Daily Archive: Saturday, November 28, 2015

Courts Guyana Inc. will on Monday unveil and introduce its newest arm to the Guyanese market – Courts Optical Guyana, which will be operating from our Courts Main Street store.

Amid growing controversy over its clinching of a MoU for the Specialty Hospital with a previous bidder, the Ministry of Finance this evening defended its actions stating that they are consistent with the Procurement Act.

WASHINGTON, (Reuters) – Expressing what has become regularly repeated frustration on the issue, President Barack Obama said today the United States needs to “do something” to make it harder for criminals to get guns after a shooting in Colorado killed three people and injured nine.

LOS ANGELES, (Reuters) – Oscar voters on Saturday gave honorary awards to three movie veterans, including director Spike Lee, at a gala event that shone a spotlight on Hollywood’s drive for diversity amid its glitzy awards season.

LOS ANGELES, (Reuters) – Music by rockers the Grateful Dead and Fleetwood Mac, jazz greats Miles Davis and Louis Armstrong and singers Blondie and Roberta Flack will be enshrined in the Grammy Hall of Fame, The Recording Academy said on Wednesday.

A forensic audit report on the billion-dollar Carifesta X, hosted here in 2008, has found that there was no budget, the accounting was badly handled, there were transactions without tender board input, controversial government holding company NICIL provided significant financing and $26m is still outstanding to various creditors.

Mere days before a final report is to be handed over, a petition for the Walter Rodney Commission of Inquiry (CoI) to sit for two more weeks so as to complete its work was on Thursday handed over to government.

Government plans to seek pre-commercial production payments from oil company ExxonMobil to fund a number of projects, Minister of Governance Raphael Trotman says.

Guyana’s first ever Business Exposition opened yesterday and saw a promise by Business Minister Dominic Gaskin to make doing business in the country easier.

A teen is now dead and another youth is hospitalised with injuries after they collided with a pick-up truck in the city on Thursday night.

A young Essequibo Coast man, who was riding his motorcycle while under the influence of alcohol, is now dead after he ran off the road at Exmouth.

Windsor Forest logger Ravindra ‘Ravi’ Persaud was killed on Thursday morning after he lost control of his laden truck, which overturned on the Mabura Road and pinned him underneath.

The body of a man, clad only in a long-sleeved shirt and underwear, washed ashore behind the Marriott Hotel at Kingston yesterday afternoon.

Several labour violations and poor working conditions were unearthed yesterday when Junior Social Protec-tion Minister Simona Broomes and officials from the Labour Department conducted a surprise inspection of stores in New Amsterdam.

The Guyana Agricultural and General Workers’ Union (GAWU) on Thursday called off a strike by sugar workers, following a special meeting of its General Council.

At the conclusion of a four-day review, the Dutch Risk Reduction (DRR) Team on Thursday presented its preliminary recommendations on Guyana’s drainage system and emphasised the need for a technical and managerial upgrade.

The Women and Gender Equality Commission (WGEC) is taking the wheel in the fight to end sexual harassment in the workplace and chairperson Indra Chandarpal says in addition to a public education campaign, the commission will be pushing for the establishment of relevant legislation.

Roraima Airways Inc on Friday afternoon together with the rest of the aviation community honoured the late Captain Alvin Winston Clarke as they greeted his body, which was flown home from Canada.

Government has remained mum on the retreat that is slated for today, when Cabinet and members of the Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the sugar industry are expected to meet.

North Georgetown’s Jason Yaw smashed the boys’ under-20 400m record en route to recording a sprint double but the category’s champion boy’s historic performance was not enough to prevent Upper Demerara/Kwakwani (District 10) from regaining the coveted Champions of Champions trophy.

Roxanne Lawrie, a Charity vendor who police say deals drugs to school children, was on Thursday charged over cocaine and marijuana found near her stall.

Patrick Anthony Balgobin yesterday pleaded not guilty to murdering Rudolph Moonsammy when his trial began before Justice Jo-Ann Barlow and a 12-member jury at the High Court, in Georgetown.

