Daily Archive: Friday, January 23, 2009

Fidelity Investments attorney, Hukumchand, last night said that he had no comment to make on the now public Auditor General-led report into allegations of collusion between customs officers and Fidelity to defraud the country of hundreds of millions in revenue but the probe team has cited phone logs which show frequent calls between the suspects.

Police in Lethem are investigating a racket that involves businesspersons in the border community allegedly contracting Brazilian army personnel, working on the Takutu bridge access road on the Guyana side, to transport gravel to their businesses.

Oil explorer CGX yesterday announced that shooting of the 1,839 sq km 3D seismic survey on CGX’s 25% offshore Georgetown Petroleum Prospecting Licence (PPL) has been completed.

By Shabna Ullah A five-year-old girl of Number Five Village, West Berbice was electrocuted around 7:20 pm on Wednesday after her feet became entangled with an extension cord that was connected to a music set.

The man accused of killing Orilly Lally of Aranaputa Valley yesterday appeared before Acting Chief Magistrate Melissa Robertson at the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court.

Conditions are worsening by the day at the Princes Street landfill and citizens should not be consoled by plans outlined by the Director of Solid Waste Management, the Guyana Citizens Initiative (GCI) said yesterday.

Work on the $700M state-of-the-art building to house the headquarters of the New Building Society (NBS) will commence shortly.

Agriculture Minister Robert Persaud and a team recently donated supplies to farmers in the Canals polder who had been severely affected by flooding while plans are in train to assist other affected areas.

Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport Dr Frank Anthony said his ministry is ready to work with masquerade bands to preserve the tradition.

The Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS) is calling on importers of items like used tires, scale and other manufacturers and vendors to get registered and stamp all devices for the year.

There will be emphasis this year on bringing down several prices on the local market, Commerce Minister Manniram Prashad said yesterday.

The government is moving to set up the long-delayed parliamentary oversight committee for the security sector.

Police in Linden are investigating the case of a motorcyclist who passed away at the Georgetown Hospital on January 19, five days after he crashed into a wooden fence.

A minibus conductor was relieved of cash by two passengers on Wednesday night, moments after the bus stopped on the Agricola Public Road for them to disembark.

Training can help small businesses attract investment capital Finance Controller of the Institute of Private Enterprise Development (IPED) Ramesh Persaud has told Stabroek Business that the level of entrepreneurship in Guyana “needs to be raised appreciably” if there is to be any significant growth in the local private sector.

The National Congress of Women (NCW), the women’s arm of the main opposition PNCR, yesterday registered its disapproval of President Bharrat Jagdeo’s reported treatment of former First Lady Varshnie Singh.

The Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS) said the St Joseph Hospital Medical Laboratory was recertified under its Laboratory Certification Programme as it maintained conformity to the related standard.

Dear Editor, Just about half of a mile from the Takutu Bridge where the Brazilians are paving a stretch of road on the Guyana side, there is a large sign which reads: “The traffic on the bridge of the Itacutu river is not authorized because it was not liberated by the competent organ.”

…after years of controversy The persistence of the vendors occupying the Water Street Mall finally appears to be paying off as the Georgetown City Council turns its attention to the transformation of a facility which, quite simply, is altogether unfit for trading.

Cabinet at its meeting on Monday cleared the over $176M contract for the construction of the Guyana Power & Light generating plant in the Kingston area, according to Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr Roger Luncheon.

Dear Editor, I read your news report of the former First Lady’s recent news conference in addition to receiving an e-mailed copy of her statement which is currently being widely circulated via the Internet.

Dear Editor, I would not even try to engage Mr Kwame McCoy on issues of competence, substance or integrity.

-Dr Luncheon The recently established Security Sector Secretariat, headed by Major General(ret’d) Michael Atherly, has some twelve months to formulate and implement a national security strategy policy, according to Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr Roger Luncheon.

Dear Editor, The government will always have problems with floods in the Mahaica, Mahaicony and Abary rivers.

One of the local institutions in which the Stabroek Business continues to pay a fair degree of interest is the Institute of Private Enterprise Development.

The planned meeting between President Bharrat Jagdeo and members of the Integrity Commission on Wednesday did not materialise as the president had requested information about the “status and functioning of the commission with regards to defaulters,” according to Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr Roger Luncheon.

