Daily Archive: Friday, January 17, 2014

From right are Project Coordinator Lennox McGregor, Chairman of the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) Board of Directors , Winston Brassington, Prime Minister Samuel Hinds, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Bharrat Dindyal and, and Divisional Director Narvon Persaud during a visit to the Vreed-en-Hoop power station today.

(From left) Attorney General Anil Nandlall, Chancellor of the Judiciary (ag) Justice Carl Singh, West Demerara Clerk of Court Haimwantie Singh, President Donald Ramotar and Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry cut the ribbon to formally re-open the Leonora Magistrate’s Court.

The new Leonora Magistrate’s Court was commissioned today. (GINA photo)

Police say that at about 1400h today, Muntaz Baksh, 72 years, and his son Rasmat Baksh, 44 years, of Land of Plenty, Essequibo Coast, were walking along the Land of Plenty main road, when it is alleged that they strayed into the path of a motor car that was proceeding in the same direction and were struck down.

(Trinidad Express) An estimated U.S $100 million worth in cocaine concealed in fruit juice cans originating in Trinidad and Tobago was seized by United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Officers in Virginia, United States in December.

WASHINGTON,  (Reuters) – President Barack Obama announced a ban on U.S.

Police on the East Coast are investigating two separate deaths including one where an intruder was killed at Annandale.

The GDF today issued the following press release In accordance with the Defence Act Chapter 15:01 of 1977, Guyana Defence Force Chief-of-Staff Brigadier Mark Phillips, has announced that His Excellency, the President and Commander-in-Chief, has approved the promotions of 88 Officers and 260 Other Ranks effective from January 1, 2014.

(Barbados Nation) VETERAN TRADE UNIONIST Sir Roy Trotman last night warned Barbadians they should be prepared for the possibility that some of the 3 500 public servants who are about to lose their jobs will end up in prison and the Psychatric Hospital and some of their children on welfare.

The cops at the centre of a shocking baton rape allegation have denied committing the act, according to Police Commissioner Leroy Brumell.

x The number one accused in the murder of a US-based Guyanese man at Windsor Forest ran out of court yesterday after the jury returned a verdict of not guilty in his case while remaining conflicted as regards the three other defendants, who were then remanded pending retrial.

The intestinal injuries sustained by prisoner Colwyn Harding, who has accused a policeman of sodomising him with a baton, resulted after an operation for an incarcerated inguinal hernia, Minister of Health Dr Bheri Ramsaran told the National Assembly yesterday.

Persons found guilty of firearm-related crimes will be liable to pay up to $5 million in fines and/or subjected to as much as ten years imprisonment under the newly passed Firearms (Amendment) Bill which also takes aim at trafficking in guns and ammunition.

A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) MP Joseph Harmon says the questions he is asking of Prime Minister Samuel Hinds concerning the US$32 million fibre optic cable, E-Governance Project are inspired solely by the poor manner in which it is being run.

(Trinidad Express) After years of refusing  offers, senior West Indies players  Dwayne Bravo and Chris Gayle  players have decided to once more sign West Indies Cricket Board retainer contracts  for the 2013 to 2014 period.

Colwyn Harding received some relief with the donation of colostomy bags even as just over a dozen citizens yesterday afternoon staged a protest opposite the Public Buildings to demand that the police in his alleged rape be brought before the court without delay and face an immediate trial.

The Private Sector Com-mission (PSC) yesterday said there is merit in a democracy project that the US is pursuing here and urged Georgetown and Washington to pursue an agreement for the benefit of the country.

(Trinidad Express)  CEO of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) Michael Muirhead has made an appeal to current and potential West Indian batsmen to score more  runs during the NAGICO Super 50 Regional tournament that bowls off on January 30 and runs until February 15.

While power has been restored for the most part, BOSAI Company Secretary, Norman McLean stated yesterday that Linden residents will still have to contend with some power disruptions until the interlocking circuit is fully functional.

MELBOURNE, (Reuters) – Serena Williams powered past Daniela Hantuchova 6-3 6-3 at the Australian Open last night to advance to the fourth round.

The City Council is working to restore malfunctioning pumps in an attempt to avert further flooding in Georgetown, while funeral parlour owners say that burials are being cancelled because of the flooded Le Repentir cemetery.

The Guyana Bar Associa-tion has condemned “the alleged attack and egregious violations of the dignity and rights of Colwyn Harding” and has called for an immediate and independent probe of the matter.

– wants probe into scrapping  of old Skeldon Factory President of the Upper Corentyne Chamber of Commerce Krishnanand Jaichand has told Stabroek Business that the Christmas season just past was “one of the worst” for business “that I have been over the past ten years.”

