Daily Archive: Saturday, April 5, 2014

(Trinidad Guardian) Staff at the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex (EWMSC) are once again under scrutiny after 35-year-old Guyanese national Jeetindra Sookram died of a suspected heart attack an hour after he was denied treatment there because he was not a T&T citizen.

(Jamaica Observer) KINGSTON, Jamaica — Two people are now dead and nine others in hospital with gunshot wounds after two armed men opened gunfire at a group at the intersection of Chestnut Lane and Charles Street in Kingston on Friday night.

(Trinidad Express) The Financial intelligence Unit (FIU) has been “conspicuously silent” on the issue surrounding the questionable purchase of over 600,000 FCB shares from the group’s former chief risk officer H Philip Rahaman during the bank’s Initial Public Offering (IPO), Colm Imbert said.

Guyana has been ranked 82nd out of 132 countries in a social index report, far below Trinidad and Jamaica, the two other Caricom countries monitored.

The three-vehicle pile-up at Soesdyke that claimed the life of cyclist Aubrey Clarke yesterday.

(Trinidad Express) For a second day, members of the Muslim community gathered outside the Venezuelan Embassy, Victoria Avenue, Port of Spain, to hold a peaceful demonstration for the Government to intervene on behalf of at least eight Trinidadian Muslims currently in the custody of the Venezuelan intelligence service, Servicio Bolivariano de Inteligencia Nacional (SEBIN), under the suspicion of being terrorists.

Government Members of Parliament standing in solidarity yesterday with Minister of Education Priya Manickchand as the Opposition banging on desks prevents her from making her contribution to the Budget 2014 debate.

(Trinidad Express) The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has called on the board of the Trinidad and Tobago Stock Exchange (TTSE) to replace its chairman, Independent Senator Subhas Ramkhelawan.

A fuel trawler exploded yesterday morning at Turn Basin, Port Kaituma, setting off a fire that destroyed boats and buildings, left millions of dollars in damages, and questions about the regulations in place for the pumping of fuel.

House Speaker Raphael Trotman was forced to prematurely adjourn the budget debate yesterday after APNU parliamentarians created a ruckus to prevent Minister of Education Priya Manickchand from speaking as they demanded an apology over remarks she made in reference to the father of former member Jaipaul Sharma.

A day after resigning as a Member of Parliament (MP) for main opposition APNU, Jaipaul Sharma yesterday said that he disagreed with Speaker Raphael Trotman’s justification for lifting a ban on Education Minister Priya Manickchand over comments she made that offended him.

By Jeff Trotman A dispute over building in Rockstone has become a symbol of deep division in the Essequibo River community amidst a contentious initiative for it to be recognised as an Amerindian village.

The Public Procurement Commission (PPC) is a pricey apparatus that may not be worth the financial investment, junior Finance Minister Juan Edghill said in his budget address on Wednesday.

With an increase in deforestation affecting a forests protection pact with Norway, Minister of Natural Resources and the Environment Robert Persaud yesterday said that there will be increased monitoring of mining operations.

Despite having seized over $30M worth of smuggled goods during its first quarter of 2014, the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) still faces major challenges in tackling smugglers in the North-West District.

Professional boxing returns to the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall (CASH) tonight with a bang; a five-fight card dubbed ‘Jamaican Invasion’.

Police are questioning several persons and the Bartica sub-office of the Guyana Gold Board has been shuttered as a probe opens into gold tampering during gold sales there.

ST JOHN’S, Antigua, CMC – Captain Leon Johnson’s second first class century held Guyana together on the opening day of their sixth round match against Leeward Islands here yesterday.

There is expected to be a shake-p in the command of some important divisions in the Guyana Police Force and some officers are very unhappy with some of the looming changes.

MIRPUR, Bangladesh,(Reuters) – Virat Kohli’s red-hot bat powered India into Sunday’s World Twenty20 final against Sri Lanka as the 2007 champions breezed past South Africa by six wickets yesterday.

