Daily Archive: Thursday, November 20, 2014

The Ministry of Education this evening issued the following statement: Some schools in flood-affected areas to remain closed on Friday, November 21 (Georgetown, November 20, 2014) The Ministry of Education wishes to advise the public that all public  schools in Georgetown will remain closed on Friday, November 21, 2014 to facilitate the sanitization of the facilities.

At about 0820h. today, police say that taxi-driver Fazil Ali, 46 years, of Triumph, ECD, was attacked and robbed by three men, one of whom was armed with a firearm, outside of a Hotel on Brickdam, Georgetown.

The Private Sector Commission today slammed the authorities over rain-fuelled flooding that has gripped the city and it declared that its confidence has been further diminished in the effectiveness of big ticket items such as the Doppler radar and the Hope canal.

Heavy rain overnight and this morning has left deep flooding along the East Bank and East Coast Demerara and public schools in the city and regions two and three are closed today as a result.

President Donald Ramotar on Tuesday invited Opposition Leader David Granger to talks on a post-prorogation agenda for Parliament but APNU is holding to its position that there will be no dialogue unless Parliament is reconvened.

Unicomer Guyana Inc yesterday formally commissioned its US$6 million state-of-the-art Distribution Centre at Eccles, in its bid to lay stronger foundations in bringing quality service to Guyana.

AWOL GDF rank Kevin David was the gunman who brandished the firearm and robbed La Bonne Intention (LBI) resident Jasdai Persaud of her cash on Tuesday afternoon, and was subsequently badly beaten after he was hit down by a vehicle, an eyewitness said yesterday.

The Mayor and City Council (M&CC) was yesterday ordered by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to cease mismanaging garbage at markets or face legal action.

Two police officers found themselves on the wrong side of the court, facing charges of tampering with evidence at a crime scene.

Participants of Go-Invest’s Guyana Expo Trade show at the end of last month in Florida, USA say poor organizing and failure to heed their input led to it being a fiasco, which had less than 100 attendees over the three-day period.

Cabinet on Tuesday gave its no-objection to the $9.2B Caribbean Development Bank (CDB)-funded West Coast of Demerara Road project.

The Guyana Marriott Hotel Project will miss another opening deadline this December and is now slated for opening in February of next year.

In the wake of a report by the Ombudsman stating that three managers of the New Building Society (NBS) had been done a great injustice as a result of fraud charges that had been brought against them, the Society on Tuesday restated its case of gross misconduct against the trio and which then led to their dismissals.

Guyanese advocates against child abuse now have a toolkit to help them formulate solutions to deal with various forms of mistreatment meted out to the young.

At the sixth Local Government Town Hall-style meeting under a US democracy project, residents of Parika and neighbouring communities were told of their right to vote for a party that will help in the development of their community The United States Agency for International Development (USAID’s) Leadership and Demo-cracy Programme (LEAD) which is being implemented by the International Republican Institute (IRI) convened a meeting yesterday at the Parika-Salem Secondary School.

The Alliance For Change (AFC) said Chairman Nigel Hughes delivered an informative and inspiring message which adequately reflected the seriousness of its commitment to joint action, at the APNU rally held at the Square of the Revolution on Friday.

A pregnant woman was yesterday placed on a bond to keep the peace after she appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts charged with simple larceny.

A gold miner was yesterday granted $900,000 bail when he appeared before Magistrate Judy Latchman at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts charged with wounding.

President of the Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU) Patrick Yarde is again calling on President Donald Ramotar to appoint the long overdue constitutionally established Public Service Appellate Tribunal (PSAT).

Despite the intermittent showers, Day 2 of the 54th annual National Schools Cycling, Swimming and Track and Field Championships had some scintillating performances.

A high level team from Hess Corporation paid a courtesy call on Minister of Natural Resources and the Environment, Robert Persaud yesterday to discuss collaboration in the oil and gas sector.

A gold miner was yesterday granted $900,000 bail when he appeared before Magistrate Judy Latchman at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts charged with wounding.

A man was yesterday placed on $25,000 bail after he appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts facing three separate charges.

Even as UNICEF today celebrates the 25th Anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), Guyana is working to address several areas where children do not enjoy their full rights.

Prior to a rhythmical rendition by the steel band, Prime Minister, Samuel Hinds trumpeted the importance of the annual National Schools Cycling, Swimming and Track and Field Championships in the feature address of the opening ceremony yesterday at the GDF ground.

By mid October the west – and America particularly- had conceded that it had completely underestimated the threat of Ebola.

