Daily Archive: Sunday, December 20, 2015

The public is being notified that a 24-hour National Emergency Monitoring System (NEMS) has been activated through the Civil Defence Commission (CDC).

The National Insurance Scheme (NIS) says that the minimum rate for Old Age and Invalidity pensions will be increased from $21,352 to $25,000 per month from January 1st, 2016.

President David Granger this morning distributed toys to children at Buxton and Lusignan on the East Coast of Demerara.

During yesterday, mini-bus driver Jermaine Barrow succumbed to his injuries at the GPHC, the police say.

About 0015h today, shopkeeper Lebert Thomas, 50 years, of Melanie Damishana, ECD, was parking his motor vehicle in his yard when he was confronted by two men, one of whom shot him to his abdomen,  after which they escaped, the police said.

A 31-year-old security guard was knocked down and killed when an angry nightclub patron ploughed into him, a colleague and two police officers yesterday morning.

MELBOURNE (Reuters) – West Indies coach Phil Simmons has lamented a lack of match practice for his embattled team ahead of the second test against Australia.

In the coming days, 11 incarcerated mothers will be reunited with their families, President David Granger announced on Friday, while reiterating that this is part of government’s efforts to give those convicted for non-violent offences a second chance.

Photos by Joanna Dhanraj   Success was nearly not had in locating Good Success on the East Bank Demerara.

Minister of Public Infrastructure David Patterson has reached an agreement with the Berbice Bridge Company Incorporated (BBCI) for lowered tolls and will be signing a contract with the company in the coming week.

The long awaited Andrew ‘Sixhead’ Lewis Boxing Hall of Fame is now a reality.

The Christmas season, referred to as the season of goodwill, will see Guyanese of all religious persuasions seizing the opportunity of participating in all that the season has to offer.

A 49-year-old Guyanese man who migrated to United States several years ago died on Friday last shortly after he was found near a social club in New Jersey with a gunshot wound.

BRISBANE, Australia, CMC-The makers of a new bat being used by T20 superstar Chris Gayle say it does not give the flamboyant opener any special advantage and that the laws of the game have been adhered to.

Functions The tax structure is used to collect the revenues that the government utilizes in its programmes, and is a function of the historical experience of the country.

Skipper Royston Crandon and batsman Seon Hetmyer yesterday helped their team New Amsterdam/Canje/Lower Corentyne stage a daring come-from-behind 121-run win over Upper Corentyne in the final of the CGI/Local Franchise League limited overs tournament at the Albion Community Center ground.

Amid a doubling of drunk driving cases and increasing concern at the effects of alcohol abuse, President David Granger has promised action in the long term to deal with the scourge.

Christmas is about the unique drama of a miraculous birth intended to save all mankind.

Miss Guyana Lisa Punch placed in the top ten in the final of the Miss World competition, which concluded yesterday in Sanya, China and saw Miss Spain Mireia Lalaguna winning.

Ann’s Grove sealed a quarterfinal berth in the second annual Stag Beer Super XVI knockout tournament after a 2-1 victory over Eagles of West Demerara Friday at the Victoria Community ground.

Introduction Following last week’s description of the World Economic Forum’s (WEF), annual Global Competitiveness Index (GCI), today’s column focuses on Guyana’s results.

Up-and-coming pugilist Kevon Mullings yesterday punched his way to the best boxer award when the second and final Pepsi/Michael Parris Under-16 tournament concluded at the Andrew ‘Six Head’ Lewis Gym.

While keeping only the word ‘Tower’ the new owners of the former Hotel Tower are continuing renovations and hope that when it opens shortly, the new name and investment would be enough to resuscitate the entity and erase negative business connotations.

NEW DELHI, (Reuters) – India named Mahendra Singh Dhoni as their limited-overs captain for next year’s World Twenty20 at home while also throwing a lifeline for batsman Yuvraj Singh’s international career by including him in the shortest format for the Australia tour.

A fire, believed to have been started by a child who was playing with matches, gutted a North Ruimveldt home around midday yesterday leaving three persons homeless.

Over the last few years Venezuela has through its PetroCaribe oil and development facility provided an economic lifeline for most Caribbean Basin economies; extending support in a manner that no other country has been willing to replicate.

As West Indies cricket reels again from yet another debacle on the field, the clamours are naturally out again for the sacking of the present West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) and for the restructuring of the body governing the sport.

The National Assembly on Thursday approved a bill that will enable the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) to access the banking data of citizens, even as government rejected proposals from the PPP that would require that customers be given prior notice of any attempt to access their financial information.

