Daily Archive: Saturday, October 10, 2015

At about 1145h. today, the police say that two men, one of whom was armed with a firearm, held up Feroze Ghanni, 48 years, of Ruby, EBE, and who was the driver of a mini-bus, at the Flour Mill Access Road, Eccles, EBD, along with the conductor Rafael Ghanni, 27 years, and passenger Dhanmattie Ramana, 46 years, of New Road, Essequibo Coast.

At about 1640h. today, the police say that a box containing eleven (11) fragmentation grenades, four (4) concussion grenades, thirteen (13) grenade fuse, seven (7 ) rounds 9mm.

Residents of Old Road, Ugandi Park and GEC Scheme, Cummings Lodge, have welcomed the desilting of drainage channels in their area.

Former President Donald Ramotar says that information filtering out of the Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the sugar industry says that two estates, one in Demerara and the other in Berbice are targeted for closure.

(Trinidad Guardian) A 43-year-old Barataria man was killed by a grocery owner yesterday evening, after he attempted to rob the man’s business along the Eastern Main Road, Barataria.

ANKARA, (Reuters) – At least 86 people were killed when two suspected suicide bombers hit a rally of pro-Kurdish and leftist activists outside Ankara’s main train station on Saturday, weeks ahead of an election, in the deadliest attack of its kind on Turkish soil.

There is a need for whistleblower protection legislation for the public service, according to former Auditor General Anand Goolsarran, who argued yesterday that it would protect those public servants who speak out about wrongdoings committed by their superiors.

The Public Service should be depoliticised, according to retired Permanent Secretary (PS) Hydar Ally, who yesterday expressed regret at not taking a back seat in the political realm while on the job.

Bishnarine Persaud, the proprietor of Sanjay’s Jewellery, was yesterday sentenced to 58 months in jail after being found guilty of causing the death of a municipal handyman by dangerous driving.

The great-nephew of Vaulda Britton, the pensioner who was raped and strangled over the weekend at Hopetown, West Coast Berbice, was yesterday charged with her murder.

President of Guyana Trades Union Congress (GTUC) Lincoln Lewis does not view the 50% increase in ministers’ salaries as a negative but critiqued the manner in which it was done.

A Canadian national was yesterday sentenced to four years in jail after he admitted to trying to smuggle almost 30 pounds of cocaine hidden in powdered milk and frozen Chinese food onto a flight out of the country.

The Jawalla village council earlier this month lost a case to prevent two miners from mining on the Mazaruni River that borders the Region Seven community.

Conflict is brewing between two Region Eight indigenous villages over land and despite pleas for the Ministry of Indigenous People’s Affairs to intervene, officials have not responded to letters sent.

The Ministry of Education’s Department of Culture yesterday unveiled the logo for Guyana’s 50th Independence Anniversary.

Guyana fell agonizingly close to securing a berth in the final of the Pan American Hockey Federation (PAHF) Challenge, losing to Venezuela 4-5 in a sudden-death penalty shoot-out yesterday in Chicklayo, Peru.

The African Cultural and Development Association (ACDA) has embarked on a new initiative which aims to disseminate information to citizens about social ills affecting the society.

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, CMC – West Indies batsmen made a sluggish start to their tour of Sri Lanka, on a rain-hit opening day of their three-day tour match here yesterday.

The Delegation of the European Union (EU) to Guyana is organising a regional conference on the abolition of the death penalty in the Caribbean, which is to be held in Guyana from November 23rd to November 24th.

Donald Sinclair has been appointed the Director General of the Tourism Ministry.

A contractor is now counting his losses after his home went up in flames early yesterday morning at Crane Housing Scheme, West Coast Demerara.

A bottom-of-the-table clash will conclude the fifth round in the GFF Stag Beer Elite League as Monedderlust FC opposes Georgetown Football Club (GFC) while Buxton United will lock horns with Slingerz FC today at the No.

Commander of A-Division of the Guyana Police Force (GPF) Clifton Hickens has confirmed that he will be running for the post of president of the Georgetown Football Association (GFA) when the entity stages its electoral congress on October 17th at the Sleepin International Hotel.

Bibi Jagdeo yesterday testified that it was her husband, Roopram Jagdeo, who first hit Ravindra Paremdass, the man who is now on trial for his murder.

Popular businessman Ricky Deonarain has been named skipper of a strong Floodlights team which will oppose Suriname side Amar Shakti Sports Club this evening at the Demerara Cricket Club ground in the opening match of the four team T20 hardball competition.

Anand Singh, the man who was allegedly caught sexually assaulting a 16-year-old patient at the George-town Public Hospital (GPH), was on Thursday charged and remanded to prison.

A mining company official was yesterday remanded to prison after he appeared in a city court on a charge that he was found with almost a kilo of cannabis.

Regal Masters scored an upset victory over Floodlights Masters Sunday as the Petama Enterprise/Motor Trend softball tournament continued at various grounds in the city.

A Bartica shop owner, accused of shooting at a Brazilian national, was yesterday placed on $200,000 bail at a city court.

