Daily Archive: Friday, December 14, 2012

CARACAS,  (Reuters) – Venezuela’s President Hugo Chavez is recovering “satisfactorily” from his cancer surgery in Cuba although the process remains slow, Information Minister Ernesto Villegas said today.

(Jamaica Gleaner) Dancehall entertainer Bounty Killer today won his second court battle within a week.

Senior Superintendent Lyndon Alves has denounced allegations on website about him which had among other things accused him of destabilizing the PPP/C government.

(Reuters) – U.S. software pioneer John McAfee said that he will not return to Belize where police want to question him about a murder case, but that he is willing to let authorities from the Central American nation interview him in a “neutral country.”

LONDON,  (Reuters) – International climate scientists are more certain than ever that humans are responsible for global warming, rising sea levels and extreme weather events, according to a leaked draft report by an influential panel of experts.

CARACAS,  (Reuters) – Venezuelans vote for state governors on Sunday in an election that will decide if the opposition stays united behind youthful leader Henrique Capriles amid signs that President Hugo Chavez’s cancer could force him to step down.

NEWTOWN, Conn., (Reuters) – A heavily armed gunman opened fire inside a Connecticut elementary school today, killing 26 people, including 20 children, in the latest in a series of shooting rampages across the United States this year, U.S.

(Trinidad Guardian) National Security Minister Jack Warner claims he has been vindicated now that football’s governing body, FIFA, has closed its investigation into allegations that Mohamed bin Hammam, former president of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), paid bribes to Caribbean officials.

(Jamaica Observer) Cayman Islands Premier McKeeva Bush said yesterday that he will not heed calls to resign, insisting his arrest this week on suspicion of corruption is a plot by political enemies who are trying to weaken him and smear his reputation.

(Jamaica Observer) The European Union (EU) has defended its Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with Caribbean countries, rejecting criticism that the free trade agreement will lead to a fallout in regional economies.

(Jamaica Observer) A well-known justice of the peace was found dead in his partially razed home in what police theorised to be a murder on Syres Road, off Molynes Road, in St Andrew yesterday.

(Jamaica Observer) DEEP BAY, Antigua — JFF boss Captain Horace Burrell did not mince words when he lashed the performance of the Reggae Boyz in the ongoing CFU Caribbean Championship.

(BBC) James Anderson took three wickets to put England in control after day two of the final Test against India in Nagpur.

(Jamaica Gleaner) Jamaica customs officials have confiscated more than US$200,000 or approximately J$18.5 million from a Jamaican national who attempted to clear customs through the ‘nothing to declare’ channel.

EZjet is advising customers that it has issued with refund cheques not to attempt to encash them as it has no money available for payouts, for which the Public Works Ministry is now responsible as the suspended airline winds down its operations.

Two Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) officers are in Curacao in connection with the gold heist committed on a Guyanese owned fishing vessel and according to the Curacao media Guyana is denying any connection to the gold.

By Chevy Devonish Barama Company Limited (BCL) yesterday announced that the 1.6 million hectares of tropical forest it manages is now the largest single block of tropical rainforest in the world to be Verified Legal Origin (VLO) Certified, allowing for a systems’ audit coupled with tracking the movement of timber/wood stock from the forest to the market place.

A Mahaica cane cutter was decapitated yesterday morning after a GuySuCo truck ran over his head right after he disembarked the vehicle.

A 32-year-old motorcyclist died in an accident on the Paradise Public Road, Essequibo Coast on Wednesday night.

The process used to select the new Vice-Chancellor of the University of Guyana (UG) has been hailed as transparent, with Nigerian-born Professor Jacob Opadeyi indisputably outdoing the other three candidates based on overall scores.

While Digicel (Guyana) is pleased with the current draft telecoms bill, it is frustrated by the apparent slothfulness of authorities and their failure to set a deadline to free up the sector to competition.

Saying there is overwhelming evidence to support the wide perception of corruption in Guyana, the Transparency Institute of Guyana Inc.

The Ministry of Home Affairs’ Task Force on Narcotics and Illicit Weapons yesterday lashed out at Opposition Leader David Granger over statements he made recently about cocaine trafficking.

The Guyana Power and Light Company (GPL) has hiked the security deposits for disconnected customers in order to force persons to pay their bills.

Kwakwani Strikers (Rusal) have captured one of two vacant spots in the round of sixteen of the Banks Beer/GFA Cup after defeating fellow Lindeners, Eagles United.

The Guyana Revenue Autho-rity (GRA) has started payment of PAYE refunds to eligible taxpayers for the period 2006 to 2011 and advises taxpayers to check its website to see if they are eligible.

A driver was yesterday charged with assaulting a police officer, resisting arrest and behaving disorderly.

ST JOHN’S, Antigua,  CMC – A multi-million dollar Twenty20 professional league will take flight in the Caribbean late next year after the West Indies Cricket Board announced yesterday it had signed an agreement with Barbados-based merchant bank Verus International to stage the lucrative venture.

