Daily Archive: Friday, April 27, 2012

(Trinidad Express) Without going to a judge, there have been 267 instances of wiretapping of communications between December 17, 2010 and December 31, 2011 under the Interception of Communications Act.

  President Donald Ramotar in a speech to the nation tonight slammed $21B of budget cuts orchestrated by the opposition in Parliament yesterday but there was no talk of calling a new election as some had anticipated.

(Jamaica Gleaner) Broadcaster Wayne Whyte and Safari Farr the men charged in relation to the shooting of journalist Jody-Ann Gray have been remanded.

WASHINGTON, (Reuters) – Al Qaeda’s core organization is likely incapable of carrying out another mass-casualty attack on the scale of Sept.

WASHINGTON, (Reuters) – A congressional panel has approved a measure designed to search and clear the U.S.

(Barbados Nation) Financial help may soon be available to poor Bajan mothers who have to raise children without the help of delinquent fathers.

ROSEAU, Dominica, (Reuters) – West Indies again showed they have developed an impressive team spirit and quality bowling attack but the lack of top-order runs cost them dearly in the 2-0 test series defeat to Australia.

ROSEAU, Dominica, (Reuters) – Australia won the third and final test against West Indies by 75 runs today to secure a 2-0 series victory despite a valiant second-innings effort from the home side.

The Ministry of Commerce is advising the public that mini bus fares for the various routes remain the same since the last increase in 2005.

PPP/C press officer Romel Roopnarine this morning announced at a party press conference that President Donald Ramotar will address the nation live at 8 tonight.

(WICB) ST. JOHN’S, Antigua – The Selection Panel of the West Indies Cricket Board today announced the 15-member West Indies squad for the three-Test series on the tour of England, starting next month.

(Trinidad Guardian) Death-penalty appeals will still go before the Privy Council in London, not the Caribbean Court of Justice.

(Trinidad Express) Petrotrin engineer Derek Salandy yesterday appeared before the first sitting of the Equal Opportunity Commission (EOC).

(Trinidad Express) There was ample precedent within the Commonwealth for a phased withdrawal from the jurisdiction of the Privy Council, Attorney General Anand Ramlogan said yesterday.

(Jamaica Gleaner) Cellphone provider Digicel and the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) are currently negotiating the renewal of a US$20-million (J$1.76 billion) sponsorship contract which ends September.

(de Ware Tijd) PARAMARIBO – The first 1,000 government houses that the Bouterse Administration plans to build with a Chinese loan have been “safeguarded.”

(Trinidad Newsday) Police yesterday launched a manhunt for a 25-year-old Guyanese construction worker who is being sought in connection with the murder of Nikita Ramischand, the 18-year-old daughter of prominent attorney, Odai Ramischand.

(Barbados Nation) Telecoms operator Digicel is outperforming its major rival and other utility companies in customer satisfaction and reliability.

ROSEAU, Dominica, (Reuters) – Shivnarine Chanderpaul followed Brian Lara in becoming the second West Indies batsman to pass 10,000 test runs yesterday and team-mate Darren Bravo said he is the example to follow for the new generation of cricketers in the Caribbean.

MADRID,  (Reuters) – Spain’s sickly economy faces a “crisis of huge proportions”, a minister said today, as unemployment hit its highest level in almost two decades and Standard and Poor’s weighed in with a two-notch downgrade of the government’s debt.

(Barbados Nation) Some Barbadians have responded angrily to comments Shanique Myrie made about this country in an interview published on the Jamaica Observer’s website yesterday.

ROSEAU, Dominica, CMC – Veteran left-hander Shivnarine Chanderpaul surpassed 10 000 runs in Tests but was one of two key wickets to fall in the last half-hour, leaving West Indies with a herculean task of beating Australia in the third and final Test here yesterday.

Budget 2012 was approved yesterday in the Committee of Supply of the Parliament minus a sum of $20.8 billion cut by the one-seat majority Opposition comprising the Alliance For Change (AFC) and A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), both of whom signalled their willingness to approve at a later date the funds now being withheld once Government addresses concerns over the allocations.

