Daily Archive: Monday, December 16, 2013

A vibrant school choir welcoming travelers at the Timehri airport today.

A steel band welcome for travelers arriving at the Timehri airport today.

This little miss seemed pleased with the Santa hats handed out at the Timehri airport today as part of an initiative by the CJIA and sponsors to welcome visitors.

WASHINGTON, (Reuters) – The U.S. government’s gathering of Americans’ phone records is likely unlawful, a judge ruled on Monday, raising “serious doubts” about the value of the National Security Agency’s so-called metadata counterterrorism program.

Chico sweets for arriving passengers at the CJIA airport today. It is part of a seasonal treat which will continue until Christmas Eve.

A little after 9 a.m. today, two Caribbean Airlines aircraft touched down and were greeted by Santas as part of a meet and greet for the Christmas season by the Cheddi Jagan International Airport and corporate sponsors.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates,  CMC-West Indies off spinner Shane Shillingford has been suspended by the International Cricket Council (ICC) after his action was found illegal.

Given the present political gridlock, the prospect of a consensus presidential candidate for the opposition is seen as having more resonance now, according to columnist Ralph Ramkarran.

LOS ANGELES, (Reuters) – Oscar-winning actress Joan Fontaine, one of the last of the leading ladies from Hollywood’s Golden Age whose career was marked by a storied and bitter rivalry with her older sister, Olivia de Havilland, died on Sunday at age 96.

A Sophia man was fatally stabbed last evening allegedly by the fiancé of his estranged wife.

The body of a 56-year-old Stewartville man was discovered with a shirt covering his battered head in the bottom flat of his home yesterday morning.

Despite Minister of Natural Resources, Robert Persaud giving the impression that a controversial survey in the south east carried no implication of mining, the Minister of Finance in this year’s budget had referred to likely extraction.

A 33-year-old miner died on Saturday afternoon after a mining pit collapsed at Warrenbu, North West District.

Hundreds of caimans shipped from Guyana were found dead the Nether-lands in two separate shipments over recent days that violated air transport regulations and breached international wildlife rules.

As she tries putting the pieces back together, the 71-year-old Beterverwag-ting resident whose house was destroyed as a result of Saturday morning’s high winds and thunderstorms is appealing for public assistance to aid in her rebuilding.

Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry granted $300,000 bail to an Annandale man arraigned in court on Friday on fraud charges after he allegedly pretended to be in the capacity to sell three motor vehicles and accepted money from prospective buyers.

National players Akeila and Shomari Wiltshire won their respective categories while Larissa Wiltshire placed third in category A as the Wiltshire family stamped its dominance on the Guyana Squash Association (GSA) Farfan and Mendes Junior Christmas Tournament which ended yesterday at the Georgetown Club Ltd.

The absence of the Local Government (Amendment) Bill affords town clerks the power to defy the instruction of the town council to which he/she is supposed to be legally accountable.

Camp Street vendor Narissa Rodney was on Friday arraigned on a charge of assaulting a fellow vendor after a verbal exchange allegedly ended with her using a 2×4 piece of wood to beat him.

APNU parliamentarian Joseph Harmon yesterday said the government’s pulling out of the USAID-funded $300 million project aimed at educating Guyanese on the local government election exposes the ruling party as being anti-working class.

After graduating at the top of his class following the near three-month long International Coaching Course in Hungary, boxing coach, Sebert Blake has returned to Guyana armed with top shelf knowledge of the fistic sport.

Anil Diram and Neville Chandrawattie both of whom are currently on remand charged with robbing the Eldorado Trading Company of $93M at Port Kaituma were further remanded when they appeared in court on Friday to face an additional charge of unlawful wounding.

Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry remanded a miner and sentenced a City Constable to community service after they both appeared in court charged with possession of cannabis for the purpose of trafficking.

Harpy Eagles’ (HE) Isaiah Moore was adjudged the best boxer of the third and final two-day GBA/Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL) under 16 tournament for the year which was staged during the weekend at the Andrew ‘Sixhead’ Lewis Gym.

Dear Editor, There is this brother in Linden who keeps track of every 11th December, a date indelibly etched on his mind; a date to remember and a grim reminder that on that date in 1976 he and forty-one other bauxite workers were locked up in a cell in the police lock-ups and tear-gassed.

Caricom has reinforced its commitment to protecting the rights of persons with disabilities in the Caribbean with the signing of the Declaration of Petion Ville on Friday in Haiti.

