Daily Archive: Friday, August 10, 2018

While there have been some positive results in the health sector, there are worrying signs on maternal mortality and HIV cases according to the mid-year report by the Ministry of Finance.

It’s official. With effect from August 1st,  Raphael Trotman is no longer in control of the oil portfolio following the establishment of the Department of Energy.

(Trinidad Guardian) Keyshawn “Boy Boy” Mckenzie yesterday appeared in the San Fernando Magistrates’ Court charged with the murders of a Chinese businessman and a 16-year-old school boy, which occurred two months apart.

With government rejecting the majority of salary and non-salary measures in a multi-year agreement proposed by the Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU), the new school year could begin with a strike by teachers.

The Ministry of Public Infrastructure (MPI) breached the Procurement Act in awarding a contract in December 2016 to Dutch firm LievenseCSO for consultancy services for the feasibility study and design for the new Demerara River Bridge, a Public Procurement Commission (PPC) investigation has found.

Dr Jan Mangal, the former petroleum advisor to President David Granger yesterday strongly criticised  the  Sovereign Wealth Fund (SWF) model contained in the long-awaited Green Paper tabled by the government in parliament on Wednesday.

The Guyana Amazon Warriors began their 2018 HERO Caribbean Premier League (CPL) Season with a six-wicket win with 21 balls to spare over the St.

Stressing the need for the restoration of public trust and the reform of the Guyana Police Force, President David Granger yesterday said that his choice for substantive police commissioner would be someone who is “unbribable” and can steer the organisation in the right direction.

In the face of concerns raised over the whereabouts of a large amount of Cuban and Haitians who arrived in Guyana, Minister of Citizenship Winston Felix yesterday said that data from police and other records show that they are not being trafficked.

Last Sunday, thirteen karatekas were successful in achieving black belt promotions when the head of International Karate Daigaku, 9th Dan Shuseki Shihan, Frank Woon-A-Tai conducted grading exercises for the Association do Shotokan Karate – Guyana, at the YMCA, Thomas Lands.

Skilled employees recently laid off from GuySuCo’s closed or downsized estates are being considered for employment by Canadian miner, Guyana Goldfields Inc/AGM Inc.

With less than three days remaining before they depart local shores for South American giant Brazil, the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) has officially released their ‘Train and Play’ squad for the two week trip.

Charged earlier this year after months on the run, Jamaul John was yesterday sentenced to 50 months in jail for causing the death of pedal cyclist Desmond Grandsoult.

Defending champion Ol Skool Ballers upset Sparta Boss, while Tiger Bay, Back Circle, Alexander Village and Broad Street secured wins over East Coast Demerara teams, when the Second Guinness Cage Street-ball Championship commenced on Wednesday.

At the Banks DIH boardroom yesterday, the beverage company renewed its long serving partnership with the Annual Guyana Cup Horse Race event, now in its 12th year, through its Banks Beer brand.

Noting that no proposal for a cash payout to be made to households from oil revenue has reached his desk, President David Granger yesterday said that he is yet to see the evidential basis to support such a suggestion.

Dear Editor, The recent announcement by ExxonMobil that it has increased its estimate of Guyana’s petroleum reserves to four billion barrels of oil equivalent is good news for Guyana.

Former West Indies Captain and middle order batsman, Shivnarine Chanderpaul is to receive an Honorary Doctorate of Laws from The University of the West Indies’ St Augustine campus.

A city magistrate is expected to rule next week on whether a prima facie case has been made out against former government minister Jennifer Westford and her former aide Margaret Cummings in their trial for the alleged theft of over $600 million.

Dear Editor, Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) Justice (Ret’d) James Patterson mystified the Commission at the Tuesday, August 7, 2018, statutory meeting of the Commission when he stated that he had cancelled ‘indefinitely’ a meeting scheduled for 5:00 p.m.

The police are currently seeking legal advice on what course of action to take against the foreign nationals who attacked a miner at Quartzstone, Cuyuni.

Dear Editor, After a long wait, a Green Paper entitled ‘Managing Future Petroleum Reserves etc’ has been released.

What has now metamorphosed into a protracted public/private engagement involving key government ministers and senior officials of the Guyana Manufacturing & Services Association (GMSA) may be moving at a leisurely pace but the private sector officials facing key government officials across the table say that the importance of keeping doors open to ensuring the growth of the manufacturing sector dictates that the two sides remain engaged.

Figgy Green Jags, Good Fellas, Amelia’s Ward Russians, Germans and Quiet Storm secured their respective quarterfinal berths, when the Mohamed’s Enterprise/ExxonMobil Futsal Tournament continued on Wednesday.

Dear Editor, The planets Venus, Jupiter, Saturn and Mars are lined off this month of August 2018: Venus in Virgo, Jupiter in Libra, Saturn in Sagittarius, and Mars in Capricorn.

With just over a month left before the inaugural Guyana Trade and Investment Exhibition (GUYTIE) is launched at the Guyana Marriott Hotel, the organizers have told the Stabroek Business that they are accelerating its marketing initiative to ensure that it secures optimum participation from both the local manufacturing sector as well as overseas buyers.

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC- Swashbuckling knocks from Colin Munro and Denesh Ramdin propelled defending champions Trinbago Knight Riders to a record-breaking total and a comfortable 100-run win over the St Lucia Stars in the opening match of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) here on Wednesday.

