Daily Archive: Saturday, April 9, 2011

(Barbados Nation) A male constable accused of serious indecency towards a Jamaican drug mule, and the female constable, working as custodian of the cells, who was charged with aiding and abetting him, were granted bail when they appeared in the District “A” Magistrates’ Court yesterday.

(Barbados Nation) Rift? What rift?   Ottis Gibson certainly doesn’t know of any. 

RABAT, (Reuters) – An assault by government troops  on the city of Misrata killed at least 30 rebels today, a  rebel spokesman said, citing fellow fighters and medics.    

(Barbados Nation) Rihanna is slated to perform next Thursday on American Idol.

The West Indian Players Association today said that recent rumours circulating that Guyanese and West Indian player Ramnaresh Sarwan was under investigation by the ICC for match-fixing are false.

A 42-year-old man chopped his 23-year-old reputed ex-wife to death this morning around 8am and drank a poisonous substance after an argument between the two turned deadly.

An Indian company that took over a forest concession in a biodiversity-rich area has been granted an additional concession to harvest lumber, which it will ship to India to make furniture and this was only disclosed yesterday by the government after questions were asked.

The police have issued bulletins for ten persons who are wanted for questioning in relation to a fraud committed at a government department.

The long-awaited modern forensic laboratory slated to be completed early next year signals a strong response to the complex nature of criminal activity today, Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee said at yesterday’s inking of the $449 million contract.

A man wielding a machete yesterday morning invaded the Roxanne Burnham Gardens Nursery School, where he assaulted a teacher and terrorised students while demanding that they hand over a “laptop.”

Juvenile offenders who enter the justice system will now be kept at a $37.6 million holding centre, which was formally opened yesterday afternoon.

Prison and jail conditions here remain poor and deteriorating with the Georgetown Prisons holding twice its capacity, the US State Department says in its latest Human Rights Report.

Foreign Affairs Minister Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett and US Chargé d’Affaires Thomas Pierce yesterday signed a Letter of Agreement to establish and support projects aimed at countering money laundering and narcotics operations over the next three years, under the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative (CBSI).

PNCR Presidential Candidate David Granger yesterday said his party in government would ensure that citizens live in safety, while saying that the two armed robberies that occur every day under the current administration are unacceptable.

The Alliance for Change (AFC) yesterday staged a protest in front of the Homestretch Avenue offices of the National Communications Network (NCN) over its refusal to broadcast a “development ad” by party councillor Michael Carrington.

Cabinet Secretary Dr Roger Luncheon yesterday dismissed suggestions by the AFC that the work of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) is being affected by government delays in clearing funds and said that the Commission has not made such a complaint to the administration.

GT&T Chief Executive Officer Yog Mahadeo yesterday said that the GT&T 10/10 Softball Cricket Competition finals will be based on giving back to the fans with millions of dollars to be won and an after-games concert.

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – Jamaica were closing in on valuable first innings points following a shocking batting collapse by Combined Campuses and Colleges on the opening day of the Regional First Class Championship final here yesterday.

Transport Minister Robeson Benn has deployed big buses to service commuters free of charge, in a bid to contain hikes by private minibus operators.

Floodwaters in the Mahaica and Mahaicony creeks have remained stagnant for several weeks, leaving residents uneasy about their future.

DHAKA, (Reuters) – New Australia captain Michael  Clarke is ready to turn to his predecessor Ricky Ponting for  advice as he seeks to instil consistency into his team during  the three-match one-day series against Bangladesh.

CHENNAI, (Reuters) – Chennai Super Kings kicked off  their title defence with a thrilling two-run victory over  Kolkata Knight Riders in the first match of the fourth Indian  Premier League yesterday.

If the name Collette Jones sounds unfamiliar to you, the popular ‘Tessa real girl’ stage persona from the early 90s might trigger a few memories; either way the reputation precedes the woman.

Police are looking for a man who gunmen are believed to have used as “bait” to draw Brian Chung from his well-secured yard before they shot him in the head on Thursday evening.

Growing up I stole burnt sugarcane from the fields in the backlands of our village.

AUGUSTA, Georgia, (Reuters) – Golf’s young guns  came out blazing at the Masters with 21-year-old Rory McIlroy  of Northern Ireland taking a two-shot lead over 23-year-old  Australian Jason Day at the halfway mark yesterday.

A Crabwood Creek, Corentyne, Berbice died in a Jet Ski accident in the Corentyne River yesterday.

