Daily Archive: Thursday, February 4, 2016

LOS ANGELES, (Reuters) – Maurice White, the founder of R&B funk band Earth, Wind & Fire, died in Los Angeles at age 74, a band spokesman said.

As part of the Ministry of Health’s efforts to reduce infant mortality, the Neo-natal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at the West Demerara Regional Hospital, has been refurbished.

Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI), the Nation’s supplier of Water and Sanitation Services, advises of another decrease in the level of the East Demerara Water Conservancy (EDWC) due to the prolonged dry season.

Today, factory maintenance work in the sugar factories across the country and other field works were severely affected as the overwhelming majority of sugar workers struck in support of the Wales sugar workers and those aggrieved residents in on-going efforts to stay the decision to close the Estate, a release from GAWU said today.

Two Sentinel Security guards are nursing gunshot wounds after trading bullets with armed men who launched a surprise attack at the Movie Towne construction site located at Pattensen, East Coast Demerara early this morning.

DUBAI, (Reuters) – The boards of India, England and Australia will no longer be permanent members of the International Cricket Council’s decision-making executive committee, the governing body said today.

Investigations are being conducted into a fatal accident that occurred at about 0650h.

About 2200h. last night, the police say that Saitanya Kishundyal, 21 years, of Rosehall, Corentyne, was closing the gate to his residence when he was confronted by a man armed with a firearm during which there was a scuffle and he was shot to his abdomen and the assailant escaped.

Investigations are being conducted into the murder of Ramkarran Mohanlall, 33 years, of Annandale South, ECD, which occurred at about 2305h last night at Annandale, the police say.

SYDNEY/LONDON, (Reuters) – WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange’s three-and-a-half-year stay in the Ecuadorian embassy in London amounts to ‘unlawful detention’, a United Nations panel examining his appeal will rule on Friday, the BBC reported.

The opposition PPP/C has promised a “hot” budget debate next week and several of its shadow ministers yesterday criticised aspects of the APNU+AFC government’s “taxation” budget charging that it is not for the ordinary man.

The Private Sector Commission (PSC) says it believes that this year’s budget will generate growth and lauded Finance Minister Winston Jordan on his presentation.

Former special constable Jermain Bristol was yesterday sentenced to 60 months’ imprisonment on a charge of conspiracy to traffic cocaine that was intercepted in rum bottles at the John F Kennedy airport in New York.

The Ministry of the Presidency (MOTP) yesterday denied that government’s hiring of contract workers has jumped saying that the absorption of various ministries into the MOTP accounted for the rise in its contract worker wage bill however questions remain about how many new persons were hired by the administration Stabroek News had reported yesterday that despite criticising former PPP/C administrations for subverting the public service through the heavy use of contract workers, the APNU+AFC Coalition government has not only continued the practice but has more than doubled the

The Ministry of Com-munications and Tourism has stepped in to allay fears about the spread of the Zika virus here given Guyana’s proximity to Brazil.

Wanted man Delroy Joseph called Barney who was shot last week, when police swooped down on a house at Nicolay Street, New Amsterdam, Berbice, appeared on Tuesday, at the New Amsterdam Court, where police instituted charges of robbery under arms, break and enter and larceny and trafficking narcotics.

Positing that the over $150 million used to conduct state audits was a waste of taxpayers’ money, Leader of the Opposition Bharrat Jagdeo on Tuesday called on government to make all audits undertaken public.

Salt and Pepper Restaurant, one of Georgetown’s well-known eating houses, is currently under renovation and will be reopening its doors soon to the public under new management.

The trial of Orin Jerrick, who is accused of murdering bus driver Gavin Fiffee at the Plaisance bus park in 2014, commenced yesterday before Justice Navindra Singh and a 12-member jury at the High Court in Georgetown.

An Orlando, Florida-based architecture and engineering group is involved in the designing of a US$30 million football project for Guyana that was conceived by former Canadian star Alex Bunbury, according to a report in the Orlando Sentinel newspaper.

Former President Bharrat Jagdeo on Tuesday urged the government to scale back its proposed plan to ban imports of used tyres and restrict the imports of used and re-conditioned vehicles.

The legal challenge of the sale of plots of land at Pradoville 1 and 2 came up for hearing before acting Chief Justice Yonnette Cummings-Edwards yesterday but was adjourned to March 8 so as to ensure that all those named are served with copies of the action.

The four Berbice sugar estates, Blairmont, Rose Hall, Albion and Skeldon, have signalled their intention to go on strike today.

Shivnarine Chanderpaul has insisted he has not retired from domestic cricket and intends to resume playing for Guyana within a couple of weeks.

