Daily Archive: Friday, January 20, 2017

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados,  CMC – Newly appointed Director of Cricket, Jimmy Adams, says one of the major items on his agenda is creating a structure that can lead to the establishing of a new winning culture in West Indies cricket.

Senior officials from PPP/C-led regions and municipalities today boycotted a local government conference citing the lack of consultation and short notice among other issues.

WASHINGTON,  (Reuters) – Donald Trump was sworn in as the 45th president of the United States today, succeeding Barack Obama and telling a bitterly divided country he will pursue “America First” policies at home and abroad.

(Trinidad Express) Trinidad and Tobago has been ranked 59th among a list of 199 countries deemed to have the most powerful passports in the world.

President David Granger yesterday justified the decision to have Attorney-General Basil Williams SC meet with a representative of Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo on the nominees for the chair of the Guyana Elections Commission (Gecom), while emphasising his desire to choose a candidate who is fit to be a judge.

A move to bring a criminal charge against on-leave Ministry of the Presidency Permanent Secretary Omar Shariff and a woman was yesterday aborted after the special prosecutor assigned to the matter discovered issues with the case file.

Bartica massacre accused Mark Royden Williams yesterday told Justice Roxane George SC and the jury hearing his trial that he is innocent of the charges levelled against him.

The APNU+AFC government quietly signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on December 8, 2016 with a Trinidadian company to look at the possibility of setting up a sugarcane processing facility at the Skeldon Sugar Estate.

The Guyana Public Service Union is once again drawing attention to the plight of sweeper/cleaners attached to Public Schools.

After tying up three guards, bandits yesterday morning broke into the Lusignan/Reconnaissance Neighbourhood Dem-ocratic Council (NDC) office and stole a digital camera, a grass cutter and fuel pump after finding an empty safe, which they believed had contained $16 million.

Convicted drug trafficker Barry Dataram was yesterday sentenced to three years in jail for the unlawful possession of ammunition, while his common-law wife, Anjanie Boodnarine, had the charge against her withdrawn.

Simon James, the suspect in the fatal stabbing of a man at Moruca on Sunday, was yesterday remanded to prison after being read a charge of murder by a city magistrate.

A taxi driver was shot yesterday when bandits robbed his passenger of approximately $1.5 million in a brazen attack outside the Jialing store at Charlotte and Oronoque streets, Georgetown.

The Guyana Court of Appeal on Tuesday set aside the 58-month jail sentence handed down to jeweller Bishnarine ‘Sanjay’ Persaud in 2015 for causing death by dangerous driving, while saying that the decision to convict was “troubling.”

A couple and a former ministerial aide, who are accused of plotting to traffic a large quantity of cocaine aboard a Fly Jamaica flight in 2015, were yesterday ordered to lead a defence after a court found that a prima facie case was made out against them.

Over the past school term, all the classes at the De Veldt Nursery and Primary schools, located in the Berbice River and made up of a total of nearly 60 students and representing eight class levels between them, have been taught by only two teachers.

Following an announcement by the Ministry of Education on Tuesday confirming a change in the annual Mashramani route, Coordinator of the event Lennox Canterbury has stated that the ministry is open to accommodating adjustments to the plan.

The IAAF level–I Track and Field coaching course started yesterday at the National Resource Centre on Woolford Avenue.

The Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU) is in the process of building a multi-purpose recreational facility on its land at the corner of Irving Street and Thomas Lands.

MELBOURNE, (Reuters) – Novak Djokovic’s bid for a record seventh Australian Open title came to a stunning end on Thursday when the Serbian packed his bags and headed home in the wake of a second-round upset at the hands of world number 117 Denis Istomin.

Twenty seven communities in Region Ten will benefit from works to be done by the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) for the first time there.

US Ambassador to Guyana, Perry Holloway yesterday handed over 56 law books valued at more than US$25,000 to the Chancellor of the Judiciary, Justice Carl Singh.

CUTTACK, India, (Reuters) – Limited overs stalwarts Yuvraj Singh and Mahendra Singh Dhoni rolled back the years to smash scintillating centuries to help India secure a series-clinching 15-run victory in the second one-day international against England on Thursday.

The flooding and erosion at Almond Beach, in Region One, is not a life-threatening situation, according to acting Minister of State Raphael Trotman, who says the government is nonetheless awaiting a report from the team that was sent to assess the area.

