Daily Archive: Friday, August 7, 2009

– ATC equipment to be replaced over 18 months The Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) yesterday signed a US$3.5 million ($700 million) contract with Canadian company Intelcan Technosystems Inc, which will see the upgrading of communication and air-navigation systems at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, Timehri.

Chairman of the Private Sector Commission, Captain Gerald Gouveia says former Roger Khan attorney Robert Simels met with him three years ago to ascertain whether the now confessed drug trafficker was recognized in business circles here.

-has no objection to pre-sentence report Lawyers for confessed Guyanese drug trafficker Roger Khan have written US judge Dora Irizarry requesting an earlier date for sentencing, even suggesting next month, ahead of the scheduled November date which was previously announced.

-Cadets TT players looking to emulate seniors The Guyana Table Tennis Association (GTTA) is leaving no stone unturned in its quest to have its cadet team equal or better the performance of the national senior team which ended in the runner-up position at the recent annual Caribbean Championships in French Guiana.

Former president of the Georgetown Amateur Basket-ball Association (GA-BA) David Patterson will preside over the Guyana Amateur Basketball Federation (GABF) following the recent death of Godwin McPherson.

Residents and businesspersons located close to the seawall behind Number 78 Village at Corriverton, West Coast Berbice are concerned about damaged sections of the seawall which they said had eroded over the past several years.

-method of picking members likely to displease opposition In the absence of opposition MPs, the National Assembly yesterday passed the Local Government Commission Bill 2009 with a contentious clause that would in essence allow the administration to pick all six members of the Commission.

NEW DELHI, (Reuters) – While many of his  contemporaries have retired, Sachin Tendulkar has no intention  of applying the brakes on his record-breaking career and instead  wants to score 15,000 test runs and win the 2011 World Cup.

-farmers point to flooding, pests Stakeholders in the local coconut industry were urged to examine their options as they raised their concerns about the sub-sector at a workshop on Tuesday.

LEEDS, England,  (Reuters) – Australia have the  momentum going into the fourth Ashes test of a fluctuating  series, their captain Ricky Ponting said yesterday.

BEIJING, (Reuters) – The Sun Beach Theme Park was  probably not the legacy foremost in the minds of Olympic  organisers when they spent billions of dollars building the  venues for last year’s Beijing Games.

The United  States Embassy in Georgetown on Wednesday said it wished to remind all Guyanese citizens travelling to the United States that each person, including minor children, must present their own valid passport to the immigration officer at the U.S.

Health Minister Dr Leslie Ramsammy recently signed a US$5M contract for the construction of a modern health bond for the sector.

Government yesterday confirmed the sacking of several employees of law enforcement agencies who have failed polygraph tests, saying it has encouraged them to handle the failures the same way as  when several Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) employees were fired last year.

NEW DELHI, (Reuters) – Members of India’s 1956  Olympics soccer squad have accused the national federation of  treating them like “beggars” and have decided to return cheques  received from the governing body, Indian media reported on  Wednesday.

The actual sum allocated to the Guyana Women’s Leadership Institute (GWLI) at  Cove and John, East Coast Demerara for 2009 is $8M.

-GINA A Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) consultation which  engaged residents from Ituni, Kwakwani and its environs on Wednesday attracted the second largest attendance of the four sessions held jointly by the Guyana Forestry Commis-sion (GFC) and the Forest Products Association (FPA),  bettered only by the one held in Georgetown.

MIAMI, Florida, CMC – Top Jamaica female sprinter Veronica Campbell –Brown is upbeat about her chances at the World Championships, despite a couple of injury setbacks early in the season.

LONDON, (Reuters) – England fans have been asked to  stop jeering and respect Australia captain Ricky Ponting in the  fourth Ashes test that starts at Headingley yesterday.

“I steal it your worship because I de hungry and dem didn’t want lend me $200 to buy food before me start work with dem,” a man, ordered to pay a $25,000 fine or serve three months imprisonment for stealing bearings, said yesterday at the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court.

AKRON, Ohio, (Reuters) – Ireland’s Padraig Harrington  spectacularly rolled in three successive putts from more than  20 feet to grab a two-shot lead in yesterday’s opening round at  the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational.

Dear Editor, As our country follows the daily revelations coming out of a courtroom in New York with bated breath, appalled at the allegations levelled against the government in general and a minister in particular, the rest of the world is observing how we as a nation will respond to this crisis.

Dear Editor, The PPP/C has sufficiently reminded us of the late President Desmond Hoyte’s resort to ‘kith and kin’ politics during the 1997 elections and that party’s more recent ‘slow fire, more fire’ outpourings.

As the start of the new school year approaches, many parents are finding it tough to meet the cost of their children’s education Less than a month before the start of the 2009/2010 academic year  the congested arcades, bookshops and department stores in the city reflect just how high a premium Guyanese parents continue to place on their children’s education.

KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – Following is a 20-man provisional squad announced by West Indies selectors yesterday to prepare for the 2010 ICC Youth World Cup.

