Daily Archive: Sunday, March 8, 2009

– to testify against Roger Khan – marked to be ‘neutralised’ in witness tampering allegation Retired army major David Clarke, who is expected to be one of the main witnesses for the prosecution in drug accused’s Roger Khan trial and reportedly a target to be intimidated in the witness tampering allegation, is sitting in a New York jail, having been charged with two counts of drug trafficking.

– says corrupt businessmen should also undergo test Commissioner General of the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) Khurshid Sattaur says polygraph testing is critical in the revenue body to change public perception and root out corrupt officers.

– tax review recommends A US-funded tax review has recommended the reintroduction of a 20% tax bracket to reduce the “heavy burden” on middle-income earners.

Five persons were awarded house lots on February 27 when the Ministry of Housing and Water in collaboration with the Ministry of Health held its second lottery drawing of house lots initiative.

As 17-year-old Leroy Anthony Daniels tried desperately to rid himself of the flames engulfing his body, the man who set him ablaze just watched on.

– Carrington There is need for better accountability for women’s empowerment and gender equality since despite the gains in the region many gaps still exist, Caricom Secretary-General Edwin Carrington said in a message on the occasion of International Women’s Day.

There is  greater need for the Caribbean region to produce an increasing share of the food it consumes, says Ambassador Irwin LaRocque, CARICOM Assistant Secretary-General, Trade and Economic Integration.

Nominees for membership to the Rights of the Child Commission have been identified and will be presented to the National Assembly for approval on Thursday.

The 21-year-old nursing student, who was shot in the abdomen on Friday night while at an internet café on Sheriff Street, is in the Intensive Care Unit of the Georgetown Public Hospital after undergoing emergency surgery.

Guyana is among a group of countries set to benefit from education non-profit group Change 1 Child which aims to boost the reading skills of children.

Clico and the related crisis: Confusion continues Introduction It has been an incredibly hot week in Guyana.

The Caribbean should not expect a dramatically changed relationship with the US In a few weeks time the President of the United States, Barack Obama, will attend the Summit of the Americas in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad.

Work on the approach road to the Berbice River Bridge is continuing apace with the laying of asphalt on the right-hand side last week, linking it to the left.

A new hydraulics system will be installed at the Berbice River Bridge by April month-end to rectify a flaw in the design of the ramps for the retractor span.

A parliamentary staff retreat to Number 63 Beach, Berbice halted tragically yesterday when an employee who had been warned to stay away from the waters drowned.

– but commission denies charge of bias The Guyana Teachers Union (GTU) has criticized the manner in which appointments are being made by the Teaching Service Commission (TSC) saying that it has pulled out of the process until certain critical changes are made.

Moral hazard and the Guyana regulatory meltdown Moral hazard When a sectoral regulatory authority, in this instance for the insurance sector, takes the position that regulatory intervention as prescribed by law would be prejudicial to a party that is involved in regulatory evasion and abuse, because such intervention “would have precipitated the demise of the company to the immediate detriment of policy holders,” it means one of two ghastly things, both of which reveal a deeply flawed legal-regulatory-institutional oversight framework.

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC – West Indies suffered a setback, after making a bright start in their reply to England’s big first innings total in the fifth and final Test on Saturday.

DAMASCUS (Reuters) – The United States wants to see “forward momentum” on peace talks between Syria and Israel and  believes Syria could help Middle East stability, a US official  said after high-level talks in Damadscus yesterday.

Wins for Pistons and Ravens As expected, Dyna’s Ravens of Georgetown and Linden’s Wismar Pistons were the first two teams to chalk up victory, when this year’s Next Level Entertainment (NLE) basketball tournament bounced off last Friday at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall.

The overmighty centre Any practical person in charge of anything periodically asks the question: ‘How do we get things done most effectively?’

By Tony Cozier At the Queen’s  Park Oval FOR all of the drudgery of the opening day – and the futile finale at Kensington Oval – as many as 10,000 were drawn to the Queen’s Park Oval yesterday in the hope of some genuine Test cricket.

