Daily Archive: Monday, April 7, 2014

A Canje taxi driver was today remanded to prison after he was allegedly nabbed with over seven kilogrammes of cocaine concealed in pastries at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett receiving Letters of Commission from Jean Ricot Dormeus who has been accredited as Director of the Office of the Organisation of American States (OAS) in Guyana.

The police today announced a major reshuffling as a result of the retirement of police commissioner Leroy Brumell and the acting appointment in his place of Seelall Persaud.

Police today said that acting on information received, at about 2315h.

(Trinidad Express) FOUR men were shot and killed in two separate attacks in south Trinidad last night.

An outgoing passenger was on Sunday night nabbed with cocaine laden pastries at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, Timehri, Head of the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) James Singh has confirmed.

The combined opposition parties this afternoon walked out of the National Assembly as Education Minister Priya Manickchand got up to make her presentation but she rallied on with her speech to loud support from her government colleagues.

(Trinidad Guardian) The Guyana government has expressed concern over an incident in which one of its nationals, Jeetindra Sookram, died after he was denied urgent medical attention at the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex, Mt Hope, on Thursday.

A Guyana Defence Force soldier demonstrates his bandaging skills on a US trainer.

The U.S. Embassy’s Military Liaison Office, together with representatives from the Florida National Guard, sponsored a training course in Guyana on Tactical Life Saver (TLS) skills for the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) last week, a release from the US Embassy yesterday said.

The U.S. Embassy’s Military Liaison Office, along with representatives from the Florida National Guard, sponsored a training course in Guyana on Tactical Life Saver (TLS) skills.

(Reuters) – Actor Mickey Rooney, who became the United States’ biggest movie star while a brash teenager in the 1930s and later a versatile character actor in a career that spanned 10 decades, died on Sunday of natural causes, Los Angeles authorities said.

(Trinidad Express) FIRED minister of the people and social development Dr Glenn Ramadharsingh yesterday said he would be taking all steps necessary to prevent the further publication of any article that may be “injurious” to his reputation.

The kidnappers of 40-year-old East Coast Demerara (ECD) businessman Rajendra Singh are now requesting a ransom of $25 million, plus the surveillance tapes from the night of the kidnapping before his return.

The Linden-Lethem trail is to be transformed into an all-weather road with Brazilian help if the plans of the Ministry of Public Works are realized.

There was an increase in the number of aviation accidents over the last year and the reports on some of these cases are still to be completed as the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) awaits the result of the analyses of plane engines sent overseas.

Now at the start of his pre-retirement leave, Assistant Commissioner of police Eric Bassant is already planning the next chapter of his life: the priesthood.

Dexter Marques retained his WBC CABOFE flyweight title with a unanimous victory over Jamaican, Rudolph ‘Cutting Edge’ Hedge in an action packed thriller Saturday night at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall.

The SAJ Rice Mill at Burma, Mahaicony is looking to secure another 50,000 tonne rice deal with Haiti by the end of the year.

Powerlifters from the Fitness Freaks and the BodyMaxx Gym had a gala time as they won the marquee titles at yesterday’s annual Junior and Novices Powerlifting Championships at the National Gymnasium.

Guyana Police Force Public Relations Officer Ivelaw Whittaker says the police are yet to arrest anyone in the murder of Enmore taxi driver Roopchand Darshan who was found slumped over the steering wheel of his car a week ago.

ST JOHN’S, Antigua, CMC – An unbroken half-century partnership between Devon Thomas and Jahmar Hamilton frustrated Guyana and kept Leeward Islands in with a chance of victory in their sixth round Regional Four-Day match here  yesterday.

The sewerage system at the recently refurbished Georgetown Magistrates Courts is now overflowing and according to workers there, the system has been defective from the time the courts reopened.

In an extraordinary display of speed, power and stamina, Orville Hinds rode wire to wire and emerged winner of yesterday’s third annual Powerade 50-mile road race at West Demerara by edging Paul DeNobrega in a thrilling two-man sprint finish.

Using her inaugural budget presentation to critique government’s plan and programmes for healthcare, APNU Member of Parliament Dr Karen Cummings on Thursday said that the improvement of the primary healthcare system should be the priority rather than secondary projects.

The government through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday said it was “deeply concerned” over the reported incident of a Guyanese national on holiday in Trinidad & Tobago who died after being refused medical treatment at one of the island’s hospitals because he was a non-national.

MIRPUR, Bangladesh, (Reuters) – Lasith Malinga found himself thrust into the Sri Lankan captaincy midway through the World Twenty20 and emerged with the trophy in his arms yesterday after three heady weeks in Bangladesh.

Dear Editor, We have noticed an article in which statements are attributed to General Secretary of the PPP, Mr Clement Rohee:   ‘Alloca-tion for countrywide clean-up should be kept away from Mayor and City Council -Rohee.’

Former PNCR Parliamentarian Ernest Elliot is expected to be sworn in to the National Assembly today as the replacement for Jaipaul Sharma, who resigned last week following comments made by Education Minister Priya Manickchand about his father’s statutory rape charges.

