Daily Archive: Thursday, March 31, 2011

(Jamaica Observer) Adding to the gathering storm of accusations about their poor treatment of visitors, Barbadian authorities have again allegedly beaten and kicked three more Jamaicans out of that eastern Caribbean island.

Six gunmen raided the Guyana Stockfeeds office at Farm, East Bank Demerara this afternoon after pretending to be customers.

TOKYO, (Reuters) – Radiation in water of an  underground tunnel outside a turbine building of No.2 reactor at  Japan’s crippled nuclear complex was more than 10,000 times  above normal levels in reactors, the plant operator was quoted  by Kyodo news agency as saying today.

SYDNEY, (Reuters) – Balancing India’s commercial  power with the interests of other cricket-playing nations is one  of the main challenges facing the game over the next few years,  according to former ICC chief executive Malcolm Speed.

MOHALI, India, (Reuters) – It took a selection  blooper for India to make sure they had ticked all the boxes  before they locked horns with Sri Lanka in Saturday’s World Cup  final in Mumbai.

MOHALI, India, (Reuters) – Shahid Afridi arrived  for the World Cup with a “rag-tag bunch of players” and in the  space of six short weeks turned them into a strong Pakistan  outfit.

LONDON, (Reuters) – About 1,000 people are believed  to have been killed in clashes between supporters and opponents  of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, the British government said in  a human rights report published today.

(Trinidad Express) Pamenos Ballantyne, 37, one of the best long-distance runners in the region, came straight from Piarco International Airport to the Queen’s Park Savannah in Port of Spain to compete in the seventh annual Vinci Construction Savannah one-lap race on Sunday.

Local Government Minister Kellawan Lall yesterday called the City Council’s appointment of Royston King as Town Clerk “null and void,” saying he had not granted approval in keeping with the law, while King later said he was carrying out the decision of the council.

Fear of being labelled HIV patients is keeping Lindeners away from the Upper Demerara Hospital (UDH), which is putting undue pressure on the Linden Hospital Complex.

A Canadian-Guyanese man’s petition to the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal, alleging discrimination against him in employment on the basis of race, colour, ethnic origin and age, was recently dismissed.

Following a letter to Norway’s government by a group of prominent Guyanese who said there is no present justification for the release of funds under the forests’ pact between the two countries, members of the Multi Stakeholders Steering Committee (MSSC) have taken “exception” to its contents.

Investigations into a major fraud within the Accountant General’s Department of the Finance Ministry are nearing conclusion and a preliminary report is expected to be completed within the next two weeks.

Director of the Government Information Agency (GINA) Neaz Subhan collapsed while at work yesterday morning and after spending several hours at the Georgetown Hospital he was sent home.

MOHALI, India, (Reuters) – India kept alive a  billion dreams after sinking Pakistan in their World Cup  semi-final yesterday to set up an all-Asian final against Sri  Lanka.

On Tuesday, the seven cricket teams of the Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club along with Sterling Products under its Igloo Ice cream brand unveiled two impressive anti-drugs and pro-education billboards in the Rose Hall Town and Port Mourant areas.

Mikhail Lawrence, Rajendra Lochand and Richie Johnny, the men injured in the collision with a fire tender on Tuesday are recovering in the Georgetown Public Hospital.

After more than six months on the run, a miner who allegedly disfigured the face of the mother of his child and caused her to lose sight in one eye, was caught, charged and released on bail when he appeared at the Vreed-en-Hoop Magistrate’s Court yesterday.

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC – As expected, Trinidad and Tobago selectors have included the World Cup trio of Darren Bravo, Kieron Pollard and Ravi Rampaul in their 13-man squad for the Regional First Class Championship semi-final against Jamaica starting tomorrow.

The alleged burglar who was killed at a Mandela Avenue house early Saturday morning, died as a result of multiple injuries and a fractured skull a post-mortem examination yesterday revealed, confirming reports that he was beaten to death.

SANTIAGO, (Reuters) – Former Chile captain Elias  Figueroa has decided not to run for FIFA president in June,  citing little time to prepare a creditable platform from which  to try to wrest power from Sepp Blatter.

Police have arrested a suspect in the Industry kick-down-the-door, multi-million-dollar robbery and are actively pursuing several leads.

Rehabilitation and maintenance of the Linden to Lethem road may commence shortly, as nine tenders for the segments of the project were opened on Tuesday.

