Daily Archive: Tuesday, February 2, 2016

Residents of 9th Street Cummings Lodge are elated that their street which was in a deplorable state for years, is now receiving attention, GINA said.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, CMC – Retired veteran left-hander Shiv Chanderpaul believes his recent shabby treatment at the hands of selectors is a worrying sign for the younger generation of West Indies cricketers.

The police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the death of Ramroop Rameshwar, 63 years, of Parika Sea Dam, EBE, whose body was found in his home at about 0630h.

CARACAS, (Reuters) – Two former cabinet ministers under late Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez are seeking an investigation to trace the fate of some $300 billion allegedly embezzled during the past decade through a complex currency control system.

Four containers of evaporated and condensed milk were refused entry to the country last month as they didn’t meet the prescribed standards because they contained vegetable fat, a release from the Government Analyst – Food and Drug Department (GA-FDD) said today.

DES MOINES, Iowa, (Reuters) – U.S. Senator Ted Cruz soundly defeated billionaire Donald Trump in Iowa’s Republican nominating contest on Monday, upending the party’s presidential race and creating a three-way competition with establishment candidate Senator Marco Rubio.

Two young children were saved by residents from a burning house at Ann’s Grove, East Coast Demerara early yesterday morning.

Farmers in the Mahaica and Mahaicony areas are preparing for enormous losses as they desperately seek to preserve limited water stores, which they say are being selfishly siphoned off.

“I don’t have a job and I can’t get a job.

Former Minister of Public Service Jennifer Westford and the ministry’s past Chief Personnel Officer Margaret Cummings were yesterday arraigned on 24 charges alleging they stole more than $639 million from the Government of Guyana.

After two extensions for the submission of a final report, Chairman of the Walter Rodney Commis-sion of Inquiry (CoI) Sir Richard Cheltenham yesterday said that it will be handed over to the President on Monday.

Two men were yesterday both granted bail in a city court after they each denied attacking a friend.

A Sophia man was yesterday released on bail after denying charges that he beat his common-law wife and threatened to kill her.

A man was yesterday released on self-bail by a city court after denying a charge that he slapped his common-law wife.

The government’s planned increase in gun licence fees as a revenue earning strategy is “a lazy move,” according to PPP General Secretary Clement Rohee, who yesterday said that this will put a dent in people’s spending power.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, CMC – West Indies’ stay at the summit of the ICC Twenty20 world rankings has ended after just three weeks.

The trial of Leon Duncan yesterday heard that the person with whom he allegedly said he had left the Cool Square Hotel, on the morning Imtiaz Roopnarine was murdered there, had a different story.

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – Twenty20 captain Darren Sammy has spoken of his disappointment at not being offered a retainer contract by the West Indies Cricket Board.

Former Deputy Chief Executive Officer (Administration) of the Guyana Power & Light (GPL), Aeshwar Deonarine, has filed a motion in the High Court in which he contends that Minister of Public Infrastructure, David Patterson, had no authority to send him on administrative leave.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, CMC – Batting legend Brian Lara has tipped India to win the Twenty20 World Cup but says West Indies can threaten once they can avoid the inconsistency which has plagued them in the past.

The Preliminary Inquiry (PI) into the murder charge against Richard Stanton, who is accused of killing of businesswoman Patricia Sanasie, continued yesterday with police inspector Nolan Burnette being subjected to further examinations by both the prosecution and the defence.

The Guyana Press Association (GPA) yesterday reminded media houses of their responsibility to practice ethical and responsible journalism as well as uphold the law, following an egregious breach by the Guyana Times in its last Saturday edition.

The 2016 campaigns of the Pepsi Hornets and the UG Wolves got off to positive starts this past weekend at the National Park.

Tiger Bay solidified their status as the leading Futsal playing district, sweeping the female, boys U17, trainers and Open sections when the Central Georgetown Police Youth Group coordinated Rainforest Water Knockout Futsal Championship concluded yesterday.

As the Guyana Police Force continues the investigation into the disappearance of national footballer Ronson Anthony Williams and Carlos Anderson, the High Court yesterday granted the police an extension to keep the suspect in custody for three more days.

Cool Runnings, Royal Youth, Sparta Boss and Silver Bullets secured opening day wins when the inaugural Guyana Beach Soccer Association (GBSA) National Championships commenced on Sunday at the Bayroc Beach Facility in Linden.