Former police commissioner Winston Felix says that the negative comments about the work of the Guyana Police Force ought to be used “like a mirror” to improve the service to the public.

Contractors undertaking the US$10M Georgetown Sanitation Improvement Programme (GSIP) said the delay in restoring roads and private property damaged during the work is due to a shortage of materials, including the vital ‘Crusher Run’ stone.

DHAKA, Bangladesh, CMC – Head coach Ottis Gibson believes if the weather had not intervened, West Indies would have pulled off another sensational victory to beat Sri Lanka in the first semi-final of the World Twenty20 on Thursday.

DHAKA, Bangladesh, CMC – West Indies Women’s captain Merissa Aguilleira has described her side’s semi-final loss to Australia as “heartbreaking” but says the team must use the disappointment as a learning moment and try to bounce back.

The Justice Institute of Guyana has secured key funding from the European Union (EU) to implement a project which is aimed at promoting self-sufficiency in Amerindian communities, and building a more equitable and democratic society.

(Reuters) – The 16-team field for the NBA playoffs has virtually been set but there is plenty of jockeying for position still to be done, including ultra-tight races to determine the top seeds in both conferences.

The Rehoboth Group yesterday launched a range of solar powered lights, which company representatives said will be aimed primarily at improving the lives of those in rural areas.

Dear Editor, In the explanation of her refusal to apologise to MP Jaipaul Sharma, which we saw on Wednesday, the Minister of Education, Ms Priya Manickchand said that if she apologized she would be betraying the victims of rape and paedophilia: “I cannot abandon them just to keep the National Assembly happy,” she explained.

For a long time, the name Tennicia DeFreitas has been synonymous with Calypso and steel pan.

Jamaica Tallawahs fast-bowler Andrew Richardson said he is fully fit and ready to play a major role in his team’s title defence in July’s 2014  second edition of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) T20 tournament, after recovering from a knee injury he sustained.

Newly-elected President of the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) Lance Hinds says rebuilding the secretariat is a major priority for this year.

Dear Editor, I have been legally married to a man (name given) for 22 years.

NEW DELHI (Reuters) – Indian opposition leader Narendra Modi appeared on course to become the next prime minister on Friday, with an opinion poll showing his Hindu nationalist party maintaining a strong lead ahead of a general election that begins next week.

Guyana’s former world champion Vivian Harris (32-9-2, 19 KOs), now has his eyes set on another shot at the world championship belt after his latest upset win in Mexico.

The National Assembly in collaboration with the United Nations Children Fund (Unicef) and the University of Guyana will be hosting a child rights art competition.

One of the questions I have been frequently asked is if writing isn’t boring or time consuming.

Dear Editor, Where is Guyana’s progress headed if our destiny is pursued privately on the basis of race which then makes it the take it or leave it national agenda for everyone else? 

A Timehri man was killed yesterday after being hit by a truck while riding along the Coverden, East Bank Demerara public road.

SACRAMENTO, Calif., (Reuters) – A prominent Democratic California state senator and gun-control advocate was indicted by a San Francisco grand jury on charges of corruption and conspiracy to traffic in firearms, according to court documents released on Friday.

Hi Everyone, No matter which way you combine potatoes, milk, cream, garlic, fresh herbs and cheese, the result would always be a resounding success.

Alpha United hammered BK Western Tigers by a 5-0 score line when the Georgetown Football Association (GFA) second division league continued at the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) ground on Vlissengen Road and Carifesta Avenue on Thursday.

Dear Editor, What has this society become? I just read on INews about an employee of a government agency hitting a nurse with his car and driving away without rendering assistance.

CAMBRIDGE, Mass (Reuters) – A 17th century book owned by Harvard Law School, thought to have been bound in human skin because of an inscription that referred to a man “flayed alive,” has been shown through scientific testing to have been bound in sheepskin.

Dear Editor, I think it’s truly wonderful that another Canadian company is coming to mine gold.

The Scene Cartoon

President of the Athletics Association of Guyana (AAG) Aubrey Hutson yesterday sought to clear the air on the selection of this year’s Carifta games team following the publication of a letter in another section of the media which questioned some of the choices of the AAG selection committee.