Although accusing APNU and the AFC of “political bullyism” for reducing this year’s budget, Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh last night said that government remains open to dialogue with the opposition.

A building contractor lost his life last evening after he collided with a car while motorcycling along Vlissengen Road in the city.

By Emmerson Campbell CABOFE champions, flyweight Dexter ‘The Kid’ Marques and bantamweight Elton ‘Coolie Bully’ Dharry will look to secure impressive victories over their respective opponents tonight at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall at the staging of the 22nd edition of the Guyana Fight Night Pro Am card.

The discovery of a quantity of drugs in passenger luggage on an outgoing flight resulted in the arrest of several baggage handlers attached to a ground handling company at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, Timehri (CJIA) yesterday morning.

The Guyana Amateur Boxing Association (GABA) and Seon Bristol through his Briso Promotions will team up to stage an inaugural 12-fight open air boxing card in Linden at the Mackenzie Bus Park on April 30.

Albion Community Centre is the first team to reach the final of the 2011 Memorex/Leslie Amsterdam Memorial Under-17 Cricket Competition in Berbice after defeating No.70 Young Star by an innings and 79 runs in their semi-final encounter.

The Government Information Agency (GINA) yesterday evening condemned the opposition APNU and AFC for what it termed a “wanton attack” on its staff, after they voted to reduce its 2012 budget to $1.

A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) yesterday said that it has no apologies to make for the staff cuts at the Government Information Agency (GINA) and tasked the government to find jobs for the 30-plus persons who have now been placed on the breadline.

(Windiescricket.com) ST. JOHN’S, Antigua – Regional players aiming to make the step up onto the international stage will get a chance to impress the West Indies selection panel once again between May 30 and July 2 this year.

One week after the Region 10 Regional Democratic Council (RDC) publicised its concerns about the stockpiling of used sharps at the Linden Hospital Complex (LHC) and the burning of waste in the open air, the Ministry of Health has resolved these issues and has taken steps to correct other abnormalities at the institution.

Food security considerations and continually escalating food import bills are yet to push the Caribbean in the direction of investing significantly more resources in its agricultural sector, according to Executive Director of the Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI) Dr Arlington Chesney.

A network technician of Hampshire, Corentyne was terrorised and robbed of a small amount of cash, cell phones and jewellery when armed, masked bandits struck at his home on Tuesday.

Dear Editor, The National Amerindian Develop-ment Fund (NADF) states that it is unbelievable that in today’s politics the ‘cut down to get on top’ strategy still obtains.

Caricom Secretary-General Ambassador Irwin LaRocque has noted that some provisions of the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) have implications for the banks and financial institutions in the region.

President of the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) Clinton Urling has set out the Chamber’s stall with regard to its independence from external control and influence by pointing to the role the Advocacy Committee will play in formulating and articulating the positions the chamber holds on critical business and national issues.

A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) yesterday said that the restoration of the long withheld subvention to the Critchlow Labour College could be a step towards healing wounds.

In recent years, gold mining in Guyana has drawn attention to itself for more reasons than the fact that the industry has prospered on account of continually rising world market prices for gold.

Dear Editor, Columnist, Freddie Kissoon, wondered aloud in a recent column whether I supported the view that the vacancy on the Guyana Elections Commission should be filled by the AFC.

The two parliamentary opposition parties yesterday said they are prepared for early general and regional elections, amid concerns in some quarters that government is becoming increasingly frustrated at APNU and AFC’s exercising control in the National Assembly.

Dear Editor, One reads in the local and international newspapers and other media that Mr Rupert Murdoch, media tycoon and Chairman and CEO of News Corporation, is currently being questioned under oath in the Leveson Inquiry about his ethics and knowledge of a recent phone hacking scandal  involving British newspapers owned by his company, and other matters that affect British society and politics, but specifically about press standards.