ANKARA (Reuters) – US Secretary of State Hillary  Clinton held up Turkey yesterday as proof that democracy and  Islam can coexist and said Barack Obama would visit the NATO  state in his first trip as president to a Muslim country.

Create a garden pool In Guyana, or at least in Georgetown, I don’t suppose that many gardeners feel any urgent need to have a water feature in the garden, because for a disproportionate amount of time we all have an excess of it!

The executive committee of Demerara Cricket Club (DCC) has expressed their disappointment at the failure of Mavericks Cricket Club (MCC) to put in an appearance for their scheduled Zone A sixth round clash in the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB)/ Gafoors sponsored first division 20/20 competition last Friday.

NEW DELHI (Reuters) – India and Pakistan must  change the way they treat each other and bury a “dirty past” to  tackle growing militancy in the region together, Pakistan’s  former President Pervez Musharraf said  yesterday.

Wayne Brown is a well-known Trinidadian writer and columnist who now lives in Jamaica.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama said  he could not assure Americans the recession-mired US economy  would start growing again later this year, The New York Times  said  yesterday.

Eye ailments Continued Problems associated with the retina You may recall that we had described the retina as the innermost and light sensitive lining at the back of the eyeball. 

GEORGETOWN, Guyana, Mar 7, CMC – Narsingh Deonarine carved out his sixth first-class hundred and second this season to give Guyana control against Combined Campuses & Colleges on the second day of their ninth round WICB Regional Four-day yesterday.

Alpha and Camptown book semi-final spots – Last two quarterfinals to be contested tonight Alpha United and Sunburst Camptown were the first two teams to make it into the semi-final round of the 14th annual Mayor’s Cup Knockout Competition powered by Digicel when they won their quarter-final matches on Friday at the Georgetown Football Club (GFC) ground.

HARARE (Reuters) – Zimbabwe’s Prime Minister Morgan  Tsvangirai was flown to neighbouring Bots-wana on Saturday to  recover from a car crash that injured him and killed his wife, a  source from his MDC party said.

The police are not enforcing the law on noise nuisance The following letter addressed to Mr Balram Persaud, Commander ‘C’ Division, Cove and John and copied to the Commissioner of Police and to me at the Guyana Consumers Association tells a sad story of the failure of our police force to enforce the laws of Guyana.

Three scientists and literature In 2009 the world is celebrating the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin, who, rather like Galileo and Sigmund Freud, is one of the most influential names in the history of scientific discovery. 

Police have arrested two men after they stopped and searched a car at Mahaica yesterday and found a quantity of marijuana.

DURBAN, (Reuters) – South Africa batsmen Graeme Smith and Jacques Kallis had to visit the hospital, as fiery Australia paceman Mitchell Johnson caused havoc on the second day of the second test on Saturday.

Three men were arrested by police at Berbice during a robbery investigation on Friday night shortly after a Bakewell Bakery driver was held at gunpoint and stripped of cash.

For me, chess is life and every game is like a new life.

Dear Editor, I read in your newspapers on March 5 that the Animal Health Department of the Ministry of Agriculture seized two pregnant animals that were about to be slaughtered at the Georgetown Municipal Abattoir.

Dear Editor, March 6 marks the 12th anniversary since my dear father, President Cheddi, died at an age where his life’s work was not yet completed.

Inspired no doubt by his convincing victory in the recent Cheddi Jagan Memorial cycle road race in Berbice, Warren ‘Forty’ Mc Kay returned yesterday to dominate the field in the feature race of the 18th Annual R&R International sponsored cycling programme around the inner circuit of the National Park.

Op-ed celebrating International Women’s Day On a trip to China eleven years ago, I met with women activists who told me about their efforts to advance conditions for women in their country.

The University of Guyana announces Sunday library hours for the month of March for its Turkeyen Campus.

One might have thought that the annual ceremony at Babu John to commemorate the 12th death anniversary of President Cheddi Jagan would have been a time for sentiment, gentle reminiscing and inspirational addresses.