Daily Archive: Sunday, April 1, 2012

(Barbados Nation) Embattled policyholders are not only shaking their heads at the prospect of losing big chunks of their investment in the collapsed CLICO International, but are losing confidence more and more each day in future private investment and Government regulation.

(Barbados Nation) “The worst experience of my life!” That is how 23-year-old Shonae Proverbs summed up her two-day encounter at the hands of Immigration officials two weeks ago at Grantley Adams International Airport.

The Guyana Human Rights Association (GHRA) has come out strongly against Chief Justice Ian Chang’s recent dismissal of the Director of Public Prosecutions’ (DPP) advice to charge Commissioner of Police Henry Greene with rape calling the ruling “profoundly disturbing.”

PORT-AU-PRINCE, (Reuters) – A Haitian government panel has urged the president to appoint an interim commander to take charge of former soldiers, a panel member said on Saturday, as the leader of a successful 2004 uprising warned that ex-members of the military could seize power.

(de Ware Tijd) PARAMARIBO – A state resolution is being drafted to lower the number of students allowed in a classroom at all levels, from kindergarten to senior high (VOS).

(de Ware Tijd) PARAMARIBO – During Friday’s closed session of Parliament, it was decided to include the views of the Nieuw Front on amending the 1989 Amnesty Act in the final report of the reporting committee.

During yesterday, police ranks conducted a search on a mining camp at Dukwarri Landing, Cuyuni, during which they found an unlicensed 12 gauge shotgun and three cartridges, a release from the police force said.

YANGON, (Reuters) – Pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi won a seat in parliament today, her party said, after a historic by-election that is testing Myanmar’s nascent reform credentials and could convince the West to end sanctions.

(Barbados Nation) One of the longest serving heads of the Electoral & Boundaries Commission (EBC) is not happy that some people who live in Barbados for just three years can vote in general elections.

Fire-fighters this morning battled to contain a fire that destroyed a building housing six stores on Regent and Wellington Sts.

(Barbados Nation) Immigration authorities say while the problem of illegal Guyanese appears to be coming under control, they are now trying to come to terms with an influx of Jamaicans, including several young women willing to get involved in marriages of convenience.

(Barbados Nation) Two weeks after REDjet announced the temporary suspension of all flights, a top official of the struggling Barbadian-based, low-cost carrier has sounded the official death knell.

(Trinidad Express) A multi speciality team of radiation experts tasked with conducting a medical evaluation of patients exposed to radiation overdoses, ranging from four to 20 per cent more than had been prescribed for them at the Brian Lara Cancer Treatment Centre (BLCTC), have found clinical evidence of “severe radiation injury”.

The residents of Bartica in Region Seven are against the dissolution of their Neigh-bourhood Democratic Coun-cil (NDC) and are calling for the long-awaited Local Government Elections to be speeded up.

Known as one of the gateways to the interior, Itaballi Landing is a small mining and logging community perch-ed on the bank of the Essequibo River and a short boat ride from Bartica.

A 17-year-old due to deliver her first child yesterday died while being ambulanced from Linden to the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPH).

Government will invest $3.6 billion in the housing sector this year and has also allocated $2 billion to improve the quality of water supply.

A teen was late yesterday afternoon air dashed to the city for medical attention after he miraculously survived a mining pit cave in at Eye lash backdam earlier in the day.

At 76, New Jersey-based Guyanese Sirimatti Persaud is still eager to share her skills in sewing and is currently doing so at Bush Lot, West Coast Berbice, where she is conducting free classes.

We regret that there is no Business Page this week. This column will return next week.

Chairman of the Private Sector Commission (PSC) Ramesh Dookhoo welcomed this year’s $192.8 billion national budget, saying that measures taken in 2011 to address needs of the private sector have borne fruit, while calling for continued incentives.

Assuria, a Surinamese insurance company, has opened two companies in Guyana – Assuria Life Inc and Assuria General Inc – hoping to fill the void left by the exit of Clico; and President Donald Ramotar sees this collaboration as an example of countries in the region investing in each other’s economies.

