Daily Archive: Friday, April 20, 2012

Embattled Police Commissioner Henry Greene yesterday offered to retire and it has been accepted by President Donald Ramotar, a statement released by GINA said this evening.

The Guyana Defence Force today airlifted injured Mark Gonzales from Kuribrong, Cuyuni/Mazaruni to Georgetown.

At about 1930h. last night, police say that Zhang Man Bang, 37 years, was in his restaurant at Anna Catherina, WCD, when three men entered, one of whom was armed with a handgun.

The police say they are investigating the circumstances surrounding the death of Merle Jordan, 36 years of Silver Hill, Linden Highway, whose body was found with injuries to his head at about 0430h today at Dalgin, Linden Highway.

ISLAMABAD,  (Reuters) – A Pakistani airliner with up to 131 people on board crashed in bad weather as it came in to land in Islamabad on Friday, scattering wreckage and leaving no sign of survivors.

(Trinidad Express) Oilfields Workers’ Trade Union (OWTU) president general Ancel Roget yesterday signed off on another nine per cent wage settlement, this time with the Trinidad and Tobago Electricity Commission (T&TEC).

Amid strong criticism of it over an apparent budget deal with the government, APNU today issued a statement calling on the government to implement a series of relief measures for the mining town of Linden before raising electricity tariffs.

(Trinidad Express) A scuffle broke out on the compound of Express House in Port of Spain last night as police officers of the Port of Spain CID attempted to arrest TV6’s Crime Watch host Ian Alleyne.

(Jamaica Observer) One of Jamaica’s leading political scientists based in the United States has virtually written off the potential of a third party emerging and winning the hearts of the electorate in future elections.

(Jamaica Observer) Eighteen-year-old Amelia Pitterson had only just made the down payment on a plot of land as a step closer to fulfilling a long-held dream of relocating her mother from the Train Line squatter settlement in Gregory Park, St Catherine to a proper home of their own.

(Jamaica Gleaner) Jamaica dipped one spot to rank 74th overall in The Global Information Technology Report (GITP) 2012 published this month, but tied with 57 other countries to take the number one spot in the telecoms competition subcategory.

(Jamaica Gleaner) Bill Express, the vehicle used by conglomerate GraceKennedy and Company Limited to collect utility and other bills for third parties in Jamaica and other Caribbean islands, has pioneered a new insurance service for its customers called Bill Protect.

Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves has delayed his trip to Qatar after complaining of feeling unwell during his stopover in Barbados on Wednesday, the Caribbean Media Corporation reported.

(de ware Tijd) THE HAGUE – Many member states of the European Union (EU) are not that much concerned about Suriname, Dutch Foreign Affairs Minister Uri Rosenthal told the Lower House on Thursday during a short debate on Suriname’s Amnesty Act.

Attorney at law Nigel Hughes on Wednesday offered to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) his services free of charge to file and argue an appeal of the quashed Henry Greene rape charge advice at the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ).

Leader of the Opposition David Granger yesterday said APNU has not sold out Linden in brokering an agreement on a number of measures, including electricity subsidies and liberalising the airwaves, as tempers run high in the mining town.

APNU MP and Shadow Finance Minister Carl Greenidge yesterday questioned the propriety of a $29.1 million Ministry of Health allocation in the 2012 estimates appearing as money already spent, since it had been voted down by the opposition earlier in the year.

Although she was allegedly beaten unconscious with a hammer by her partner, Eurika Garraway yesterday said that she still loves him, still believes he will change and that she will stand by his side.

The 62-year-old man implicated in the rape of a 13-year-old girl was yesterday released from custody on $20,000 station bail even after reports surfaced that he had been involved in similar encounters with the child since last year.

Since 2005, more than $4.1B has been spent on drainage and irrigation in Region Five to control flooding of the Mahaicony and Mahaica Creek areas caused by the controlled release of water from the East Demerara Water Conservancy (EDWC).