Dear Editor, Once more Guyana is embarrassed by how the President and First Lady handled their separation. 

A man is in police custody and was up yesterday still being grilled in connection with the murder of the 64-year-old pensioner who was found bound and gagged in his ransacked South Ruimveldt Gardens home on Monday.

Rupert Hopkinson is loathe to discuss the business of books. The state of the book business he says is “an indication of a commercial culture that ignores a commodity that is as critical to quality of life as any.

Former Ethnic Relations Commissioner Shaffeek Khan passed away yesterday morning at his daughter’s residence at New Providence, East Bank Demerara.

Dear Editor, I attend a popular public secondary school on the East Bank of Demerara and I would like to divulge my dissatisfaction with the education that taxpayers invest in.

From Calvin Roberts in Barbados Fast bowler Trevon Garraway and batsmen Homchand Pooran and West Indies opener Sewnarine Chattergoon are all included for Guyana’s fourth round clash of the West Indies Cricket Board-sponsored four-day regional cricket competition against the Leeward Islands, which is set for Nevis next week-end.

A 34-year-old West Ruimveldt man was yesterday sentenced to three years imprisonment after pleading guilty to the charge of break and enter and larceny when he appeared before Acting Chief Magistrate Melissa Robertson at the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court.

Says Orin Davidson It hurts badly to see Guyana’s cricket disintegrate to such a sorry pass.

‘We want to be treated like real businessmen and women’ There is a toughness in the countenance of Jean Singh that sends a message of a street smart, self-willed individual whose livelihood is fashioned out of tough, honest endeavour.

Dear Editor, Could the good people in Guyana – in particular our women’s groups, Red Thread, Young Women’s Christian Association, Women’s Progressive Organisation, National Congress of Women, Mothers’ Committee, political parties, human rights organizations, and our religious leaders say if they understand the significance of the statement made on Wednesday by First Lady Varshni Oma Singh-Jagdeo?

Armed bandits yesterday held up two pump attendants at a West Coast Berbice (WCB) gas station and after tying them up and beating them, escaped with $13,000.

– GASA looking forward to participation at FINA’s meet, congressBy Miranda La Rose Finances and facilities remain strong drags in swimming but the Guyana Amateur Swimming Association (GASA) nevertheless proposes to build on its limited successes achieved last year and to take part in a number of local, regional and international meets starting this weekend says Honorary Secretary Dr.

The lifeless body of an unidentified suspected destitute was yesterday morning discovered under an abandoned building at the corner of Louisa Row and D’Urban Street.

Floor Care Professionals seeking to carve out a niche in a fast growing sector For the past five years Lambert Philips has been quietly carving a niche in the still largely underdeveloped market of cleaning, beautification and the provision of hospitality services and his assessment of the market iis that it offers encouraging prospects for growth and expansion.

Dear Editor, I was delighted when I saw the relevant authorities repairing the roads in Stevedore Housing Scheme.

A former sales supervisor of Toolsie Persaud Limited (TPL) yesterday appeared before Acting Chief Magistrate Melissa Robertson to answer 88 charges against her.

Two painters on Wednesday appeared before Acting Chief Magistrate Melissa Robertson to answer to the charge of simple larceny and were fined $30,000 each.

GASCI (www.gasci.com/telephone Nº 223-6175/6) reports that session 287’s trading results showed consideration of $267,546 from 26,169 shares traded in 6 transactions as compared to session 286 which showed consideration of $363,125 from 26,675 shares traded in 8  transactions. 

Dear Editor, As the United States of America celebrates the election of its first president with a parent of African origin, let us reflect for a moment on how much further ahead Guyana is when it comes to ethnic diversity in presidents.

It was a good speech, a very good speech indeed. Maybe in time, President Barack Obama’s inauguration address will even be judged to be a great speech.

The Central Housing and Planning Authority is preparing a Community Development Plan for the Diamond and Grove communities and has set public consultations on this issue at the weekend.

I was there… -The Inauguration’s American Dream (That captionshould read, “I was there- but…) Well greetings friends.

By Kizan Brumell National table tennis racquet wielder and the Caribbean’s number two junior female player Trenace Lowe is a strong candidate for the junior sportswoman and sportswoman of the year awards when representatives of the National Sports Commission and the media meet next week.