MIRPUR, Bangladesh, CMC – West Indies batsman Marlon Samuels extended his excellent form with another match-winning knock as he lifted Comilla Victorians to a handsome nine-wicket victory over Lendl Simmons’ Rangpur Riders in the Bangladesh Premier League here yesterday.

The prosecution yesterday closed its case against Anthony Morrison, who is on trial for the murder of his common-law wife, Donna Thomas.

Following the rescheduling of fixtures due to a wet playing surface, the 2nd edition of the Smalta/ Ministry of Public Health Girls U-11 Football Championship will resume today at the Ministry of Education ground on Carifesta Avenue.

Milerock last night sailed into the finals of the inaugural Guyana Telephone & Telegraph Company (GTT)/Limacol Knockout Football Championship with a 2-0 win over Winners Connection at the Victoria Community Ground, East Coast Demerara.

A date has been set for the commencement of the preliminary inquiry (PI) into the murder charge against Beverley Persaud and Oswald Yaw, who are accused of killing block maker Nathan Andrew Persaud.

A brain infection has been given as the cause of death for Michelle Bristol, who collapsed and died at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport on Tuesday.

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC – Legendary former West Indies captain Clive Lloyd has advised rookie Trinidad and Tobago Red Force captain Yannick Ottley to continue learning from his experiences in his new role at the helm of the side.

Dear Editor, I have been following, with interest, the case of the 72-year old granny who was murdered in her own home which was adjacent to an auto sales business on Robb Street.

Junior and Ladies Champion Nicola Ramdyhan and teammate Aretta Dey capitalized on a golden opportunity to defeat Shelly Daly and Fiona Bushell to capture the Ladies Doubles Championship in two sets 6-4, 6-4, according to a release from the tennis association.

The Guyana Elections Commission (Gecom) will be holding meetings on the upcoming local government elections within all of the 62 Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (NDCs) and the nine Municipalities where the polls are to be contested.

LONDON, (Reuters) – Paula Radcliffe, world marathon record holder and one of Britain’s most popular athletes, has been cleared by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) of any allegation of doping.

Dear Editor, Local government elections are finally to be held in March 2016 as announced by the Minister of Communities and I know that this has been welcomed by most if not all.

A workshop and seminar on the feasibility of using cold mix asphalt in infrastructural road works was hosted by the Demerara Harbour Bridge Corporation (DHBC), under the auspices of the Ministry of Public Infrastructure (MPI), on Wednesday, at the Pegasus Hotel.

ADELAIDE, Australia, CMC – Australia may have to do without a key member of their seam attack for their three-Test series against West Indies starting next month after left-arm seamer Mitchell Starc limped out of the historic first day/night Test against New Zealand with a stress fracture of his right foot.

Dear Editor, I would like to take this opportunity to highlight the formation and planned launch of the Guyana Disabled Businesspersons Association Inc (GDBA) for the 50th Anniversary of Guyana’s Republic Anniversary next year May 2016.

Three Lindeners were yesterday charged with stealing a total of just under $1 million in items in separate break-ins.

The Government of Guyana has thrown its support behind the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) and its Stag Beer Elite League by stating its intention to sponsor the league’s first place prize of four million dollars.

 Photos by Keron Bruce   Twenty-five-year-old Shauna Ramdyhan can now scratch beauty queen off her bucket list as having fulfilled that two Sundays ago when she was formally crowned this year’s Miss Guyana Universe at the Ramada Georgetown Princess Hotel.

Dear Editor, The nation learnt that the Minister of Finance, a few days ago, signed a Memorandum of Understanding for the continuation of the specialty hospital.

Baroness Patricia Scotland has been elected to be the next Commonwealth Secretary-General, making her the first woman that will take up the post.

Dear Editor, The letter ‘Let Ogle remain Ogle’ (SN, November 23) refers.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo., (Reuters) – Police arrested a gunman who stormed a Planned Parenthood abortion clinic in Colorado Springs yesterday and opened fire with a rifle in an attack that left three people dead and nine others injured, authorities said.