NEW YORK, (Reuters) – Former U.S. President Bill  Clinton and drugmakers Pfizer and Matrix Laboratories Ltd  announced a deal yesterday to lower the cost of treatments  for patients with drug-resistant forms of HIV/AIDS.

NEW YORK, (Reuters) – The Orlando Magic’s Rashard  Lewis has been suspended without pay for 10 games after testing  positive for an elevated testosterone level.

GT&T lost US$2M in eight months – Chief Financial Officer The Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GT&T) is cautioning both its  cellular service vendors and members of the public to steer clear of what it says is a costly and potentially dangerous racket that employs multiple cellular SIM cards to facilitate rogue telephone ‘services’ that bypass the company’s network.

Dear Editor, New York press coverage of the Brooklyn trial that many here seem to think spells trouble for the government hardly ever mentions the name, Guyana.

EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey, CMC – An Andre Toussaint brace sensationally fired Trinidadian Pro League side W Connection to a 2-1 win over New York Red Bulls on Wednesday night and into the next round of the CONCACAF Champions League.

Motorbike duo in stable conditionThe motorcyclist and pillion rider who sustained injuries after colliding with a minibus along the La Grange Public Road, West Bank Demerara on Tuesday evening are in stable condition at the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPH).

Dear Editor, With the case against Robert Simels just about to go to the jury please allow me the opportunity to point out what I believe to be the salient issue of this trial.

Deputy Mayor Robert Williams believes that citizens would be far more appreciative of the municipality’s shortcomings if they were more aware of its challenges Deputy Mayor of the embattled Georgetown City Council Robert Williams says he would be the first to concede that the municipality is not without its shortcomings.

NEW YORK, (Reuters) – A group of Venezuelan clients  of Stanford Financial Group have sued the insurance broker  Willis Group Holdings Ltd, accusing it of contributing to a $7  billion Ponzi scheme at the Texas-based investment company  founded by Allen Stanford.

Dear Editor, I refer to Mr Winston Murray’s second letter in your edition of August 6, 2009 under the caption ‘There was a breach of Standing Order 57(2).’

SAN FRANCISCO, (Reuters) – Twitter and Facebook said  they suffered service problems from hacker attacks yesterday,  raising speculation of a coordinated campaign against the  world’s most popular online social networks.

“All I asking for is a two months, my worship,” a man, who broke and entered a food stall with intent to steal, told Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry shortly before she handed him an 18-month sentence.

– To play semi-finals tonight Last year’s finalist Milerock United eliminated the only Georgetown side in this year’s Linden Invitational Football Tournament, the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) 2-1 while Winners Connection rocked Netrockers by a similar goal line to round off the semi-finals tonight at the Mackenzie Sports Club ground (MSC).

JOHANNESBURG, (Reuters) – A presidential visit  followed by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s African  tour cannot conceal a stark reality: China has overtaken the  United States as Africa’s top trading partner.

Dear Editor, In its partial replv (‘Correcting errors of fact,’ GC, August 3) the Office of Climate Change (OCC) in the Office of the President says that I “have not submitted any ideas or suggestions for the purpose of improving the Strategy.” 

Dear Editor, On behalf of the DC Jammers organization, we express our deepest condolences to the family of Colonel Godwin McPherson and the basketball family in Guyana.

This newspaper has been briefed by the  Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GT&T) about a disturbing racket in which bogus telephone service providers are employing multiple cellular services to receive overseas calls and route  them to local numbers, bypassing the company’s own licensed network and, in effect,  running  private  ‘services’ at GT&T’s expense.

A second man has been remanded to prison for allegedly stealing US$10,000 from another after promising to get a US visa for him.

LEEDS, England, (Reuters) – Andrew Flintoff’s fitness  for the fourth Ashes test was still in doubt yesterday after  the England all-rounder struggled with the ball in a net  session.

The scheduled sub-national consultations on the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) have been completed, the LCDS Multi-Stakeholder Steering Committee said on Wednesday.

BRASILIA, (Reuters) – Brazilian President Luiz Inacio  Lula da Silva told his Colombian counterpart yesterday  Bogota’s decision to allow an increase in U.S.

Dear Editor, I have just returned from Guyana to New York. 

(Trinidad Express) – Police are investigating the deaths of a police constable and his wife whose bodies were found at her workplace in Curepe on Wednesday afternoon.

Amidst the good news about the first quarter performance of the economy, there are still concerns that are likely to dissuade potential investors and entrepreneurs from proceeding with haste to invest in Guyana.  

Dear Editor, In the basketball community, there’s been much controversy surrounding the late Colonel Godwin McPherson.

(Barbados Nation) – Should a hurricane or an earthquake strike, about 75 per cent of Barbados’ homes could be reduced to rubble due to shoddy construction.

NEW DELHI, (Reuters) – Former India skipper Anil Kumble and Javagal Srinath have warned against the launch of a local franchise Twenty20 league, saying it could kill young talent.

