Daily Archive: Monday, March 22, 2010

– stays on for the love of it By Sara Bharrat Clean, feed, clean – this is the routine of Georgetown zookeepers.

WASHINGTON, (Reuters) – The U.S. House of  Representatives gave final approval to a sweeping healthcare  overhaul yesterday, expanding insurance coverage to nearly all  Americans and handing President Barack Obama a landmark  victory.

A boat captain is missing and feared drowned after pirates forced him and his crew into the waters off the Venezuelan Coast in a vicious attack on Thursday.

Faced with eviction today, some Parika, East Bank Essequibo vendors, most of whom are women, are appealing to the authorities to re-consider their decision.

A 28-year-old medical technician yesterday afternoon succumbed to injuries he sustained in an accident on the East Coast Demerara Public Road on Saturday evening.

A 67-year-old West Coast Berbice woman was up to yesterday afternoon still traumatised after she was robbed by two bandits on Saturday afternoon who threatened to shoot her eight-year-old grandson if he didn’t stop crying.

The Linden Tourism Development Association (TDA) says most visitors to the community arrive for Town Week Activities and though it has so far failed to attract tourists year-round it intends to collaborate with Brazilian investors and come up with fresh ideas.

Over 32,000 cars were registered by the Licence Revenue Office (LRO) over the last 14 months and legitimate vehicle importers are calling on the authorities to rein in private vehicle importers who bring in cars for resale.

-mining camps a big problem Minister of Health, Dr Leslie Ramsammy says he is concerned about the malaria situation in Guyana while stressing that the proliferation of mining camps in the interior is creating a challenging situation for his health workers.

Director of the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) Dr Nanda Gopaul says the corporation sacked its Materials Manager Aasrodeen Shaw specifically because he failed to procure electrodes on time, which resulted in a halt in the operations of a section of the estate.

-traffic issues raised Residents of Diamond, East Bank Demerara on Saturday raised numerous concerns about private cars operating hire service, but failed to address the increase of petty crimes in the area during a police  “Face the Community” meeting.

The long delayed shipment of H1N1 vaccines is expected in the country this week and according to the Ministry of Health, testing has been at a standstill because the number of cases for referrals has been few.

-said to be nearly 100 years old An old wooden building on Camp Street and North Road was condemned by the City Council last month to be torn down and all that remains now is an old-style bakery oven and chimney that is said to be nearly 100 years old.

Six persons have been arrested following the discovery of more than 4 kilos cocaine in sealed tins at Good Hope Essequibo.

– Mayor There has been an increase in the quantum and nature of garbage being disposed of and this poses a “tremendous challenge” to the municipality of Georgetown which currently disposes of 250 tonnes of garbage, Mayor Hamilton Green said.

The Ministry of Education in an effort to strengthen discipline among students in schools has launched a National Mentoring Programme  which will start at the Lodge  Community High  and  will be extended to nine other Georgetown schools and  subsequently to schools outside the city.

Government last week commissioned a $14.3 million drying floor at Walton Hall to boost rice production in Region Two and plans are in train to establish two rice mills, one in the same region and the other on the Corentyne.

A 22-year old miner of Sarah Johanna, East Bank Demerara is now a patient at the Georgetown Public Hospital after being stabbed five times during a fight.

-ministry to launch micro-credit programme Single parents in a government training programme on Friday received grants and the  Ministry of Human Services says it will soon launch its micro-credit programme which will offer loans at low interest rates to persons in this category who desire to start a small business.

The Evergreen/Paradise Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) recently received two pumps for communal irrigation and drainage of farm lands, the Government Information Agency (GINA) reported.

President Bharrat Jagdeo recently met with Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU) officials Coretta McDonald and Councillor Lesmeine Collins to discuss some of the conditions of the 2006 wage package agreement between the GTU and the Ministry of Education.

-court hears Jude Pompey, also known as Nicholas Pompey, was on Friday remanded to prison on the allegation that he was found with a quantity of cannabis stashed in a microwave at his home.

—-Trophy Stall wins inaugural GT&T 10/10 tourney and carts off one million dollars Trophy Stall took home the $1 million first prize after they comfortably stopped Crabwood Creek Unstoppables by 51 runs in the final of the GT&T 10/10 cricket tournament last night at the Everest Cricket Club ground.

Three men, accused of armed robbery, now face an indictable charge after an amendment to the previous charge was made.

Raymond Newton grabbed seven of the eight prime prizes at stake on his way to a superb victory in the second annual Dr.