An Angoy’s Avenue man died in hospital yesterday after he was severely burnt in a fire at his home.

Determination will meet efficiency when defending champions St. George’s Secondary battle arch rivals Lodge Secondary in the final of the Milo/Petra Organization U20 schools football tournament today at the Ministry of Education ground, Carifesta Avenue from 18:00hrs.

(Jamaica Observer) Director of Public Prosecutions Paula Llewellyn has confirmed that she and members of her prosecution team have received death threats after the guilty verdict of Vybz Kartel and his three co-accused for the murder of former associate Clive ‘Lizard’ Williams.

FORT HOOD, Texas (Reuters) – The suspected gunman at Fort Hood in Texas argued heatedly with fellow soldiers before going on a shooting spree that left three dead and 16 injured at the expansive US Army base, a military investigator said on Friday.

Dear Editor, Having had the opportunity to meet Ms Priya Manickchand in the course of my attachment to NCERD, I concluded that she has a strong sense of justice and is totally dedicated to the protection of the children of the nation making efforts towards achieving the best for them in the education sector.

A teenager, allegedly caught with a quantity of cannabis in the crotch of his pants, was remanded to prison yesterday by a city magistrate on a charge of possession of narcotics for the purpose of trafficking.

Easter Fest is set to be held at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence this Easter Sunday with Jamaican artistes Sean Paul and Jah Cure headlining the annual show.

(Trinidad Guardian)  “I will not sleep until my son is returned,” said a mother of one of the eight T&T Muslims being detained in Venezuela under anti-terror laws, at a protest outside the Venezuelan Embassy in Port-of-Spain yesterday.

Guyana’s rifle shooters have begun to heighten their preparations in order to defend the Regional long range title while attempting to recapture their short range title in the 2014 West Indies Fullbore shooting championships to held at the Twickenham Park ranges in Kingston, Jamaica next month.

Divergent is based on the best-selling book by American author Veronica Roth and is a high-energy action/drama set in a post apocalyptic world in which every human being must be placed into a particular clan and conform to the rules and morals of that clan to avoid any conflict that may stir another World War.

KAMPALA (Reuters) – A US-funded health project in Uganda has suspended operations after police arrested a staff member on suspicion of promoting homosexuality, highlighting the mounting legal risks confronting the gay community in the east African state.

Dear Editor, The following is an email comment, by a blogger, ‘Averiguador,’ on a story published in the Trinidad Express on March 18, 2014 under the heading of ‘Mule race coming’ in which the writer, Mr Ralph Maraj, a former cabinet minister in the Trinidad and Tobago government, was commenting on the failure of both the current and previous T&T governments to pass procurement legislation and, in view of forthcoming general elections, which Mr Maraj refers to in the title, the unlikely prospect of that happening any time soon.

BAMAKO/CONAKRY (Reuters) – An angry crowd attacked an Ebola treatment centre in Guinea yesterday, accusing its staff of bringing the deadly disease to the town, Medecins Sans Frontieres said, as Mali identified its first suspected cases.

Dear Editor, The ruling regime uses every opportunity to lay claim to democratic credentials.

The Demerara Volleyball Association (DVA) will this morning stage its second competition of the year, a memorial tournament in honour of past presidents Cheddi and Janet Jagan.

The trafficking, exploitation and imprisonment of women and girls in our country’s interior is real.

The American comedian Stephen Colbert set off a flood of outraged moralizing in the twitterverse last week after his show tweeted an out-of-context punchline about racial insensitivity.

Politikles

(Reuters) – R&B singer Chris Brown was taken from his Los Angeles jail cell by the U.S.

Rennie Coolman, the widower of murder victim Vindra Naipaul-Coolman, yesterday admitted under cross-examination that he did nothing to assist his wife during the harrowing five-minute period when her kidnappers snatched her from her car outside their Lange Park, Chaguanas, home and took her away.

The fire raging at the Port Kaituma waterfront yesterday.