MUMBAI, (Reuters) – A court yesterday sentenced to  death three Indians found guilty of conspiring with a  Pakistan-based militant group to carry out serial blasts in  Mumbai in 2003 that killed at least 54 people, officials said.

Enhancement works have commenced in Tucville, Agricola and Cummings Lodge with the help of residents.

By Brian Persaud, and Gerhard Ramsaroop A growing number of Guyanese are now enjoying the freedom and convenience of access to wireless networks,  more commonly known as Wi-Fi. 

(Trinidad Express) – A ten-year-old is being treated at hospital after her mother allegedly burnt her hand in a hot pot of rice.

Persons who wish to have the Mayor and City Council’s (M&CC) records reflect a change of the name of a property must submit a certified copy of the transport or lease.

New entity to inherit predecessor’s assets, sustain support for its projects Stabroek Business has secured information setting out the organizational outline, management structure and key objectives of a new body that is to replace the Linden Economic Advancement Programme (LEAP) and lend continuity to providing technical and financial support to strengthening the base of the fragile private sector in one of the country’s key administrative regions.

ISLAMABAD, (Reuters) – There is a strong likelihood  that Pakistani Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud was killed along  with his wife and bodyguards in a missile attack two days ago,  Pakistan’s Interior Minister Rehman Malik told Reuters.

Dear Editor, The reluctance to have an open dialogue in parliament on the Roger Khan saga exemplifies the need for changes in the current system of governance in Guyana.

Guyana is expected to send a large contingent of golfers to the RBTT tournament in Suriname later this month and towards this end local golfers are eagerly looking forward to this week-end’s tournament which they hope to use as a warm up.

A collaborative initiative between the University of Guyana and the Private Sector Commission (PSC) designed to better position the University to contribute to enhancing the human resource and technical capacities of the local corporate community could see the introduction of a new three-year degree programme in Agri Business at Turkeyen as early as the 2010/2011 academic year according to a senior PSC official who is one of the prime movers behind the collaborative effort.

By Janette Bulkan (This is the fifth in a 10-part series intended to look at some of the issues surrounding Guyana’s bid for funds from the World Bank-administered Forest Carbon Partnership Fund (FCPF) and from Norway, and for the President’s Low Carbon Development Strategy.)

(Trinidad Express) – The British Foreign and Commonwealth Office has agreed to extradite a Trinidadian man wanted in this country for drug trafficking after being given the assurance by the State that the prisoner will not be confined to inhumane prison conditions.

Dear Editor, I found your last week’s Stabroek Business quite engaging because four of the matters you addressed are very close to my current persuasions.

East Ruimveldt will oppose Stewart/Leonora Market while Bourda will clash with Ann’s Grove Market tonight as the Inter-Market Football Competition which is sponsored by Power Stout continues with a double header at the Georgetown Football Club (GFC) ground.

Farming in Region Three (Essequibo Islands/West Demerara) was given a boost following the signing of a US$1.95M contract for the rehabilitation of the Canals Polder control structures and access roads.

LONDON, (Reuters) – A British start-up company  developing a cement that absorbs carbon dioxide has raised 1  million pounds ($1.7 million) to fund its work, underscoring the  growing interest in eco-friendly construction ventures.

LOS ANGELES, (Reuters) – Filmmaker John Hughes, who  made some of the most memorable teen comedies of the 1980s and  turned Macaulay Culkin into a major star, died suddenly of a  heart attack in New York yesterday.

Dear Editor, A growing cloud of skepticism is engulfing the government concerning its ability to function with any legitimacy because of the daily revelations coming out of the Robert Simels trial in federal court in Brooklyn, NY. 

The coup d’état in Honduras, the original banana republic, thanks to the almost feudal predominance of the notorious United Fruit Company in the first half of the twentieth century, has given rise to fears among some Central America watchers that the age of the banana republics – characterized by combinations of brutal and venal dictators, electoral fraud, bloody coups, endemic corruption and all sorts of guerrilla movements – might once again be upon us.

GASCI (www.gasci.com/telephone Nº 223-6175/6) reports that session 315’s trading results showed consideration of $949,070 from 32,600 shares traded in 8 transactions as compared to session 314 which showed consideration of $1,078,715 from 29,107 shares traded in 14 transactions. 

– And  Mr Chapman’s Training in TracingFrankly Speaking Two preliminary/introductory points: no matter how determined and steadfast one used or wants to be with respect to an issue, sheer attrition and frustration can drive one to just give up. 

LONDON, (Reuters) – Former England batsman Mark  Butcher has announced his retirement with immediate effect,  Surrey County Cricket Club said yesterday.

Court adjourns sex case against pastor KINGSTON, Jamaica (Antigua Sun) – Jamaican-born pastor, Paul Lewis is to return to court on 4 September after the prosecution was successful in getting a court to allow him more time to prepare for the sex-related charges against the US-based pastor.

The Public Utilities Commission (PUC) has announced that on August 11, commencing at 5 pm at the Hotel Tower it will be holding a public inquiry into the conditions and service of the Guyana Power and Light.