Daily Archive: Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Not a handful of weeks ago the announcement that retired Army Commander Brigadier David Granger has pipped one-time PNC Finance Minister Carl Greenidge for the nomination as the party’s presidential candidate set tongues wagging amongst the party faithful. 

BRIDGETOWN, (Reuters) – India and West Indies both  suffered woeful batting collapses as 13 wickets tumbled on the  opening day of the second test in Barbados today.

The police say they are investigating an armed robbery that occurred at about 0230h today during which Nandranie Afhadat, 44 years, along with her husband Premdat Afhadat, 47 years, and

The notice published last week on government procurement website retendering for the supply of laptops for the One Laptop Per Family (OLPF) was a “mistake,” Labour Minister Manzoor Nadir said this afternoon.

Photographer Delano Williams, the man accused of causing the death of Sewcharran Persaud Ugraj while allegedly driving under the influence was today admitted to bail in the sum of $350,000 when he appeared before acting Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry.

CARACAS, (Reuters) – The guessing game over  Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez’s health took new twists today with rumours ranging from a possible takeover push by  his brother to a homecoming by the end of this week.

(Trinidad Express) Prime Minister Kamla Persad Bissessar said yesterday she had asked her Permanent Secretary to look into the contract of Sasha Mohammed, her adviser on public engagement.

Guyanese businessman Desmond ‘DA’ Alphonso arrived here around midday from the British Virgin Islands from where he was deported after living there for the past forty years.

(Jamaica Observer) It’s hard to fathom that given the history of West Indies cricket in the three-Test series, beginning in 1928, only Michael Holding has claimed more than 20 wickets.

(Jamaica Observer) The Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA)/Supreme Ventures National Senior Trials that concluded on Sunday were seen in more than 160-million households worldwide over the four days.

Parents and schoolchildren today picketed at the Rosignol Stelling to highlight their disapproval over the removal of the pontoon which was replaced with a speedboat.

(Jamaica Observer) It was still not clear up to last night why the cabin pressure failed Sunday on a Caribbean Airlines (CAL) flight, en route to Barbados from Jamaica, with 154 passengers on Sunday.

Bollywood actors Anushka Sharma (R) and Ranveer Singh (L) accept the award for the hottest pair during the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) show in Toronto June 25, 2011.

(Jamaica Gleaner) With Jamaica getting ready to celebrate 50 years of political independence from the United Kingdom next year, most Jamaicans are of the view that the country would have been better off had it remained a colony of Britain.

HONG KONG, (Reuters) – The 2015 World Cup will feature the 10 test-playing nations plus four associate teams,  the International Cricket Council (ICC) said today after  reversing a decision to cut the tournament to 10 teams.

(De Ware Tijd) PARAMARIBO – The widespread use of pesticides for rice farming in Nickerie has caused major environmental damage such as the death of countless birds, fish and plants.

(De Ware Tijd) PARAMARIBO – The government was forced to close off the area around Maripaston in Para after things got out of hand because of rampant gold fever in that area.

(Barbados Nation) Three young men confessed yesterday to killing retired Assistant Commissioner of Police Frederick William Phillips in what “was a robbery gone horribly wrong”.

Guyana has received a better ranking for its efforts to prevent human trafficking during the last year, but the US State Department has criticized the administration for minimizing the potential scope of the issue and not taking action against complicit officials.

The police are investigating the murder of a 23-year-old miner who was stabbed by another miner at Big Creek Landing in the North West District.

Three men were killed and two others injured when the lumber truck they were travelling in toppled down a hill before coming to rest in a ravine at Papaya Turn called ‘Hill Seven’ at Matthew’s Ridge North West District on Sunday afternoon.

Two men and a woman were yesterday accused of attempting to kidnap the son of a lumberyard businessman, as part of what police said was a scheme to target the family members of the rich.

President of Giftland OfficeMax Roy Beepat says that the information which informed Cabinet’s decision to retender for the supply of computers for the One Laptop Per Family (OLPF) project was flawed and has called for greater scrutiny and clearer guidelines for the transparent evaluation of the new bids.

Minister of Education Shaik Baksh has said that officials from his ministry will be investigating the incident which occurred at the Charlestown Secondary School last Friday.

About 300 schoolchildren turned up at the Rosignol Ferry Stelling yesterday morning to cross using the pontoon MB Sandaka, only to discover that it was not working.