Two motorcyclists were involved in a collision on the Demerara Harbour Bridge last evening resulting in both of them being injured and hospitalised at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation, one of them with a broken leg.

NORTH SOUND, Antigua,  CMC – Defending champions Jamaica were dumped from the CFU Caribbean Cup here Thursday night, after losing 1-0 to Cuba in their final preliminary match.

By Emmerson Campbell While Alpha United is said to be talented enough to defeat every opponent they face in the 23rd edition of the Kashif and Shanghai Football Tournament, coach Wayne Dover is more cautious, shrugging off the praise and pointing out that preparation and team work are the keys to victory.

The AFC says that flooded Cotton Tree Village cash crop farmers should be compensated for their losses after the persistent flooding of their farmlands caused by the blocking of a sluice at D’Edward Village and made worse by the cutting of dams nearby by the Region Five Regional Democratic Council (RDC).

Rain or shine football will be played at the GCC Ground, Bourda on Sunday.

The Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GT&T), in collaboration with the Ministry of Education on Wednesday launched the second season of the “Know Your Stuff” Literature Quiz competition, which will begin in January when school reopens.

Not necessarily known for their silky moves, the University of Guyana Football Club (UGFC) will try to silence the doubters when they participate in the GFA/Banks Beer Knockout Tournament.

On the anniversary of Martin Carter’s death, and the 60th anniversary of the publication of The Kind Eagle (Poems of Prison) and The Hidden Man (Other Poems of Prison), Gemma Robinson re-minds us of the landmark cultural developments of 1952.

The Guyana Cultural Association of New York (GCA) is collaborating with the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports in the 10th annual symposium at the Guyana Folk Festival to preserve the heritage of Masquerade Arts in Guyana.

HOBART,  (Reuters) – David Warner was run out on the stroke of lunch to leave Australia 97 for two on the opening day of the first test against Sri Lanka last night.

Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) President Clinton Urling wants the country’s “national leaders and public officials” to be more transparent and accountable in the management of public and private sector organisations.

Roraima Airways says that it intends to forward to the authorities, the findings of a Commission of Enquiry into the discovery of a quantity of cocaine at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, Timehri—in which one of its staff was fingered—“within a week” and that it will be seeking to engage the authorities on recommendations for reducing the vulnerability of the airport to drug traffickers.

Welterweight, Lightweight and Middleweight are the divisions that keen attention should be paid to when the National Open Amateur Championship gets underway tonight at the Banks DIH Parking Lot.

Dear Editor, I write in relation to the article ‘Gov’t says “under threat“ – seeks international support‘ (Stabroek News, December 12).

President Donald Ramotar on December 9, 2012, visited the Marriott hotel construction site in Kingston, Georgetown for the first time.

Dear Editor, Red Thread is very disturbed about the condition of the Princes Street canal which is filled with garbage. 

Financial support and better facilities could see the standard of amateur boxing greatly improve in Guyana, says Cuban coach Francisco Hernandez Roldan.

The Association of Exporters of the Dominican Republic (ADOEXPO) singled out Caribbean Export for special recognition for its “strong interest” and “constant support” of the development of its exporting sector, at its 40th anniversary celebrations held on Friday.

A low-tax plan It was recently reported in the Stabroek News that the President of the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) expressed the view that modifying the personal and corporate tax rates would be a good thing for the Guyana economy. 

The 11th Rupununi Expo of the Rupununi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI) was held earlier this month at the Rupununi Rodeo ground, at Lethem.

Boxer, Edmond DeClou believes that December 28th will be a stepping stone in the right direction for his career when he expects to defeat Barbadian Shaka Henry.

Derek Gomes is a self-taught caterer whose skills are particularly in demand at this time.

Dear Editor, The recent statements from Mr Ralph Ramkarran and rebuttals of his position by Freedom House in the Chronicle and SN, show how far from President Cheddi’s political ideals the leaders of the PPP have come; Jagan would have been shocked at the divisions and acrimony infesting the party he so assiduously built from scratch in 1950.The

TORONTO, (Reuters) – The snow has just started to fall in the National Basketball Association’s most northern outpost and all signs are pointing to a long, bitter winter for the Toronto Raptors.

EZjet boss Sonny Ramdeo was on Wednesday arrested in Brooklyn, New York on a charge of embezzlement from his former employer.

GASCI (www.gasci.com/telephone Nº 223-6175/6) reports that session 489’s trading results showed consideration of $3,178,061 from 121,503 shares traded in 26 transactions as compared to session 488 which showed consideration of $1,970,394 from 87,598 shares traded in 14 transactions. 

CARACAS,  (Reuters) – Vene-zuela’s Hugo Chavez suffered unexpected bleeding caused by a six-hour cancer operation in Cuba, the government said, although the ailing president’s condition began to improve yesterday.

Dear Editor, In what has to be deemed the biggest political joke of the year in Guyana, the Donald Ramotar regime issued a statement appealing to regional and international bodies for support, saying Guyana is “under threat” as a result of the opposition’s parliamentary control.