Fuel prices have been reduced beginning February 1, but some minibus drivers say the reduction is not significant enough and are calling for an increase in fares.

The Parika Sea Dam man who was found murdered on Tuesday morning died from “asphyxiation due to suffocation and compression strangulation compounded by blunt trauma to the head and chest.”

Spinners Gudakesh Motie and Veerasammy Permaul ripped through Robin Bacchus’s XI top-order to leave the team 115-4 on the second day of the ongoing Guyana Jaguars preparatory three-day match at the Georgetown Cricket Club, ground, Bourda.

Dear Editor, Just a day after I wrote my letter re Anand Goolsarran’s NICIL audit, I noticed another SN article on January 25 by Mr Goolsarran.  

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, CMC – Recently retired batting star Shiv Chanderpaul has advised young batsmen not to imitate his batting stance, though it served him well throughout a stellar career.

Local law enforcement is investigating how 1.3 kilogrammes of cocaine got into the baggage compartment of a Dynamic Airlines flight that left here for the John F Kennedy Airport, New York on Tuesday.

Dear Editor, Please allow me the opportunity to reply to Mr M Maxwell’s letter to the editor, carried in Stabroek News, February 1.

Dear Editor, A blueprint of the proposed renovation of the Bartica Stelling was published in SN of Jan 20, 2016, a rare but refreshing happening, indeed.

ST.JOHN’S, Antigua, CMC – The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) is refuting a suggestion that it forced veteran cricketer Shivnarine Chanderpaul to retire from international cricket so that he can play in the inaugural Masters Cricket League (MCL) T20 currently underway in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

The decomposing body of a 58-year-old man of Bush Lot, West Coast Berbice was discovered in his home on Tuesday afternoon The man, Bheem Singh who lived alone was last seen alive on Sunday but neighbours did not suspect anything was wrong.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, CMC – West Indies icon Sir Vivian Richards likes the potential of the inaugural Pakistan Super League and says the tournament has the ability to take off once it attracts the right mix of players.

A street vendor accused of stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars in cable belonging to the Ministry of Public Health was yesterday granted $50,000 bail by a city court.

Dear Editor, There seems to be a viciousness in the way sections of Guyana’s media are dealing with private citizens and their troubles.

Dear Editor, Recently the National Centre for Educational Resource Development (NCERD) celebrated its 30th anniversary mere days before we marked the 8th death anniversary of the late Deryck Melton Alexander Bernard.

United States-based Guyanese Reverend Banmattie Ram and Jonathan Subrian yesterday met with President David Granger, at the Ministry of the Presidency, to give him an overview of a project that they started in Essequibo to combat suicide, a release from the Ministry of the Presidency said.

An abject defensive showing relegated Fruta Conquerors to a 5-2 defeat to Mocha based unit Riddim Squad when their pre-season campaign commenced on Tuesday at the Tucville Community ground.

(Reuters) – Matt Henry shrugged off the disappointment of missing out on selection for next month’s World Twenty20 with a hostile spell of pace bowling that helped New Zealand ease to a 159-run win over Australia in the first one-day international yesterday.

Fourteen months after a fire at Robb and King Streets claimed the lives of three persons including two children, the police last week detained two suspects including the alleged mastermind of the arson but later released the duo and will seek legal advice.

Dear Editor, I, like so many other persons, had expected the old age pension to be increased to twenty thousand dollars.

Dear Editor, The PPP General Secretary Clement Rohee has complained publicly that the PPP was not invited to be part of the planning of the Golden Jubilee celebrations, although Vincent Alexander, the point man for the ruling coalition, has said otherwise.

Shawn Harris who surrendered to the police on Monday after a wanted bulletin was issued for him in relation to the Bank of Baroda, Mon Repos branch robbery, is expected to appear in court today.

The National Association for Women’s Football (NAFWF) will commence the start of its season with a two day tourney to be held at the Tucville Community ground February 27th-28th from 8:00am.

A West Ruimveldt man yesterday made a court appearance on a wounding charge after he allegedly struck another man to the head with a piece of wood.

Dear Editor, The government has changed for the better of all, but it seems to me that some officers from the previous administration are resisting change.

At about 1200h on Tuesday, acting on information received, the police say that ranks from the Lethem Police Station went to Manari, Central Rupununi, where they arrested three men, two Guyanese and a Brazilian, in whose possession was found 15 horses that had been stolen from the ranch of a businessman at Manari, and were being taken to Brazil.

(Cricinfo) Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif, who recently returned to competitive cricket after serving five-year bans for spot-fixing, have been registered for the Caribbean Premier League’s player draft, which will take place on February 11.