The main opposition PNCR has not been dissolved, collaged or merged, party Vice Chairman Basil Williams has said, while stating that all party leaders are on board for the upcoming elections.

The persons who kidnapped Yarrowkabra teens, Marissa Carrington and LaShawn Ann Mootoo are being described as `professionals’ and police are continuing their hunt for them as well as the place where they were held captive for three days.

Councillor Ranwell Jordan yesterday declared that the city needs to approach the government in addressing the issue of salaries owed to workers.

Republic Bank, for the third consecutive year, received the Business of Excellence Award for its HIV workplace programme.

Moments of inattention as she worried over the ill-health of her youngest child on Saturday cost Elizabeth Francis dearly, as her two eldest slipped away to a nearby canal to bathe and drowned.

The Small Business Development Finance (SBDF) Trust was able to fund 685 micro and small loans valued at over $274 million last year, and achieved a surplus of $17.6 million for the year, according to Chairman Sattaur Gafoor.

Guyana began participating in the Internation-al Monetary Fund’s General Data Dissemi-nation System (GDDS) on Wednesday, marking a major step forward in the development of the country’s statistical system, a press release said.

Chief Justice (ag) Ian Chang recently reduced a $1.2M bail sum to $20,000 for a Montrose man who was charged with fraudulent conversion.

Quacy Howes, a vendor, was yesterday remanded to prison by acting Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine Beharry, on the charge that he broke into a store and stole $1.6 million in items.

Marian Academy held their composure to come from behind and win the Georgetown ‘City’ Confer-ence Championship trophy last Sunday in their match against St Stanislaus College in the Youth Basketball Guyana (YBG)/ National Sports Commission (NSC) Schools’ National Basketball Festival finals.

A Stabroek News staff member is hospitalized in a serious condition, as a result of a hit and run accident in which she was involved on Sunday night.

By Treiston Joseph Phillip Squires and Godfrey Lowden staged an amazing comeback win over Anthony Downes and Leyland Leacock last Saturday evening in a men’s doubles semifinal match of the Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry (GBTI) Open tournament at the GBTI Sports Club.

Winston Kattow, the father who left his wife and three children homeless when he set their Friendship, East Bank Demerara home on fire on Thursday last, has not yet been apprehended by the police.

The woman who allegedly set her husband alight in the Mazaruni area on Friday morning has turned herself over to the police and charges are expected to be laid shortly.

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – Darren Sammy made it clear that there was only one way for West Indies to win the second Test against India, starting today at Kensington Oval, and level the three-Test series.

Deputy Chief Executive Officer at Guyana Sugar Corporation Rajendra Singh said no assessment has been made of the power generating plant at the Skeldon Factory which is down, but experts are expected to diagnose the problem by tomorrow.

Dear Editor, The coming weekend will see a lot different kinds of entertainment for Guyanese to keep their minds off of their problems, though one surprising implementation of the bread, circus and alcohol regime is the upcoming advertised ‘Music of the World Super Concert’ targeted at Chutney and Indian music lovers.

The Georgetown Cricket Association (GCA) will today meet with 13 female cricketers to discuss the association’s participation at the upcoming Guyana Cricket Board (GCB)-run Demerara, Inter Association senior female cricket tournament.

Nirmala Sugrim, the fish vendor, who was injured after the car she was travelling in collided with a minibus on Wednesday morning last, has been transferred from the High Dependency Unit to the Female Surgical Ward at the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPH).

LONDON, (Reuters) – It took less than two brutal  hours at Wimbledon yesterday to disprove the theory that Serena  and Venus Williams could march back to continue their domination  of the grasscourt slam having hardly swung their rackets in  anger for months.

Dear Editor, First of all I would like to say that newspaper houses such as yourself would do the nation a great service if you were to profile and brief the nation on the other opposition parties, for example, Peter Ramsaroop and the Guyana People’s Partnership. 

The decision to make a modified DRS mandatory across Tests and ODIs is being considered a victory by both sides yesterday.

The Ministry of Education is again hosting a national remediation programme for weak performers in English and Mathematics over the July/August holidays.

We apologise for the fact that the letter captioned ‘Why are Guyanese so reluctant about trying to attract women for traditionally male dominated but difficult-to-recruit roles?’

Dear Editor, Your editorial of Sunday June 26 captioned ‘Partnership’ was fairly balanced and objective except for one point which you did not fully take into consideration when dealing with the issue of voter apathy.

