Daily Archive: Tuesday, February 26, 2013

LIMA,  (Reuters) – Hundreds of small earthquakes have shaken the earth around the Sabancaya volcano in southern Peru over just a few days and the rumbling, along with plumes of smoke spewing up to 320 feet (100 meters) high, have put officials on alert to evacuate the area.

NEWPORT NEWS, Va.,  (Reuters) – President Barack Obama today warned of threats to Navy readiness and a storm broke over the government releasing hundreds of illegal immigrants due to budget pressure as automatic government spending cuts crept closer.

ST GEORGE’S, Grenada,  CMC – Stylish left-hander Darren Bravo fashioned his second half-century of the tour as West Indies fought off lethargy to beat Zimbabwe by five wickets and sweep the three-match one-day series here today.

(BBC) English cricket bosses are planning to step up testing for recreational drugs following the death of Tom Maynard.

A Guyanese woman died today in Antigua after a lone gunman walked into a store in which she worked and shot her in the face at point-blank range.

CARACAS,  (Reuters) – Most Venezuelans expect President Hugo Chavez to recover from cancer and return to active rule even though he has been in hospital and virtually unseen for two-and-a-half months, a poll showed today.

(BBC) India needed less than a session on the final day of the first Test to complete an eight-wicket victory over Australia.

(Jamaica Observer) Clarendon police were last night searching for ex-Jamaica Defence Force soldier Wilbert Pryce who Sunday night allegedly shot dead his mother-in-law, injured his wife and mother of his two children in Bryan’s Hill, then went to a nearby community where he was accused of raping a woman.

(Jamaica Gleaner) Bermuda’s Community Development Minister Wayne Scott says the government has ruled out giving the green light to same-sex marriages.

(Jamaica Gleaner) The community of Wait-a-bit in Trelawny woke up to shocking news this morning that a man earlier slit the throats of two children then hanged himself at their home.

(Barbados Nation) Mia Mottley is back! After being ousted in 2010 as Leader of the Opposition, she was returned to that position yesterday reportedly in a majority vote of 8-5 by her parliamentary colleagues.

The Alliance For Change (AFC) today said it will respect a ruling by Speaker of the National Assembly Raphael Trotman that Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee will be accorded full participation in parliamentary life.

Three Trinidadians-two executives of a Queens, New York  non-profit and a  roti shop owner -were yesterday arrested and charged with robbing the city by grossly inflating the number of lunches served to seniors.

CAIRO, (Reuters) – Eighteen Asian and European tourists died when a hot air balloon crashed early today near the ancient Egyptian town of Luxor following a mid-air gas explosion, officials said.

(Trinidad Express) Soca superstar Machel Montano’s United States visa is supposed to be automatically revoked because of his four assault convictions, former consular officer of the US State Department attorney, Randy Depoo, has said.

– Gopaul Labour Minister Dr Nanda Gopaul says that all employees, whether directly or indirectly employed by Guyana Power and Light (GPL) are supposed to be adequately trained in the area they are charged with, in keeping with the Occupational Health and Safety Act of 1997.

Several persons are now being questioned by police in relation to the death of 25-year-old Enterprise, East Coast Demerara businessman Kumar Mohabir, who was attacked by about seven men during Mashramani celebrations on Saturday.

A 49-year-old drummer was last evening killed after he was struck down by a car at the intersection of Side Line Dam and the Railway Embankment at Beterver-wagting (BV), East Coast Demerara.

A fire caused by a build-up of static energy saw a gas depot engulfed in flames and a woman injured yesterday morning.

The head of the committee that green-lit entries in this year’s Mashramani calypso competition says there were no objections to the songs by Culture Minister Dr Frank Anthony or other officials over the last few months and it was surprising that the decision was taken to yank them from the airwaves of state-run broadcaster National Com-munication Network (NCN).

A post-mortem examination (PME) done by Government Pathologist Dr Nehaul Singh yesterday revealed that Special Corporal Clarence Giles died by compound pressure to the neck due to hanging.

Pensioner Tikiram Khalika, who died in hospital from injuries he sustained after he was struck down by a bus on Friday along the Public Road at Anna Catherina, West Coast Demerara (WCD), was taken to the Georgetown Hospital in a “very critical condition,” the facility said yesterday.

In recognition of the 250th anniversary of the Berbice slave uprising, the National Trust of Guyana yesterday opened an information centre at the 1763 Monument site, where the public can access knowledge on slavery and the uprising.

Anti-drug agents are working to find the persons who spearheaded the operation to conceal nearly 700 pounds of cocaine in hollowed logs and up to press time last evening no additional arrests had been made.

Elton ‘The Bully’ Dharry on Sunday became the first Guyanese male pugilist to win a world title on home soil.