Just two days after the Guyana Police Force issued a wanted bulletin for two more suspects in connection with the robbery of the Bank of Baroda branch at Mon Repos, one of the men, Shawn Harris, yesterday surrendered himself to the police.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, CMC – Former West Indies captain Brian Lara has backed young Test captain Jason Holder to become “an awesome leader” but believes he first requires the full support of the West Indies Cricket Board.

ST JOHN’S, Antigua, CMC – West Indies Cricket Board president Dave Cameron says his record in office will be the sole determinant of whether he stands for re-election next year.

Schools, large bands and other steel pan groups are gearing up for the Annual Republic Bank Pan-O-Rama Steel Pan Competition on February 25 and 28 as part of this year’s Mashramani events.

A Linden man was yesterday remanded to prison, after he was charged with possession of narcotics in a West Berbice Court.

LONDON, CMC – All-rounder Dwayne Bravo will join West Indies teammate Chris Gayle in the English T20 Blast after putting pen to paper for County club Surrey.

A national protocol for Child Advocacy Centres (CACs), which was signed in December, will see ensure uniformity in their operations and procedures, a press release from the Chambers of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) said.

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC – West Indies one-day batsman Jason Mohammed turned the page on his poor form during the recent Regional Super50 with a hundred or his club PowerGen in the opening series of the 50-overs championship here Saturday.

Focus on Guyana’s National Budget 2016 represents the twenty-sixth edition of this Ram & McRae annual publication which highlights, reviews and comments on the major issues surrounding and raised in the National Budget.

(The Sports Xchange) – Highlights of Sunday’s National Basketball Association games: Warriors 116, Knicks 95 Draymond Green recorded his ninth triple-double of the season, leading the Golden State Warriors to a 116-95 win over the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.

Financial Review Current Revenue earned in 2015 of $161,710 million was $1,941.4 million short of budget.

LONDON, (Reuters) – He is the tennis version of the Terminator and he’ll definitely be back at the French Open in May, but for Novak Djokovic his exploits at the claycourt major could decide his place in the pantheon of greats.

Dear Editor, With respect to the upcoming elections of the Guyana Teachers Union, it is mind boggling for us teachers that the present executive would want to seek re-election to office after having failed us over the years.

Dear Editor, Please refer to Mr Earl John’s letter in your publication of January 21.

As a matter of convenience this section highlights unresolved issues from pronouncements of earlier years and is presented in three parts – National issues, Campaign promises, and Pronouncements by the Minister of Finance in the 2015 Budget.

Guyana Jaguars Assistant Coach Rayon Griffith said the three-day practice match which bowls off today at the Georgetown Cricket Club (GCC) Ground Bourda, will help get the cricketers backinto four-day mode following the staging of the regional one day competition.

Den Amstel were crowned the West Demerara Football Association (WDFA) sanctioned 2nd Annual Derick Josiah Memorial Knockout Champs, downing Pouderoyen 7-6 on penalty kicks in the grand finale on Sunday at the Den Amstel Community ground.

Policy issues The Minister of Finance Mr. Winston Jordan presented the second budget of the APNU/AFC Coalition – with the theme “Stimulating Growth, Restoring Confidence: The Good Life Beckons”and anchored on five pillars: National Unity, National Infrastructure, National Institutions, National Security and Public Services.

Dear Editor,     The water crisis that was confronting Bartica has been addressed with the re-installation of a pump at the Bamford Point GWI Pump House on Saturday, January 30.

Dear Editor, As a former rice farmer and rice extension officer I still hold strong to my view that if water had been pumped early from the Pomeroon river when there was an abundance of sweet water, many acres of rice could have been saved in Region Two.

GENEVA/LONDON (Reuters) – The World Health Organisation yesterday declared the mosquito-borne Zika virus an international public health emergency due to its link to thousands of birth defects in Brazil, as the UN agency sought to build a global response to the threat.

The Government’s projected Financial Plan for 2016 is summarised and tabled on page ___ of this Publication.

CAPE TOWN, (Reuters) – South Africa have called all-rounder David Wiese into their squad for the first two one-day internationals against England starting in Bloemfontein tomorrow.

Current Non-Interest Expenditure In this section we consider how the budgeted expenditure is allocated among the principal Ministries, Departments, Regions and Programmes.

The Guyana Amateur Basketball Federation (GABF) has officially identified the 16 teams that will compete in the Road to Mecca 3 National Club Championships which is to commence in March at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall.

GENEVA/BEIRUT/ROME (Reuters) – The United Nations announced the formal start of peace talks for Syria yesterday and urged world powers to push for a ceasefire even as government forces, backed by Russian air strikes, launched their biggest offensive north of Aleppo in a year.