(Reuters) – Dimuth Karunaratne and Kusal Mendis extended Sri Lanka’s lead over New Zealand in the second test to past 100 runs before Doug Bracewell grabbed two wickets in an over as the visitors reached 85 for three at lunch on the third day at Seddon Park.

To mark the anniversary of Martin Carter’s passing in December 1997, Gemma Robinson looks beyond the historic landmarks and considers Carter as he was writing forty years ago.

Amid moves by the housing authority to repossess some homes allocated to low income earners under the Low Income Settlement Programme for breaching their agreement, former Attorney General Anil Nandlall has threatened legal action to halt the moves.

(Reuters) – Paceman Mohammad Amir has taken another step towards international re-integration following a ban for match-fixing after being included in a Pakistan training and fitness squad.

The opposition People’s Progressive Party (PPP) has accused Regional Executive Officers (REOs) in the seven regions won by the party of flouting financial rules and procurement procedures, among other grievances.

MELBOURNE, Australia, CMC-Australian selector Mark Waugh has launched a scathing attack on the West Indies cricket team ahead of the second test match scheduled to start on Boxing Day in Melbourne.

As the spaces in the Giftland Mall continue to be taken up, Makin style Boutique, situated on the ground floor, was launched on Thursday with live models showcasing some of the designs that will be available there.

GEELONG, Australia, CMC – Opener Kraigg Brathwaite and Jermaine Blackwood both gathered half-centuries as West Indies survived a day of extreme temperatures to flourish on the opening day of their two-day tour fixture against Victoria XI yesterday.

It’s Christmas time, the season of goodwill and reflection, so we’ll take time off from the stodgier issues of diseases and their cures.

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – The United Nations Security Council on Friday unanimously approved a resolution endorsing an international road map for a Syria peace process, a rare show of unity among major powers on a conflict that has claimed more than a quarter million lives.

School of the Nations University student Jessica Clementson, 20, harboured a significant thought ever since she learnt to play chess as a modest teenage girl.

GEELONG, Australia, CMC– Middle order batsman Jermaine Blackwood said he almost lost concentration as he was forced to battle extreme heat on his way to a polished half century for West Indies against Victoria X1 on the first day of their two-day tour match yesterday.

BERLIN (Reuters) – Germany and Austria are working on a proposal for a common European asylum law, Germany’s refugee crisis coordinator said in an interview with German magazine Focus.

Two customers on Friday celebrated Christmas early as they were gifted $2 million each as part of the annual Courts ‘Big Prize’ promotion.

In Good Taste recipes this week – one side and one dessert – are not your usual Christmas fare and that’s a good thing.

EIGHTEEN years on, the West Indies’ thrashing by Australia in the first Test in Hobart last weekend bears uncanny similarities to their predecessors’ routs in all three Tests in Pakistan in November and December 1997.

ON BOARD THE USS KEARSARGE (Reuters) – A US aircraft appears to have mistakenly carried out an air strike that killed Iraqi security forces near the city of Fallujah, US Defense Secretary Ash Carter said yesterday.

            A brush fire in the John Fernandes container compound yesterday saw the Guyana Fire Service sorely tested.

HAVANA (Reuters) – Cuba is willing to keep improving relations with the United States even though Washington has failed to meet its key demands for normalization, Cuban President Raul Castro said on Friday, a day after the anniversary of detente.

Twenty-nine teachers from across the Caribbean on Friday completed the Spanish as a second language workshop which was facilitated by Caricom and the Mexican government.

RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) – A poll published yesterday in Brazil  gave a mild boost to the political survival prospects for President Dilma Rousseff, as she saw a slight bounce in her approval ratings, halting what has been an almost continuous slide for most of the year.

Almost 350 children were feted recently when the Dharm Shala held its 94th annual Christmas party at its Albouystown premises.

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, CMC- The Sri Lankan government says it has launched a probe into a bid to bribe members of the national cricket team to under-perform in a recent Test match against West Indies.

NAIROBI (Reuters) – The World Trade Organization reached deals on agricultural export subsidies, food aid and other issues yesterday, capping a ministerial conference in the Kenyan capital where rich and poor countries had been split over the path of trade reform.

Dear Editor, This letter seeks to draw increased attention to the developmental costs, both biological and economic, of some infectious diseases, including malaria, and Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs).

There are not many ways for a small country to project itself in a world of something like 195 independent states, especially when, in addition, the economic and military heavyweights have commandeered so much of the public space.

Norfolk Island Pine or Christmas Tree, Araucaria excels, originated from Norfolk Island, off the coast of Australia in the South Pacific.