Daily Archive: Friday, May 23, 2008

By Miranda La Rose The three parliamentary opposition parties have signed a petition seeking Caricom intervention on a raft of governance issues including the Channel Six suspension and thousands of signatures are to be sought before the submission of the document next month prior to a heads of government confab.

-lawyers say gym owner was supplying guns to Agricola gang Lawyers representing Guyanese drug accused Roger Khan yesterday opposed a US government motion to admit into evidence “uncharged conduct in Guyana, including two murders” which they said Khan has denied committing and they alleged that one of the two could have been killed because he was supplying guns to an anti-government gang in Agricola.

-says will not bow to political pressure or interference Acting Commissioner of Police Henry Greene says the recent transfer of two senior officers to the interior was his decision, adding that it is not his duty to disclose to any political party the reason for his action.

-Secretariat tells region of plans Berbicians were given a preview of some of the talent expected to be on display during the Caribbean Festival of Arts when the Carifesta caravan rolled into the New Amsterdam Stelling and at Independence Arch in Rose Hall, Corentyne on Tuesday.

Stakeholders on Wednesday held discussions on new parking accommodations in the city and the removal of illegal vendors from along the roadways, market places, pavements and other government reserves.

A South Ruimveldt businessman and his son were robbed at gunpoint while they were closing down their place of business on Wednesday night.

Police are investigating a robbery under arms which occurred around 10:20 am yesterday.

In his message to mark World Day for Cultural Diversity on Wednesday,  CARICOM Secretary General Edwin Carrington acknowledged the key role of cultural understanding, cooperation and awareness to the effective implementation of the Community’s flagship programme, the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME).

Winners in the Fogarty’s Mother’s Day Promotion and Essay Competition were given their prizes at a ceremony held at the store’s ground floor on Wednesday.

-press conference to be held Three weeks since a patient at the Georgetown Public Hospital died after allegedly being left unattended for hours, the hospital’s administration is yet to make public the results of the inquiry into the woman’s death.

Dear Editor, During today’s heavy rainfall in the West Berbice area, I visited the sluice at D’Edward during low tide level to observe its operation.

-GMC The ‘Grow More’ campaign and the farmers data base initiative  have been  moving along fairly well, GMC General Manager Nizam Hassan said at a press conference Thursday.

Two former cashiers of Guyana Stores Limited who allegedly embezzled just over $170,000 from the company appeared at the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court yesterday.

Dear Editor,  I have been waiting to see or hear the head of GO-INVEST issue a public apology to your newspaper and journalist Judy Fitzpatrick over the Buddy’s Hotel sale issue, but it appears as though I might end up like Bob Marley.

The Office of the President (OP) yesterday distanced itself from statements made by Home Affairs Minister, Clement Rohee, on Wednesday criticizing the recent releasing of a murder accused on bail by Acting Chief Justice Ian Chang.

Dear Editor, Thank you for publishing the letter by Mr Roger Williams in which he comments on SASOD’s statement on homophobia (‘Guyana’s 1998 policy statement on people living with HIV/AIDS adequately addresses non-discrimination in the health sector’ SN, 20.5.08).

A 40-year-old man who wounded his friend in the head because of a horse was placed on a bond to keep the peace for two years when he appeared before the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court yesterday.

Dear Editor, I have been the proud owner of a pit bull for almost 9 years, and I have friends that have been breeding these dogs for many years. I

Problems in Amerindian communities being ignored – groups Prime Minister Samuel Hinds has told a mining forum that outrages such as the illegal gold operation on the Salbora road in Region Eight earlier this year might be blamed on the “frenzy” from high gold prices.

Lisa John of Leonora Primary School, Region Three emerged the winner in the first national Spelling Bee Competition held by the Rotary Club of Stabroek in collaboration with the Ministry of Education.

Dear Editor, Now that the minibuses/ Berbice cars have been removed from Avenue of the Republic, and a no-parking sign has been painted on the road, persons wishing to go the Bank of Baroda, New Building Society, Cameron & Shepherd and the other businesses in that area cannot park near them.

The local Chinese community has donated over $6 million to the Chinese Embassy here to assist with rescue and relief efforts in China where an earthquake has killed over 51,000 persons and injured close to 300,000 while over 30,000 remain missing.

It is not a practice for the authorities – the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission or the Office of the Prime Minister – to  routinely bring to public attention the various environmentally unsound practices that persist in the far-flung mining locations across the vast interior of Guyana; and since journalists rarely if ever pay visits to these mining locations most of the information that reaches the media comes either from the various Amerindian organizations that have been fighting to curb the worst excesses of the delinquent miners or sometimes – off the record — from official (GGMC) sources, miners and the Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners’ Association.

Dear Editor, I am a member of the Public Accounts Committee of the Guyana Parliament (PAC).

– Australia, led by a superb 158 from skipper Ricky Ponting took  control of the first Digicel test at Sabina Park yesterday cruising to 301-4  with the  fiery Fidel Edwards picking up two wickets Garth Wattley in Kingston Ricky Ponting’s excellence at Sabina Park yesterday has given his Australian side immediate control of the first Test of this Digicel series.

Dear Editor, On behalf of the class of ENG 321 – West Indian Literature at the University of Guyana, I wish to express overwhelming sadness at the passing of Professor Frederick Case.

A Berbice carpenter was admitted to the New Amsterdam Hospital after he was shot in an attempted robbery on him on Wednesday at Cumberland, Canje.

By Tony Cozier In KINGSTON It is hardly coincidental that the West Indies’ decline to the depths of world cricket has been accompanied by an interminable spate of injuries.

(Karen Abrams holds an MBA from UC San Francisco. She is a Marketing and Small Business Consultant in the US and Caribbean. 