The Ravens basketball teams continue to soar after their Third Division and Open teams trampled the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) and East/West Fire teams Saturday night at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall as the Georgetown Amateur Basketball Association (GABA) Open and Third Division leagues continued.

DALLAS, (Reuters) – The Boston Celtics derailed  the Dallas Mavericks’ bid to move into second place in the Western Conference with a 102-93 victory on Saturday.

INDIAN WELLS, California, (Reuters) – Croat Ivan  Ljubicic won his first Masters 1000 title by upsetting  seventh-seeded American Andy Roddick 7-6 7-6 in the final of  the Indian Wells ATP tournament yesterday.

Dear Editor, I read Adam Harris’s article (March 7, 2010, Kaieteur News) titled `The City landscape is no longer attractive.’

Dear Editor, President Jagdeo is a good economist but a far more astute politician.

NEW DELHI, (Reuters) – Two more teams will enter the Indian Premier League, the world’s richest cricket  tournament, after bids worth a combined $703 million for team franchise rights were announced yesterday.

CARACAS,  (Reuters) – Venezuela announced yesterday  24-hour power cutoffs for dozens of companies that have failed  to reduce usage in the first punitive measures of a nationwide  drive to save energy amid an electricity crisis.

(Cricinfo) Andrew Symonds starred in an impressive all-round effort, racing to 35 and picking up three wickets, to help Deccan Chargers achieve their third consecutive victory in the IPL yesterday.

Dear Editor, I find the article in Stabroek News `El Nino bakes Mahaica Creek – farmers losing crops’ – published in the Saturday, March 20, 2010 Edition as discrediting to the hard work of our public officers.

LONDON, (Reuters) – British government ministers  said yesterday they were “appalled” by the behaviour of former  colleagues after media claims they had offered to try to  influence policy in return for cash.

LONDON, (Reuters) – The Labour government will  unveil a 2 billion pound ($3 billion) “green” investment bank in  Wednesday’s budget to help Britain’s transformation to a low  carbon economy, a government source said on Sunday.

Dear Editor, It’s quite paradoxical that Guyana—the Land of Many Waters—is suffering tremendously at this time as a result of a prolonged drought which has crippled the supply of drinking and potable water available to consumers of the Guyana Water Incorporated.

(Cricinfo) Kings XI Punjab Mediocrity met mediocrity last night and somehow produced the first tie of the third edition of the IPL, leading to a Super Over, which gave Kings XI Punjab an unlikely victory.

CHICAGO,  (Reuters) – U.S. researchers have  developed tiny nanoparticle robots that can travel through a  patient’s blood and into tumors where they deliver a therapy  that turns off an important cancer gene.

Dear Editor, My letter on the World Cup in S.Africa in the March 19, 2010 edition of SN stated that there are 24 teams competing in 6 groups.

(BBC) Australia closed in on victory in the first Test in Wellington after forcing New Zealand to follow on.

By Cary Fraser Cary Fraser is a regular contributor to the Trinidad and Tobago Review and writes on international relations in the Middle East, American foreign policy, and Caribbean history.

(Jamaica Gleaner) Red-hot controversy continues to swirl around the Government over the deal involving top-flight American law firm Manatt, Phelps and Phillips.

Dear Editor,My name is Ganesh Narine and I am a member of the Community Policing Group at Springlands Police Station (Voluntary member).

Guyanese are fascinated by the notion of spirits and I don’t mean the kind that comes in bottles, although there is obviously that, too. 

Two weeks ago, Mr Bob Persaud, the brother-in-law of the late Mr Satyadeow Sawh suggested that self-confessed drug lord Mr Roger Khan could have answers on the murder of Sawh, two of his siblings and a security guard in 2006.

(Jamaica Observer) The finances of a well-connected Jamaican businessman, who heads a list of about 30 with massive unexplained wealth, is now the subject of intense scrutiny by the US authorities who have asked Jamaica to gather evidence about how the wealth was accumulated.

Dear Editor,With the confirmed mapping of our mineral deposits by a foreign nation it is now of paramount importance that the Guyanese people be made aware of all possible implications that may result from such a venture.

Lowering the age at which children should start working Photos and interviews by Shabna Ullah Minister of Labour Manzoor Nadir recently announced that he was considering changing the labour legislation to allow children as young as 13 years old to do some jobs.

DHAKA, (Reuters) – Jonathan Trott made a patient  half-century to help England recover from two quick blows and reach 171 for three in reply to Bangladesh’s 419 on the second day of the second test yesterday.