Daily Archive: Tuesday, January 12, 2016

The Ministry of Public Health, Vector Control Services has begun fogging for vector control in identified communities.

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the state-owned National Communications Network, Molly Hassan this morning told Stabroek News that she had resigned from her post.

(Trinidad Guardian) While an estimated 1,300 businesses will no longer have to pay Value Added Tax (VAT) from next month, thousands of citizens will have to dig deeper in their pockets to buy several items, such as rice (except parboiled and boiled), flour (except all purpose and wheat), coffee, orange and grapefruit juices, mauby, tea and tomato ketchup.

The Ministry of Natural Resources last night announced that it had solicited a legal opinion on concerns that the mining holdings of Simona Broomes conflicts with her role as minister in the ministry.

By Jonelle Fields The trial of the five men accused of robbing Justice Nicola Pierre and her husband began yesterday with the emotional testimony of the judge, who identified at least three of the men as being responsible during the violent attack at her home and also said that calls to the police went unanswered.

Efforts to re-accredit the University of Guyana Medical School (UGMS) have been given a boost by “a good corporate citizen,” who has pledged $200M to assist in the construction of a building to be used for student instruction.

By Dreylan Johnson Nearly six months after being charged, Regan Rodrigues was yesterday sentenced to three years imprisonment for escaping custody, but cleared of the gun and ammunition possession charge which linked him to the murder of political activist Courtney Crum-Ewing.

All of GuySuCo’s estates made losses for 2014, led by Skeldon with a whopping $4.2b, and this was likely one of the factors that pushed the Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the corporation to recommend full privatization in three years.

Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan says that he prefers to await the outcome of a police investigation and Coroner’s Inquest before commenting on the involvement of an army rank in the recent bungled Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) operation that resulted in three deaths.

The Society Against Sexual Orientation Discrimination (SASOD) is calling on President David Granger and the APNU+AFC Government to honour what it says were promises made by the coalition to ensure the protection of people from being marginalised because of their sexual orientation.

Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman and Minister in the Ministry, Simona Broomes visited Mahdia in Region Eight on Sunday and heard a range of complaints including about the poor state of roads in the mainly mining community.

A member of the gang that fatally chopped elderly Bush Lot businessman Arthur Doodnauth Rajkumar and his common-law wife Diane Chamanlall in their home last Saturday has also confessed to their involvement in the arson at Hope in which Anita Baichan burned to death.

At the request of the Education Ministry, Television Guyana (TVG) will continue to provide satellite uplink services for the Guyana Learning Channel (GLC) despite longstanding concerns that this contract was not necessary in the first place.

The villages of Anna Regina and Adventure, Essequibo Coast have been thrown into shock as two persons tragically took their own lives last week.

Over two weeks after Mon Repos carpenter Ganesh Ramlakhan was allegedly stabbed to death by his cousin, the police are yet to find the perpetrator, who has contacted the family from Suriname to make death threats.

The Ministry of the Presidency (MOTP) yesterday said that President David Granger has not interfered and will not interfere in any probe by the police or army of the Carifesta Avenue fatal crash but former Attorney General Anil Nandlall yesterday maintained that the President’s statements amount to meddling with the inquiry process.

Almost one year after Richard Remington was murdered, two of the five men accused of killing him were charged and remanded to prison during last week.

By Dreylan Johnson   Nearly six months after being charged, Regan Rodrigues was yesterday sentenced to three years imprisonment for escaping custody, but cleared of the gun and ammunition possession charge which linked him to the murder of political activist Courtney Crum-Ewing.

As investigators continue to probe the murder of British teen Dominic Bernard, the High court yesterday granted a 72-hour extension to police for the detention of suspects Aaron Hing and Staymon George, who are still to be charged.

Canada yesterday donated $3m worth of items- including video analysis equipment – to the Guyana Police Force to bolster the fight against crime.

A man was yesterday sentenced to one year in jail for robbing a woman of her gold chain in a gun-point attack.

A Plaisance market vendor was yesterday placed on $10,000 bail after being charged with assaulting a longtime friend after the woman inquired about her husband.

BASSETERRE, St Kitts, CMC – Opener Assad Fudadin’s attractive half-century powered Guyana Jaguars to a convincing six-wicket victory over winless Combined Campuses and Colleges Marooners in their third round Regional Super50 contest here yesterday.

Minister of Public Health Dr. George Norton yesterday visited the Cheddi Jagan Dental Centre on Carmichael Street and declared himself very impressed with the services offered.

An Enterprise man was yesterday released on $80,000 bail after he denied kicking his partner after he accused her of being unfaithful.

MUMBAI, (Reuters) – Stephen Fleming will reunite with India’s limited-overs skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni at the new Pune team after the former New Zealand captain was named as coach for the Indian Premier League (IPL) Twenty20 tournament.

Rated as one of the greatest football players from Canada, an emotional Alex Bunbury could not fight back tears as he addressed a media gathering yesterday during a press conference held at the Pegasus Hotel.

Dear Editor, There has been a barrage of comments in the media after the Report of the Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into GuySuCo was made public recently.

Dear Editor, I view with alarm the surveillance operation at the home of Winston Brassington reportedly carried out by SOCU which turned deadly leading to the death of GDF agent Robert Pyle, his wife Stacy Pyle, a civilian nurse, and truck driver Linden Eastman.

Uitvlugt won the Mayor Hamilton Green 81st birthday seven-a-side inter-ward football tournament defeating Pouderoyen via penalty kicks in the final Sunday at the Den Amstel Community ground.