SALVO, North Carolina,  (Reuters) – One is the world’s fastest man.

Kaneville, East Bank Demerara residents want relief from their potholed roads, which they say leave them stranded in their homes whenever it rains.

Aftershocks Four years ago, the global financial system experienced a serious credit challenge. 

LONDON, (Reuters) – Traditionally minded Formula One fans who think this year’s step-nosed cars look odd may have to take a deep breath before considering the latest safety concept being tested by the sport’s governing body.

No.70 Young Star and Shieldstown both won their last 16 play-off matches over the weekend to advance to the quarter-finals of the 2011 New Building Society Second Division 40-Over Cricket Competition.

Dear Editor, When the November general elections results were announced there was a marriage of convenience with anticipated testing times that could result in a divorce and/or political squabbles.

By B.A. Barrington Ickram Ally also known as “bat man” has turned his passion for making cricket bats into a successful business.

The National Assembly last evening passed the Income Tax (Amendment) Bill  2012 which puts the legal framework for the announced increase from the Income Tax threshold from $40,000  to $50,000 per month.

SALVO, North Carolina,  (Reuters) – Britain’s cool, damp weather is likely to cost triple Olympic champion Usain Bolt the opportunity to break his 100 metres world record at the London Olympics, his coach said yesterday.

Dear Editor, It is imperative that we comment on a specific remark attributed by implication to Dr Steve Surujbally, Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission, as published in the second paragraph under the cross-head ‘Gecom’s readiness,‘ in  an article titled “Historic Moment in Guyana’s Governance (Guyana Chronicle, April 25), which was authored by Mr Rickey Singh.

MADRID,  (Reuters) – However much he might blame rotten luck or fatigue for Real Madrid’s failure to get past Bayern Munich on Wednesday, it was Jose Mourinho’s caution that possibly cost the Spaniards a place in next month’s Champions League final.

Dear Editor, Thanks to Facebook, I stumbled across the announcement of a workshop to be held last Saturday to discuss the Henry Greene case.

An Agricola man was yesterday accused of using threatening language to his mother when he appeared before acting Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry who placed him on $25,000 bail as well as a bond to keep the peace.

THE HAGUE,  (Reuters) – A United Nations-backed court convicted former Liberian president Charles Taylor of war crimes and crimes against humanity, the first time a head of state has been found guilty by an international tribunal since the Nazi trials at Nuremberg.

Lengthy delays in the processing of work permits by the Ministry of Home Affairs contribute to illegal gold-mining by a number of non-Guyanese miners, particularly Brazilians, according to a Guyana Gold and Diamond Mining, and Association (GGDMA) source.

PUNE, India, CMC – Marlon Samuels’s Indian Premier League misery continued yesterday when he failed again with both and bat and ball for Pune Warriors, in an 18-run loss to Deccan Chargers.

Stabroek News in its Wednesday edition in a news item headlined `Ex–soldier charged over murder of miner at Puruni’ incorrectly stated that the accused Ayedeli Woolford pleaded guilty to four of five charges read to him.

The Private Sector Commission (PSC) yesterday expressed deep concern  at what it said was the obvious breakdown in communication between the government and the Opposition on the 2012 budget.

Dear Editor, As a trade unionist I am involved in the process of negotiation on a daily basis.

LONDON, (Reuters) – Rupert Murdoch called his News of the World tabloid an “aberration”, blaming journalists for hiding a phone-hacking culture from himself, his son James and his protegee Rebekah Brooks, and saying he wished he had shut it down sooner.

(Reuters) – Eastern Conference top seeds Chicago inched closer to securing home-court advantage throughout the NBA playoffs with a 92-87 win over Indiana on Wednesday.

While the commercial banking sector in Guyana is yet to make a pronouncement on how it is likely to respond to the US’s new Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) which requires the banks to submit to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) financial information on clients deemed by Washington to be “persons of interest,” the new law, which comes into effect in January 1, 2013 is making waves in social, political and business circles in Jamaica.

