Daily Archive: Friday, July 2, 2010

JOHANNESBURG, (Reuters) – Uruguay beat Ghana in the  cruellest of circumstances to end African hopes at the World Cup  today and Netherlands knocked out perennial favourites  Brazil in yet another shock of a fascinating tournament.

A fire suspected to be electrical in origin last evening reduced more than 20 structures in the commercial area of Mahdia in Region 8 to rubble, leaving behind millions of dollars in losses and dozens homeless.

Call centre Qualfon yesterday announced long-term plans to expand its business in Guyana which could see thousands more Guyanese being employed and these plans are due to the recent upgrade in bandwidth by GT&T whose new fibre optic cable will offer customers faster internet service.

–mother suspects foul play The body of a seven-year-old boy, who went missing on Wednesday afternoon, was pulled out of a Sophia trench early yesterday morning and his mother believes that her only child was murdered as he was found without his clothes and his neck appeared to be broken.

Two survivors from the collision at Kwakwani on Wednes-day evening alleged that the driver of the pick-up had been speeding along the trail.

Long-serving Banks DIH executive and sport enthusiast Kenneth De Abreu CCH passed away yesterday morning in the United States of America.

By Candace PhillipsBroadcaster Chandra Narine Sharma was yesterday arraigned on another charge of obstructing the course of justice, stemming from the broadcast of a television interview conducted with the witnesses at the centre of the carnal knowledge matter against him.

PSC Chairman refutes EIU claim Chairman of the Private Sector Commission (PSC) Ramesh Dookhoo has reacted sharply to claims made in the April 2010 Guyana Country Review published by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) that the private sector is timid of criticizing the political administration, asserting that there is no reason for the private sector to be intimidated by government.

-says Defreitas hated US for supporting Israel A 51-year-old Guyanese man took the stand yesterday in the trial of former PNC parliamentarian Abdul Kadir and ex-airline employee Rusell Defreitas and testified that he was recruited for the plot to blow up the JFK airport which was called “The Shining” because the inferno would have lit up the entire borough of Queens.

-proposal on the table after Office of the President meeting The future of the Georgetown Cricket Club (GCC) ground, Bourda seems bleak where cricket is concerned following reports that executives of the club had talks with government officials on a possible merger with the Georgetown Football Club (GFC) for a football facility.

– hydroponics will help mitigate effects of climate change – Homenauth The National Agricultural Research Institute (NARI) is continuing its aggressive promotion of one of the world’s oldest farming techniques as an efficient, environmentally friendly and cost-effective approach to enhancing productivity in an environment that offers particular advantages for small-scale farmers.

JOHANNESBURG,  (Reuters) – Ghana’s “Black Stars” hope  to go where no African team has been before and reach the World  Cup semi-finals today while Brazil face Netherlands in the  day’s first and equally intriguing quarter-final.

–East Demerara, Berbice expansion pegged at year end On the first day of its launch, GT&T’s emagine broadband service experienced several glitches which the company has rectified as it attempts to deliver on its promise of providing increased bandwidth to its customers.

Business Editorial We are not surprised by Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh’s robust response to this newspaper’s coverage of some elements of the April 2010 Country Report on Guyana by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU).

National chess players checkmated by visitors National chess players Taffin Khan and Loris Nathoo, were trumped by overseas players Karl Rapon and Michael Barker, respectively, in the first round of the inaugural Guyana/FIDE International Rating Tournament held at the National Stadium yesterday.

The Office of the President has accused Stabroek News and Kaieteur News of publishing items which promote racial insecurity and it has called on the Ethnic Relations Commission (ERC) to investigate.

The University of Guyana (UG) had to fend off a spirited second half attack from Linden Foundation before they eventually edged their way to a 34-31 points win to mark their third consecutive victory in the National Schools Basketball Festival on Wednesday at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall.

A man who allegedly fraudulently converted a quantity of phone cards and top-up minutes entrusted to him by another was granted $250,000 bail yesterday by acting Chief Magistrate Melissa Robertson when he appeared before her in Court One.

Dear Editor, It is with much consternation and chagrin that the Office of Climate Change (OCC) once again is compelled to respond to inexactitudes and misinformation carried in the Stabroek News.

Two kayaks and related safety equipment were yesterday donated to the community of Malali by the Guyana Canoeing Federation (GCF) in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport (MCYS).

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

The Ministry of Amerindian Affairs recently opened a ‘staff empowerment space’ at its Quamina Street office in order to facilitate capacity building particularly in the area of population development.

Thirteen primary schools will be participating in a Guyana Lawn Tennis Association (GLTA) 2010 Inter-school Mini-Tennis Competition which will be held this Sunday  at the National Gymnasium from 09.00 hrs.

The following is the first in a series of brief articles which the Stabroek Business has agreed to publish on issues pertaining to the work of the Georgetown Mayor and City Council  and more particularly, to financing the work of the Council.

Today, from 16:00 hrs to 17:00 hrs at the National Park, Wildfire Entertainment (WE) will host an event for school children to help raise awareness of the fight against domestic violence and popular Jamaican singer Tarrus Riley, who is here for the Temperature concert will be featured.

WASHINGTON, (Reuters) – U.S. President Barack Obama  signed into law yesterday far-reaching new sanctions on Iran  that aim to squeeze the Islamic Republic’s fuel imports and  deepen its international isolation.

Dear Editor, For those who needed reminding, in his parting comments, the outgoing United Kingdom High Commissioner, Mr Fraser Wheeler,  is reported to have said that our “politicised racial divide” is hindering our development and  that “all political and civil society players need to find some form of accommodation” (SN, June 27).

Dear Editor, I wish to respond to an article in the Stabroek News of July 01, 2010 captioned `Sport fishing to be reeled in’.