DUBAI, (Reuters) – England survived a late blitz from Shahid Afridi to secure a three-run victory in the second Twenty20 international against Pakistan in Dubai yesterday to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.

As we rush to Christmas and the close of the year—yes this is the last Saturday in November—the predictable and unpredictable is happening in the world of entertainment.

BRASILIA, (Reuters) – Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff yesterday called off a trip to Japan and Vietnam to save money after ordering a budget freeze of 10 billion reais ($2.60 billion) that threatens to grind the government to a halt.

Hi Everyone, Picture this – you’ve just pulled out a recipe you had bookmarked or jotted down.

ADELAIDE, (Reuters) – New Zealand’s pacemen struck back with two late wickets under the floodlights at Adelaide Oval but Australia’s bowlers shined in the sun as the inaugural day-night test opened on Friday.

Dear Editor, I have read in the papers that the three new townships of Mabaruma, Lethem and Bartica have been duly gazetted.

The Guyana Elections Commission (Gecom) will be holding meetings on the upcoming local government elections within all of the 62 Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (NDCs) and the nine Municipalities where the polls are to be contested.

Defending men’s champs Pepsi Hikers, Georgetown Cricket Club and Old Fort Shooting Stars were amongst the winners when the 11th Diamond Mineral Water Hockey Festival commenced on Thursday at the National Gymnasium.

Dear Editor, It is disappointing enough to hear it from administrators, who need excuses for their own failures, but to hear old timers who had no alternative but to play for nothing, those who took the first opportunity to play for something when something became available, and fans who have never played the game at a high level, complain about players accepting offers to earn incomes beyond their wildest imaginations rather than remain eligible to play for the West Indies for modest remuneration, is downright upsetting.

BRASILIA, (Reuters) – Brazil’s federal and state governments plan to sue the owners of the Samarco iron ore miner for 20 billion reais ($5.24 billion)in damages caused by the burst of a tailings dam, Environment Minister Izabella Teixeira told reporters yesterday.

BOGOTA, (Reuters) – Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos said yesterday the whole world should condemn the killing of a Venezuelan opposition activist ahead of the country’s elections next week.

SABANETA, Venezuela, (Reuters) – In 2010, late socialist leader Hugo Chavez knelt down in the backyard of his childhood home in Venezuela’s lush plains to plant an orange tree named ‘revolution’ as red-shirted supporters cheered and cameras flashed.

NAGPUR, India, (Reuters) – Ravichandran Ashwin led South Africa’s rout on a spinners’ paradise as India romped to a 124-run victory with more than two days to spare in the third test to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the four-match series yesterday.

Dear Editor, I wish to remind President Granger of a promise he made during his election campaign while in Lethem.

Sonia Noel returned to her old stomping grounds and was the featured designer at Music Fashion Hair Barbados (MFHB) 2015, which was held over the past week.

(Jamaica Observer) Digicel has confirmed the release of 51 expatriate members of its team with expectations that the positions will be taken up by locals.

It feels so good to not wear a coat. I’m back in Guyana for a bit before I leave for my belated honeymoon.

GENEVA, (Reuters) – A World Trade Organization dispute panel ruled against Colombia’s tariff on textiles, clothes and shoes yesterday, dismissing its argument that the measures were needed to fight -money laundering.

It is hard to imagine a time when people felt there were too few shopping days before Christmas.

            Thirty-two women this past week benefited from an elderly care workshop conducted at the Palms Geriatric Institution, under the patronage of First Lady Sandra Granger.

Dear Editor, I find myself wondering, all things considered, if the rampaging crime wave is more than ordinary criminality.

NAGPUR, India, (Reuters) – Captain Virat Kohli said there were no demons in the pitch after his India team beat South Africa inside three days for the second time in the series to take a winning 2-0 lead in the four-match contest yesterday.