A man accused of stealing a quantity of steel rods from his employer was yesterday admitted to bail in the sum of $100,000 by acting Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court.

By Colin Benjamin Defending champions Cellink Berbice begun their title defense with a 31 run  victory over a much-improved Essequibo team in the penultimate round of the 2011 Guyana and Trinidad Mutual (GTM) Under 19, limited overs tournament at Providence Stadium, yesterday Scores: Berbice 211/9 in 50 overs, Dominic Rikki 61, Jamal La Fluer 32; Anthony Adams 3-34 and Ricardo Adams 2-42.

THE HAGUE/TRIPOLI (Reuters) – The International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant yesterday for Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, and rebels trying to oust him said their forces had advanced to within 80 km (50 miles) of the capital.

The relatives of Narine Gajadhar, who died after he was struck down at Bath Settlement, West Coast Berbice, were yesterday granted some satisfaction, as the police officers who verbally abused them were disciplined by a senior officer.

PARIS, (Reuters) – Having learnt from last year’s  failure, Bradley Wiggins believes he is now fully ready to  tackle a punishing Tour de France and  become the first Briton  to climb on to the podium on the Champs Elysees.

BEIRUT (Reuters) – Some of Syria’s leading intellectuals called yesterday for sweeping political change that could end 41 years of Assad family rule, at a rare conference allowed by the authorities under pressure from a three-month uprising.

Dear Editor,When the PPP ascended to power in 1992, it promised the Guyanese people and its main supporting constituency of Indians that it would secure them and guarantee their safety and security.

Dear Editor, I noticed on the TV recently and in your newspaper that Prime Minister Samuel Hinds and Agriculture Minister Robert Persaud were accusing the PNCR of trying to score cheap political mileage by the visit of PNCR presidential candidate Mr David Granger to the flooded areas of Region 9.

CARACAS (Reuters) – Demands by Venezuela’s opposition for information on President Hugo Chavez’s health grew louder yesterday and bond prices rallied on speculation the socialist leader could be seriously ill.

WANA, Pakistan (Reuters) – Missile strikes from two US drones killed at least 21 suspected militants in Pakistan’s South Waziristan yesterday, Pakistani officials said, part of an intensified US assault in the tribal belt this month.

Hollister Edwards out of Trinidad became the overall champion of the Guyana Motor Racing and Sports Club (GMRC&SC) ‘Clash of the Supermotos’ Drag meeting held at the South Dakota Circuit last Sunday.

Caribbean Airlines and Air Jamaica will operate under one ‘BW’ code beginning July 1, 2011 as the two brands merge into one airline.

MIAMI (Reuters) – An American man who ran a home for impoverished boys in Haiti has been arrested on charges that he forced them to perform sex acts in exchange for food, shelter and schooling, US prosecutors said on Friday.

A Meten-Meer-Zorg, West Coast Demerara man was last evening rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPH) nursing a chop wound to the head following a fight with his mother.

Pierre Boucher and Anthony Drayton outplayed their opponents to capture the first place trophies in the senior and junior categories of the Trophy Stall one-day Rapid Chess tournament.

CHICAGO (Reuters) – A jury convicted former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich yesterday of corruption for trying to trade the US senate seat once held by President Barack Obama for financial and political gain.

Dear Editor, Reference is made to your editorial (June 24) on Jack Warner, the Minister of Works and Transport in Trinidad  and FIFA Vice –  President who resigned a week ago amidst allegations of wrongdoing.

It seems the Kingston fire victims are very adamant about their decision to stay on the premises, until they receive word from the Ministry of Housing.

Politikles

Last week, Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS) José Miguel Insulza used his opening address at the Second Conference on the Progress and Challenges in Hemispheric Cooperation against Corruption to reflect on the role that corruption continues to play in retarding development and disfiguring democracy, particularly in developing countries.

The police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the death of a 68-year-old man who fell from the platform of a two-storey building yesterday.

Hot Momma’s Advice: If you don’t use it, you lose it! 

(Trinidad Express) – A letter of complaint from the Congress of the People (COP) denouncing changes in the People’s Partnership administration was delivered to Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar on Sunday night.

This time last week, Andrew Strauss was England’s man at the helm.

Dear Editor, The other day, I placed a call to the Ministry of Home Affairs. 

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – An asteroid with an estimated girth as large as a garbage truck soared within 7,500 miles (12,070 km) of the Earth yesterday as it passed harmlessly over the Atlantic Ocean, according to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL).