Daily Archive: Wednesday, March 7, 2018

The Chambers of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) this morning advised the police to charge Bishops’ High School teacher Coen Jackson with the offence of sexual activity with a child by abusing a position of trust.

GENEVA, (Reuters) – The United Nations human rights chief said on Wednesday that crimes against humanity may have been committed by state forces in Venezuela and voiced alarm at “the erosion of democratic institutions” in the Andean nation.

(Reuters) – The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has introduced a new A+ category in the retainer fee structure for its top players, who will receive a huge pay increase under the new Annual Contracts for the 2017-18 season.

Photos by Dhanash Ramroop Fire ripped through four Pike Street, Kitty homes this morning completely destroying three and leaving the fourth uninhabitable and more than 20 persons, including children, are now homeless.

Four Guyanese men have pleaded guilty in the High Court in Bridgetown to committing several drug offences, according to a report on the online news site, Barbados Today.

ExxonMobil is not currently open to renegotiation of the Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) its local subsidiary signed with the Government of Guyana, according to the company’s Public and Government Affairs Advisor Kimberly Brasington, who yesterday said that if a request had been made for an “astronomical” signing bonus, it would have rejected it and stuck with the original 1999 agreement which did not provide for any.

Convicted for performing a sex act on a child, Troy Jackson is this morning expected to know the jail time he faces for the crime as he will face sentencing by Justice Simone Morris-Ramlall.

Minister of Business Dominic Gaskin yesterday fired away at critics of the Production Sharing Agreement signed with ExxonMobil and its partners urging them to stop the rhetoric and use facts in their arguments which would show the country got a “decent deal”.

The Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) is awaiting the return of the 17-year-old girl who has accused police of conducting a cavity search on her at the Eugene F Correia International Airport, at Ogle, to take statements.

Amidst growing concern about the number of foreign nationals entering Guyana illegally through unmanned parts of the country’s borders, Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan on Monday said that efforts are afoot to have Community Policing Groups (CPGs) set up in border villages to assist the police and the army.

A young mason is now hospitalised after an under construction house, which he was working on, collapsed on him yesterday morning at Ogle, East Coast Demerara.

Police have arrested transgender sex worker Otis Pearson, popularly known as “Otisha,” over allegations that she has engaged in sexual activity with a teenage boy who is below the age of consent, Commander of ‘A’ Division Leslie James has confirmed.

HARARE, Zimbabwe, CMC – Man-of-the-Match Shimron Hetmyer and veteran opener Chris Gayle both struck imperious hundreds as West Indies overwhelmed United Arab Emirates by 60 runs to make a winning start to their World Cup qualification campaign here yesterday.

The second public hearing of the 2008 Lindo Creek massacre inquiry yesterday saw the testimony of the officer who prepared the coroner’s orders for the murdered victims, and the relatives of two of the deceased.

The sexual assault case against Carl Parker, Regional Executive Officer of Region Nine, was dismissed on Monday on the grounds that the charge instituted against him was “bad in law.”

HARARE, Zimbabwe, CMC – Rookie West Indies batsman Shimron Hetmyer was understandably thrilled after notching his maiden One-Day International hundred but said it was batting with superstar Chris Gayle that had fulfilled one of his childhood dreams.

Veteran journalist Denis Chabrol on Monday stressed that the public apology issued by Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan over his use of abusive language while recently trying to avoid questions was a public apology to the entire media corps, which must continue to stand up to disrespect.

Kobras defeated Pacesetters in a second division encounter while Plaisance Guardians downed Sonics in an U23 matchup when the Georgetown Amateur Basketball Federation (GABA) knockout tournament commenced Monday.

Minister of Social Cohesion with responsibility for Culture, Youth and Sport, Dr.

The US$200,000 bond lodged by Dynamic Airways to refund passengers in Guyana who purchased tickets to travel on the now defunct airline may not be enough. 

Georgetown’s Wayne Bollers will replace injured West Bank fast bowler Joshua Reddy in the Demerara squad for the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) Inter-County U17 tournament which begins today.

Guyana Manganese Incorporated (GMI) is on track to begin construction in July at its Matthews Ridge, north west site and around 550 persons will be hired.

Seeking to overturn his conviction and four-year sentence for manslaughter, a former soldier is arguing that many errors were made by the trial judge, causing him to suffer a miscarriage of justice.

Patentia Secondary School’s male and female teams on Monday advanced to the semi-finals of the Forbes Burnham Foundation Easter Term Windball cricket competition.

Tony Yassin, one of the co-owners of Guyana Stores Limited (GSL), which has been ordered by the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) to pay the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) $3.8 billion, says that the company would be engaging the tax agency to determine a “reasonable” settlement.

MUMBAI,  (Reuters) – The International Cricket Council (ICC) has handed a six-month suspension to an Indian groundsman for failing to report a corrupt approach during a one-day international against New Zealand in October.

Dear Editor, The recent high tides that caused severe flooding and loss of crops, poultry, etc, on the West Coast of Demerara is indeed heartbreaking.

WASHINGTON,  (Reuters) – In floating the possibility of nuclear talks with the United States, North Korea took a first step on a road likely to be long, more arduous and just as prone to failure as past efforts.

COLOMBO,  (Reuters) – Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena yestreday declared a nationwide state of emergency for seven days in a bid to curb communal violence after clashes erupted between majority Buddhists and members of the Muslim minority.

COLOMBO, (Reuters) – Kusal Perera struck a belligerent 66 off 37 balls to set up a five-wicket victory for hosts Sri Lanka against India in the Twenty20 Tri-Series opener at the R.