Dear Editor, Jamaica Prime Minister Portia Simpson-Miller shocked Jamaicans and other Caribbean nationals last Sunday night when she announced that general elections in her country will he held on February 25 ‒ ten months before the constitutional date.

KAMPALA (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – Uganda dispatched a team of more than 370 health workers to the northern part of the country yesterday where a malaria epidemic ravaging the region since July has killed about 658 people.

WELLINGTON, (Reuters) – New Zealand will be hoping to stifle their opponents by taking pace off the ball with the inclusion of three frontline spinners in their 15-man squad for next month’s World Twenty20 in India.

Dear Editor, The 2016 budget calls for the banning of used tyres and old cars.

Section 6 of the 2016 Budget Speech contains thirty paragraphs of Budget measures, some of which are regulatory rather than fiscal.

NEW DELHI, (Reuters) – India are resting batting mainstay Virat Kohli for the three 20-over matches against Sri Lanka this month with an eye on the Twenty20 World Cup on home soil.

ROME (Reuters) – Nearly two dozen nations gather today to plot their fight against the Islamic State militant group in Syria and Iraq and how to choke off its rise in Libya.

Dear Editor, I applaud the relatively early selection of the squad for the World Cup, the choice of players (although I think more than15 should have been chosen in light of the issue with the world`s greatest limited- overs spinner), and would have liked to see Emrit included.

Dear Editor, I am cocksure that there were a thousand more like me whose attention was also caught by it.

ATHENS (Reuters) – “What did I do? I didn’t do anything,” asked Emilia Kamvisi, an 85-year-old grandmother from the Greek island of Lesbos, when she heard she’d been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.

The opposition will not submit nominees for membership on some state boards unless government assures that it will not be involved in their running, Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo said yesterday.

SYDNEY, (Reuters) – Australia’s Aaron Finch will not require surgery on his injured hamstring, the country’s cricket board said yesterday, raising hopes that the captain will be fit for next month’s World Twenty20 in India.

Dear Editor, We would like to call on the Georgetown City Council and all the politicos attached to it to desist from campaigning in the guise of ‘working’ in the weeks leading up the March 18 local government elections.

ROME (Reuters) – Pope Francis is expected to appear in a spiritual film aimed at children, Italian producers said yesterday, but the Vatican said the pontiff will not be acting.

Pension costs are rising in Guyana. The NIS was driven to near crisis as pension costs kept soaring.

Budget Focus welcomes the early presentation of the 2016 Budget and looks forward to the practise to the early years of independence when budgets were prepared before the end of the year.

Boys will be boys: Enjoying a swing fashioned from rope and a bit of wood and slung in a tree along South Road.

Dear Editor, The Guyanese society like many societies is complex and as I have mentioned before in some of my letters, Guyana is generally a high context culture, however, there are shifts towards a low context culture particularly by the people, the followership; while the leadership remains largely high context.

BRASILIA (Reuters) – Brazil’s top health official said yesterday that the Zika virus outbreak is proving to be worse than believed because most cases show no symptoms, but improved testing should allow the country to get a better grip on the burgeoning public health crisis.

CAPE TOWN, (Reuters) – South Africa have added paceman Marchant de Lange to their squad for five one-day internationals against England, Cricket South Africa said.

Pope Francis, who has made the plight of migrants one of the central themes of his papacy, should have no mercy with Republican hopeful Donald Trump when the pontiff visits Mexico in mid-February.

It was always likely that one of the important areas of public interest in this year’s budget proposals would be whether or not there would be an announcement regarding salary increases for public servants.

DES MOINES, Iowa (Reuters) – Iowans kicked off the 2016 US presidential nominating contest yesterday with a first-in-the-country vote that could bolster or complicate the White House hopes of front-running Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton.

NEW DELHI, (Reuters) – By capitalising on his chance selection in Australia, India paceman Jasprit Bumrah has afforded his captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni a rare pleasant feeling — of having a settled bowling unit at his disposal.

Dear Editor, The management of Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) wishes to thank the letter writer (Cleaning of CJIA not up to international standards, SN 28/01/2016) for expressing concern over the sanitary conditions of the washrooms and carpets.

CARACAS (Reuters) – President Nicolas Maduro’s government is likely underestimating the number of Zika cases in Venezuela, which could hurt efforts to combat the virus-bearing mosquito, according to local doctors, opposition politicians and neighbouring Colombia.

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