The penultimate event of the Guyana Tennis Association (GTA) 2014 calendar, the GTA/Trophy Stall doubles tournament will commence next Saturday and run until December 14.

Address by His Excellency Donald Ramotar, President of the Co-operative Repub-lic of Guyana at the General Debate of the 69th Session of the United Nations General Assembly on September 25, 2014 in New York Mr President, Mr Secretary General, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen: I wish to congratulate you, Mr.

Ketley Primary is the winner of the Most Improved School Yard competition for healthy schools in Guyana hosted by the Environmental Community Health Organisation (ECHO).

By Dr Ralph E. Gonsalves (edited version)   The current status of CARICOM can be characterized by the twin and dialectically-connected processes of consolidation and progress within the terms of CARICOM’s design as crafted in the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas of July 2001 and the subsequent decisions of the Conference of Heads and of other Treaty institutions.

The West Berbice Chamber of Commerce and Industry has elected a new Board of Directors.

WASHINGTON, (Reuters) – President Barack Obama will outline a plan today to relax U.S.

ACCORDING to manager Wes Hall’s report, Brian Lara complained that “cricket has ruined my life” after walking out on the West Indies team after the fourth Test during its 1995 tour of England.

It has been almost a month since the self-centered myopic decision taken by the West Indies players aggressively led by Dwayne Bravo to abruptly abandon their tour of India due to a pay dispute.

Address delivered by Professor Sir Hilary Beckles, chairman of the CARICOM Reparations Commission, House of Commons, Parliament of Great Britain, Committee Room 14, Thurs-day, July 16, 2014 Madam Chair, the distinguished member of Parliament for Hackney North and Stoke Newington, Diane Abbott, other distinguished members of the House of Lords, and House of Commons, Excellencies of the Diplomatic Corp, colleagues at the head table, Ladies and Gentlemen.

    (The opinions expressed here are those of the author, a columnist for Reuters.)

SUVA, (Reuters) – Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday pledged a multi-million dollar line of credit for Fiji’s struggling sugar industry, once worked by thousands of indentured labourers from India under appalling conditions.

Guyana Review talks with newly elected President of the University of Guyana Students Society Joshua Griffith GR: Yours has been an inherited position since you were elected Vice President rather than President of the UGSS.

GENEVA, (Reuters) – The toll in the Ebola epidemic has risen to 5,420 deaths out of 15,145 cases in eight countries, the World Health Organization (WHO) said yesterday, with transmission of the deadly virus still “intense and widespread” in Sierra Leone.

Georgetown Football Association (GFA) President Vernon Burnette said the Banks Beer Cup is the most prestigious tournament on their calendar of events and as such, the entity will be staging the fourth edition of the championships for only affiliated clubs.

WASHINGTON, (Reuters) – The acting head of the U.S. Secret Service said yesterday that the agency charged with protecting the president had been “severely damaged” by harmful lapses, including allowing a knife-carrying man to jump a fence and run into the White House in September.

MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica, CMC – Caribbean Cup Finals organisers are set to re-examine the itinerary of the tournament, following complaints from players and officials of the rigorous schedule in the just concluded competition.

Courtesy of The Cricket Monthly from ESPNcricinfo   By Rahul Bhattacharya   One day Khemraj “Cowfly” Chanderpaul got vexed.

Dear Editor,   As I reflect on the current political impasse in Guyana, two statements come to mind.

LONDON, (Reuters) – A banking culture that implicitly puts financial gain above all else fuels greed and dishonesty and makes bankers more likely to cheat, according to the findings of a scientific study.

Edited Address by Brigadier (rtd) David Granger, Leader, to the 18th Biennial Delegates’ Congress of the People’s National Congress Reform at Congress Place, Sophia, Georgetown on July 25, 2014.

SYDNEY – Brian Lara believes the “real problem” with West Indies cricket is the lack of communication between the board and the players.

By Delvon Mc Ewan Several of the Caribbean’s top chess players along with participants from Guyana will gather here as the Guyana Chess Federation (GCF) in collaboration with the International Chess Federation (FIDE) bring the Umada Cup to the Land of Many Waters from next Thursday.

Guyana Review talks with youth leader Astell Collins   GR: When you look at the various challenges facing Guyana how do you see your own ideas on leadership making a difference?

TEGUCIGALPA, (Reuters) – A Honduran beauty queen has been found shot dead in a suspected crime of passion just days before she was due to compete in the Miss World pageant in London, police said yesterday.

Dear Editor, I was waiting a few days before getting involved in the prorogation discussion.

LOS ANGELES, (Reuters) – NBC said on Wednesday it has canceled an upcoming project with veteran comedian Bill Cosby, his second show to be pulled after accusations that he sexually assaulted women resurfaced in recent weeks.

(Jamaica Observer) Four umbrella church groups have welcomed Monday’s resignation of two members of the National Housing Trust (NHT) board over the Outameni affair, while charging that purchasing the Trelawny-based attraction “is immoral” and shows “poor stewardship of the resources of our people”.

High profile sides Sparta Boss, Alexander Village, North Ruimveldt, Island All-Stars, Albouystown-A and Back Circle were amongst the wins when the Guinness Greatest of the Streets Georgetown leg commenced on Tuesday at the Demerara Park tarmac.

Dear Editor, President Donald Ramotar’s decision to prorogue Parliament has, understandably, met with much criticism by the parliamentary opposition parties, namely APNU and the AFC, both of which, together, enjoyed a one-seat majority in Parliament.

HAVANA/BOGOTA, (Reuters) – Colombian rebel peace negotiators in Havana cannot order the release of an army general captured by their comrades and will defer to the group’s top commander back home, a leader of the FARC negotiating team said on Wednesday.

Ten years on: Have we left the Secondary Schools Reform Project behind?

Dear Editor, Mr Edward Cedrina, Chairman of the Guyana Legion ought to be commended for helping the Linden community remember Remembrance Day (Poppy Day) which, judging from what was demonstrated on Sunday, November 9, will sooner rather than later be totally forgotten and no more remembered.

NEW YORK (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – U.N. Women named Bollywood star Farhan Akhtar as its first male goodwill ambassador to help advance empowerment of women and girls, the organisation said on Thursday.

With the inking of the contracts yesterday at the Abdool and Abdool building, professional boxing will return to Berbice as Mark Thom Promotions will stage a three-bout fight card dubbed the ‘Rose Hall Town Showdown’ on December 13th.

    By Ian McDonald   Watchman by the seawall koker twenty years I met him on my walks seawind and sunset I see recalling him.

Dear Editor, As the nation of Guyana continues to imbibe at the fountain of disregard for decency and justice, the report by the ombudsman, related to the New Building Society (NBS) and Mr Arjoon is welcome.

MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica, CMC – Jamaica’s Reggae Boyz lifted their sixth CFU Caribbean Cup title when they held their nerve in a penalty shoot out to beat Trinidad & Tobago in the final at the Montego Bay Sports Complex here Tuesday night.

LOS ANGELES, (Reuters) – As Colonel Hans Landa in Quentin Tarantino’s “Inglourious Basterds,” Christoph Waltz embodied an unsettling charm and cruelty, unleashing terror while maintaining his manners and securing an Oscar in the process.

Team Guyana kept its hopes alive of qualifying for the second round of the 2014 Central American and Caribbean Games hockey tourney, defeating Bermuda 1-0 yesterday in their second Pool-B fixture at the High Performance Centre in Veracruz, Mexico.

After two seasons of the Limacol Caribbean Premier League T20 tournament, this particular version of the game is still on trial in our part of the world.

Dear Editor,   Four months ago I was very optimistic that before the end of this year at least two more countries would have abolished appeals to the Privy Council and accepted the Caribbean Court of Justice, but it seems as if this will not materialize and no one knows when another country will join.

September ought to be the most significant month in the lives of school children and in the entire school year.

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC – Aggrieved Trinidad and Tobago national players and officials will have their outstanding salaries settled by today.

On Tuesday, the Public Relations Department of the Guyana Police Force (GPF) issued a statement in which it sought to defend Commander of ‘A’ Division Clifton Hicken who has been justly lambasted for his suggestion that if young women’s attire was “accepted morally”, they could avoid being raped.

We now mark the fifth anniversary of this column in this exemplary, nation-defining newspaper, and it’s been an inspiring, beautiful journey.

NEW YORK, (Reuters) – “Thor” star Chris Hemsworth was named People magazine’s “sexiest man alive” on Tuesday in a live broadcast of the late night talk show “Jimmy Kimmel Live.”

NEW YORK, (Reuters) – Bono, frontman of the Irish rock group U2, required hours of surgery for fractures to his face and shoulder blade and to have metal plates inserted in his arm after a cycling accident in New York’s Central Park, Rolling Stone magazine said yesterday.

Dear Editor, I look around and ask why are there so many problems, problems that seem insuperable, and which keep mounting relentlessly.