The three Stabroek Market vendors charged with the multimillion dollar L.

A minibus driver was taken into police custody on Wednesday night after being involved in an accident along the Prospect, East Bank Demerara Public Road that claimed the life of a Bartica man.

If you had to select a near-coastal community that has persistently demonstrated resilience and ingenuity in the face of adversity, Linden would almost certainly be close to the top of your list.

Dear Editor, There seems be a lot of discussions in the society about how to spend the windfall from the coming oil wealth, but there is very little ongoing discussion on a National Development plan, in light of the massive injection of oil revenues into the economy.

(Trinidad Guardian) The Ministry of Health will this month go on a recruiting drive for 250 specialised doctors from Cuba to service the public health care system.

KINGSTOWN, St Vincent, CMC – Both Barbados and Jamaica expectedly recorded comfortable victories against the Leeward and Windward Islands respectively on the final day of play in the second round of matches in the Regional Under-19 Championship here on Thursday.

RUMICHACA BRIDGE, (Reuters) – Thousands of Venezuelans overwhelmed the Ecuadorean-Colombian border high in the Andean mountains yesterday, as fears of border closings led to a sudden surge in migrants from the ravaged OPEC-member country.

A West Ruimveldt man and a Campbellville Housing Scheme youth are now in police custody after one of them allegedly dropped an unlicensed gun before crashing into a utility pole after trying to escape from the police.

Dear Editor, Splurge. Consumption binge.  Reckless. More corruption. Welfare state. Laziness.

ST. LOUIS, (Reuters) – If Tiger Woods wins the PGA Championship on Sunday he will reflect on the back nine of the first round, which kept him in the tournament when it could have gone either way.

(Barbados Nation) Barbados’ reputation as an international business provider has taken a definite hit in the wake of the arrest of former Minister Donville Inniss, the country’s Attorney General, Dale Marshall has confirmed.

NEW YORK,  (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – British billionaire Richard Branson and two dozen Caribbean nations and territories announced in Jamaica yesterday the creation of a multi-million dollar programme to turn the hurricane-prone region into a green tech hub resilient to disasters.

A cursory examination of global statistics pertaining to the international cooperative movement reveals an interesting picture regarding the popularity of cooperatives, the involvement of people therein and the impact of cooperatives on the global economy.

ADEN, (Reuters) – Saudi-led coalition air strikes on Thursday killed dozens of people, including children travelling on a bus through a market, in Yemen’s Saada province, a Yemeni health official and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said.

Dear Editor, Since our last statement on the fire at the Pegasus Hotel there has been a multitude of misinformation and lies in the electronic and print media.

(Prepared by the Guyana Marketing Corporation and published by Stabroek Business as a public service)

Guyana’s poor showing at the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) Boys Under-14 Challenge Series continued, as they suffered another embarrassing loss yesterday, surrendering 4 – 0 to Curacao at the Ergilio Hato Stadium, Curacao.

There was a time, particularly in the decade of the 1970 when the popularization of marijuana was driven largely by the lyrics of the Jamaican musical icon Bob Marley, particularly in his refrain to the conservative political administrations to ‘legalize it.’

(Trinidad Express) A 15-year-old schoolgirl is among two survivors from Wednesday night’s shooting incident in D’Abadie, which also left two men dead.

In the Friday July 20th issue of the Stabroek Business our lead story was based primarily on a brief telephone interview with the President of the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) during which he told us that  a July 20-21 private sector forum at the Pegasus Hotel would have been seeking to move in a positive direction as far as the growth of the businesses participating in the forum were concerned.

Dear Editor, The Guyana Police Force is responding to an online publication on Wednesday by Citizen’s Report under the caption `Minister Ferguson verbally assault Ranks of the East La Penitence Police Station after detaining a man’. 

(Part 54) Introduction Events marking Emancipation Day saw two significant statements from two leading Afro-Guyanese leaders, President David Granger and Professor Clive Thomas.

Kitco Market Data Gold Prices for the three day period ending Thursday August 9, 2018

Being futile? Another attempt to be most brief today? Lead caption presents a repetitive lament.

Guyana ended their disappointing CONCACAF Girls Under-15 Football Championship on a positive note, edging Bahamas 3-2 yesterday at the IMG Academy, Florida, USA.

(Barbados Nation) Goddard Enterprises Limited (GEL) has announced that A. Charles Herbert has voluntarily stepped down as chairman of the board of GEL with effect from August 7.

BRASILIA, (Reuters) – Brazil complained yesterday that Venezuela was doing nothing to stop the spread of an outbreak of measles in Brazil and other neighboring countries that has been sparked by an exodus of Venezuelans fleeing economic collapse.

Stock market updates

A family of 15 left homeless by a fire on August 1 at Lot 31 Kingelly Village, West Coast Berbice is getting help from BK International and others to rebuild a house.

Guyanese, West Indian and international cricketer, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, is set to be bestowed with an honorary doctorate from the University of the West Indies’ St Augustine Campus in October.

As Guyana contemplates the broader developmental gains to be derived from the country’s anticipated significant returns from its emerging oil and gas sector, how much sense does it make to heed the warning that an anticipated fossil fuel bonanza should not tempt us to turn our backs on an agricultural sector that has helped to sustain the country’s economy over many decades.