Hi Everyone, If there is one thing that you must have when you make a trip to the land of the humming bird, Trinidad and Tobago, it is bake and shark.

East Canje scrap metal dealer Rooplall Roopchand, his wife and two children came under gunfire during a pre-dawn attack by robbers who were trying to break into his house.

The Demerara Cricket Club (DCC) extends congratulations to Christopher Barnwell on his selection to the West Indies squad for the Twenty20 International against Pakistan later this month.

The Schools Scotia Bank/Pepsi Football Academy will be officially opened this morning from 9am with a March Past of participating teams, at the Carifesta Sports Complex on Carifesta Avenue.

A female University of Guyana (UG) student was on Thursday evening dragged by a car during a robbery.

The Guyana Squash Association (GSA) has named its training squad for the Caribbean Area Squash Association (CASA) Junior Championships in July .

After being faced with a shortage of basic drugs for sometime, the Mahaicony Hospital received a US$2M emergency shipment from the Guyana Medical Relief (GMR).

For just about an hour on Saturday night, internationally acclaimed gospel singer William McDowell led thousands gathered at the National Park tarmac in worship. 

Two men were yesterday remanded to prison, and another released on $60,000 bail, after they appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court charged with cultivation and possession of ganja.

Trinidad and Tobago’s Defence Force football team which will oppose top Linden club Milerock in the Caribbean Football Union second round club championships says that they are here to win the first game of the home and away tie.

(Reuters) Pia Toscano was sent packing from “American Idol” on Thursday in an elimination that drew booing from the audience and visibly angered the judges.

Pele Football Club which has as its motto “All for one, one for all” will celebrate its 40th anniversary with a week of activities from the 24-29th of April, and the first four days are scheduled for the Georgetown Football Club (GFC) ground, Bourda and the final day at the Umana Yana.

A mason was yesterday sentenced to three months in jail after admitting that he stole a nursery school teacher’s cellular phone.

(Reuters) In a major Grammys overhaul designed to reduce the bloated structure of the music industry’s top awards, organizers said on Wednesday they would slash the number of categories to 78 from 109 for next year’s ceremony.

A Columbian accused of forging an extension of stay stamp was yesterday refused bail by acting Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry when he appeared before her at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court.

LONDON, (Reuters) – The Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack  has broken with tradition and named only four cricketers of the  year for its 2011 edition because of the Pakistan spot-fixing  scandal, editor Scyld Berry said yesterday.

The Mori J’Von Comedy Jam and Entertainment Group is launching its National Easter Tour 2011 next Friday.

CHICAGO, (Reuters) – The Chicago Bulls beat the  Boston Celtics 97-81 on Thursday to open a four-game lead at the  top of the Eastern Conference and move to within one victory of  clinching home-court advantage throughout the NBA playoffs.

Police are seeking help to identify a man who they fatally shot on Saturday at B Field, Sophia while responding to a report of break and enter.

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC – New Trinidad and Tobago coach Otto Pfister is scheduled to leave for London next week to meet with England-born players eligible to represent the national team.

Guyanese journalist Perry Woolford is considering a legal challenge to the non-renewal of his contract with Radio Broadcasting Foundation Suriname (SRS), which is pulling his services because he cannot speak Dutch.

Dear Editor, It seems the NCN Linden television has gone full swing with the Christianburg Magistrate’s Court.

Dear Editor, It should be brought to the public’s attention and by extension that of Mr Abdul Jabar, Registrar of Friendly Societies, that the Guyana Football Federation’s (GFF) Annual General Meeting scheduled for Saturday, April 16, 2011, at the Ocean View Hotel Convention Centre, should be declared null and void and illegal.

The recent decision by the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) not to approve voting rights to the Linden and Georgetown Sub-Associations before the upcoming  congress is cause for concern and must be denounced in the strongest possible terms.

A male psychiatric nurse on Thursday pleaded guilty to the murder of his Guyanese-born girlfriend who burnt to death in her north London home last year.

Dear Editor, My letter dated April 6, captioned ‘Ramotar will not make a good president’ drew widespread agreement, but did not find favour with the current Speaker of Parliament, Mr Ralph Ramkarran, who was himself a prime candidate in the PPP selection process.

Continental Foods Incorporated, a member of the Continental Group of Companies, who are the manufacturers and distributors of Sunburst Orange Juice in Guyana, last Saturday made a significant contribution to the Len’s Craft/Sunburst OJ U-15 team.