The second round of group fixtures in the fourth annual Petra Organization/Courts Pee-Wee Under-11 football tournament will continue today at the Thirst Park ground with 12 group matchups.

The Guyana Floodlights Softball Cricket Association (GFSCA) in collaboration with the Demerara Cricket Club (DCC) will run off an Under-13 hardball cricket competition for young players in and around Georgetown.

Cycling action returns to the inner circuit of the National Park today for the staging of the 11th annual Hand-in-Hand Insurance multi-race programme.

The Georgetown Amateur Basketball Association (GABA) formally launched their official website yesterday at a simple press conference held at the Starr Computers Boardroom in Brickdam.

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, CMC – Under-19 World Cup skipper Kusal Mendis is one of two uncapped players named by selectors in a 15-man squad to face West Indies for the two-Test series starting next week in Galle.

Dear Editor, At a recent seminar about the sugar industry at Moray House Trust (MHT), four quite different perspectives were presented by a historian, an economist, an industry expert and a former chairman of GuySuCo.

The Trophy Stall will be onboard with the Guyana Rugby Football Union (GRFU) when the GRFU Men’s and Women’s 7s one-day tournament kicks off tomorrow in the National Park.

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, CMC – Opener Kraigg Brathwaite believes the spin-friendly pitches here will prove more of an opportunity than a challenge, when the Test series bowls off next week.

Dear Editor, The fake ‘furore’ over pay increases to senior executives of the state is sure to be bled for its full propaganda by the opposition, the cynics, and those imbued with a certain culture that left many high functionaries of the old PNC government in modest circumstances at the end of their time in power.

Dear Editor, Your letter contributor (‘Why did NIS announce insurable income ceiling increase in Mirror’ SN, October 6) raises at least three critical concerns.

(Jamaica Gleaner) The National Security Minister, Peter Bunting has revealed that Thursday night’s murder of six family members in Hanover is linked to the infamous lottery scam.

OSLO/TUNIS, (Reuters) – Tunisia’s National Dialogue Quartet won the Nobel Peace Prize yesterday for helping build democracy in the birthplace of the Arab Spring, an example of peaceful transition in a region otherwise struggling with violence and upheaval.

Land of the giants, the breathtaking Kanuku Mountain range and the annual Rupununi Rodeo, among other things, Region Nine for the first time managed to take the much coveted Miss Indigenous Heritage Queen title two Saturdays ago.

Dear Editor, I want to express how deeply hurt we were, I and my many, many colleague ministers, of the twenty-three years of PPP/C in office, by those words of Mr Joseph Harmon – “you cannot have a situation like the PPP where they [the ministers] were accepting low salaries because they were thiefing money all over the place.”

LONDON, (Reuters) – New Zealand centre Ma’a Nonu scored a late try against Tonga yesterday in his 100th test, helping his team to a thumping victory and top spot in Pool C ahead of a hectic weekend when the Rugby World Cup quarter-finals will be determined.

Barbados-born international pop star Rihanna has debuted the cover of her upcoming album and its name.

DAR ES SALAAM, (Reuters) – A Tanzanian court has charged a prominent Chinese businesswoman, dubbed the ‘Ivory Queen’, with running a criminal network responsible for smuggling tusks from more than 350 elephants, court documents seen by Reuters yesterday showed.

NEW DELHI, (Reuters) – India is opening the way for women pilots to fly fighter jets in combat, its air force chief said, as one of the world’s biggest military forces shakes off its reluctance to give greater responsibilities to women.

Dear Editor, Like so many Guyanese at home and abroad, I have been paying close attention to and blogging on the outrageous decision to hike the pay for coalition government officials and MPs between 20% and 50% for two reasons: 1) the timing of the decision after just over four months in office, and 2) the coalition’s failure to honour its own campaign promise of 20% increases for public servants.

WASHINGTON, (Reuters) – France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Britain and the United States yesterday endorsed a national unity government in Libya as proposed by the United Nations to end the conflict between two rival governments in the war-torn country.

Hi Everyone, This cookie ain’t gonna crumble. This cookie ain’t hard.

Dear Editor, When I consider the fact that my landline telephone 4424704 at Linden has been out of service for almost five months, the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph’s new motto of “Do more” sounds ludicrous.

The Scene Cartoon

St Lucia has announced that its citizenship by investment programme will be launched on January 1st.

GUATEMALA CITY, (Reuters) – At least 253 bodies have been recovered after a massive landslide buried part of a town in Guatemala last week, with 374 people still unaccounted for, national disaster agency Conred said yesterday.

Dear Editor, With regard to the announced salary increases that the government has given itself and MPs, a Nacta opinion poll I conducted last August found objection from some 96% of those asked about it.

The 2015 Nobel prizes indicate how much the landscapes of diplomacy and letters have shifted in recent years.

LIMA, (Reuters) – The world’s rich countries most likely will be able to reach the goal of providing $100 billion a year by 2020 to help poor countries combat and adapt to climate change, as the result of increased pledges made in Lima, key ministers said yesterday.