Daily Archive: Friday, May 14, 2010

-‘This is totally madness what they did here’ – Tiwari -Benn declines comment Modifications to the new Supenaam Stelling by the Ministry of Works “messed up” the structure, which in its current state is unsafe to use, BK International head Brian Tiwari says.

Presidential Advisor, Odinga Lumumba said yesterday his land deal at Akawini was approved during the PNC administration by former Agriculture Minister Patrick McKenzie and he declared that the records would show written permission was given.

– relatives now plan burial today; in-laws pull out The in-laws of Bridgette Gangadin yesterday withdrew themselves from all funeral preparations after two days of police interference but according to her relatives, she will be entombed at the Good Hope cemetery today regardless.

Several Guyanese, including two lawyers, were yesterday slapped with criminal charges in New York over an elaborate mortgage fraud in which more than US$3 million in equity was stripped from 26 refinanced residential properties valued at US$13 million, a release from the office of the Queens County District Attorney said.

Cabinet has cleared a contract to procure media rights to air the FIFA World Cup which will kick off in South Africa next month.

Two contracts were recently awarded in the education sector including one for the construction of a new secondary school at Leonora, West Coast Demerara.

Cabinet has given its no-objection to several contracts for community road rehabilitation projects across the country totalling over $300M dollars.

A man was remanded to prison by Magistrate Hazel Octive-Hamilton when he appeared before her yesterday charged with trafficking in narcotics.

-Court hears A man who allegedly committed three gunpoint robberies in one day was remanded to prison yesterday by Magistrate Hazel Octive-Hamilton when he appeared before her at the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court to answer the charges.

The 32-year-old Guyanese man, who was convicted of slashing the throat of a woman he was accused of raping to prevent her from testifying against him, was on Tuesday sentenced to life in prison in the US.

A Schenectady County grand jury yesterday handed up a 32-count indictment formally charging four persons in connection with the shooting to death of a Guyanese man in February that prosecutors now say was a deadly result of a long-standing feud between two rival groups of Guyanese.

A man, suffering from acid burns about the body, was last evening under police guard at the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPH), after he was suspected of being involved in robbing an East Bank Demerara (EBD) goldsmith early yesterday morning.

GROS ISLET, (Reuters) – ICC chief executive Haroon  Lorgat wants to see Twenty20 cricket kept in its place and test  matches become more meaningful as the game’s international  governing body tries to deal with a crammed calendar.

Some 61 contestants took part in the 19th Annual Independence Swimming Meet for persons living with disabilities (PWDs), at the Colgrain swimming pool yesterday.

Frequent tournament champions Alpha United came up against matching play from Rosignol United to see the contest ending in an exciting 2-2 draw, when Guyana Football Federation (GFF) Super League continued last Wednesday at the GFC Ground, Bourda.

GROS ISLET, St Lucia, CMC – West Indies women will go in search for a place in the final of the World Twenty20 Championship when they clash with New Zealand in the second semi-final of the tournament today.

GROS ISLET, St. Lucia, CMC – Captain Alex Blackwell stroked a fluent half-century as Australia overpowered India by seven wickets to reach the final of the World Twenty20 Championship yesterday.

The Garden of Eden koker which was breached on Wednesday had been pointed out by the Region Four administration as being in need of work but this wasn’t heeded by the Ministry of Agriculture, according to the Region Four head, Clement Corlette.

MIAMI, (Reuters) – Miami Heat fans overwhelmed a  website yesterday aimed at keeping six-times All-Star and  potential free agent Dwyane Wade with the team.

A Bartica resident was placed on a total of $170,000 bail when he appeared before Acting Chief Magistrate Melissa Robertson charged with escaping from lawful custody and obtaining money by false pretence.

-Rodrigues nets hat-trick TUNAPUNA, Trinidad, CMC – It will be the clash of the southern powers when Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago meet in their final Group F fixture of the Caribbean phase of the CONCACAF Women’s Gold Cup qualifying this afternoon.

–hostility deemed ineffective Former chairman of the Private Sector Commission (PSC) Capt Gerry Gouveia believes the private sector will be better served by engaging the government in an attempt to address some of its concerns rather than adopting an attitude of permanent hostility.

