Daily Archive: Friday, May 24, 2013

(Trinidad Express) Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar reiterated last night that there is no truth to the Section 34 e-mails released by Opposition Leader Dr Keith Rowley.

(Barbados Nation) Barbados’ economy is in imminent danger, head of the private sector association, John Williams said.

GUATEMALA CITY,  (Reuters) – Former Guatemalan President Alfonso Portillo was extradited today to the United States to face money-laundering charges, just days after former dictator Efrain Rios Montt’s genocide conviction was overturned.

The main opposition coalition APNU today queried a two-week postponement by the government of the next planned sitting of Parliament.

(Jamaica Gleaner) Ganja with an estimated street value of J$3.8 million has been seized by the police.

(Trinidad Guardian) At the height of the Section 34 controversy, a sophisticated laser spying device was discovered in the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Roger Gaspard, SC. T&T

LONDON,  (Reuters) – British fighter jets escorted a Pakistan International Airlines passenger plane to Stansted Airport near London today, where police went on board and arrested two men on suspicion of endangering an aircraft.

Convene an urgent meeting on the setting up of the Public Procurement Commission (PPC) and the Integrity Commission is the advice of the private sector to the government and the opposition and it also revealed today that it had written President Donald Ramotar in February on the growing perception of “widespread corruption in our country”.

(Jamaica Gleaner) Bridgetown, Barbados: West Indies batsmen Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Ramnaresh Sarwan and all-rounder Andre Russell, were among three players who were named among 14 regional players, who have been placed in Pool ‘A’ of the upcoming Caribbean Premier League Twenty20 player draft.

Opposition Leader David Granger on Wednesday urged the government to lift the veil on human trafficking and it is left now to be seen if President Donald Ramotar will move to set up a commission of inquiry following the passage of a motion in Parliament calling for one.

The Balwant Singh Hospital administration yesterday said that a rare postpartum condition led to the death of Slellene Jagjit-Ragoobeer on Wednesday.

The parliamentary examination of the amendments to the anti-money laundering laws resumed yesterday, but government’s hopes for passage ahead of an international review of the country’s progress have been dashed as the select committee will not meet again until June 12.

Opposition party AFC yesterday called for the sacking of GuySuCo’s Board of Directors, which it accused of just tinkering with the industry while declining production levels and losses resulted over the years.

A man is suspected of stabbing his father to death during a dispute at their home in the North West District, Region One, early Wednesday morning.

Recently appointed Territorial Development Officer (TDO) for the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) Monty Lynch yesterday said he aims to revamp the state of cricket in the country by giving it a breath of fresh air.

Immediate works to stop water leaking into the City Hall building are expected to begin shortly as the council tries to move ahead with its restoration project.

KINGSTON, Jamaica,  CMC- Former Jamaica Prime Minister PJ Patterson believes the mixture of players from different countries around the region on the same team for the upcoming Caribbean Premier League (CPL) will help bolster the game in the region.

LONDON,  CMC- CONCACAF President Jeffrey Webb says significant steps have been made towards reforming the hemispheric organization since he took over the position one year ago.

The Merriman Funeral Home is suspected to have been the target of an arson attack that destroyed two hearses and damaged the exterior of its chapel early yesterday morning.

After laying the foundation for a promising bodybuilding career by winning this year’s overall national novice’s title, Berbician Dwayne Mars has aspirations of posing and flexing his sculpted physique all the way to a pro card.

A number of women living at Yarrowkabra are appealing to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) not to allow BK International’s planned sand mine there since it could jeopardise their cottage industry of coal burning upon which they depend for their livelihood.

Defending champions, Lodge Secondary School continued to show great form in the Scotiabank/Pepsi School’s Football Tournament by defeating Queen’s College 5-1 at the Ministry of Education’s ground, Carifesta Avenue last Wednesday.

Furniture giants, Courts Guyana Inc is the latest sponsor for this Sunday’s T20 Independence Cup  tournament which is slated for play at the Albion Sports Complex, Berbice.

An investigative report on the Essequibo River boat mishap that claimed the life of Kwebana resident Fred Crème is due to be completed soon, according to Transport Minister Robeson Benn, who says there could be penalties if the captain of the vessel is found negligent and in violation of maritime rules.

Residents of Plaisance say they are yet to be contacted by E-Governance Project coordinators on the selection of an alternative site for the signal tower initially intended for the Plaisance Community Centre Ground.

Ongoing upgrading work at Demico House, the flagship trading establishment of Banks DIH Ltd, is already contributing “positively” to the finances of the company, Board Chairman Clifford Reis said in his assessment of the company’s performance published last week as part of its half-yearly financial statement.

Dear Editor, For the last 30 hours the usual weather satellite image progressions of water vapour in the atmosphere that I look at are either blank or stuck at around midnight of May 21.

Leonora Primary 41-4 defeated Cornelia Ida Primary 39-2 as action in windball continued.

Local gold miners earlier this week attended a demonstration exercise for the RP4 Gravity Shaker Table, a mercury-free gold recovery method at the North Road premises of the Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners Association (GGDMA).

By Jeff Trotman The compensation recommended for the families of the three Linden men shot and killed by police on July 18 last year failed to acknowledge the men’s constitutional right to life, according to AFC Chairman Nigel Hughes, who says the government is not acting to correct this injustice.

SYDNEY, (Reuters) – Chronic knee problem, left ankle fracture, hamstring strain, shoulder problem, back strain, hip pain and, most recently, a tender Achilles – Australia’s Ryan Harris has had almost as many injuries as he has played test matches in the last three years.

The Ministry of Education is participating in a project on teaching Caribbean Poetry facilitated by the University of the West Indies (UWI), in collaboration with Cambridge University, United Kingdom.

Dear Editor, It’s interesting to note Mr Komal Chand’ s statements in the SN of January 13 that a sugar industry turnaround  was “far from reality.”

Clifford Reis’ brief summary of aspects of the performance of the group of companies comprising Banks DIH Ltd over the past six months, underscores the entity’s ongoing commitment to strengthening its capacity to provide the goods and services it offers to Guyanese consumers.

VIRGINIA WATER, England, (Reuters) – Sergio Garcia, embroiled in a racism row with Tiger Woods this week, got by with a little help from his friends yesterday as he battled to a level-par 72 in the PGA Championship first round.

LONDON, (Reuters) – Based on form, Serena Williams is a stand-out favourite to win a second French Open title but her record at Roland Garros means she approaches the tournament with a touch of apprehension and fearful of the “lady in the mirror”.

A minor is among three young men who were charged on Monday with the murder of mandir guard Jagdat ‘Ronald’ Ramcharran, which occurred in January last.

The Business Cartoon

Dear Editor, Now that I’ve hopefully dealt adequately with the ad hominem issues raised in Dr Dabydeen’s latest missive, I beg permission to return to the specific issue of the Caribbean Press.

The inaugural Guinness Greatest of the Streets National Championships will officially commence today at the Demerara Park Tarmac (Banks DIH Parking Lot), Industrial Estate Georgetown with eight fixtures scheduled to begin at 19:30hrs.

Dear Editor, I read with great concern the appointment of Charles R Ramson, Sr as Commissioner of Information.

LONDON, (Reuters) – Cycling has a long way to go to repair the damage done to the sport by the Lance Armstrong case, International Cycling Union (UCI) president Pat McQuaid said following the publication of the UCI’s stakeholder consultation.

Reform Last year, the administration introduced a bill aimed at reforming the telecommunications industry in Guyana. 

(Reuters) – Elite panel umpire Asad Rauf was withdrawn from next month’s Champions Trophy on Thursday following media reports he was under investigation by Mumbai Police.

Berbicians were taught how to approach persons who are visually impaired and to allow them to participate fully in every sector of society, when the Guyana Society for the Blind hosted a sensitization campaign in New Amsterdam as part of observances for Blindness Awareness Month 2013.

Rajkumar Seeram is hedging his bets in jewellery-making, an industry which these days, given the recent drop in gold prices has a fair measure of uncertainty.

Dear Editor, ‘CN Sharma to stand trial in High court for rape’ – this was a front page headline of the May 16 edition of the Guyana Times newspaper.

WASHINGTON, (Reuters) – President Barack Obama yesterday shifted the United States away from a “boundless global war on terror,” restricting deadly drone strikes abroad and signaling that America’s long struggle against al Qaeda will one day end.

CAVE HILL, Barbados, CMC – Vice-captain Denesh Ramdin has backed West Indies to make a smooth transition to the 50-over format when they open their campaign in the ICC Champions Trophy starting next month.

(Reuters) – Most Valuable Player LeBron James of the Miami Heat and veteran Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers headlined the list of players selected for the All-NBA team, the league said yesterday.

Works Minister Robeson Benn says that the St Ignatius Bridge, which on May 16 gave way under the weight of a truck which was transporting an excavator, was mostly concrete, even as calls have been made for a transition from the construction of wooden bridges in Region 9 to fully concrete bridges.

LONDON, (Reuters) – Watching Rafa Nadal churn his way through the claycourt season over the past few weeks, it seems nothing much has changed since his French Open triumph a year ago despite a lengthy injury layoff.

On a night highlighted by individual goal-scoring exploits, home side Georgetown Football Club (GFC) led by Keron Solomon’s five-goal haul arrested the Guyana Police Force (GPF) 7-2 as action in the Georgetown Football Association (GFA) Players Cup continued at the GFC ground, Bourda on Wednesday.

Regent street in transition? This picture taken yesterday shows vending on the Regent Street on the very spot which, almost 12 years ago, a huge fire engulfed several business premises including the premises housing the Guyana Import/Export.

Justice Brassington Reynolds is expected to rule today on the admissibility of a statement by murder accused Rudolph Williams.

GRAPEVINE, Texas,  (Reuters) – The Boy Scouts of America voted yesterday to lift a century-old ban on openly gay scouts in a major victory for gay rights activists, but the decision means a sea of change for an organization that depends heavily on faith-based groups.

Dear Editor, The growing use of grass-cutters (as opposed to the old-time cutlass, scythe  or grass knife to cut grass in yards, and on parapets and roadsides is in keeping with the sophistication that Guyanese undoubtedly deserve.

The murder trial of Selassie McFarlane, Ceretse Rogers and Marcus Roberts began yesterday in the High Court before Justice Navindra Singh and a 12-member jury.

LONDON, (Reuters) – Soviet dictator Josef Stalin and Britain’s wartime Prime Minister Winston Churchill enjoyed an alcohol-fuelled all-nighter in Moscow as World War Two was in full swing, previously secret files have revealed.

Dear Editor, I read a letter in the SN of May 22 by David Johnson about Burnham not getting the Oliver Tambo Award because of his style of leadership (‘South Africa’s new politics is not modelled on the maximum leadership style exemplified by Burnham’).

(Barbados Nation) A major upgrade is coming for the Barbados Museum, to be financed through a multi-million dollar fund-raising campaign.

Butler House lived up to their billing as pre-tournament favourites as they edged a determined Etheridge side 2-1 compliments of an Ato Greene double as the final of the 2013 St.

At 28, Habibah Atherley-McGregor demonstrates both the exuberance of youth and the eagerness to convert her creative talents into commercial success.

A budding horse whisperer? A scene along Independence Boulevard yesterday. (Arian Browne photo)  

A spot of bother: This canter needed to be helped out of a Camp Street drain yesterday.

Stock market updates

A man was yesterday charged with robbing and assaulting a woman he has been stalking.

LONDON, (Reuters) – Police investigating the murder of a soldier hacked to death on a busy London street were looking on Friday into whether the two suspected killers, British men of Nigerian descent, were part of a wider conspiracy.

(Trinidad Express) A 52 year old Williamsville security guard was shot and killed at his workplace yesterday by thieves who escaped with TT$50,000.

DELHI, India,  CMC- West Indies batting star Dwayne Smith says the Mumbai Indians are charged for one more shot for a spot in the finals of the Indian Premier League (IPL) on Sunday.

Dear Editor, I’m not sure who to write, but I was feeling so upset about the absolutely worst service in the history of customer service which I received from the Guyana Consulate in New York.

Scotiabank supporting Buxton youth group afterschool programme:  Scotiabank donated $190,000 to the Buxton Youth Developers group through its Bright Future Programme.

Manchester Secondary edged Lower Corentyne Secondary 39-35 in their U-20 encounter as action in the Youth Basketball Guyana’s (YBG) tourney continued at the Port Mourant Training School Court, Berbice on Wednesday.

Price Average

“… on and after 26th May 1966 … her Majesty’s Government in the United Kingdom shall have no responsibility for the government of the territory which, immediately before that day, constitutes the colony of British Guiana which, on and after that day, is to be called Guyana”.

Dear Editor, I could easily use typical country-style Guyanese refrains to describe David Dabydeen’s most recent letter to the press on Ruel Johnson and the Caribbean Press, but I refuse to stoop to his level (‘Most of the poetry sent to the Caribbean Press by Guyanese writers is doggerel,’ SN, May 20).

ORLANDO, Fla./WASHINGTON, (Reuters) – A special Federal Bureau of Investigation team from Washington on Thursday began reviewing the death of a Chechen immigrant linked to the Boston Marathon bombing suspects, a day after he was shot and killed by an agent during questioning in Orlando.

In yesterday’s Stabroek News, in an article titled `Indentured women came from life with no choice to one with some power’ it was incorrectly reported that 70 percent of the women on the ship referred to by the speaker Gaiutra Bahadur were pregnant.

Last week, in commenting on the May 10 sentencing of former Guatemalan dictator Efraín Ríos Montt, 86, to 80 years in jail for genocide and crimes against humanity, we were of the view that Guatemala had taken a courageous step towards putting an end to impunity for the perpetrators of such crimes.