SANAA/CAIRO, (Reuters) – Protests erupted across  much of the Arab world yesterday, the Muslim day of prayer, with  demonstrators killed in Syria and Yemen while Egyptians staged  one of the biggest rallies since President Hosni Mubarak’s fall.

(Jamaica Gleaner) Seventy-nine-year-old Rachel Brown had become fearful her son-in-law Wayne Llewellyn could kill her and members of her family.

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC – Trinidad and Tobago’s last ditch bid for a spot in the Regional First Class Championship final ended in disappointment Thursday when they failed to obtain a court injunction to stop the match from proceeding.

Dear Editor, Now that the storm in a teacup in relation to the reported dispute between Freddie Kissoon and the publisher of the Kaieteur News has passed, I wish to make a few pertinent observations on this brief episode.

UNITED NATIONS, (Reuters) – Forces loyal to  beleaguered Ivory Coast leader Laurent Gbagbo have regained  ground in Abidjan and fully control the upscale Plateau and  Cocody areas, U.N.

Dear Editor, I have just returned home after studying abroad and was pleased to see the housing and commercial development taking place on the East Bank.

(Jamaica Observer) The Organisation of Caribbean Utility Regulators (OOCUR) suggests there is a prospect of market failure arising from the acquisition of mobile telephone operator Claro Jamaica by rival Digicel Group and has called on regional governments to closely monitor the situation in the interest of consumers and the economies in general.

Dear Editor, I think minibuses are given a route to work in an area. 

HOUSTON, (Reuters) – A Texas jury on Friday  acquitted an 83-year-old anti-Castro Cuban exile and former CIA  operative, considered an archfoe by Havana, of charges he lied  to U.S.

(Jamaica Observer) The two members of the Royal Barbados Police Force who are accused in the rape and sexual assault of a 27-year-old Jamaican woman have been formally charged.

(Jamaica Observer) Russia’s UC Rusal has linked its planned re-opening of the Kikvine alumina plant in Manchester to being allowed to purchase the Jamaica government’s 45 per cent stake in the Jamalco refinery in Naine, Clarendon, industry sources in London and Moscow have told the Financial Gleaner.

Dear Editor, I want to encourage voters at home to strongly demand that each candidate and party bring something tangible to the table for voters to chew on, now that we have three confirmed 2011 presidential candidates – AFC’s Khemraj Ramjattan, PNC’s David Granger and PPP’s Donald Ramotar.

TRIPOLI, (Reuters) – Libyan rebels said yesterday  they had repulsed a government assault on the besieged western  city of Misrata but prospects faded that Muammar Gaddafi would  be ousted by the armed revolt.

Dear Editor, I would like to say “hear, hear,” to the letter by Mr Lincoln Lewis on April 7 in which he mentioned liberation theology and discussed the Trotman-Jagdeo episode at the National Park (‘Saturday night’s encounter should have encouraged Jagdeo, Trotman to walk the talk’).

WASHINGTON, (Reuters) – The U.S. Senate hurriedly  passed a stopgap spending bill last night to fund the federal  government for one week to avert a government shutdown at  midnight.

(Antigua Observer) The Government of Antigua and Barbuda has imposed a temporary ban on the importation of several agricultural produce because of a glut in local production.

Politikles

STOCKHOLM, (Reuters) – Swedish warplanes operating  from Sicily took part in NATO’s operations against Libyan leader  Muammar Gaddafi on Thursday, the first combat sortie by the  Nordic country’s air force since the early 1960s.

Two weeks ago on a theatre stage in Brussels, as part of a cultural project called Shahrazad – Stories for Life – the Iraqi poet and essayist Manal Al-Skeikh (born in Nineveh, now resident in Norway) read the following passage from a lyrical ‘Letter to Europe’: “My experience of the Tunisian and Egyptian revolutions taught me the following lesson: if people are determined to live, destiny will respond.

(Barbados Nation) The lawyer representing Jamaican Shanique Myrie says the conclusion of his government’s official report into her claims of abuse by officials at the Grantley Adams International Airport, shows there is “considerable merit” in what she said.

Dear Editor, With the fiasco at the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) in Georgetown, I think none of the members should seek re-election; let past cricketers take over the positions.

The Scene Cartoon

A murderous feud between two groups of Guyanese in Schenectady, New York had its finale in a courtroom yesterday when the triggerman was sentenced to 18 years.