A Turkeyen man was yesterday granted $150,000 bail on a charge of fraudulently converting a quantity of Apple iPhones worth over $1.6 million.

LIMA/WASHINGTON, (Reuters) – Peru has become the latest commodity exporter to seek financing help from the World Bank amid fiscal and currency pressures brought on by collapsing prices for metals, oil and other raw materials.

Dear Editor, My gripe here is specifically targeted at those persons who are opposed to the abolition of corporal punishment for the wrong reasons.

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados CMC- Organisers of the HERO Caribbean Premier League (CPL) are reporting that a record number of local and international stars have registered for the Player Draft scheduled for February 11 in Barbados.

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC- Vice captain of the West Indies Women cricket team, Skakera Selman, says she is gradually settling back into the side after missing the Pakistan’s tour of the Caribbean due to injury.

A taxi driver accused of stealing a bag containing money and a cellphone, denied the allegation yesterday when he made an appearance before a city court.

The case against the two police officers charged with assaulting detainee Colwyn Harding was yesterday adjourned to the 11th of February.

CARACAS, (Reuters) – Construction worker Roberto Miguez has been lying in a hospital bed with Guillain-Barre syndrome in Venezuela’s muggy Anzoategui state since Friday as his family desperately hunts for immunoglobulin to treat the condition.

GENEVA/BRASILIA, (Reuters) – The World Health Organization voiced concern on Wednesday over the reported sexual transmission of the Zika virus in Texas amid worries that such infections could make battling it even tougher.

Dear Editor, Key to the resolution of any woes to one of the bedrock industries in Guyana is the commercialization of our premium quality sugar.

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC– Captain of lowly ranked Trinidad and Tobago Red Force, Jason Mohammed, says he wants his side to finish among the top three in the WICB Professional Cricket League (PCL), Regional four-day tournament set to resume next weekend.

(Trinidad Guardian) A Cascade man was gunned down while his wife was fighting for her life at hospital last night, having been beaten with a brick and chopped by the men who killed her husband.

NORRISTOWN, Pa., (Reuters) – A Pennsylvania judge refused to dismiss a sexual assault case against Bill Cosby yesterday, setting the stage for the first criminal prosecution of the once-celebrated comedian, who has for years denied allegations of assault by dozens of women.

Legendary Guyanese singer, Eddy Grant, (right) yesterday, paid a courtesy call on President David Granger at the Ministry of the Presidency, a release from the Ministry of the Presidency said.

An Atlantic Ville resident was yesterday charged with forgery, after he was allegedly caught attempting to buy a bottle of tonic with fake US currency.

Dear Editor, No, L’il Joe! No, Big Dave! Seh it aint’ suh… I refer to “Hiring of contract workers balloons under new government’ (SN, Feb 3).

Dear Editor, The Essequibo populace should be proud of having one of the best cricket grounds in the country.

(Jamaica Observer) The mistrial application filed on behalf of former Turks and Caicos Island (TCI) Premier Michael Misick was on Tuesday dismissed by High Court Judge Justice Paul Harrison.

During yesterday, acting on information received, the police say that ranks conducted another drug eradication operation in the Onderneeming Backdam, Essequibo Coast, during which a field that was under cultivation with approximately 525 cannabis sativa (marijuana) plants, at an average height of 7cms.

During Tuesday, the police say that ranks searched a man in the vicinity of the Ekereku Airstrip, in whose possession was found 2 kilograms of marijuana.

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC- Former West Indies Women captain Merissa Aguilleira says she believes the regional side is capable of securing championship honours in the forthcoming T20 World Cup starting next month in India.

In yesterday’s edition of Stabroek News under the heading `Contestants for George-town election unveiled’, it was erroneously reported that former Works Minister Robeson Benn is on the PPP/C list for Local Government Elections.

Residents of Melanie Damishana, Enmore and Bare Root, East Coast Demerara are the most recent group to benefit from an outreach by the Ministry of Social Cohesion in collaboration with the charity ‘Caring for Others’ (Guyana) Incorporated.

A 68-year-old taxi driver who was involved in a collision at the University of Guyana access road was yesterday granted bail after appearing in court charged with driving carelessly.

Politikles

Georgetown is in clear and present danger of being choked by the sheer number of vehicles which jostle for space on its narrow and congested roads.

HENNIKER, N.H., (Reuters) – Campaigning for the Republican presidential nomination took a nasty turn on Wednesday with billionaire businessman Donald Trump accusing rival Ted Cruz of fraud as the field of candidates narrowed ahead of next week’s New Hampshire primary.

Two men were yesterday charged separately with possession of one gramme each of cannabis.