The Alliance for Change (AFC) has said that its proposed budget cuts, which were blocked in the National Assembly on Wednesday, were meant to weed out the “fat cats” in government and not bring distress to the lives of ordinary workers.

The police are on the hunt for a man who shot a female Brazilian national on Wednesday after a row over money.

Caricom Auto Sales manager Ramwattie Ramlochan appeared in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court yesterday on additional embezzlement charges and was placed on $150,000 bail by acting Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry.

Some participants have left the 13th Caribbean Sustainable Tourism Conference (STC) with perplexing reactions about the contrasting conditions of Guyana’s environment- a garbage strewn capital and a pristine rainforest.

Sixteen bishops and archbishops who head the Roman Catholic Church in the English, French and Dutch-speaking Caribbean countries will be in Guyana from April 21 to April 27, for their Annual General Meeting.

The diocese of the Anglican Church of Guyana will be hosting the biennial provincial clergy gathering from Sunday, April 22 to Friday, April 27 at the Regency Suites Hotel under the theme “Pursuing the Call”.

Attorney General Anil Nandlall has been given a week to file a written response to arguments against his Constitutional Motion challenging the composition of the National Assembly’s Committee of Selection, after which Chief Justice Ian Chang will hand down his ruling.

Two Guyanese were among the top achievers at the International Qaseeda Competition held last weekend at the Anna Catherina Islamic complex.

The government and employers and workers representatives have signed on to the International Labour Organisation’s (ILO) Decent Work Country Programmes (DWCP), aimed at creating decent work and sustainable enterprises.

A man was yesterday remanded to prison by acting Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry after he pleaded not guilty to robbery with violence allegedly committed at the virtual complainant’s gateway.

By Colin Benjamin in Trinidad and Tobago Guyanese left-hander Assad Fudadin, 26,  has expressed surprise at being called up to the West Indies squad for the third test of the Digicel test series against Australia that commences on April 23.

Guyana clinched three of the five top tourism awards as the curtains came down on the 13th Sustainable Tourism Conference on Wednesday evening.

A Goed Fortuin man was yesterday sent on his own recognizance by acting Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry after he pleaded not guilty to using indecent language and assaulting a peace officer.

By Emmerson Campbell Milerock suffered a 7-1 drubbing from Inter Moengotapoe, while Alpha United secured a 3-1 victory over Hubentut Fortuna as the local football clubs suffered mixed fortunes on the second day of the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) Club Championships yesterday at the Providence National Stadium.

The city constabulary plans to take action against a number of persons in the Orange Walk area who are apparently associated with noise nuisance, double parking, and urination in public, particularly  in the late evenings and especially on Fridays and Saturdays.

Local banks appear to have been slow to respond to a new United States tax compliance law which will require them to provide the US Internal Revenue Service (IRS) with financial information on US citizens possessing local bank accounts containing amounts exceeding US50,OOO (G$100 million) or foreign entities in which U.S.

MONTE CARLO,  (Reuters) – World number one Novak Djokovic raised his eyes and arms to the sky after beating Ukraine’s Alexandr Dolgopolov to reach the Monte Carlo Masters quarter-finals on Thursday just hours after learning of the death of his grandfather.

The Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC) hosted its first meeting with local stakeholders on Wednesday as it moves to establish a Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) within the European Union (EU) aimed at realising stricter forestry practices that will see the exclusion of illegal timber from the market.

Both of the major expatriate investors in Guyana’s bauxite industry have announced that they are pumping more money into equipment with a view to taking advantage of anticipated significant increases in demand for the product in the years ahead.

By Colin Benjamin in Trinidad and Tobago Despite positive intent from both West Indies and Australia to force a win, persistent rain dented these ambitions on the final day of the second Digicel Test at the Queen’s Park Oval, Trinidad, yesterday.

YAOUNDE, (Reuters) – Former Cameroon striker Roger Milla has set up a committee to press for the axing of the country’s football federation and the return of captain Samuel Eto’o to the national squad.

