Daily Archive: Friday, November 21, 2014

The Berbice Bridge Company Incorporated (BBCI) advised this evening that it encountered difficulties in reclosing the bridge after a scheduled passage of an ocean going vessel, a release from the Ministry of Public Works said.

LOS ANGELES, (Reuters) – Comedian Bill Cosby and a Las Vegas casino today called off a show scheduled for next week, in another blow to his career after several women publicly alleged the entertainer sexually assaulted them decades ago.

At about 1645h. today, police said the decomposed body of a so far unidentified man of African descent was found in the Puruni River.

(Reuters) – Mike Nichols, a nine-time Tony Award winner on Broadway and the Oscar-winning director of films such as “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf,” “The Graduate” and “Carnal Knowledge,” died on Wednesday at age 83, ABC News said.

GECOM on Wednesday met the Private Sector Commission. Representing GECOM at this meeting was its Chairman Dr.

LONDON, (Reuters) – European nations should boycott the 2018 and 2022 World Cups unless FIFA transforms itself into a transparent, open organisation, a former head of the English FA said on Friday.

(Barbados Nation) Parents and guardians are advised that as a result of the flash flood warning currently in effect for Barbados, there will be no school today.

The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) has decided to embark on a new cycle of registration on December 1st and this has attracted the ire of the main opposition APNU which sees it as a tactic by the ruling PPP/C to delay general elections.

LUSAKA, (Reuters) – Zambia’s ruling Patriotic Front said today it had suspended President Guy Scott as acting head of the party for “unconstitutional conduct”, in the latest twist of a bitter power struggle ahead of a January election.

By Suraj Narine   Georgetown and coastal areas were lashed by the heaviest rainfall in decades yesterday, shuttering businesses and schools, while leaving officials scrambling to take remedial action.

Private Sector Commission (PSC) Chairman Ramesh Persaud yesterday lashed the authorities over the inundation of the city and called for a national inquiry of the extent to which governance is a cause of flooding.

The Ministry of Education last evening said that Georgetown schools will remain closed today because of severe flooding and some schools in other parts of the country will also be shuttered.

Murder accused Christopher Singh and Devendra Bushram, on trial for the fatal stabbing of a fan after a cricket match in 2010, were sentenced to a combined 116 years in jail after being found guilty yesterday.

A taxi driver was shot yesterday morning during an attack by three men, who robbed him of $4M in front of the Sleep In hotel on Brickdam.

By Roger Wong and Rae Wiltshire   Many city businesses and residents were crying out about losses yesterday after overnight rainfall that continued into the morning left major sections of the capital flooded.

Hailing the event as a success, which saw over 20 persons indicating they wanted to invest in Guyana, the Guyana Office for Investment (Go-Invest) yesterday dismissed criticisms by participants that the Guyana Expo Trade show held in Florida last month was a flop.

By Kenesha Fraser   Heavy rainfall over Wednesday night and yesterday morning, compounded by a non-functioning koker in a nearby village worsened flooding in Queenstown, Essequibo Coast, raising water levels to eight inches high in places.

The Society Against Sexual Orientation Dis-crimination (SASOD) recently engaged members of the diplomatic community at a roundtable discussion on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) issues in Guyana.

The Ministry of Home Affairs has announced that its Cops and Faith Community Network (CFCN) has made 88 interventions into the lives of youth found engaging in anti-social behaviours, and it has embarked on three other social projects.

(Trinidad Express) The Trinidad and Tobago Red Force suffered a major setback on the eve of their second match of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) Professional Cricket League four-day campaign after experienced middle order batsman Ramnaresh Sarwan withdrew from the squad due to personal reasons.

Although there have been no reported cases of Ebola here, the Ministry of Health (MoH) is preparing for such an eventuality and the Berbice Regional Health Authority (BRHA) has heightened its surveillance of ports of entry in Berbice.

All is set and ready at the Guyana National Stadium as the pitch and outfield are in good condition ahead of today’s Regional Professional Cricket League clash between the Guyana Jaguars and the Windward Volcanoes.

The boy who was stabbed to the forehead with a screwdriver during an attack at a school will be transferred to another institution for his safety.

The Chinese ferry, MV SABANTO, which ran aground on November 17 on Wakenaam Island en route to Supenaam from Parika, was back in water late yesterday afternoon.