Heavy rainfall over the past two days has led to yet another flood on the Essequibo Coast and in the Pomeroon River.

With draft legislation designed to level the playing field in the local telecommunications sector still on the parliamentary agenda after more than 18 months, Digicel continues to demonstrate what, outwardly at least, is a fair measure of patience over the lengthy delay.

A Partnership for National Unity (APNU)  on Wednesday restated its support for a `social contract’ as a means of attaining an inclusionary democracy.

Former Golden Jaguar stalwart and current Slingerz FC Coach Charles Pollard is questioning Gregory ‘Jackie Chan’ Richardson’s omission from the Golden Jaguars national team, saying his vast knowledge and game-changing play would be an asset to the team.

The Guyana Telephone  and Telegraph Company (GT&T) yesterday signed a three-year sponsorship contract valued $9M with the Tourism and Hospi-tality Association of Guyana (THAG).

The gold mining industry is not what it used to be two decades ago.

The Guyana Boxing Board of Control (GBBC) has shelved its plans to host the 31st edition of the Guyana Fight Night Pro Am card on January 26 citing lack of sponsorship.

The Guyana Association of Women Lawyers (GAWL) has said that it supports the LEAD project sponsored by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and urges all stakeholders to encourage and foster dialogue on it to the benefit of the nation.

An optometrist was yesterday ordered to pay $250,000 in compensation or face eight months in prison after slashing the tyres of his wife’s vehicle and damaging her laptop.

Secretary of the Berbice Cricket Board (BCB) Anil Beharry says 2014 will see the continued expansion of cricket across the ancient county.

Two weeks have passed and police are yet to identify a suspect in the murder of Rudranauth Jeeboo, whose body was found dumped in an isolated area at Caneview Avenue, South Ruimveldt.

Pele FC Coach Barry Myers says while his team has not done well in recent competitive football matches several of his players possess the talent and skill that can be an asset to the Golden Jaguars national team and he is surprised that none had been selected.

Haiti is back on track, that was the message delivered by its plenipotentiary representative to Caricom, Peterson Benjamin Noel when presenting his credentials on Friday in Georgetown.

The National Library, in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport on Wednesday evening launched its ‘Distinguished Lecture Series’ where one of Guyana’s literary icons, Arthur James Seymour was inducted into the Library’s Hall of Fame.

WELLINGTON, New Zealand, CMC- West Indies coach Ottis Gibson says he believes his team will fare better at home against Ireland and England under familiar conditions after disappointing tours to India and New Zealand.

Dear Editor, Bel Air Park has become a reservoir for floodwaters, more than ten inches of it every time the rain falls. 

LONDON, (Reuters) – Bernie Ecclestone’s eye for a deal has made him a fortune and turned Formula One motor racing into a global money-spinner, but a bribery trial threatens to end his long reign as the head of the business.

Dear Editor, I am writing this letter because I believe that every Guyanese should be as mad as I am about the incident of the police allegedly sodomizing a man (Colwyn Harding) with a baton.

Local Government Minis-ter Ganga Persaud’s lawyers have been given an extra seven days to file an answer showing cause why his decision to appoint Carol Sooba as Town Clerk should not be quashed.

Bookland, formerly, the Georgetown Reading and Research Centre, has refined its literacy mission started two years ago of getting books into every household, to the more specific objective: ‘Getting Books in Every Household by January 2017,’ according to its director Rupert Hopkinson.

LONDON,  CMC-Trinidad and Tobago International Kenwyne Jones is facing disciplinary action for failing to turn up for Stoke’s city’s game against Liverpool on Sunday, according to British media reports.

BANGUI/GENEVA,  (Reuters) – A senior U.N. official warned of the risk of genocide in Central African Republic without a more robust international response to communal bloodshed in which at least 20 more people were killed yesterday.

Dear Editor, I read with some disquiet a most detailed epistle in the Stabroek News, authored by Mr Khemraj Ramjattan, attorney-at-law, in respect of the case filed by Bashir Mohamed against the Chief Works Officer and the Attorney General.

WELLINGTON, New Zealand,  CMC- West Indies fast bowler, Jason Holder, has signed with Otago Volts for the final of the HRV Cup, New Zealand’s premier T20 tournament.

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif.,  (Reuters) – Three films – “American Hustle,” “Gravity” and “12 Years a Slave’ – cemented their frontrunner status for the Oscars yesterday in what is shaping up to be a highly competitive year for Hollywood’s top honours.

Suicide is suspected in the death of a 77-year-old pensioner of Bounty Hall, Essequibo Coast who was discovered hanging in his house yesterday.