A Sisters, East Bank Berbice man is now in police custody after he reportedly chopped his mother with a cutlass while under the influence of alcohol.

Dear Editor, The Republic Bank at the Diamond branch does not have replacement ATM cards at present.

Phillip Sutherland is expected to be sentenced on March 27th for the death of Martin Roberts, whom he killed during a drunken fracas in the Rupununi in 2014.

(Reuters) – Australia vice-captain David Warner and South Africa batsman Quinton de Kock were charged by the International Cricket Council (ICC) yesterday for their heated off-field exchange on the fourth day of the first test in Durban.

Dear Editor, Recent statements in the Kaieteur News indicating that LFS Burnham allocated land at Turkeyen for the University of Guyana, is a revisionist version of history that is not consistent with the facts.

BRASILIA, (Reuters) – Brazil’s top appeals court on Tuesday denied a request by former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva that he not be sent to prison on a corruption conviction before he has exhausted his appeals.

Dear Editor, Recent actions by the David Granger-led APNU+AFC coalition government have given rise to great cause for concern among Guyanese people, more so when one considers the significant efforts under successive PPP/C administrations to advance a national project aimed at bringing Guyanese people together.

NEW DELHI, (Reuters) – Indian tax inspectors raided on Tuesday premises of the Gupta family at the centre of a corruption scandal involving South Africa’s former president, Jacob Zuma, on suspicion they were bringing money into their native country, an official said.

Bids were opened yesterday for the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority for the design, supply, installation and commissioning of nine fixed and five mobile high-capacity pumps and associated structures and equipment.

PARIS,  (Reuters) – Real Madrid showed their collective strength in a clinical 2-1 win over Paris St Germain to reach the quarter-finals as the hosts slumped to another early Champions League exit yesterday.

The closing of the shelter established at the Uitvlugt/Leonora Community Development Centre, which has been housing Stewartville residents displaced by flooding, has been put off until further notice.

Dear Editor, Corruption is a plague that must be resisted, rejected and condemned in every form and fashion, wherever and whenever it is identified.

Reuters) – Serena Williams believes now is the “perfect time” to return to the WTA Tour in order to gauge her progress ahead of the year’s remaining grand slam tournaments.

GENEVA,  (Reuters) – The U.N. human rights chief accused Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban yesterday of being a racist, bully and xenophobe after the anti-immigrant, nationalist leader said he did not want his country to be “multi-coloured”.

KINGSTON,  (Reuters) – Mexico is looking into ways to deepen energy cooperation with Jamaica, Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray said yesterday on a Caribbean trip to promote U.S.-backed

Dear Editor, I thought that blame was being laid in the wrong direction when I saw a caption which said that ExxonMobil missed a golden opportunity to reverse their wrongdoings.

(Reuters) – Mexican middleweight boxer Saul “Canelo” Alvarez tested positive for the banned substance clenbuterol after consuming contaminated meat, Golden Boy Promotions said on Monday.

“One child, one teacher, one book, one pen can change the world”, was the quote of encouragement from the University of Guyana’s Vice-Chancellor, Ivelaw Griffith to the best performers at national examinations in the country, at Republic Bank (Guyana) Limited’s Power to Make A Difference Academic Achievement Awards last Wednesday.

Dear Editor, In his riposte captioned ‘PPP/C delivered constitution reform’ (SN, Mar 3) to my critique of the PPP and the late Dr Jagan’s position on the Burnham constitution, Anil Nandlall posits, among other arguments, that the PPP implemented many reforms to the fraudulent constitution.

SALISBURY, England, (Reuters) – Britain warned Russia yesterday of a robust response if the Kremlin was behind a mysterious illness that has struck down a former double agent convicted of betraying dozens of spies to British intelligence.

(Trinidad Express) Justice Nadia Kangaloo has ruled that the Law Association of Trinidad and Tobago (LATT) does not have the power to investigate allegations of misconduct against Chief Justice Ivor Archie.

(Reuters) – Russia’s ban from international athletics over widespread doping was extended by the sport’s governing body yesterday and the country was warned it could face further sanctions this year.

A farmer was shot on Monday afternoon while attending to his rice fields at Windsor Castle backdam, Essequibo Coast.

Minister of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs Sydney Allicock on Monday handed over a cheque to Toshao of the Tuseneng Village Council, Philip Geronimo for the hosting of the 5th North Pakaraimas Expo billed for March 26-27, 2018.

(Trinidad Express) A man has been found guilty of the rape of a woman who died before he was convicted for the crimes.

(Reuters) Tony Parker scored a season-high 23 points off the bench as the San Antonio reserves were the difference in a taut 100-98 Spurs’ victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas.

WASHINGTON,  (Reuters) – The top U.S. general for Africa told lawmakers yesterday that the American military could face “significant” consequences should China take a key port in Djibouti, as Beijing becomes increasingly muscular in Africa in an effort to expand its influence.

Last Saturday, the eyes of the world of track and field were focused on the penultimate day of the 2018 International Associations of Athletic Federations (IAAF) World Indoor Championships being held in Birmingham, England.

Dear Editor, Minister Ramjattan now stands charged with having infected the minds of our children on national TV to serve the cause of his personal anger management crisis. 

The Regional Education Department of Region Four through its welfare department has reached out to assist a teacher whose husband was involved in an accident at the University of Guyana that resulted in both of his hands being amputated.

Please excuse me if I am jaded by all the talk about our petroleum largesse and the good life it is supposed to deliver.