The 2012 report of the Auditor General has taken the Customs and Trade Administration to task over its delinquency in making available for audit, files containing details of several consignments of seized goods.

Comfort: Ninety children of the Ptolemy Reid Rehabilitation Centre were treated on Wednesday at the rehabilitation centre by mattress company, Comfort Sleep which held its Sixth Annual Christmas Party.

A Brazilian national was yesterday fined $30,000 for entering Guyana illegally.

BEIRUT,  (Reuters) – Syria’s rebel leadership and the United States seized on Russian pessimism over President Bashar al-Assad’s future to urge Moscow to help push its ally into ceding power and end the battles closing in around his capital.

In a letter by Clairmont Lye captioned ‘NGOs and decent citizens should add their voices to a call for penal reform’ which appeared in our edition yesterday, the sentence “Over the following years several revolts by prisoners indicated that conditions had improved,” should have read: “Over the following years several revolts by prisoners indicated that conditions had not improved.”

LOS ANGELES,  (Reuters) – Britain’s Amir Khan says undefeated Carlos Molina will be in for a surprise when they meet this week in a bout where the normally offensively-oriented fighter plans to unveil a new-look defence.

Richard Martin, accused of stealing carpentry tools, was yesterday released on $50,000 bail by Magistrate Leron Daly after denying a simple larceny charge at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court.

Dear Editor, An ongoing noise nuisance emanating from a hotel and bar affects me and many others in Charity, Region 2, just under the nose of the police station there.

WASHINGTON,  (Reuters) – Susan Rice, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and a close confidante of President Barack Obama, withdrew her name from consideration as secretary of state yesterday in the face of what promised to be a contentious Senate confirmation battle.

Whenever accusing fingers are pointed at the political administration – whether by Transparency International, the US State Department or local pressure groups – in the matter of corruption, it never fails to respond with touchiness, charging its accusers with transgressions ranging from spitefulness to political bias.

(BBC) Debutant Joe Root and Matt Prior led England’s fightback against India on an attritional first day in Nagpur yesterday.

The May Rodrigues Vocational Training Centre located at the Young Women’s Christian Association building on Brickdam, on Wednesday hosted a Christmas exhibition.

(Reuters) – Mo Williams drained a long-range three-pointer as time expired to give the Utah Jazz a buzzer-beating 99-96 victory over the visiting San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday.

Changing consumer purchasing patterns in the information technology sector in recent years is likely to continue to manifest in seasonal gift choices this year, Starr Computers General Manager Rehman Majeed told Stabroek Business in an interview earlier this week.

Dear Editor, With reference to your editorial ‘Saving Mr Rohee’ (October 23, 2012), Mr Clement Rohee should not be singled out and castigated for dereliction of duty, incompetence and so on.

VATICAN CITY,  (Reuters) – The Vatican said yesterday there was no link between its decision to accept the gift of a nativity scene in St Peter’s Square and allegations that it had previously paid inflated prices to have them built.

Whirlpool win! Four Courts (Guyana) Inc customers who purchased Whirlpool brand appliances on Wednesday won all expenses paid trips for two to St Lucia in the ‘Win a Rendezvous for 2’ promotion.

Politikles

Addressing a summit of leaders from the Common Market of the South (Mercosur), in Brasilia, on December 7, President Donald Ramotar alluded to our fabled continental destiny in his assertion that while Guyana attaches “significant importance” to its membership of Caricom, his government also believes that “continental integration has become more relevant and necessary for further development.”

Business Cartoons

It did not require the recent intervention of the Chief Medical Officer to make us aware of the fact that food-borne diseases are generally seriously under-reported and may well pose a serious public health threat in Guyana.

(Reuters) – Anti-doping will be one of four discussion topics for the International Cycling Union’s (UCI) stakeholder consultation to be launched next year, the sport’s governing body said yesterday.

Orphanage gets literacy corner: Five final year Social Work degree students of the University of Guyana as part of their final project undertook an eight-week literacy programme with the 25 children of the Bless the Children Home Orphanage located in Industry Front, East Coast Demerara.

DUBAI/SAN FRANCISCO,  (Reuters) – An attempt by national governments to establish a worldwide policy for oversight of the Internet collapsed yesterday after many Western countries said a compromise plan gave too much power to United Nations and other officials.

During the hour and a half that we spent chatting with Peggy and Debbie Chin it was clear that they were having a light morning.

Soon. Soon it’ll be twenty years since I’ve been permitted to share my man-in-the-street, working-class, biased views through this medium.

Dear Editor, Corruption is evil. It becomes a greater evil when ‘explanations; are proffered by persons who should instead be ferreting out the perpetrators.

(Barbados Nation) Four counts of misconduct have been added to the charges of two police officers who are already accused of indecently assaulting three American women.

(Barbados Nation) Double rape accused Derick Crawford is now a free man, but still a very angry man.

(Trinidad Express) The Jamaica Observer newspaper owes Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar and the people of this country an apology.