Last week, the Caribbean Regional Anti-Doping Organisation sent out a press release that stated that following tests conducted last year in Guyana, laboratory results confirmed “three adverse analytical findings.”

Dear Editor, I was extremely happy when the coalition was elected to govern our country.

Senior umpire Shannon Crawford was re-elected unopposed as president of the Demerara Cricket Umpires and Scorers Association (DCUSA) following the Annual General Meeting Sunday at the Lusignan Community Centre.

Guyana Volleyball President (GVF) John Flores said yesterday that one of the main objectives of the federation this year is to acquire land for the construction of a volleyball court, an initiative which will be supported by the government of Brazil.

Dear Editor, Those pushing for the legalization of marijuana should take note of the growing number of murders of Guyana’s innocent citizens, and now a young, promising non-resident.

Dear Editor, I thank you for carrying my letter last Tuesday in which I suggested that the Middleton and Duncan Streets canals needed to be desilted.

WASHINGTON, (Reuters) – Seven Republican presidential candidates will participate in Fox Business Network’s prime-time debate on Thursday, but Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky and former business executive Carly Fiorina did not qualify for the main event, the network said yesterday.

The 2016 horse racing season continues on Sunday at the Budhan Memorial Turf Club with seven exciting races.

Dear Editor, I am so appalled at the latest macabre news items that have hit our airwaves that I do not know where to begin.

Colts, Sunday, reached the division one final of the Georgetown Amateur Basketball Association (GABA) league championships after edging Ravens 82-80 at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall.

Albouystown, Mocha and Tiger Bay A teams along with Mocha B team were   winners when the Central Georgetown Police Youth Group coordinated Rainforest Water Knockout Futsal championships continued Saturday at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall, Homestretch Avenue.

Dear Editor, We are in a new year and am certain before the end of December at least three more countries will abolish appeals to the Privy Council and accept the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) as the final court of appeal.

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC – Tail-ender Sheldon Cottrell smashed a brace of sixes at the death as Jamaica Scorpions escaped with a nervy two-wicket win over hapless Barbados Pride, to post their second victory of the Regional Super50 here yesterday.

DUBAI, (Reuters) – Iran has removed the core of its Arak heavy water nuclear reactor and filled it with cement as required under a nuclear deal signed with world powers last year, the semi-official Fars news agency said yesterday, citing an informed Iranian source.

NEW YORK/ WASHINGTON, (Reuters) – U.S. investigators will examine actor Sean Penn’s interactions with Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, two U.S.

KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – The West Indies Cricket Board says the reason it rejected Test captain Jason Holder’s application for a No Objection Certificate (NOC) to play in the inaugural Pakistan Super League was because the player’s first priority needed to be the domestic competition.

CULIACAN, Mexico/ WASHINGTON, (Reuters) – Efforts to combat illegal gunrunning from the United States to Mexico have stumbled in recent years amid a lack of cooperation between officials on both sides, according to a report released yesterday by a U.S.

Dear Editor, I speak for most Guyanese when I appeal for unity in our beloved country.

More care needed: A driver lost control of his vehicle, PLL 8383 on Sunday night and crashed into a utility pole before flying into the nearby trench.

BERLIN, (Reuters) – German Chancellor Angela Merkel faced growing pressure to harden her line on refugees yesterday as the first extensive police report on New Year’s Eve violence in Cologne documented rampant sexual assaults on women by gangs of young migrant men.

MIRPUR, Bangladesh, CMC – West Indies Under-19s produced a weak batting performance to go down by eight wickets to Bangladesh Under-19s, in their opening one-day game of the three-match warm-up series at the Shere Bangla National Stadium here yesterday.

CARACAS, (Reuters) – Venezuela’s Supreme Court ruled yesterday that the new National Assembly’s decisions are void unless three banned opposition lawmakers are removed from office, deepening a power struggle over the opposition’s new legislative majority.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, CMC – Former World champions West Indies have regained top spot in the ICC Twenty20 rankings without bowling a single delivery, thanks to Sri Lanka’s demise on Sunday against New Zealand.

Dear Editor, I think that the government is making a serious mistake.

LONDON, (Reuters) – David Bowie, the visionary British rock star who coupled hits such as “Space Oddity” with trend-setting pop personas like “Ziggy Stardust,” has died at age 69, apparently of liver cancer, just two days after releasing what appears to be the parting gift of a new album.

The Guyana Post Office Corporation (GPOC) facilitated an educational tour for Third Form students of Queen’s College at its eadquarters yesterday.

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif., (Reuters) – Revenge drama “The Revenant” and space adventure “The Martian” took the top film awards at Sunday’s Golden Globes, setting them up as formidable Oscar contenders after a night of surprises and stinging barbs from return host Ricky Gervais.

Dear Editor, Will West Indies cricket die? “‘Clarke, we’re depending on you.

BRASILIA, (Reuters) – Brazil’s federal tax authority and prosecutors are investigating 13 foreign and local banks for possible financial crimes intermediating loans to Brazilian engineering conglomerate Grupo Schahin, newspaper O Estado de S.

SYDNEY, Australia, CMC – All-rounder Dwayne Bravo extended his fine batting form, upstaging both West Indies teammates Chris Gayle and Andre Russell, as he fired Melbourne Renegades to a handsome five-wicket win over Sydney Thunder here yesterday.

Decades of varying degrees of state control of the media in Guyana has retarded the growth of a culture of unhindered two-way information flow between government and governed, a condition customarily associated with democratic behaviour.

Dear Editor, I refer to the editorial ‘SOCU and the military’ (Sunday Stabroek, January 10).