Daily Archive: Friday, September 16, 2011

The Education Ministry today said it was probing alleged sexual abuse of Aishalton Secondary School students.

DAEGU, South Korea (AFP) — Usain Bolt may have botched the defence of his world 100m crown, but the Jamaican came back to retain his 200m title and run the anchor in a world-record breaking 4x100m relay team.

(From right) Presidential Candidate Khemraj Ramjattan, Office Manager Beverly Roberts and National Coordinator Neilsen McKenzie wearing black ribbons to protest the Jagdeo Day of Appreciation.

LONDON/ZURICH, (Reuters) – British police charged  UBS trader Kweku Adoboli today with fraud and  false accounting dating back to 2008, a day after the Swiss bank  was plunged into crisis by revealing a $2 billion trading loss.

(Trinidad Express) Since the State of Emergency was announced by Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar on August 21, law enforcement officials have arrested 2,167 persons, 447 of them in connection with gang-related offences.

(Trinidad Express) A shooting incident in Laventille, mere minutes before curfew restrictions went into effect in the known crime hot spot on Thursday, left one man dead and another wounded at hospital.

(Jamaica Observer) The Minister Bruce Golding has ordered that the police be called in to investigate the disappearance of 3,000 chairs and 70,000 square feet of carpeting which were in the custody of the Urban Development Corporation (UDC) at the newly constructed Montego Bay Convention Centre in St James.

(Jamaica Gleaner) The tourism capital, Montego Bay, is about to lose one of its biggest European carriers, British Airways (BA), as of March 25 next year, highly placed sources have told The Gleaner.

COPENHAGEN (Reuters) – Denmark’s prime minister-elect Helle Thorning-Schmidt, began piecing together a disparate centre-left government today after an election which ended 10 years of centre-right rule in a voter backlash over the economy.

(Barbados Nation) Barbadians poor work ethic may be the biggest impediment to doing business successfully here.

(Barbados Nation) Statistics yesterday showing that Barbados’ unemployment level jumped to 12.1 per cent at the end of June, were removed from the website of the Central Bank of Barbados in the evening.

A 54-year-old counsellor who went to the assistance of a woman who was being physically assaulted by a man was shot dead at a Stabroek Market food stand early yesterday morning.

The government yesterday passed the Access to Information Bill in the absence of the opposition parties, which continued a boycott of extended sittings of the National Assembly.

Guyanese Shameer Allie, a violent convict who was dubbed one of “Canada’s Most Wanted,” was arrested in the Toronto area yesterday morning.

Two women are dead and five persons are hospitalised after an early morning accident yesterday involving a truck that had just left Bartica for the mining fields in Region Seven.

The opposition AFC is trying to whip up public support for a demonstration to mark the “ills and disasters” of the Bharrat Jagdeo presidency, to coincide with an event planned for today to pay tribute to his national contributions.

Opposition coalition A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) has estimated its elections budget at US$6M, but says the incumbent’s access to state funds still makes for an uneven contest.

For three weeks, William Harper thought he was at death’s door.

Footage from a security camera is pointing to the involvement of a tenant in the fire that destroyed a guesthouse and damaged the Car Care building in the city last Friday.

Residents of Charlotte Street, Enterprise are angry over noise and dust pollution they say is emanating from a hollow block factory that has been operating in the East Coast Demerara community for several years.

The Eccles Nursery School, on the East Bank of Demerara, was raided by burglars on Wednesday night.

The Ministry of Agriculture, though the Guyana Marketing Corporation (GMC) will from tomorrow have mobile outlets at several locations across the country selling sugar.

Acting Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry granted self bail to the Guyana Defence Force lieutenant accused of assaulting three police officers in an incident related to the June 19 assault on DJ Nerissa Pearson, for which he also stands accused.

Alford C, the Transport and Harbours Department (T&HD) speedboat which plies the Berbice River, ceased operation for the entire day on Wednesday after an engine failure, disrupting travel for scores of commuters.

