Daily Archive: Sunday, August 26, 2012

NASSAU,  (Reuters) – More than 150 illegal Haitian migrants are in custody in the Bahamas, after their sail boat ran aground on Andros islands during stormy seas, officials said yesterday.

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad,  CMC – Hosts Trinidad and Tobago won a tense final to claim the men’s team title while Barbados dominated to lift the women’s crown, on the final day of the 20th annual Caribbean Squash Championships here yesterday.

(Jamaica Gleaner) A Westmoreland woman is in custody after she bludgeoned her common-law husband at their home in Bluefields in the parish.

BIRMINGHAM, England, , CMC – Jamaicans Nickel Ashmeade, Rosemarie Whyte and Kaliese Spencer took victories but compatriot Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce played second fiddle again to American Carmelita Jeter at the Birmingham Grand Prix here today.

Gold declarations are currently 33 percent higher than last year, Minister of Natural Resources and the Environment Robert Persaud disclosed during an appreciation ceremony last week for key players in the mining sector.

ALEPPO, Syria,  (Reuters) – Syrian opposition activists accused President Bashar al-Assad’s army today of massacring hundreds of people in a town close to the capital that government forces recaptured from rebels.

(ICC) Unmukt Chand became only the third batsman in history to score a century in an ICC U19 Cricket World Cup final as India defeated Australia by six wickets at Tony Ireland Stadium here in Townsville today.

(Trinidad Guardian)A stainless steel two-unit toilet purchased for TT$1 million by the former administration of the Tunapuna Piarco Regional Corporation (TPRC) is now up for sale.

(Trinidad Guardian) Mega farms in central Trinidad are under siege by thieves.

HAVANA,  (Reuters) – Tropical Storm Isaac, back over warm ocean waters, lashed Cuba with winds and rain as it swept toward the Florida Keys, where it was expected to strike at or near hurricane strength today.

The police say they are investigating a fatal accident that occurred at about 2215h last night on the Bath Village Public Road, Mahaicony, ECD, and which resulted in the death of pedestrian Benjamin, 44 years, of Supply, Mahaica, ECD.

(Jamaica Observer) Nigerian actress Omotola Jalade Ekeinde, has thrown out a challenge to Hollywood filmmakers to visit Africa and discover great stories.

(Barbados Nation) With a backlog of over 3 000 court cases, Chief Justice Marston Gibson believes that alternative dispute resolution (ADR) may be the only solution to this long-standing judicial ailment.

(Trinidad Express) National Security Minister Jack Warner is holding discussions with the Chookolingo Group with a view to acquiring its shares in the TnT Mirror and potentially, its shareholding in the Newsday newspapers as well.

(Trinidad Express) Officers of the Port of Spain Division are bracing themselves for bloodshed in the Laventille area after an 11-year-old boy was shot and killed a stone’s throw away from his home early yesterday morning.

(Trinidad Express) Four dollars. That was the quantity of money Nathaniel “Tanny” Baggy’s killer refused to pay for a doubles he had eaten.

Minister of Health Dr Bheri Ramsaran yesterday evaded questions about whether procurement rules had been broken when Surendra Engineer-ing’s bid to build a specialty hospital was accepted despite the fact that security was to be provided by a foreign bank.

By David Pappanah   Like most other villages on the Corentyne, Lancaster is peaceful and quiet. 

The issue of protection for the witnesses in the July 18 shootings in Linden is not something that is being considered in the setting up of the Commission of Inquiry (COI) as no one has come forward expressing  any fear, a government source said yesterday.

Former Speaker of the National Assembly Ralph Ramkarran has acknowledged gaps in the parliamentary records but dismisses any assertions that their disappearance is deliberate, saying that it was under his stewardship that programmes commenced to bring the records up to date.

A 22-year-old man was killed last evening when the motorcycle he was riding collided with a motor car at the corner of Conversation Tree and the Railway Embankment.

FOURSQUARE, Barbados, CMC – Led by an unbeaten century from Chandrapaul Hemraj, Guyana eased to a comfortable 40-run win over Barbados to continue at the top of the standings in the Regional Under-19 one-day Championship here yesterday.

Sharma Solomon says he is on a mission to improve the lives of the people of Region 10 and reverse the economic downturn of Linden.