Agriculture Ministry will help investors develop The transference of technologies for climate change adaptation and mitigation to the agricultural sector in Guyana is listed as one of the key pursuits of the National Agricultural Research Institute (NARI) in its 2009 Annual Report and towards this end the institute has already been involved in collaboration with national and international  agencies “working on the frontline of climate change” to train farmers and other stakeholders in the use of those technologies.

The Lions Club Georgetown installed its news president for 2009/2010 at a ceremony held on Saturday, as preparations move apace to celebrate its Golden Jubilee this year.

LAHORE, Pakistan, (Reuters) – Three suicide bombers  struck a Sufi shrine in Pakistan’s eastern city of Lahore yesterday, killing at least 41 people and wounding more than 120,  officials said, the second major attack in the city in a month.

PORT ELIZABETH, (Re-uters) – Brazil’s 1970 World  Cup-winners have a lot to answer for at least as far as the  country’s subsequent national team coaches are concerned.

High taxation contributed to a significant decrease in the “total comprehensive income” of JP Santos and Company Ltd last year, according to the company’s 2009 Annual Report.

POTCHEFSTROOM, South Africa, (Reuters) – Fernando  Llorente has been surprised by the praise heaped on him after  his match-turning performance in Spain’s 1-0 second round  victory over Portugal on Tuesday.

Prime Minister Samuel Hinds and a team from the Guyana Geology and Mines Commissions (GGMC) met with residents and miners in Mahdia, Region Eight to discuss their concerns about the sustainability of the industry According to a Government Information Agency (GINA) press release miners voiced concerns about the pace of signing sublet forms, lack of electricity and need for better roads.

Dear Editor, In Stabroek News dated Tuesday, 29 June 2010, Mr Juan Edghill is reported to have said that “SASOD’s  Painting the Spectrum, now in its sixth year, is wrong and religious leaders have to speak out since they represent the conscience of the nation.”

WASHINGTON/KINSHASA, (Reuters) – The World Bank yesterday approved debt relief for the Democratic Republic of  Congo without the backing from Canada and Switzerland, who  cited governance concerns in the Central African country.

LONDON, (Reuters) – Britain’s Tate & Lyle is selling  its European sugar operations to American Sugar Refining for 211  million pounds ($315 million), breaking a 150-year link to sugar  in favour of low-calorie sweeteners offering faster growth.

Sugar, rice, gold, prawn production up ……Private Sector Commission First quarter 2010 production figures published by the Private Sector Commission earlier this month points to a production decline in the forest products, bauxite and fish and increased output in sugar, rice, prawn small shrimp and gold during the first quarter of 2010 compared to the same period last year.

Police have held three men who attacked and robbed a taxi-driver on Wednesday night and they are expected to appear in court today.

JOHANNESBURG, (Reuters) – An African nation could win  the World Cup in the future if the game continues on the right  path, Brazil’s World Cup-winning captain Cafu said yesterday.

Dear Editor, I refer to the allegations of wrongdoing against UG lecturer Mr Evan Radhay Persaud (‘UG students unhappy with outcome of lecturer probe’ SN, June 26). 

CANAIMA, Venezuela (Reuters) – Venezuela’s army has evicted thousands of people from makeshift towns in one of the world’s most pristine jungles, where wildcat miners lured by high gold prices rip up the land for the precious metal.

Dear Editor, The relationship between any two major ethnic groups sharing the same space is inherently fragile, and is particularly vulnerable to any effort aimed at increasing the levels of mistrust that will always exist within such an arrangement.

HOUSTON, (Reuters) – Tropical storm Alex slowed oil  spill clean-up and containment work in the Gulf of Mexico and  drove more petroleum into fragile Gulf wetlands and beaches yesterday, with any permanent fix to BP Plc’s ruptured deep-sea  well still several weeks away.

GASCI (www.gasci.com/telephone Nº 223-6175/6) reports that session 362’s trading results showed consideration of $2,136,142 from 200,082 shares traded in 17 transactions as compared to session 361 which showed consideration of $4,104,028 from 363,125 shares traded in 16 transactions. 

The late Lloyd Best, one of the pre-eminent political economists and one of the most original thinkers of the post-independence, English-speaking Caribbean, is often credited with providing the greatest illumination regarding the phenomenon of maximum leadership in the region.

(Barbados Nation) – Prime Minister David Thompson will be taking two months leave from his national responsibilities and could be heading for major surgery.

Digicel’s new promotion, ‘Spin N Win’ has been launched and lucky customers will have a chance to spin the Digicel wheel and win up to $50M in cash.

NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pennsylvania, (Reuters) – Tiger  Woods has been interviewed by U.S.

Frankly Speaking – by A.A. Fenty The Proverbs, The Security Fight The most brief lecture-sermon today, I promise.

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

We regret that the last paragraph of yesterday’s editorial captioned ‘Assessment,’ dealing with the statistics released by the Ministry of Education in relation to the results of the national Grade Six Assessment for 2010, was inadvertently omitted.

LOS ANGELES, (Reuters) – Phil Jackson, who won a  record 11th NBA title last month, has shelved plans to retire  and will stay on as head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers for  one more season, the NBA team said yesterday.

QUITO, (Reuters) – An Ecuadorean congressional  committee approved a bill yesterday that would set up a media  watchdog group to ensure print and broadcast journalists  produce “truthful, reasonable” stories.

Dear Editor, Ever since I migrated to Canada more than 6 years ago I have been constantly following developments back home (moreso because I was also a former reporter) and I am very happy that people are rooting for change in the way our country is being governed.

(Jamaica Observer) – Gunmen on Wednesday held up workers at the Knollis, St Catherine home of Cabinet Minister Karl Samuda, locked them in a room before making their escape with the MP’s shotgun and approximately 100 rounds of ammunition about 12:00 noon.