DHAKA, Bangladesh, CMC – Left-handers Darren Bravo and Devon Smith stroked contrasting half-centuries to pilot West Indies A to an uncomplicated six-wicket win over Bangladesh A on Wednesday, their fourth win on the trot in the Tri-Nation Limited Overs Series.

Dear Editor, I refer to your news report on May 11 about a meeting you claimed I had with the potential investors in the Marriott Hotel project (‘Gov’t makes Grenadian developer ‘attractive offer’ to build Marriott’).

– ministry First Quarter 2010 sector update Even as Guyana seeks to position its agricultural sector to respond to what is widely believed to be an impending global food crisis, there is increasing awareness of the challenges ahead for the sector as global concern mounts over climate change and its likely diverse impacts on food production.

By Marlon Munroe With the usual bravado and hype on show for the Shondel Alfred and Corinne De Groot world title rematch on June 5, fans should expect nothing less than a real barnburner.

Dear Editor, I am currently in London because of the death of my elder brother and I appreciate my staff bringing to my attention Minister of Education, Mr Shaik Baksh’s letter in Stabroek News of May 12, regarding Mrs Genevieve Whyte-Nedd While I have no intention of dignifying what Mr Shaik Baksh stated by replying to him since it is evident in my letter dated October 16, 2008, addressed to him, that the conversation took place, the nature of which he is personally aware and which letter his office acknowledged and has not disputed what was communicated.

-three homeless Three persons are now homeless and counting millions of dollars in losses after their Lot 598 Public Road, Melanie Damishana home came crashing down early Wednesday morning.

Dear Editor, With reference to a letter in SN dated April 22, 2010 under the caption ‘When can pension vouchers be cashed when the payable date falls on a public holiday?’

Chairman of the Commission of Enquiry into the operations of the Georgetown Mayor and City Council (M&CC) Keith Burrowes has told the Stabroek Business that while it is desirable that businesses honour their legal obligation to pay rates and taxes to the municipality, the argument regarding the commensurate responsibility of M&CC in the discharge of its services is also entirely valid.

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – An audience of more than two million people has been glued to Caribbean radio and television sets as they followed the ICC World Twenty20 Championship, according to an estimate by regional host broadcaster, the Caribbean Media Corporation.

Business Editorial Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh has every right to be concerned over instances in which unfavour-able images of Guyana are propagated overseas and their impact on how Guyana may be perceived among important audiences, including, of course, foreign investors.

Dear Editor, I would like to thank Ms Iana Seales of this newspaper for her excellent journalism on the Barakara Falls issue.

GROS ISLET, (Reuters) – Impressive England reached  the final of the Twenty20 World Cup after outclassing Sri Lanka  to win by seven wickets with four overs to spare yesterday.

Established in 1988, the year designated by the Caribbean Community (Caricom) as the year of small business, the Guyana Small Business Association (GSBA) celebrates the 22nd year of its existence in a condition of uncertainty regarding its place in the constellation of local entities that lay claim to the promotion of the interests of the small business sector.

NEW YORK, (Reuters) – Fight trainer extraordinaire  Freddie Roach, who helped Manny Pacquiao scale the heights to  become hailed as boxing’s best, said he gets a sense of deja vu  working with Briton Amir Khan.

Dear Editor, The National Insurance Scheme was recently featured in two articles appearing in the Stabroek News dated March 29 (‘Pensioners getting raw deal from NIS – Ramkarran’) and Guyana Chronicle, March 30 (‘The NIS and pensioners’).

NEW YORK, (Reuters Life!) – Just a pat on the back  or a reassuring touch on the arm can be a powerful tool to  influence behavior, according to new research.

DUBAI,  (Reuters Life!) – It’s the ultimate  hole-in-the-wall — a money machine that dispenses pure gold.

Dear Editor, The death of Bridgette Gangadin brings into focus very important issues that must be urgently addressed.

– Asia/Pacific remains Guyana’s biggest market Guyana recorded a 44.1 per cent increase in the value of timber exports during the first quarter of 2010 when compared with the corresponding period last year, according to the Ministry of Agriculture’s January – March commodity market update.

Wigan, England, (Reuters) – With his four-wheel drive  BMW in the car park, his four-bedroom house nearby, fashionable  training shoes and clothes, Hendry Thomas has come a long way  from a childhood where money, if not food, was in short supply.