A man who allegedly used insulting language and assaulted a police constable was yesterday placed on $35,000 bail when he appeared before acting Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court.

A suspect in several arson matters is now a patient at the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPH), after he was shot by police while resisting arrest.

A 22-year-old man who allegedly used a scissors to rob a woman of her mobile phone was yesterday placed on $100,000 bail when he appeared before acting Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry.

BERNE (Reuters) – Former FIFA presidential candidate Mohamed Bin Hammam has lost his appeal against a life ban for his part in a cash-for-votes scandal, one of several recent controversies to hit world soccer.

Georgetown Cricket Association President Roger Harper yesterday highlighted the importance of the long-format of cricket in the development of young players when the Noble House Seafoods-sponsored 2011 GCA two-day competition was launched at Malteenoes Sports Club, Thomas Lands.

The ‘Ride For Life’ five-stage cycle road race which is scheduled to pedal off on October 6 will be staged over four days and will require the cyclists to cover a total of 266 miles.

LAS VEGAS (Reuters) – Victor Ortiz will enter the ring against Floyd Mayweather Jr tomorrow as the WBC welterweight champion but he will also be a heavy underdog — a tag with which he is entirely comfortable.

The 2011 Guyana Cricket Board/EL Dorado limited overs cricket competition gets underway today with two matches.

Vice Mayor of Fuzhou, Fujian Province, People’s Republic of China, Chen Qi, and a delegation are on an official visit to Georgetown.

Coach of Guyana’s national squad of junior tennis players, Shelly Daly-Ramdyhan, says she was not surprised at the recent wins by Aretta Dey and Nicola Ramdyhan at the First Citizens Investment Services 2011 International Junior Tennis Tournament in St Vincent and the Grenadines last month.

Richard Gomes’s bowling led Rockaway to a 55-run win last Sunday in the ongoing Bakewell male and female softball tournament, which is being held at various grounds across the country.

When the Third Caribbean-China Economic and Trade Cooperation Forum opened in Port of Spain earlier this week several Caribbean Heads of Government set aside their alternative schedules to be there, not the customary occurrence in a region where subject ministers are, more often than not, sent to represent their governments at such fora.

Guyana’s coconut exports continue to attract markets in the Caribbean and North America according to the Ministry of Agriculture’s Commodity Market Update for the second quarter of this year though prices slipped gradually but continually during the first six months of the year. 

The Ministry of Agriculture, though the Guyana Marketing Corporation (GMC) will from tomorrow have mobile outlets at several locations across the country selling sugar.

The North American & Caribbean Rugby Association (NACRA) will conduct an Elite Sevens coaching workshop today through Sunday at the Scouts Association of Guyana Headquarters on Woolford Avenue commencing at 17:00 hrs.

The Ministry of Education’s National Centre for Educational Resource Development (NCERD) in collaboration with Guyanese Assisting in Development (GUYAID) yesterday held its annual award ceremony, where the winning schools and students in the GUYAID Essay Writing Competition held on June 9 and 14 this year were awarded.

Dear Editor, The killing of 91-year-old Mr Adolphus James, the Linden security guard while on duty is an indictment of our entire society.

TRIPOLI/BENGHAZI (Reuters) – The leaders of France and Britain were feted in Libya for their support of the uprising which overthrew Muammar Gaddafi while forces of the new government closed in on his hometown Sirte in an effort to complete their victory.

The Berbice Cricket Board/Republic Bank Under-17 inter-zone cricket tournament bowls off on Sunday with Lower Corentyne playing Upper Corentyne and New Amsterdam/Canje taking on West Berbice from 09:30 hrs.

Dear Editor, I thought long and hard about this decision to voice my opinion on the matter of President Jagdeo’s Appreciation Day, not because I have reservations about his merit, but because I do not wish to add dignity to what seems to be to be a rather unnecessary and puerile discussion on this matter.

Gone overboard:  This minibus transporting passengers into Mocha Arcadia yesterday afternoon found itself in the trench when the driver lost control after the vehicle’s steering was reportedly cut.