Guyana’s National Sevens rugby team won two matches and lost one as the 2013 North America and the Caribbean Rugby Association World Cup qualifiers commenced yesterday at the Twin Elms Rugby Park, Ottawa, Canada.

Simona Broomes is a woman who never allows someone else to fight her battles for her, but always ensures that she leads from the front.

If you don’t notice the cane, eight-year-old Mekyla Belgrave comes across as cute little miss who loves sunglasses, and there is nothing about her engaging presence and constant chatter either which would give away the fact that she is blind.

By Iva Wharton Trinidad and Tobago yesterday retained the team Caribbean Scrabble Championship when they defeated Barbados 27 games to nine to bring an end to the team aspect of the Caribbean Championship played at the Bank of Guyana building.

By Neil Barry Steven Jacobs smashed a century and claimed four wickets to put Malteenoes in the driver’s seat against the Guyana National Industrial Corporation at the close of the first day’s play of their Heroes Cup match at Thomas Lands yesterday.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Rodrigues-Birkett has underscored at an Organisation of American States (OAS) meeting Friday the importance of upholding the principles of international law as it relates to the inviolability of diplomatic premises.

By R M Austin It is a measure of the nature of the current presidential campaign that at the very moment when the celebrated Augusta Golf Club was announcing the admission of female members for the first time, one of whom is the former Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, the media should be lit up by the unfortunate comments of the Congressman from Missouri, Todd Akin.

By Emmerson Campbell National cyclist Robin Persaud sped off with the feature 35-lap event of this year’s second annual Malta Supreme 11-race programme which was staged around the inner circuit of the National Park yesterday.

Caribbean Containers Inc (CCI) is preparing for the distribution of its Eco Pak line of biodegradable food packaging containers in the local market in October and while the manufacturing is being handled by an Asian based company, a feasibility study will be done to ascertain if production is feasible here, Chief Operations Officer Patricia Bacchus says.

By Emmerson Campbell The crème de le crème of the nation’s thoroughbreds along with foreign horses will vie for over $30m in cash and other prizes when Guyana’s premier horse racing event, the Guyana Cup is staged today at the Port Mourant Turf Club.

WILDEY, Barbados,  CMC – Windward Islands notched their first victory when they beat the luckless ICC Americas by 42 runs in their fifth round match of the Regional Under-19 one-day Championship here  yesterday.

Implementation deficits Caricom’s dilatoriness and implementation deficits (well documented by Prof Norman Girvan) have dramatized grave impediments standing in the way of forging a single market and economy. 

The Guiana Shield is mostly defined in geographical and geological terms since its location, landscape, earth structure and vegetation are what define it.

WILDEY, Barbados, CMC –Middle-order batsman Bryan Gayle stroked a sparkling century as Jamaica registered a nerve-wracking two-wicket win over Trinidad and Tobago with four balls to spare, in round five of the Regional Under-19 one-day Championship  yesterday.

I have written often about the importance of using clear, accurate language in explaining the problems that face a nation like Guyana.

Conclusion Introduction As this column evolved over the past month its focus moved beyond Linden and electricity to the whole of Region 10 of which Linden can be considered the capital.

Workers should have a greater say in management, said President Donald Ramotar when he gave the feature address at the opening of the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) 20th Delegates Conference at the Inter-national Conference Centre Liliendaal yesterday.

Over the past year, this feature has been showcasing some of the amazing plants and animals of the Iwokrama Rain Forest; now here are some details about the importance and role of tropical forests in general and their functions.

The reigning Miss Universe Leila Lopes of Angola will pay a five day visit to Guyana next month to assist with various aspects of the local leg of the pageant.

Despite the failure of recent efforts to find oil in commercial quantities here, there is continued interest in the Guyana Basin in both near shore and in deep water locations and Canadian exploration company CGX is starting preliminary work on plans for a subsequent exploration well in their Contract Areas.

Flame violet (Episcia) originates from Central and South America. It is closely related to a number of house plants such as African violet and Gloxinia.

Elvis Sutherland often receives compliments from casual observers who admire his horticultural work.

It could be the country boy in me propelling it, but it takes me quite a while to latch onto new trends. 