SAN FRANCISCO, (Reuters) – Former Major League  Baseball player Randy Velarde testified yesterday that he  used drugs he believed were human growth hormone obtained from  home run king Barry Bonds’ personal trainer.

(BBC) Andy Murray wants to appoint a new coach before the clay-court season with a possible decision in the next couple of days, BBC Sport understands.

Omeyana Hamilton has appealed the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) decision to terminate her services as a magistrate and is expected to resume duties until the appeal is determined.

Quincy Critchlow continued his testimony as the preliminary inquiry (PI) into the treason matter against Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Major Bruce Munroe,

(BBC) Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso says his fourth-place finish in the Australian Grand Prix was “not the start we wanted” but is not a cause for concern.

MIAMI, (Reuters) – Belarussian Victoria Azarenka  produced some sparkling tennis to defeat world number two Kim  Clijsters in the quarter-finals of the Sony Ericsson Open yesterday.

The preliminary in-quiry (PI) into the witness tampering matter against Chandra Narine Sharma commenced yesterday but was halted because the witness complained of feeling unwell.

Fugitive murder accused Rickford La Fleur, who was allegedly nabbed at a ‘backtrack’ route last Saturday with a quantity of drugs, was yesterday remanded to prison.

KINGSTON, Jamaica,  CMC – A double strike from Dane Richards restored the pride to Jamaica in a 3-2 victory over El Salvador on Tuesday at the Cuscatlán Stadium.

RIO DE JANEIRO, (Reuters) – Brazil’s 2014 World Cup  officials are lining up to debunk FIFA chief Sepp Blatter’s  suggestion they are behind schedule, with Rio de Janeiro state  sports secretary Marcia Lins joining the fray yesterday.

Former finance minister Carl Greenidge has lashed out at the PPP/C administration for its treatment of trade unions in Guyana, including the decision to withdraw subventions to the Critchlow Labour College (CLC).

Dear Editor, I am writing this letter as a concerned citizen, hoping that it will help to highlight the plight that the residents of Pigeon Island Squatting Area are facing.

MOHALI, India, (Reuters) – Vanquished captain  Shahid Afridi expects a mature reaction from fans in Pakistan  when their team return after going down to arch-rivals India in  the World Cup semi-final yesterday.

Dear Editor, I am very angry about the present state of West Indies cricket, and more so the performance of the team in the World Cup.

CARACAS (Reuters) – Venezuela began dismantling a notorious police force yesterday as part of moves by President Hugo Chavez’s government to tackle high crime rates that could hurt his re-election chances next year.

Communities from Surapana to further up the Demerara River are to get much needed relief with a $10.5 million allocation for the repair of their main access road.

Dr Bertie Ramcharan says it is important for any country to implement agreed constitutional changes and he believes that Guyana needs to focus on reforms, while implementing current provisions.

GUATEMALA CITY (Reuters) – US and Guatemalan agents captured Guatemala’s top drug trafficker yesterday as the United States pitches in to help curb drug cartels’ expanding reach in Central America.

Dear Editor, Lindeners must count themselves very lucky that road accidents around the town are few and far apart, except for those tragic ones along the Linden Highway.

MIAMI,  (Reuters) – Mardy Fish replaced Andy Roddick  as the top-ranked American after beating Spain’s David Ferrer  7-5 6-2 yesterday to move into the semi-finals of the Sony  Ericsson Open.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama has signed a secret order authorizing covert US government support for rebel forces seeking to oust Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, government officials told Reuters yesterday.

(BBC) New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori has announced his retirement from Twenty20 internationals and is considering his future in one-day internationals.

Dear Editor, The termination of the BBC Caribbean programme after some seven decades of programming for the region is unfortunate.

The knife-wielding students of two city secondary schools who were arrested when they turned up at the Leonora Secondary school to fight, have been released into the custody of their parents, Assistant Commissioner of Police Balram Persaud said.

Dear Editor, I write in response to a letter from Mr B Balkarran published on March 16 in Stabroek News, titled ‘Belle Vue co-op society land being taken over.’

In the wake of the successes of the Berbice Volleyball Association (BVA), which was resuscitated late last year, the Guyana Volleyball Federation (GVF) has revived the Demerara Volleyball Association (DVA) with the hope of making the same progress as the Berbice sub-association.

Eon Andrews, President of the United Minibus Union, yesterday declared that statements made by Minister of Tourism, Manniram Prashad, on Tuesday last are completely untrue.

TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan called on the world not to impose “unjustifiable” import curbs on its goods as French President Nicolas Sarkozy was due to arrive today, the first leader to visit since an earthquake and tsunami damaged a nuclear plant, sparking the worst nuclear crisis since Chernobyl in 1986.

Dear Editor, I would like to congratulate the Guyana Amateur Powerlifting Federation (GAPF) and their outstanding athletes who performed excellently at the 5th IPF/NAPF CPC, maintaining Guyana’s dominance in regional powerlifting.

In an effort to alleviate the discomfort experienced by the residents of New Forest, due to the overtopping of the Canje Creek, Berbice,

On Sunday the Ryan Crawford Memorial Turf Club and Sports Facilities (RCMTC&SF) horse race meet will get underway from 13:00 hours at the club’s Alness, Corentyne, race track.

UNITED NATIONS/ABIDJAN (Reuters) – The UN Security Council slapped travel bans and asset freezes on Ivory Coast’s Laurent Gbagbo and his closest associates yesterday in a bid to force the West African nation’s incumbent leader to quit.

Justice Franklyn Holder yesterday chastised the Probation and Social Services Department in Berbice after an officer arrived late at court when he was expected to present a report on convicted prisoners Hardat ‘Vicky’ Singh and Kapaldeo ‘Rajin’ Singh.

KARACHI,  (Reuters) – The guns fell silent and the  streets were deserted after Pakistan were defeated by India in  their World Cup semi-final in Mohali yesterday.

LONDON (Reuters) – Libyan Foreign Minister Moussa Koussa, one of Muammar Gaddafi’s closest advisers and a former spy chief, flew to Britain yesterday and a close friend said he defected because of attacks by Gaddafi forces on civilians.

Dear Editor, I am moved to join others complaining about the continuing downward slide of local radio presentation, especially on 98.1 FM which I listened to from its opening in the late 1990s.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama yesterday proposed to cut US oil imports by a third over 10 years, a goal that eluded his predecessors and seen as extremely ambitious by analysts sceptical it can succeed.

As a way of responding to chronic non-communicable diseases like diabetes, and hypertension, the Ministry of Health has developed a 60-second screening tool for all hospitals and health centres in the country.

A partial solution?

Dear Editor, It is regrettable that Guyanese have drawn the attention of the authorities in St Martin (St Maarten), with their criminal activities being the subject of international media attention.

A man who said that he was drunk when he broke and entered a hotel but is working towards “changing” his “thieving ways” was yesterday sentenced to two years imprisonment when he appeared before Magistrate Hazel Octive-Hamilton at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court.

CLEVELAND, Ohio, (Reuters)- LeBron James’s triple  double was not enough to help the Miami Heat overcome the lowly  Cleveland Cavaliers, who beat the playoff bound Heat 102-90 on  Tuesday.

Politikles

Barak Barfi is a research fellow with the New America Foundation.

Prime Minister Samuel Hinds presented 18 tractors to the residents of the various satellite communities in Region Nine in order to boost development.

MOSCOW (Reuters) – By contradicting Vladimir Putin in public less than a year before Russia’s presidential election Dmitry Medvedev may have taken the biggest gamble of his career.

Ballot box

This newspaper reported yesterday that some 17 students –all in their early teens—from two city secondary schools had been held by the police and were giving statements after they marched into the Leonora Secondary School armed with knives, to settle a score.

Republic Bank

An after Phagwah Day of Sports will be hosted by the South Turkeyen Sports Committee in honour of the late Gordon Bynoe on Sunday at the Mahaicony Community Centre Ground commencing 09:30hrs.

Dear Editor, The anticipated semi-final between Pakistan and India which was played yesterday in Mohali, India, evoked so much emotion and interest that these two countries who fought each other since their independence have put on their sporting gear for the prize of national pride.

(Trinidad Guardian) Chairman of the Police Service Commission Nizam Mohammed says he is not about to resign in the wake of public calls for him to do so.

(Barbados Nation) Jamaica’s Prime Minister Bruce Golding says the recent claim by a Jamaican national that she was improperly searched is not the first time that Barbadian officials have been reported for their maltreatment of Caribbean visitors.

(Barbados Nation) Jamaican officials will get a first-hand look at the room at the Grantley Adams International Airport (GAIA) where one of their nationals has alleged that she was “finger-raped” by local authorities.