Dear Editor, According to Guyana’s national accounts gold accounted for 40% of Guyana’s exports in 2010 up from 20% in 2006, bringing in US$346M of total exports at US$891M.

Critical Indicator The service sector is the largest sector of the Guyana economy in more ways than one. 

BEIRUT/UNITED NATIONS, (Reuters) – Syria and the United Nations signed an agreement yesterday on terms for hundreds of observers to monitor a ceasefire, but fierce diplomatic wrangling lies ahead to persuade the West the mission can have the authority and power to ensure peace.

By Iva Wharton President of the Rupununi Athletics and Sports Association (RASA) Brian Rodrigues says the Amerindian Affairs Ministry is failing the athletes in the hinterland region.

Dear Editor, I  have seen that Mr Sasenarine has been Singh writing in several newspapers agreeing with the observation of Mr Moses Nagamootoo, that today Guyana is a very indebted country and our current debt is unsustainable and will heap a host of economic problems on our people.

Two Blairmont Sugar Estate workers, injured on the job, are expected to be paid advances from GuySuCo, after they were unable to access benefits from the National Insurance Scheme (NIS).

Over time the private sector has invested heavily in programmes designed to equip its workforce with the required skills to enable them to function effectively.

This is the second in a series of three articles on Performance Management Practices prepared for The Stabroek Business by the Mersu Caribbean Consulting Group, a Trinidad and Tobago-based Strategic Marketing, Image Management and Business Consulting Group By Averil Williams In a prior editorial, you were introduced to performance management defined as the approach and process of managing a business.

European Union (EU) Ambassador Robert Kopecky and Minister of Natural Resources and the Environment Robert Persaud have met to discuss issues relating to a common position of the Guyana Government and the European Union, for the upcoming UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD or Rio+20).

Dear Editor, The Public Service Ministry should be the subject of an intensive performance review, in light of the recommendations made by at least three consultancies (since 2000) on the modernisation of the public service, including the updating of the Public Service Rules, which are in any case too often observed in the breach.

Recalling the ancient proverb, ‘Like father, like son’, Guyana sprint queen Alisha Fortune and her daughter Andrea Foster have changed the gender to ‘like mother, like daughter’.

PARIS – With his back against the wall, President Nicolas Sarkozy brushed off opinion polls that show he will lose France’s presidential election and delivered a defiant speech three days from the first round of the vote.

Dear Editor, The authorities appear to be requiring commercial passenger boats plying the rivers to be covered. 

Having given up the corporate rigours of an influential directorship of a family shipping company, Farhaud Amin has assumed a quieter, though, arguably no less important role in the local business community as the sole owner of a new enterprise through which, he says, he hopes to contribute to “galvanizing business” in Guyana.

MIAMI, (Reuters) – Haitian President Michel Martelly has been released from a Miami hospital after undergoing medical treatment for a blood clot in his lung, Haiti’s government said yesterday.

LAUSANNE, Switzerland, (Reuters) – Former FIFA presidential candidate Mohamed Bin Hammam will have to wait another two months to find out whether his appeal against a life ban for bribery has been successful.

The Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) has expanded its ‘tax site’ operations to outlying areas such as Berbice and Linden to assist taxpayers with completing and filing tax returns.

Dear Editor, Linden Town Day celebrations started in the year 1996 with three days of activities which were intended to showcase Region 10 as it relates to culture, drama, art and craft and agriculture, among other things. 

Acting Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry on Tuesday imposed two three-year sentences and a fine of $75,000 each on two Brazilian nationals after they pleaded guilty to firearm offences committed in the  North West District.

MADRID,  (Reuters) – As well as a potential title decider, tomorrow’s ‘Clasico’ between bitter rivals Real Madrid and Barcelona serves up the latest installment in the goal-scoring drama featuring record-setting marksmen Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.