The Police Service Commission (PSC) has announced a long list of promotions within the Guyana Police Force; among them are four appointments to Assistant Police Commissioner.

Minister of Natural Resources and the Environment Robert Persaud has responded to an article in Time Magazine online, defending Guyana’s stewardship of the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme and saying that smuggling of diamonds must be established and not be subject to speculation.

The parallels, as far as they go, are obvious. They are both 32, two of the most commanding batsmen of their time and highly paid box-office attractions wherever in the world they play.

PORT-AU-PRINCE (Reuters) – Tropical Storm Isaac dumped torrential rains on Haiti and flattened tent camps housing survivors of a devastating earthquake, then began an assault on eastern Cuba yesterday.

The Neal and Massy 10km road race and 3km fitness walk and jog event will run off on September 9th  starting  at the Diamond Public Road, East Bank Demerara, from 06:00hrs.

Continued The most important consideration relating to breeding is when to breed.

All 12 men’s squads for the ICC World Twenty20 Sri Lanka 2012 have now been confirmed with the very best players in the world getting ready for the big event, which gets underway in Sri Lanka next month.

PARAGUANA/CARACAS, Venezuela (Reuters) – An explosion tore through Venezuela’s biggest oil refinery yesterday, killing at least 26 people, wounding more than 50 and halting the facility’s operations in the OPEC nation’s worst industrial accident in recent memory.

(Jamaica Observer) Jamaica and China, on Thursday, signed a new economic technical grant agreement valued at J$423 million.

(Reuters) – US astronaut Neil Armstrong, who took a giant leap for mankind when he became the first person to walk on the moon, has died at the age of 82, his family said yesterday.

(Jamaica Gleaner)  Chairman of the PetroCaribe Development Fund, Dr Wesley Hughes, is expressing optimism about the future business relationship between Jamaica and Venezuela despite talks that the oil-rich country is looking to abandon the PetroCaribe agreement.

Dear Editor, It was announced by the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) that BK International (BKI) has been awarded a $26M contract for construction of a geotextile structure at Victoria on the ECD.

HYDERABAD, India, (Reuters) – Ravichandran Ashwin spun a web around New Zealand’s batsmen to capture six wickets as India enforced the follow-on before rain halted their victory charge on day three of the opening test yesterday.

(Trinidad Guardian) Former prime minister Patrick Manning has been taken out of the High Dependency Unit of the San Fernando General Hospital as his condition slowly improves.

DUBAI, (Reuters) – Pakistan coach Dav Whatmore believes his side will have the edge over Australia in the One-Day International and Twenty20 series in the United Arab Emirates as they are more familiar with conditions and the visitors are dealing with injuries and retirements.

Dear Editor, The proliferation of strikes has apparently become another ‘normalcy’ in the sugar industry of Guyana – a phenomenon quite unusual in other sugar-producing countries in the Caribbean, and indeed the world at large.

AMMAN (Reuters) – The bodies of at least 200 people were found in a town close to Damascus yesterday, according to activists who said most appeared to have been killed by Syrian troops “execution style.“

As the worst US drought in fifty years drives up the price of staples such as corn, soybean and wheat, and changing weather patterns affect cereal production in Russia, the Ukraine and Kazakhstan, the world is about to experience another surge in food prices.

The Government of Guyana never loses its capacity to surprise.  On August 3 it abstained from a UN General Assembly vote on a resolution condemning Syria for its indiscriminate use of heavy weapons in civilian areas and its widespread violations of human rights.

LONDON,  (Reuters) – The shade of the shirt may have changed but Robin van Persie remains a red-hot Dutch master after marking his first Manchester United start with a superb goal in a 3-2 Premier League win over Fulham yesterday.

Dear Editor, As a sports fan who was disappointed by our showing at the just concluded Olympics, but in no way surprised, I find the comments by Mr Neil Kumar, Director of Sports very disparaging and insulting to our local athletes, who tried their best but simply could not cope with the high international standards because of the non-existent sports infrastructure in our country to adequately prepare them for such a high quality tournament.

While Ecuador’s populist President Rafael Correa steps up his international offensive to grant political asylum to Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, an exiled Ecuadoran journalist seeking political asylum has some very interesting insights into what’s behind the Ecuadorian leader’s latest quest for international attention.