Football juggernaut Alpha `The Hammer’ United hammered Santos Football Club 3-1 to be crowned Namilco One Love Football Classic 2013 champions Sunday night at the Tucville Playfield.

A housewife, accused of assaulting her common-law husband, had the charge against her dismissed yesterday after her spouse decided not to offer evidence against her.

Edinho Lewis completed a deserving 4-2 victory over reigning national men’s singles table tennis champion Nigel Bryan while Chelsea Edghill edged Natalie Cummings in a five set thriller on Sunday during the finals of the Guyana Table Tennis Association/National Sports Commission Mashramani tournament at the National Gymnasium.

Murder accused Dexter Marshall, who was on trial for the fatal 2010 Charlestown shooting of Mark Caesar, was yesterday found him not guilty by a jury.

(Reuters) – Five-a-side indoor soccer, known as futsal, could feature in the Commonwealth Games after CGF President Prince Tunku Imran backed its inclusion amid calls from member associations for football to be added to the Games programme.

St John’s, Antigua – The West Indies Cricket Board will hold its Annual General Meeting on March 27, 2013 in Barbados.

While relatives of Gary De Florimonte will have to wait on an autopsy to determine what killed him, police yesterday maintained that they are not blame saying they did not fire at the man and refuted accusations by residents.

(Reuters) – Britain’s double Olympic champion Mo Farah won the New Orleans half marathon in a course record of one hour 59 seconds after holding off Ethiopian Gebre Gebremariam in a sprint finish on Sunday.

DUBAI,  (Reuters) – Roger Federer surprisingly dropped the first set against little-known Malek Jaziri before putting the Tunisian upstart in his place with a 5-7 6-0 6-2 win to reach the second round of the Dubai Championships  yesterday.

ST.GEORGE’S, Grenada,  CMC- West Indies middle order batsman Ramnaresh Sarwan says his confidence has returned after scoring an unbeaten century in the second One Day International against Zimbabwe on Sunday.

DHAKA, (Reuters) – Bangladesh batsman Naeem Islam and left-arm spinner Enamul Haque have been ruled out of two-test series against Sri Lanka after picking up injuries, the Bangladesh Cricket Board said  yesterday.

The Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) has concluded two agreements with Guyana totalling US$40 million for the provision of funds to upgrade the West Coast Demerara road and to provide a grant to facilitate projects here under the Basic Needs Trust Fund (BNTF).

George Cardario was stabbed to death by a close relative after he refused to let the man into his home, according to Crime Chief Seelall Persaud who said that while the perpetrator remains in police custody investigations are continuing.

(Reuters) – Kobe Bryant fired back at Dallas owner Mark Cuban with 38 points as he lifted the Los Angeles Lakers past the Mavericks 103-99 on Sunday.

CAVE HILL, Barbados,  CMC – Combined Campuses and Colleges benefitted from Raymon Reifer’s brilliant all-rounder effort as they crippled Barbados to earn a 59-run win in the third round of the Regional Super50 Championship here Sunday night.

(BBC) An unbeaten 75 from debutant Moises Henriques averted a fourth-day defeat for Australia, who closed yesterday just 40 ahead of India at 232-9 in the first Test.

A broken sewerage pipe at the corner of High and Barrack streets, Kingston has residents complaining about the stench it has been producing and the inconvenience it has been causing them.

LONDON, CMC — Bermudian striker Nahki Wells admitted he was “gutted” after being substituted with more than half an hour to play as 10-man Bradford City’s fairytale ended with a 5-0 thrashing by Premier League side Swansea in the League Cup final at Wembley on Sunday.

ST.GEORGE’S, Grenada, CMC- Captain Dwayne Bravo says West Indies will attempt a clean sweep when they play Zimbabwe in the third and final One- Day International at the National stadium today West Indies have already won the series after coasting to a seven-wicket win over Zimbabwe in the second ODI Sunday to lead 2-0.

Dear Editor, So we have finally reached the stage where calypso has become samizdat?

The Transparency Institute of Guyana Inc (TIGI) will meet with the Private Sector Commission (PSC) today at 4 pm, at the latter’s request, to discuss matters of mutual interest.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, CMC-Opening batsman Johnson Charles has achieved the biggest gain for West Indian batsmen in the latest Reliance ICC ODI rankings released yesterday.

Dear Editor, I shall be grateful for the opportunity to make two simple suggestions to our Traffic Chief.

A man was yesterday fined $5,000 after pleading guilty to possession of one gramme of cannabis.

Dear Editor, I endorse the position offered by former Speaker Ralph Ramkarran on having a parliamentary system of government to “repair Guyana’s broken system of government” (Sunday Stabroek, Feb 24). 