Controversy continues to attach itself to the Chinese commercial presence in the region the latest brouhaha arising out of what Antiguan hoteliers and restaurateurs regard as trading practices designed to corner the local lobster market and place the high-priced delicacy beyond the reach of the local consumers.

BHUBANESWAR, India, (Reuters) – India successfully test-fired yesterday a nuclear-capable missile that can reach Beijing and Eastern Europe, thrusting the emerging Asian power into a small club of nations that can deploy nuclear weapons at such a great distance.

A man accused of snatching another man’s  gold chain  at the Stabroek Market was yesterday refused bail by acting Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry when he appeared in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court to face a larceny from the person charge.

Dear Editor, Our education is in a serious crisis. Our children are being treated disrespectfully.

(Reuters) – South Africa-born pace bowler Neil Wagner has been declared eligible to play for New Zealand after the International Cricket Council ruled there were special circumstances why he did not meet residency regulations, NZ Cricket said yesterday.

BAGHDAD,  (Reuters) – More than 20 bombs hit cities and towns across Iraq yesterday, killing at least 36 and wounding more than 100, police and hospital sources said, raising fears of sectarian strife in a country keen to show it can now maintain security.

LONDON,  (Reuters) – During an informative and entertaining address to an anti-doping conference last month, German researcher Mario Thevis referred to “80, 90, 100” new performance-enhancing drugs for which no tests yet exist.

CHICAGO, (Reuters) – A prominent U.S. Catholic nuns’ group said yesterday it was “stunned” that the Vatican reprimanded it for spending too much time on poverty and social justice concerns and not enough on abortion and gay marriage.

Dear Editor, When I saw the letter on Republic Bank: ‘ATM machine “disappeared“ money’ (SN, April 3), written by an irate customer who, among other things mentioned the two hours, “I sat in the bank just staring at people,” I chuckled, remembering that just the other day I was in a similar situation.

Newly elected President of the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) Clinton Urling has said that a point has now been reached in the protracted discourses between the government and the private sector on the issue of tax reform where there is need for “a timeline” for the effective and efficient” settling of the issue.

Business Cartoons

Guyana is by no means the only country in the world where the utility entities and public facilities are targeted by thieves seeking to strip those installations of metal infrastructure in order to cash in on a lucrative global scrap metal industry.

Monuments and sites: An exhibition was held on Wednesday to commemorate International Day for

ACCRA,  (Reuters) – Ghana said yesterday that the $6 billion it is seeking from the Export-Import Bank of China through an existing $13 billion Chinese credit facility would fund new transport, education and health projects in the West African state.

GASCI (www.gasci.com/telephone Nº 223-6175/6) reports that session 456’s trading results showed consideration of $1,412,513 from 115,081 shares traded in 14 transactions as compared to session 455 which showed consideration of $1,412,799 from 116,442 shares traded in 8 transactions. 

Look, I do feel enough seems to have been written on everything by the dozens of columnists and commentators already. 

On the third day of his trial, which began on Monday, for the massacre of 77 people in Norway, last July, Anders Behring Breivik began his testimony.

(Reuters) – Paul Pierce nailed a vital jump shot in the closing seconds to ensure the Boston Celtics clinched the Atlantic Division title with a 102-98 win over the Orlando Magic on Wednesday.

Politikles

MIAMI,  (Reuters) – A Venezuelan Supreme Court judge who was removed from his post last month for assisting a drug trafficker has accused his former government bosses of systematic manipulation of the courts, including meddling in drug cases.

Dear Editor, After several years of neglect by the management, teachers and Regional Democratic Council of Region 5, the Cotton Tree Primary School has finally been cleaned.

(Trinidad Guardian) Thousands of workers at the Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA) are facing retrenchment as the state-owned utility is to be restructured.

(Trinidad Express) Popular TV6 “Crime Watch” host Ian Alleyne was last night arrested by police on the compound of Caribbean Communications Network Ltd (CCN), Independence Square, Port of Spain.