Days 3 and 4 of this year’s National Schools Cycling, Swimming and Track and Field Championships was regrettably called off because of one of the forces of Mother Nature.

Following their innings and 10-run trouncing of the Leewards, table leaders Guyana Jaguars will look to go two up in the 2014/2015 West Indies Cricket Board Professional Cricket League (WICB PCL) Franchise 4-Day Tournament when they face the Windward Islands Volcanoes in round two today at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence.

Eight new land surveyors were yesterday sworn in by the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission (GL&SC) to boost the capacity of the Commission and other government agencies, GINA said.

MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica, CMC- Jamaica’s head coach Winfried Schaefer says discipline, team spirit and adequate preparation are factors which helped propel Reggae Boyz to another CFU Caribbean Cup title on Tuesday night.

Construction worker Nigel Reid was yesterday sentenced to seven days imprisonment after he pleaded guilty to battering his common-law wife.

MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica, CMC– Head coach of the Trinidad and Tobago football team Stephen Hart says he is extremely impressed with the standard of the 2014 Caribbean Cup which concluded in Jamaica on Tuesday.

Amalgamated Security Services (Guyana) Inc started training its first batch of officers, led by former Trinidad and Tobago Deputy Commissioner of Police Davis Douglas.

Team Guyana’s hopes of qualifying for the medal round of the 2014 Central American and Caribbean Games hockey tourney came to an unfortunate end, drawing with defending champs Trinidad and Tobago 0-0 in their final pool-B matchup yesterday.

Splash, a bi-weekly University of Guyana (UG) students’ newspaper, has been launched with the aim of being a platform for students’ collective voices independent of the university’s administration.

ANSA McAl under the banner of its Mackeson Brand, officially launched the fourth edition of their 3-on-3 ‘King of the Rim’ Basketball tournament yesterday at the entity’s Beterverwagting office on the East Coast of Demerara.

HAMILTON, Bermuda, CMC — The International Cricket Council (ICC) has agreed to a request from Bermuda authorities and granted them a two-week extension to submit a report on Allan Douglas, Jr’s bowling action, the Royal Gazette newspaper said yesterday.

(Reuters) – Sarfraz Ahmed struck a defiant century and Pakistan’s spinners wrecked New Zealand’s top and middle order to leave the second test in Dubai nicely poised yesterday.

ABU DHABI, (Reuters) – Lewis Hamilton played down the pressure of his Formula One title showdown with Nico Rosberg yesterday by saying he had years of experience in dealing with it.

Dear Editor,   I have noticed a number of views being posited in the Stabroek News and Kaieteur News on the issue of the recent proclamation by the President, proroguing the National Assembly.

Dear Editor, When the announcement was made that there was going to be a $500 million expenditure on cleaning up Georgetown including its drainage, I said nothing and waited to see if the money would be spent properly, but somehow I knew that it was probably going to be a waste of time and the people’s money.

SYDNEY, (Reuters) – Australia are hopeful that captain Michael Clarke will be available for next month’s first test against India despite a recurrence of his hamstring injury, physiotherapist Alex Kountouris said yesterday.

WASHINGTON, (Reuters) – Jason Collins said yesterday he would rather be remembered as a good teammate than as the first openly gay player in the four major American sports.

Dear Editor, So for the umpteenth time the City of Georgetown is under water.

(Trinidad Express) The Trinidad and Tobago Men’s senior football team, including the technical staff were handed cheques for outstanding salaries and fees to the value of an estimated $10 million yesterday at the Office of the Prime Minister at St Clair Avenue.

Dear Editor, Your editorial of November 17, 2014 titled ‘A welcome return by the Ombudsman’ opens yet another PPP can of worms.

Dear Editor,   President Ramotar’s retort to Carl B Greenidge’s comments about the status of investment agreements concluded during the period of the prorogation of the National Assembly, as reported in the Guyana Times of November 12, “I am in Government, you’re not,” refers.

MIAMI, (Reuters) – A member of the financial watchdog committee at soccer’s ruling body FIFA has been charged with fraud, money-laundering and breach of trust by police in the Cayman Islands.

WASHINGTON, (Reuters) – President Barack Obama imposed the most sweeping immigration reform in a generation yesterday, easing the threat of deportation for about 4.7 million undocumented immigrants and setting up a clash with Republicans.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla., (Reuters) – Brandishing a semi-automatic handgun and carrying extra ammunition in his pockets, a Florida State University graduate opened fire early yesterday at the school’s main library, wounding two students and an employee as hundreds were studying for exams.

CURITIBA, Brazil, (Reuters) – In a country where big court cases often drag on for a decade or more and abruptly fall apart on technicalities, the man leading a bribery probe at Brazil’s state-run oil firm Petrobras is described by allies and even rivals as perfectly suited to the task.

ZURICH, (Reuters) – FIFA ethics judge Hans-Joachim Eckert and investigator Michael Garcia have met for the first time since their public disagreement and agreed a report into the 2018/2022 World Cups bid process should be further reviewed.

Dear Editor,   Please allow me space in your newspaper to address the concerns that young women, like myself face when sexist comments are made to justify rape.

WASHINGTON, (Reuters) – Countries should not be afraid to stand up to China over democratic rights in Hong Kong, the last British governor of the territory, Chris Patten, told a U.S.

Dear Editor,   ‘Prorogation’ is a big word. It is difficult to pronounce, and even more difficult to understand.

The Guinness Greatest of the Streets Georgetown leg continues today at the Albouystown Basketball Tarmac with eight group fixtures.

Dear Editor,   As one who has been very critical of the APNU for being too ready to enter into dialogue with the PPP, it is only fair that I commend the APNU for refusing to meet with President Ramotar and the PPP while the parliament remains prorogued.

(Reuters) – The United States on Monday charged five Chinese military officers and accused them of hacking into American nuclear, metal and solar companies to steal trade secrets, ratcheting up tensions between the two world powers over cyber espionage.

Says Emmerson Campbell Last November, Guyana’s premier outdoor sports team was inexplicably scrambling to secure funds to attend the NACRA 7s Championships in the Cayman Islands.

MEXICO CITY, (Reuters) – Masked demonstrators threw Molotov cocktails and shot fireworks at police near Mexico City’s airport yesterday as thousands protested President Enrique Pena Nieto’s handling of the apparent massacre of 43 trainee school teachers.

Dear Editor,   The Ministry of Agriculture has announced that 140,000 bags of urea fertilizer are on the way from Venezuela for 20,000 farmers in all the rice-growing regions at a cost of $5,000 per bag.

LONDON, (Reuters) – Telecommunications firm Cable & Wireless helped Britain eavesdrop on millions of Internet users worldwide, Channel 4 reported yesterday, citing previously secret documents leaked by a fugitive former U.S.

KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC-West Indies fast bowler Jerome Taylor says he is ready for battle ahead of his debut performance in the WICB Professional Cricket league (PCL) which began last weekend.

(Trinidad Express) Torrential rainfall swept across the east coast of Trinidad yesterday for the sixth consecutive day, worsening an already grim situation along the Manzanilla Mayaro Road, and in communities near the Ortoire River.

Dear Editor,   The sudden rise of crime in our country is now a concern for all Guyanese citizens, and the re-introduction of blackouts makes it easier for thieves and criminals to escape very easily.

MANAGUA, (Reuters) – Construction of Nicaragua’s $50 billion Interoceanic Grand Canal, expected to rival the Panama Canal, will begin Dec.

Here comes one of my university-of-life/faculty-of-the-streets lecturettes today. I was using “Kleptocracy” in this feature long before more recognized “minds” appropriated it for their columns.

Rahul Bhattacharya has done it again. The Indian cricket writer and novelist, who was so intrigued by our country during a cricket tour by India that he returned to spend a year among us and wrote The Sly Company of People Who Care (2011), has now written for the November edition of the new online magazine, The Cricket Monthly, a wonderful tribute to one of our favourite native sons, Shivnarine Chanderpaul.

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, , CMC- A task force set-up to probe the circumstances that led to the controversial pull-out by the senior West Indies cricketers from their tour of India has begun its work, the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) has reported.

DAR ES SALAAM, (Reuters) – Tanzania’s government asked parliament yesterday to cancel a planned debate on corruption allegations in the energy sector, angering some lawmakers who complained of a cover-up and potentially jeopardising some foreign aid.

(Jamaica Observer) KINGSTON, Jamaica – Organisation of American States (OAS) Secretary General, José Miguel Insulza has expressed concern about the rounding up of illegal immigrants in The Bahamas.