A West Ruimveldt resident who is charged with driving in a dangerous manner and ending the life of another man, was on Wednesday called upon to lead his defence.

The trial of former PPP/C minister Dr Jennifer Westford and her former aide Margaret Cummings, who are charged with the alleged theft of over $600 million from the government, continued yesterday with further testimony from detective Richard Frank, who recounted a confrontation that was held between Cummings and Joe Harold Williams, the Office of the President accountant, over signed payment vouchers and monies.

KARACHI, Pakistan,CMC – The Pakistan Cricket Board have not given up hope of West Indies touring here next March, and will be meeting with security company, Eastern Star International, to contest a security report which it issued and which formed the basis of the Federation of International Cricketers’ recent recommendation to members against touring the volatile Asian nation.

The Canadian Vision Care Medical Team will be performing free eye examinations for the general public at the Anna Regina Mandir recreation hall from January 29 to February 5, 2017.

(Gracenote) – Scoreboard at lunch on the first day in the second and final Test between New Zealand and Bangladesh, in Christchurch, New Zealand.

Dear Editor, The upcoming national conference of the Alliance for Change will ultimately determine the survival of this young and promising political party which came on the political scene at a critical juncture in Guyana’s history.

  Two time defending champion Grove Hi-Tech and West Demerara unit Den Amstel sealed their berths in the quarterfinals following hard-fought wins, when the Stag Nation Cup resumed on Wednesday at the Grove Community ground.

President David Granger and the Government of Guyana have extended  sympathies to Member of Parliament Priya Manickchand on the passing of her mother,  Hyacinth Manickchand.

Dear Editor, I find it very disheartening that Mr Khemraj Ramjattan, Leader of the Alliance for Change, who has condemned the third term for Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo sees it fit to justify a third term for himself.

Banks DIH Limited under its GT Beer Brand joined the growing list of corporate entities to support the 2nd Annual Petra Organization/Limacol Football Championship, donating an undisclosed sum yesterday at a simple presentation ceremony.

Investigations into the murder of Canal Number One teen Leon Anthony Ritchie who was stabbed over a $440 debt, are winding down and police are awaiting advice on the laying of charges, says Commander of ‘D’ Division, Leslie James.

Dear Editor, I am sending you this letter in a way that is quite unusual nowadays, by mail through the Post Office.

MELBOURNE, (Reuters) – Serena Williams’s pursuit of a 23rd grand slam title gathered momentum on Thursday when she thrashed Czech Lucie Safarova 6-3 6-4 to reach the third round of the Australian Open.

At the 5th Caribbean Regional Conference of international trade unions, 34 delegates joined with Guyana to give solidarity to sugar workers in light of government’s decision to close the Wales Estate on the West Bank of Demerara and to diversify others.

Dear Editor, It was in 2009 when I read in the news that Raúl Castro had lambasted two senior officials: Vice President Carlos Lage and Foreign Minister Felipe Pérez Roque who had made jokes about Fidel Castro and questioned his ability to lead the country.

Dear Editor, As the journey of our township continues I’m reminded of a familiar saying, ‘Relationships are only as good as the persons in them’.

CARICOM and the Netherlands on Wednesday renewed a mechanism for diplomatic cooperation with the accreditation of a new Dutch envoy to the regional body, Ambassador Jules Bijl.

Dear Editor, It has been reported in the news media that a partnership of oil companies, ExxonMobil, Hess and CNOOC have discovered oil and gas estimated by experts at over four billion barrels off Guyana’s northern coast in a field called Liza.

(Reuters) – Australia captain Steve Smith led by example, smashing an unbeaten 108 against a sloppy Pakistan to secure his team’s seven-wicket victory with five overs to spare in the third one-day international in Perth on Thursday.

New Peace Corps Country Director Kury Cobham was scheduled to arrive in Guyana yesterday, replacing outgoing Director Linda Arbogast.

Dear Editor, The present state of Guyana’s economy is a cause for concern for most Guyanese.

Political ploy or developmental push? For many this is the contrasting argument being bandied around by pundits following FIFA’s decision to expand the World Cup entrants to 48 nations in 2026.

On Monday, First Lady Sandra Granger took her Self-Reliance and Success in Business Workshop for women to Region 3.

Dear Editor, Recent circumstances reinforced to me how dysfunctional, deformed, and degraded this hodgepodge called a nation has become. 