The Guyana Defence Force (GDF) is still to comment on the alleged rape of a Guyanese-born Canadian citizen by one of its officers, but the police say the file was expected to be sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for legal advice during the course of yesterday.

Dear Editor, Permit me to share some quick thoughts on a few items that were found interesting.

A man was yesterday sentenced to six years in jail after being found guilty of robbing and wounding a woman.

Two men were yesterday sentenced to nine months imprisonment each for stealing cellular phone, when they appeared before Magistrate Leron Daly at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court on two separate charges.

Dear Editor, GPL seems to be engaged in an exercise in the Canals Polder and La Grange areas to inspect their meters, particularly the ones installed about a year ago.

The main opposition APNU yesterday condemned a ruling by Speaker of the National Assembly Raphael Trotman on the no-confidence campaign against Home Minister Clement Rohee as riddled with errors, contradictory and of questionable legal soundness.

ROME (Reuters) – Italy faces political deadlock today after a stunning election that saw the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement of comic Beppe Grillo become the strongest party in the country but left no group with a clear majority in parliament.

Dear Editor, Congratulations and best wishes to Chutney King Roger Hinds (Young Bill Rogers) who has been placed second in the Calypso competition, and who performed well at the Chutney/Soca Finals in Trinidad.

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – Three dozen arms control and human rights groups have written to US President Barack Obama ahead of new arms-trade negotiations at the United Nations next month, urging him to back a tough treaty that would end loopholes in international weapons sales.

A labourer was yesterday accused of stealing two Tex-Gas bottles. It is alleged that on February 23, at South Road, Adrian Antonio, 31, stole the two bottles, which were valued $17,000 and were the property of Abdul Kadir.

Dear Editor, Local track and field started 2013 on a great note with a newly elected administration.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The White House may soon propose the biggest change in US food aid since the programmes were created during the Cold War – donating cash for hunger relief instead of shipping American-grown food thousands of miles to global trouble spots, say farm groups and charities.

Dear Editor, It’s very sad that Mashramani 2013 had to be tarnished with a brawl and fatal stabbing which was reportedly done by a mob of some seven persons.

Justice Dawn Gregory is set to rule today on a no-case submission made by the defence for Mark Thompson, accused of murdering his cousin in 2008 at White Water Village, North West District.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – One day after Zero Dark Thirty failed to win major awards at the Oscars, a congressional aide said yesterday the Senate Intelligence Committee has closed its inquiry into the filmmakers’ contacts with the Central Intelligence Agency.

LONDON (Reuters) – Mastercard unveiled its bid to dominate the mobile payments market yesterday with a ‘virtual wallet’ allowing customers to keep personal payment details in their phone and avoid checkouts by scanning bar codes in-store to pay.

An article titled ‘Two years for armed robber’, published in the February 23 edition misstated that Stefan Campbell was sentenced to two years imprisonment by Magistrate Sueanna Lovell.

Soca superstar Machel Montano was yesterday afternoon ordered to pay fines and compensation totalling $27,000, for beating four persons and using obscene language.

Dear Editor, I would like to voice my dismay at the content of a news report in the Guyana Chronicle on February 15 captioned ‘Teenager tells court of introduction to commercial sex.’

Picking it up: Workers yesterday tackled the tonnes of trash left behind by persons who viewed or took part in the Mashramani celebrations on Saturday; in photo is a crew working along Vlissengen Road (Photo by Arian Browne)  

Dear Editor, Vision is described as the ability to see things not as they are but as they will be.

CARACAS (Reuters) – From a billboard bearing his face, to a giant inflatable doll and posters hawked on the street below, there is no shortage of images of Hugo Chavez at the Caracas military hospital where he has been since returning from Cuba.

Violence in schools and among schoolchildren has long become both sufficiently prevalent and sufficiently dangerous to warrant far greater official attention.

Paul R Ehrlich is Professor of Population Studies, Depart-ment of Biological Sciences, Stanford University Anne H Ehrlich is the associate director and policy coordinator of the Center for Conservation Biology, Stanford University By Paul R Ehrlich and Anne H Ehrlich PALO ALTO – Humanity faces a growing complex of serious, highly interconnected environmental problems, including much-discussed challenges like climate change, as well as the equally or more serious threat to the survival of organisms that support our lives by providing critical ecosystem services such as crop pollination and agricultural pest control.

Members of the National School of Dance performing at the opening of the 1763 Monument Information Centre yesterday.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Argo stormed to Best Picture victory at the Oscars on Sunday on a night of surprises that ended in disappointment for frontrunner Lincoln and handed the most overall wins – four – to Life of Pi.

See tomorrow’s Stabroek News for a 16-page 250th anniversary supplement on the Great Uprising of 1763.