Just weeks after the Jagdeo administration’s announcement that it was making yet another generous financial gesture to a Georgetown City Council that simply never seems to possess the liquidity to meet even its most important debts, we are hearing again – at least according to the state-run Chronicle newspaper that the municipality is seeking to “recoup monies for the payment of salaries, garbage collection and the procurement of materials and supplies for the city.”

The seven players advancing to the national junior chess championship will be known this weekend, after the final four rounds of the qualifiers are played at the West Demerara Secondary School.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States named the Indian Mujahideen (IM) to its official blacklist of foreign terrorist organizations on Thursday, saying it has killed hundreds of innocent civilians in attacks dating back to 2005.

Dear Editor, I reiterate the AFC’s call to citizens to wear something black or put something black on their home or vehicle to show displeasure with the President’s Appreciation Day today.

The Business Cartoon

Courts Guyana Incorporated yesterday hosted a Furniture Fashion Show in partnership with Guyana Fashion Weekend (GFW) which offered an afternoon of what was touted as the ‘A, B, C Style’ Aesthetics, Beauty and Comfort.

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – West Indies captain Darren Sammy says victory in the two-match Twenty20 series against England later this month will help set the tone for a strong overseas campaign which includes tours of Bangladesh and India later this year.

By Marjorie Chester Is the increasing popularity of imported ready-made women’s clothing threatening the survival of Guyana’s dressmaking industry?

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Al Qaeda’s chief of operations in Pakistan has been killed in a CIA drone strike, two US officials said yesterday.

Lucky Shopper: Guyana Police Consumers Cooperative Society customer Debra Bernard was the First Prize Winner in this year’s annual back-to-school promotion raffle.

(Reuters) – The US pursuit of offshore tax evaders is widening to include Israel, where US authorities are scrutinizing three of Israel’s largest banks over suspicions their Swiss outposts helped American clients evade taxes, people briefed on the matter said.

Latin American and Caribbean governments and private sectors must seek to ensure that Chinese companies “abide by the same market and non-market requirements as their western counterparts” as a condition for investing in the region,” says a study titled “Energy and the Americas” published earlier this month by the Americas Society and the Council of the Americas (AS/COA).

Dear Editor, As I sat in the black-out that engulfed the city on Wednesday night, it dawned on me that after 12 years (the longest serving President) Bharrat Jagdeo and his regime were unable to do something as basic as keeping the lights on.

Part of the action in the Milo Under-23 Football tournament at the Tucville Playfield on Wednesday evening.

Local department store, Ashmin’s, is the latest Guyanese company to enter the world of e-commerce and cash-less transactions.

The recent statement by Foreign Minister Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett that Guyana has made a full submission of a claim to an extended continental shelf to the United Nations, in accordance with the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), has elicited an interesting pair of responses in Venezuela – or rather, one interesting response and one interesting non-response.

      GASCI (www.gasci.com/telephone Nº 223-6175/6) reports that session 425s trading results showed consideration of $9,637,409 from 130,419 shares traded in 5 transactions as compared to session 424 which showed consideration of $3,771,842 from 135,143 shares traded in 16  transactions. 

careers and companies thru’ cocaine Look Friends, I appreciate that the captioned lead today is, perhaps not an issue for a Friday columnist.

Politikles

(TrinidadGuardian) Hours before she said final goodbyes to her parents who died in a tragic murder/suicide in Couva, 20-year-old Anita Balkaran was detained by Chaguanas Police on Tuesday night because she had no official documents to live inTrinidad.

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Some 450,000 New Yorkers have quit smoking since 2002, reducing the smoking rate from 22 percent to a record low of 14 percent, city officials said yesterday.

Dear Editor, Guyana will be at the crossroads again, when it will have its fifth elections since the restoration of democracy in 1992.

BRUSSELS, Belgium, CMC – Jamaican sprint icon Usain Bolt finds himself in an unfamiliar position at the season-ending Diamond League meet here today, still trying to post the world’s fastest time over 100 metres.