Defending champion Demerara retained their Guyana Cricket Board Inter-County U15 title when their match against Berbice ended yesterday in a draw at the Everest Cricket Club ground.

President of the Brazilian Mining and General Association Antonio Szala has called for better measures to be put in place for Brazilians to be issued with Guyanese work permits.

(The Sports Xchange) — All-Star guard Kyrie Irving scored a career-high 44 points for Cleveland, but it was not enough as the Charlotte Bobcats defeated the Cavaliers 96-94 in overtime to secure a playoff spot.

Dear Editor, Recently, I had the opportunity to examine world sugar prices and I reviewed the efficiency changes GuySuCo will have to undertake in order to become internationally competitive, given the level of sugar price in world markets, the termination of the European sugar subsidies, and the end of preferential access to European markets.

Dear Editor, In January 2008, if my memory serves me still, I made an application for a plot of land at Diamond, East Bank Demerara.

(Trinidad Guardian) Health Minister Dr Fuad Khan says the implementation of the National Health Card will clamp down on non-nationals seeking free medical attention at public health institutions.

MANAMA, (Reuters) – Lewis Hamilton won a thrilling Bahrain Formula One Grand Prix yesterday after a duel with Mercedes team mate Nico Rosberg in a floodlit night race full of overtaking and wheel-to-wheel battles.

The handyman who was found dead in a canal in Plaisance, East Coast Demerara (ECD) on Saturday morning may have fallen in and drowned during an epileptic fit, his family says.

DONETSK/KIEV, Ukraine (Reuters) – Pro-Russian protesters seized state buildings in three east Ukrainian cities yesterday, triggering accusations from the pro-European government in Kiev that President Vladimir Putin was orchestrating “separatist disorder”.

(Barbados Nation) Editor Emeritus of The Nation, Harold Hoyte, today complained about the “slowness” of the Barbados Government to pass Freedom of Information legislation and to amend the laws on criminal defamation.

MIRPUR, Bangladesh, Reuters) – Kumar Sangakkara shone in his 20-over International swansong to help Sri Lanka break their jinx and lift a maiden World Twenty20 title with a comfortable six-wicket victory over former champions India yesterday.

SYDNEY/PERTH, Australia (Reuters) – Chinese and Australian ships hunting for a missing Malaysia Airlines jetliner have picked up separate acoustic signals in different parts of a vast Indian Ocean search area and are trying to verify if one could be from the plane’s black box recorders.

TRIPOLI/BENGHAZI, Libya (Reuters) – Libyan rebels occupying four eastern oil ports agreed with the government yesterday to gradually end their eight-month petroleum blockade, which has cost the North African state billions in lost revenues.

Dear Editor, I wish to express my sincere apology as a citizen of Guyana, to Mr Jaipaul Sharma, Member of Parliament, for the comment made by our Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand in the National Assembly on Wednesday, April 2.

Police are yet to arrest a suspect in the murder of 75-year-old Joyce Lewis who was found dead in her North Ruimveldt home two weeks ago, a police source said.

MIRPUR, Bangladesh, (Reuters) – Australian women completed a World Twenty20 hat-trick after captain Meg Lanning led them to a comfortable six-wicket victory against 2009 champions England in the final yesterday.

By Kevin De Silva Kevin De Silva is a co-creator of the Caribbean Studies Students’ Union (CARSSU) and former president and editor of its annual journal.

At his last press conference on March 27th, President Donald Ramotar was asked by a Stabroek News reporter about the almost two-year-old report into irregularities at state TV, NCN and why he had not done anything about it.

Politikles

As indicated in my last week’s column, I was privileged to have been invited to participate in the University College of Cayman Islands Caribbean Anti-Corruption Conference held on 19-21 March 2014.

Photos and interviews by Dacia WhaulLinden Isles – student: ‘I listened to the budget presentation on the radio and read a little print media.

Dear Editor, I am happy to learn from the Attorney General Anil Nandlall’s facebook page that his government is anticipating a reversal of the decision made earlier this year by the Council of Legal Education (CLE) to not renew the agreement to have top students of the University of Guyana automatically secure a place at the Hugh Wooding Law School (HWLS).

HAVANA (Reuters) – Cuba said yesteday the United States continues to use social media to “subvert” the island’s government and that the revelation this week of a US-created, Twitter-like service for Cuba was just one of several examples.

Old-time grass cart being pulled along the Railway Embankment at Good Hope, ECD (Photo by Arian Browne)

MIRPUR, Bangladesh, (Reuters) – India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni sprang to team mate Yuvraj Singh’s defence after the left-hander’s struggle with the bat in the World Twenty20 final loss to Sri Lanka yesterday.

Dear Editor, In a letter by me appearing in SN of April 5 captioned ‘Respects Manickchand for sincere message in parliament’ I describe myself as the Head (ag) of the Learning Resources Development Unit, Ministry of Education.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – CIA officials had rave reviews for Boris Pasternak’s classic Russian novel Doctor Zhivago – not for its literary merit but as a propaganda weapon in the Cold War, the Washington Post reported today.

(Trinidad Guardian) Guyanese national Vidya Bachu is appealing for help to take back the body of her husband who died after being denied treatment at the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex (EWMSC), to their hometown.