ST JOHNS, Antigua,CMC – Exciting all-rounder Shamar Springer is among five members of the ICC Youth World Cup-winning side included in the West Indies Under-19 14-man squad for the Regional Super50 starting next week.

The Government Analyst-Food and Drug Department (GA-FDD) in a press release, has advised all importers of food, drugs, cosmetics and medical devices that the exact name and complete address of the manufacturer and the country of origin must be stated in English Language on all labels.

WASHINGTON, (Reuters) – Donald Trump is preparing to sign executive actions on his first day in the White House today to take the opening steps to crack down on immigration, build a wall on the U.S.-Mexican

Dear Editor, If the estimates reported in the Washington Post of January 16 are correct, Guyana may gain somewhere between US$24 and 28 billion at current crude oil prices, representing its share of the estimated 1.4 billion barrels of oil from the Liza 1- Well, which Exxon Mobil and its partners have drilled off Guyana’s coast.

CAPE TOWN, (Reuters) – South Africa batsman AB de Villiers has ruled himself out of the team’s three-test series in New Zealand in March, but insists he is not retiring from the longest format of the game.

Gold Prices for the three day period ending Thursday January 19, 2017Kitco is a Canadian company that buys and sells precious metals such as gold, copper and silver.

BANJUL/DAKAR,  (Reuters) – West African armies halted an operation in Gambia aimed at installing the country’s new president, Adama Barrow, yesterday so regional leaders could make one last attempt to convince longtime ruler Yahya Jammeh to step aside.

The post of Commissioner at the Protected Areas Commission (PAC) is now open, following the resignation of its previous office holder Damian Fernandes.

Average wholesale and retail prices at rural and urban Markets

Dear Editor, It is widely recognised that if pupils are to maximise their potential from schooling they will need the complete support of their parents, whether biological, adopted or guardians.

FRANCEVILLE, Gabon, (Reuters) – Two defensive howlers left Algeria on the brink of elimination from the African Nations Cup as they lost 2-1 to neighbours Tunisia on Thursday in their second Group B match in Gabon.

(Jamaica Gleaner) CARICOM has fallen short of its target of 20 per cent renewable power capacity by 2017 – as reflected in the Caribbean Sustainable Energy Roadmap and Strategy (C-SERMS) – but all is not lost.

I’m signing up to be a (dubious) fan of Finance Minister Jordan.

Dear Editor, I had the opportunity to visit Almond Beach which is now threatened by erosion and flooding,  with Mr and Mrs Isahak Bashir on a PPP excursion as a teenage boy in the late ʼ60s.

Fire Equipment Below Efficiency – Loncke THERE ARE fourteen operational fire-fighting vehicles in Guyana, accord­ing to Chief Fire Officer Mr.

FRANCEVILLE, Gabon, (Reuters) – Senegal qualified for the African Nations Cup quarter-finals by beating Zimbabwe 2-0 with early goals from Sadio Mane and Henri Saivet in their Group B encounter on Thursday.

CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico,  (Reuters) – Mexico extradited top drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman to New York yesterday, ending a career that included two jail breaks and a leading role in a national drug war, the day before Donald Trump assumes the U.S.

(Trinidad Express) A reputed gang member was killed, while another gang member and a police officer were wounded during a drive-by shooting outside the St Joseph Police Station yesterday.

President David Granger yesterday pledged more government support towards the work of the Ptolemy Reid Rehabilitation Centre, as he noted that every child, despite challenges, can become masters in their field of choice, once they are empowered and given the opportunity, a statement from the Ministry of the Presidency said.

Last September Minister of Communities Ronald Bulkan wrote Georgetown Mayor Patricia Chase-Green on the Mayor and City Council’s seeming lack of authority on municipality matters being managed by Town Clerk Royston King, emphasizing that “King was not supreme to the Council.”

GASCI (www.gasci.com/telephone Nº 223-6175/6) reports that session 704’s trading results showed consideration of $5,092,591 from 123,422 shares traded in 15 transactions as compared to session 703’s trading results, which showed consideration of $13,931,813 from 81,189 shares traded in 12 transactions. 

MELBOURNE,(Reuters) – Hours after reigning champion Novak Djokovic crashed out of the Australian Open on Thursday, Rafael Nadal raised hopes of filling the power vacuum after demolishing Marcos Baghdatis 6-3 6-1 6-3 to reach the third round.