A 50-year-old man was brutally hacked to death by his nephew last Thursday at Kariabo Backdam, North West District (NWD).

President of the Guyana Manufacturers’ and Services Association (GMSA) Clinton Williams said while recorded growth of 5.4 per cent in 2011 is good for Guyana and the private sector, the organisation wanted to hear more about the outcome of the tax review that was initiated just after the elections last year.

The ailing University of Guyana (UG), which has been the site and subject of much controversy recently has been earmarked to receive $900 million from government this year, which stakeholders said is ‘a drop in the ocean’.

Sixteen staff members of the Bureau of Statistics on Friday held a peaceful protest outside the Bureau of Statistics headquarters to ventilate their disgust at the disregard of their concerns by management.

Relatives of an 18-year-old mother of two, who died almost three months ago as a result of injuries she sustained during a botched abortion, declared that they will pursue the matter until justice is served despite slow progress by the Medical Council of Guyana and the police.

Minister of Finance Dr. Ashni Singh on Friday announced that government will this year begin a phased increase of electricity rates for residents in Linden and in the Berbice River, to bring them in line with what Guyana Power and Light Company (GPL) grid customers already pay.

Well-known poet, novelist and columnist Ian McDonald has launched his newest addition to literature, The Comfort of all Things, which is his fifth collection of poems.

Pope Benedict XVI’s visit to Cuba will not produce much change, but everybody — the Pope, the Cuban military regime, dissidents and Cuban exiles — can claim a semblance of victory from the high-profile event.

Introduction Today I start my usual extended commentary on the annual Budget.

A pedal cyclist was struck down and killed by a motor lorry on the Triumph public road, East Coast Demerara on Friday and the driver is in police custody assisting with investigations.

In two years time significantly larger ships will be able to pass via an enlarged Panama Canal between the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea.

Sunday’s Cartoon

A $25 million mediation centre will be constructed at New Amsterdam, Berbice during this year and millions more will be spent on the rehabilitation and maintenance of court facilities, Finance Minister Ashni Singh announced on Friday during his budget presentation.

By Emmerson Campbell Featherweight boxer Mandessa Moses used her superior ring craft to record a unanimous defeat of heavyweight opponent Pauline London In the headline bout of the 21st edition of the Guyana Boxing Board of Control (GBBC) Pro Am card at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall Friday night.

I had had a brief encounter with the dress code previously at the Cultural Centre, or rather my wife did, so I went last week forewarned this time. 

Guyanese powerlifters broke records and had a massive medal haul at the two-day Caribbean Power lifting Championships over the weekend in St Thomas, USVI on Friday.

A Guyana-born US citizen who was previously placed on a one-year bond after being charged for assaulting his wife  appeared in court on Friday before  Magistrate Adela Nagamootoo  in New Amsterdam accused of the murder of his wife who bore him two children.

Last month during his feature address at the 2011 Sports Award ceremony, President Ramotar, while praising our current champions, made a powerful plea for us to remember and honour sportsmen and sportswomen who performed nobly in the past but were all too likely to sink into obscurity and even oblivion as the years pass.

The government has set aside $2.9 billion in this year’s budget for the country’s sea and river defence systems.

As action in the third edition of the  Guyana Telephone and Telegraph (GT&T) 10/10 nationwide softball cricket tournament continues around Guyana with teams battling for over G$30M in cash and incentives, one team from the Lower East Coast Zone is looking make big steps in this year’s competition.

By Iva Wharton For former Group Three `Top Dog’ Ryan Rahaman the roles are reversed going in to today’s Race of Champions motor race meet at the South Dakota Circuit but he would not have it any other way.

A well-known Guyanese educator and poet is advocating continual classroom training for teachers as a means of improving the country’s education system, since teachers are the foot soldiers of the system and if they are not good at what they do then the system will fail.

Labba (Cuniculuspaca), Paca or Urana in Makushi – no matter the appellation, most Guyanese recognize the name of this animal and associate it with a tender, succulent meat dish!