Camex Restaurant Inc. will be operating a food court at the University of Guyana (UG) early next year following an agreement struck between the university and the franchise holder.

Heavy rainfall yesterday ruled out play on the opening day of the final round of the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) Senior Inter-County Four-Day Competition.

Dear Editor, Recent media reports in Guyana have highlighted further delays in the completion of a $78 million sluice that has been under construction at Buxton since November, 2011.

PERTH, (Reuters) – David Warner punished a depleted and dispirited England side with a brilliant century to help drive Australia to 235 for three and a dominant lead of 369 after the third day of the third Ashes test yesterday.

Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry remanded a Bagotstown man accused of possession of cannabis for the purpose of trafficking when he was Friday arraigned in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court.

Dear Editor, It seems clear that this PPP government is unwilling or incapable of playing by time-honoured rules.

JOHANNESBURG, (Reuters) – Sport in South Africa is set to return to normal today after the funeral of Nelson Mandela with the much-anticipated cricket series against India and an end to the first half of the domestic soccer season dominating a busy pre-Christmas period.

Due to heavy rainfall and flooding, the Guyana Equality Forum (GEF) cancelled its planned Walk for Equality, which was scheduled for Saturday.

QUNU, South Africa, (Reuters) – South Africa buried Nelson Mandela  yesterday, leaving the multi-racial democracy he founded without its living inspiration and still striving for the “Rain-bow Nation” ideal of shared prosperity he had dreamed of.

Dear Editor, In Guyana some blame Cheddi for the excesses of the governments that have been in power after his death.

SANTIAGO, (Reuters) – Michelle Bachelet was elected as Chile’s president again yesterday in a landslide victory that should hand the center-leftist the mandate she sought to push ahead with wide-reaching reforms.

D’Edward Cricket Club last Sunday defeated Bath in the final of the inaugural 2013 Norman Singh Memorial second division 20-overs-a-side cricket competition in Berbice.

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – West Indies One-Day International (ODI) captain Dwayne Bravo up for the five-match ODI away series against New Zealand starting later this month with a knock of 84 in a practice match at 3Ws Oval yesterday.

(BBC) A court in the Indian city of Mumbai has ordered a fresh trial in a 10-year-old hit-and-run case involving Bollywood star Salman Khan.

BANGUI, (Reuters) – Central African Republic’s interim leader is weighing a possible amnesty for militias involved in Christian-Muslim violence that has killed hundreds of people, most of them civilians, in exchange for their disarmament.

QUITO  (Reuters) – The United States has canceled aid to Ecuador worth $32 million over the coming years after long-running disputes with the government of socialist President Rafael Correa, according to U.S.

Dear Editor, Our cup has rippled and shimmered and overflowed with praise and homage. 

Branching off: High winds caused this branch to break off from the tree at Camp and Lamaha streets on Saturday.

By Maya Trotz  Dr. Maya Trotz is an Associate Professor of Environmental Engineering at the University of South Florida.

On 20 November 2013, the Government announced a five per cent increase in wages and salaries for public servants, retroactive to January 2013.

LOS ANGELES/NEW YORK,  (Reuters) – A small hobbit racked up big sales at movie box offices during the weekend, generating an estimated $205 million at theaters around the world with the debut of highly anticipated sequel “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.”

Massive power outages on the Essequibo Coast starting last week Tuesday have resulted in huge losses to businesses, especially those dealing in perishables.

While the duplicity of the Minister of Natural Resources, Mr Robert Persaud has been starkly exposed in two separate meetings he held on mining with no less than a standing committee of Parliament and the Guyana Human Rights Association, his woes are symptomatic of deeper problems in this 21-year-old reign by the PPP/C.

(The Sports Xchange) – Guard Kobe Bryant scored a season-high 21 points and handed out eight assists as the Los Angeles Lakers snapped a three-game losing streak with an 88-85 victory over the Charlotte Bobcats.

BUCHAREST, (Reuters) – Hundreds of Romanians marched in Bucharest yesterday to protest against parliament approving a bill that increases the immunity of deputies from corruption charges.

Politikles

(Jamaica Gleaner) Jamaica’s tourism earnings are to remain under US$2 billion this year even as tourism officials predict a robust winter season which is expected to push stopover arrivals to over two million.

Dear Editor, I refer to the column captioned ‘Human Rights: Our Collective Responsi-bility to Equality’ by Joel Simpson in the ‘In the Diaspora’ series (SN, Dec 9).