LUXEMBOURG,  (Reuters) – France and Germany sought to drum up support among other European countries yesterday for new rules to make it easier to suspend passport-free travel in Europe, reflecting voters’ anxiety over large-scale migration.

JOHANNESBURG, (Reuters) – Suspended Cricket South Africa (CSA) chief executive Gerald Majola faces a criminal probe and a civil claim for the repayment of illegal bonuses allegedly paid to him by the Indian Premier League.

Local accountants who are members of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) are to benefit from a one-day seminar on Friday May 4 that will address a range of issues relating to the practice of the profession.

BRASILIA, (Reuters) – Brazil’s Congress passed a bill easing rules mandating the amount of forest that farmers must preserve, delivering a long-sought victory to the country’s powerful agriculture lobby and a political defeat for President Dilma Rousseff.

Guyana’s new Apostolic Nuncio Holy See, Italian Archbishop Nicola Girasoli has pledged to do his best for the greater good of the country, when he presented his credentials to President Donald Ramotar at a brief swearing in ceremony hosted at the Office of the President on Monday.

Dear Editor, This is inform you about a serious matter developing in the National Park.

GINA staffers continue protest

BERNE,  (Reuters) – FIFA’s annual Congress is to be presented with a proposal limiting mandates for its president and officials and barring election for anyone over the age of 72, according to the agenda released yesterday.

Guyana was yesterday elected to the Executive Board of the United Nations Children’s fund (UNICEF) and to the Programme Coordination Board for the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

BOGOTA,  (Reuters) – Colombia has seized a bounty of assets including luxury cars and real state that belonged to Mexico’s Sinaloa drug cartel, which dominates drug trafficking into the United States, police in the Andean nation said yesterday.

Dear Editor, This lead question in a recent article in the CIPD professional journal seems just as timely and pertinent in our national affairs as indeed it is in our workplaces.

Tina Insanally Music Foundation

The Government of Guyana may be upbeat over the prospects of the arrival of the Marriott brand here but one particular Caricom country is accusing Marriott of failing to honour a commitment which it made with the authorities there.

Food for the Poor

(Jamaica Gleaner) Jamaicans who frequent the United States (US) – including merchants, athletes, pilots and entertainers – should soon expect to see their income and savings above US$50,000 disclosed to that government under a measure to catch tax dodgers called the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA).

Comfort sleep

(de Ware Tijd) PARAMARIBO – VHP legislator Asiskumar Gajadien is not surprised the coalition has fewer members now, as this was to be expected.

Generally recognised as the greatest writer in the English language and perhaps the greatest playwright the world has ever seen, William Shakespeare would have been 449 on April 23.

A Brazilian man was remanded to prison on Tuesday by Magistrate Hazel Octave-Hamilton when he appeared in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court on a charge of illegal possession of a firearm.

LONDON, (Reuters) – Former England goalkeeper David Seaman has poured cold water on the Olympic soccer tournament, saying only amateur players should be eligible to compete for gold.

Dear Editor, I saw Shivnarine Chanderpaul play his first Test match at Bourda in 1994, when rumour had it that Captain Richie Richardson was not in favour of Shiv playing Test cricket yet.

WASHINGTON, (Reuters) – A federal judge yesterday refused to order President Barack Obama’s administration to release photos and video of the U.S.

Was it not two/three Fridays ago I sought to provoke thought on the issue of whether trade unions are still relevant in the Guyanese society of today?

GASCI (www.gasci.com/telephone Nº 223-6175/6) reports that session 457’s trading results showed consideration of $1,406,207 from 21,014 shares traded in 12 transactions as compared to session 456 which showed consideration of $1,412,513 from 115,081 shares

Quix cash

Illegal mining

(Trinidad Express) Unlawful, unworkable, impractical. These were some of the terms used yesterday to describe the decision of the Government to withdraw on a phased basis from the Privy Council.