By Calvin Roberts Points leaders Sunburst Camptown Football Club (13 points) and second place Guyana Defence Force (11 points) will face each other tonight at the Tucville ground as action in the Georgetown Football Association (GFA) Premier League competition continues.

-urges customers to reduce power demand The power company yesterday said it was facing a situation with record high fuel costs that was  approaching crisis proportions and appealed to all customers to join the conservation effort to reduce electricity demand.

Dear Editor, The entrance/exit road to Republic Park (phases 2&3) and Continental Park is almost impassable to regular vehicles.

Guyana Football Federation  (GFF) president Colin Klass along with GFF general secretary Noel Adonis and Aubrey ‘Shanghai’ Major will leave Guyana this morning for Sydney, Australia where they will attend a Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) Congress which starts  on Wednesday, and an International Football Federation (FIFA) Congress which will be held May 29 and 30 also in Sydney, Australia.

After tax profits up to $106m last year from $48m in 2006 Sterling Products Ltd is seeking to develop an oil crop and a facility for manufacturing edible oil locally with the assistance of a CARICOM partner.

Dear Editor, Two pensioners have asked me to write this letter.

-GPL urges caution on extensions The Guyana Power and Light (GPL) says its investigation into the death of Sharon Jairam revealed that the woman was electrocuted by a defective drop-cord used to supply power to a chicken coop.

The Guyana House of Nyahbinghi is hosting a three-day celebration in honour of the 45th anniversary of the Organization of African Unity (OAU).

Dear Editor, Applying for a passport at the passport office in George-town is a very long and tedious process.

Head of the World Wildlife Fund secretariat in Guyana (WWF) Dr Patrick Williams has said that the international environmental body is prepared to support a visit to Jamaica by local gold mining officials to examine the laws, codes  and practices there associated with  the restoration of mined areas.

Several of the country’s promising amateur boxers will be on show this weekend in the Neal and Massy-sponsored National Independence Intermediate Championships billed for the National Gymnasium.

Dear Editor,     I salute Mr Dorian Massay for bringing to light the horrible plight of the Nepalese in the Brickdam lockups, and Mr Simon Williams picking up where he left off.

New body to raise the profile of Project Management profession here The Project Management sector in Guyana is expected to benefit from greater access to formal training and regional and international networking opportunities in what has come to be regarded as a key developmental discipline with the establishment here of a sub-committee of the Southern Caribbean Chapter of the United States-based Project Management Institute (PMI), the leading membership association for the project management profession.

By Calvin Roberts Heavy rainfall which left the Mackenzie Sports Club ground in an unplayable condition combined with  heavy winds left the organizers with no other position than to temporarily suspend the Upper Demerara Football Association (UDFA) Banks DIH Coca Cola-sponsored first-division league for teams in the mining town.

The agriculture ministry and representatives from social services agencies met last week with field and factory union representatives from the East Demerara sugar estates to discuss issues affecting its workers.

  GASCI (www.gasci.com/telephone Nº 223-6175/6) reports that session 254’s trading results showed consideration of $1,603,325 from 85,396 shares traded in 20 transactions as compared to session 253 which showed consideration of $2,285,000 from 138,822 shares traded in 9  transactions. 

The Guyana Squash Association (GSA) yesterday selected a squad of 15 players to keep the Golden Arrowhead flying at the 2008 Caribbean Area Squash Associations (CASA) Junior Squash Championships scheduled to take place from July 12-19 in Bermuda.

Principal Magistrate Krishndat Persaud on Thursday sentenced a 43-year-old man to two years imprisonment after he admitted to a charge of break and enter and larceny.

Dear Editor, The Caribbean is laughing at Guyana’s politics. There is nothing but nonsense unmatched in Guyana’s history, the latest being the so-called polygraph tests.

By Dale Whittington and Bjørn Lomborg  CHAPEL HILL, NC – Despite recent progress, more than one billion people still lack decent water supplies, and more than two billion go without sanitation services.

Several East Coast communities are benefiting from drainage and irrigation (D&I) works that will lessen the impact of heavy rainfall on those communities as well put infrastructure in place to encourage farming. 

As the momentum for the Caribbean Festival of Arts (CARIFESTA) X increases, 24 countries so far have confirmed their participation, and countries outside of the Caribbean  such as Morocco, Austria and Indonesia will also be a part of the ten-day festival.

Dear Editor, Friday, May 23, 2008 is a Baha’i holy day!

-granted $200,000 bail Principal Magistrate Krishndat Persaud committed a Corentyne man charged with discharging a loaded firearm at his reputed wife, to stand trial at the next sitting of the High Court in New Amsterdam (NA).

As expected, last week’s 5th Latin America and the Caribbean-European Union Summit in Lima, Peru, produced the usual rhetoric-filled declaration, built around the well-meaning theme of ‘Addressing Our Peoples’ Priorities Together,’and the so-called Lima Agenda aimed at deepening bi-regional cooperation to deal with challenges in two broad areas: poverty eradication, inequity and exclusion; and sustainable development, environment, climate change and energy.

GASCI Summary of Financials Session 254 May 19, 2008              Notes 1 – Interim results 2 – Prospective EPS: earnings per share for 12 months period to the date the latest financials have been prepared.

“God guard you great mother…”                          -But Mr. Molotov, Channa – and Grey Goose!

By Calvin Roberts Local telephone giant Guyana Telephone and Telegraph (GT&T) yesterday recommitted itself to Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club (RHTYSC) when at a simple ceremony held in the boardroom of the Guyana Cricket Board they handed over a cheque for $400,000 towards the publication of the ninth edition of the club’s Youth Magazine.