They flocked to Kensington Oval in their thousands on Friday for the second of the West Indies’ Twenty20 Internationals against Australia, many with their red T-shirts proclaiming the Obama campaign slogan, “Yes We Can!”.

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad,  CMC – Barbados were grinding themselves into a strong position against Trinidad and Tobago as 17 wickets fell on the second day of the Regional Four-Day semi-final here yesterday.

CAIRO (Reuters) – Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood, in a policy U-turn, yesterday named its deputy leader and businessman Khairat al-Shater as its presidential candidate for a vote in May after initially pledging it would not run for the nation’s top job.

This is the thirteenth in our series on new parliamentarians Jaipaul Sharma is no politician and sees his work as a parliamentarian (MP) as a job which he plans to perform diligently to ensure that the people of the nation are represented and the government is held accountable.

A lack of communication?

Dear Editor, I see Mrs Joan Ward-Mars has attempted a response to me in the the KN and SN editions of March 30 in relation to funding for the Linden Legal Aid Centre (LLAC).

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados,  CMC – West Indies captain Darren Sammy has warned Australia to expect more of his side’s fighting spirit when the three-Test series bowls off here next weekend.

Members of the newly formed Alleyne’s High Old School Associa-tion will soon be hosting a reunion and one of the issues high on the agenda is the reopening of the Regent Street-based school.

Dear Editor, President Ramotar in his election campaign speech told Guyanese that he would consider reducing the Value Added Tax (VAT) which the PPP/C imposed upon the people of Guyana.

YANGON (Reuters) – Myanmar holds crucial by-elections today that are expected to see Aung San Suu Kyi, who led the fight for democracy under the former junta, entering parliament for the first time and could lead to an easing of sanctions by the West.

Enterprise Legends scored a crushing nine wicket win over East Bankers on Sunday last when the Guyana Floodlight softball Cricket association  Hadi’s sponsored competition continued.

The highly fragrant, showy flowers and the bold leaves that ginger lilies produce create an undeniable tropical feeling even in temperate gardens.

Dear Editor, I refer to the correspondence of the acting Chief Labour Officer, Mr Charles Ogle, to the leadership of Operation Rescue UG in which he stated that an employer can terminate an employee’s contract provided that payment is given in lieu of adequate notice.

The annual activity that heralds Easter in Guyana

GAO/BAMAKO (Reuters) – Mali’s army abandoned its military bases around the key northern garrison town of Gao yesterday after a fierce assault by heavily armed rebels, military and civilian sources said.

Budget Day

Two days ago Trinidad and Tobago observ-ed a national holiday.  It was Shouter Baptist Liberation Day celebrated annually on March 30 to mark the anniversary of the day when the ban on Shouter Baptist worship in Trinidad was lifted. 

Dear Editor, The arrest of four men who are accused of being involved in several robberies committed on our fishermen at sea recently in the vicinity of the mouth of the Pomeroon River, and the recovery of some outboard engines by the police, is good news.

ATLANTA (Reuters) – Three lucky ticket-holders in Illinois, Kansas and Maryland will share the largest lottery jackpot in US history of $656 million, after about 1.5 billion $1 tickets were sold, lottery officials said yesterday.

KINGSTON, Jamaica,  CMC – Guyana conceded valuable first innings points despite a valiant effort from veteran batsman Shiv Chanderpaul as Jamaica emerged with the advantage after a keenly contested second day of the Regional Four-Day semi-final here yesterday.

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados,  CMC – Dashing West Indies batsman Dwayne Smith has pointed to his six-year-old daughter Niyesha as one of the main reasons behind his recent resurgence.

HAVANA (Reuters) – Cuba has declared next week’s Good Friday a holiday following a request from Pope Benedict during his visit to the island, state media said yesterday.

The EAB has spoken.  Not, one fears, that this might have much impact on our two main political parties, both of whom are long on mistrust and short on reason. 

Bone ailments Continued from last week Several bone ailments have their origin in imbalances in the animal’s metabolism (the process of constructing and breaking down body cells).

Dear Editor, For any society to advance it has to settle a fundamental question – who governs?

Kamwatta student paddles to school