Dear Editor, At what point in his presidency is Mr Ramotar going to say, “enough is enough, we have to do something about the filthy and drowning state of Georgetown”?

(The Sports Xchange) – Highlights of Wednesday’s National Basketball Association games.

NEW DELHI,  (Reuters) – After years in the shadows as a reluctant heir-apparent, India’s Rahul Gandhi is set to lead the ruling Congress party’s campaign in a general election it has only a slim chance of winning.

(Trinidad Express) Former national football coach Russell Latapy has withdrawn a lawsuit against the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) for more than TT$5 million in compensation after both parties arrived at an out-of-court settlement.

MELBOURNE, (Reuters) – Rafa Nadal swept into the Australian Open third round under the Rod Laver Arena roof yesterday but Juan Martin Del Potro was sent packing as sweltering temperatures, lightning and rain caused chaos on the outside courts.

APATZINGAN, Mexico, (Reuters) – Mexico will deliver “immediate change” to a troubled state in the west of the country that has been shaken by conflict between a powerful drug gang and heavily armed vigilantes, a newly named government official said yesterday.

Dear Editor,   Have we changed the rules of our society in Guyana?

(Reuters) – The 15th International Indian Film Academy Awards, the Oscars of Bollywood’s yearly $7.8 billion industry, will be presented in the United States for the first time this year, organizers of the event said on Wednesday.

  BEIJING (Reuters) – China shut down 8,347 heavily polluting companies last year in northern Hebei province, which has the worst air in the country, state news agency Xinhua said yesterday, as the government moves to tackle a problem that has been a source of discontent.

KINGSTON,  (Reuters) – The banned stimulant oxilofrine would not have given sprinter Asafa Powell an advantage in competition, a toxicology expert told a Jamaica Anti-Doping disciplinary hearing on Wednesday.

(Reuters) – Manchester United striker Robin van Persie believes manager David Moyes must be given time to sort out the club’s problems after a difficult start to the season.

Dear Editor, Reports of the alleged savage brutalization of Colwyn Harding have shocked the nation.

The Guyana Marketing Corporation’s (GMC) consumer outlet, the Guyana Shop, currently offers consumers more than 700 locally manufactured products at its Robb and Alexander streets location, according to the shop’s General Manager Kevin Macklingam.

(Reuters) – Pakistan off-spinner Saeed Ajmal picked up two wickets in the last session to restrict Sri Lanka to 220 for five wickets at stumps on the first day of the third and final test in Sharjah yesterday.

Dear Editor, Most Guyanese living in Guyana have either experienced a violent crime or know someone who has.

The market at Mon Repos is one of several similar facilities along the East Coast Demerara highway or on the Railway Embankment road.

(Trinidad Express) Eminent Queen’s Counsel, former judge of the International Criminal Court and former Attorney General of Trinidad and Tobago Karl Hudson-Phillips, has died.

-Suriname’s Civil Society While I have long decided to relinquish my right to vote for persons to govern me and this land, I usually pay reasonable attention to the statements and activities of the Parliamentary opposition.

Alleged arson attacks on the Venezuelan Embassy and the Organisation of American States (OAS) office in St Kitts and Nevis, two Sundays ago, served to place the spotlight on the health of that country’s democracy.

GASCI (www.gasci.com/telephone Nº 223-6175/6) reports that session 546’s trading results showed consideration of $11,069,577 from 555,767 shares traded in 14 transactions as compared to session 545 which showed consideration of $13,044,584 from 197,868 shares traded in 15 transactions. 

Dear Editor,   There is a saying that you are never too old to learn.

MELBOURNE,  (Reuters) – Briton Daniel Dobson, who was arrested at the Australian Open yesterday for “conduct that would corrupt a betting outcome”, had his case adjourned until Jan.

(Reuters) – Russell Johnson, the veteran character actor who appeared in science fiction films and Westerns before earning enduring fame as “The Professor” on the classic 1960s sitcom “Gilligan’s Island,” died yesterday at the age of 89, his agent said.

(Trinidad Express) Cineplex chain MovieTowne has started a $10 million upgrade to the latest, state of the art 2D and 3D digital cinema technology at its three locations in Port of Spain, Chaguanas and Tobago.

(Barbados Nation) United States law  enforcement authorities are seeking the public’s assistance in locating a fugitive wanted for allegedly killing his sister and an ex-girlfriend in 2002.

(Trinidad Express) THE hosting of the 2014 Lotto Plus Chutney Soca Monarch competition is in jeopardy as Government has failed to deliver on its financial commitments.