Dear Editor, I was so shell-shocked on reading your news article, ‘Guyana to defend rights record at UN,’ (May 11), it took me a couple of minutes to regain my mental composure and pick up my jaw from the floor.

MANILA, (Reuters) – Manny Pacquiao has been given  permission to fight for the final time by his mother and plans  to take on undefeated American Floyd Mayweather Jr.

MEXICO CITY, (Reuters) – Mexico’s image has been  badly stained by its murderous drugs war, but President Felipe  Calderon is vowing to press on and says traffickers would have  the upper hand by now if he had not launched his crackdown.

CARACAS, (Reuters) – A Venezuelan natural gas  exploration rig sank in the Caribbean sea yesterday, less  than a month after a deadly explosion in the Gulf of Mexico  destroyed a BP-owned oil rig and created a natural disaster.

A local wireless communications security service provider is seeking to partner with public and private sector agencies to help enhance capacity for asset protection and timely response to potential security compromises that threaten valuable property by infusing an enhanced level of wireless technology into property protection measures.

LONDON, (Reuters) – Wilson Palacios, the seam of iron at the heart of Honduras’ World Cup midfield, knows better than  most where football sits in the general scheme of things.

Dear Editor, In a letter by PRO of the Guyana Post Office Corporation, Ms Yolaskee Jervis in Stabroek News of May 12, captioned ‘The post office has measures in place to expedite the processing of mail,’ it was said my comments were “unfair.”

Brazilian Professor Miguel Neneve will be launching two books at the Dutch Bottle Café today.

(Jamaica Gleaner) – The sounds of consternation, shock and fury reverberated around Jamaica into boardrooms and bars, barber shops and parlours, on the streets and into homes as Jamaicans wrestled with the unabashed about-face of Prime Minister Bruce Golding.

By Rawle LucasRawle Lucas is a Guyana-born Certified Public Accountant and Assistant Vice-President of the Lending Services Division.

(Reuters) – A compromise U.S. climate bill unveiled  on Wednesday will allow between 500 million and up to one  billion carbon offsets into an emissions trading scheme aimed  at cutting U.S.

Dear Editor, Ocean levels around the world are rising. Guyana’s coastline is below sea level.

The Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA) says a British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) team will be visiting Guyana to film another documentary as the country continues to attract international interest as an eco-tourist destination.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s visit to Iran this weekend may be the last chance to engage Iran over its nuclear programme before fresh UN sanctions, a senior US official said yesterday.

Dear Editor, There is a school of thought that in politics, perception is nine-tenths of reality.

GASCI (www.gasci.com/telephone Nº 223-6175/6) reports that session 355’s trading results showed consideration of $222,758 from 16,030 shares traded in 4 transactions as compared to session 354 which showed consideration of $16,862,673 from 1,713,010 shares traded in 20 transactions. 

NEW YORK/BOSTON, (Reuters) – Investigators arrested  three people linked to the suspect in the failed Times Square  bombing during raids yesterday in suburbs of New York, Boston  and Philadelphia, but officials said there was no new threat.

As more than one observer in the UK dryly put it, following the May 6 election that resulted in a hung parliament, the people had spoken, but it wasn’t too clear what exactly they were saying.

(Prepared by the Guyana marketing Corporation and published by Stabroek News Business as a public service)

Dear Editor, While NACTA polls have been accurately predicting the outcome of general elections in Trinidad since 1995, it is very difficult at this stage to pronounce on the outcome of the May 24 general elections in spite of other polls showing a landslide victory for the opposition UNC-led Peoples Partnership coalition.

UNITED NATIONS, (Reuters) – Libya and Thailand were  among 14 countries elected as new members of the U.N.’s

Manifesto torn In Trinidad and Tobago, United National Congress (UNC) leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar has angered the ruling Peoples National Movement (PNM) by publicly tearing to pieces the PNM’s manifesto for the 24 May general election.

-Caricom urges region Caricom is urging the region’s populace to “stand up and be counted” as the 2010 Census exercises start across the Caribbean Community as the data informs policy-makers about  how to plan social services.

Hey! Let’s Tender! Let’s Bid! I get impatient, crotchety, a wee bit short-tempered and definitely upset when I suspect or know that people are attempting to mislead or deceive me and the masses these days.