Barnwell murder trial in the High Court before Justice Franklyn Holder yesterday.

ROUEN, France, (Reuters) – German Andre Greipel won the fourth stage of the Tour de France yesterday after world champion Mark Cavendish crashed close to the finish and was unable to contest the final sprint.

MUMBAI, (Reuters) – Opening batsman Virender Sehwag and pace spearhead Zaheer Khan returned to India’s limited overs squad for the Sri Lanka tour but Sachin Tendulkar made himself unavailable, the country’s cricket board said yesterday.

Dear Editor, Some have said to me that they see a contradiction in my recent public writings on Mr Ralph Ramkarran. 

Senior Counsel Bernard De Santos yesterday made a no-case submission at the preliminary inquiry (PI) into the charge against Barry Small, who is accused of murdering school girl Neesa Gopaul.

KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – After an extended period out of Test cricket, energetic all-rounder Dwayne Bravo says he is keen on regaining his spot in the West Indies side for the game longest version.

Dear Editor, The elephants are at war (PPP/APNU/AFC) in Parliament and the whole of Guyana is trampled underfoot.

A group of miners operating in hinterland locations yesterday presented the Guyana Police Force with four Honda All-Terrain Vehicles (ATVs) to be used to combat crime in the interior areas.

Dear Editor, I recommend to all that they read the  KN story under the headline ‘Monies still unaccounted for at NCN’ dated July 3, especially those who questioned the rationale behind the budget cuts initiated by the parliamentary opposition.

LONDON, (Reuters) – Brick by brick, Andy Murray chiselled his way through a Spanish wall to reach the Wimbledon semi-finals while Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic simply demolished outclassed opponents yesterday to set up a mouth-watering first meeting on grass.

MUMBAI,  (Reuters) – India has put in place a $5.4 billion policy to provide free medicine to its people, a decision that could change the lives of hundreds of millions, but a ban on branded drugs stands to cut Big Pharma out of the windfall.

Working People’s Alliance Executive Member, Dr David Hinds will participate in a symposium on the life and work of Dr Walter Rodney to be held in Trinidad today, the WPA said in a press release.

(Jamaica Gleaner) Allison Peart, managing partner at Ernst & Young Jamaica, said it is in the interest of banks and their customers to start preparing the paperwork required under Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA), which takes effect next January.

Dear Editor, I want to commend the management of the Stabroek News, for the bold and necessary step that it took for placing its allegations of government discrimination before a recent conference of the International Press Institute in Trinidad and Tobago.

MIAMI, (Reuters) – Quartavious Davis is still shocked by what happened to him in federal court two months ago.

(Jamaica Observer) Losing unrecoverable millions of dollars in rainfall damage may be a thing of the past when Jamaica signs on to a new insurance plan.

Dear Editor, The note from the UG Students Council captioned ‘Male, not female’ (SN, July 4) reflects a certain tragedy about the lack of progress in gender equality in Guyana.

Dear Editor, As Guyana is potentially a trade route for goods from and to Brazil, much like the Panama Canal links the Atlantic and Pacific, we should ask the Brazilians to build us a road from Lethem to Linden and a deep water harbour in Berbice.

ASUNCION, (Reuters) – Paraguay’s new government ordered home its ambassador in Venezuela yesterday after accusing President Hugo Chavez’s government of meddling in an attempt avert the impeachment of the leftist Paraguayan president’s last month.

MADRID, (Reuters) – A Spanish court opened a fraud case yesterday against former executives of state-rescued lender Bankia, including one-time IMF chief Rodrigo Rato, as public rage engulfs a bank which is in line for the biggest share of an EU bailout.

Education Minister Priya Manickchand emphasised that money must not be a barrier to education last week, during a school uniform voucher distribution exercise held in Region Five.

GENEVA/LONDON,  (Reuters) – Scientists at the CERN research centre have found a new subatomic particle that could be the Higgs boson, the basic building block of the universe.

Dear Editor, Recently, President Ramotar visited the Buxton community and officially opened Tipperary Hall.

(de Ware Tijd) NIEUW NICKERIE – District secretary Hesdy Veira was arrested on Monday by the police of Nickerie for allegedly abusing two minors.

The University of Guyana (UG) lecturer who was released on station bail sometime last week after allegedly fondling a  second year student at the Turkeyen Campus during a private tutoring session has not yet been charged with the offence.

Dear Editor, I would like to commend HBTV Channel 9 for their continuous efforts at educating the nation.

(Trinidad Express) Less than two months after a 17-year-old boy was shot and killed outside his Laventille home, two of his brothers, on Monday, also fell victim to gunmen close to their home.

NEW YORK, (Reuters) – The days of pregnant women having a 3-inch-long (8-centimetre-long) hollow needle jabbed into their abdomens may be numbered.

In less than 4 years, the deadline for the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) will be upon us, a time when world leaders assess themselves and each other on how well they worked to realize targets they set to improve the lives of people and make the world a better place.

Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee penned a letter to the press underlining the ruling party’s pugilistic stance towards newspapers.

Minister of Education Priya Manickchand underscored the importance of education and urged parents to become more involved in their children’s lives, when she met the top ten candidates who sat the National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) in Region Five.