Daily Archive: Sunday, February 1, 2015

(Trinidad Express) Many will be sitting at the edge of their seats tomorrow when Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar addresses the witness-tampering allegations made against Attorney General Anand Ramlogan.

Roger Hinds beat a field of 18 chutney hopefuls, to take his second win of the Chutney Monarchy within three years on Saturday at Anna Regina, GINA said.

  Halima Khan won the best newcomer title at the Mashramani chutney contest on Saturday at Anna Regina.

Fifteen nursing assistants have joined the local healthcare system as the first batch graduated from the nurses’ evening class programme, GINA said.

(Jamaica Gleaner) As the actual birthday of the late reggae legend Bob Marley draws closer, events celebrating the landmark occasion during that week have been finalised.

MELBOURNE, (Reuters) – Novak Djokovic may have garnered a reputation as the crown prince of pranksters in tennis but today he firmly established him as the king of Melbourne’s blue hardcourts with his fifth Australian Open title.

At about 2200h. last night, the police say that miner Andre D’Abreu, 34 years, of Thomas Street, Georgetown, and miner Jason Ramjattan, 35 years, of Laing Avenue, Georgetown, were chatting on the roadway at Thomas Street when they were attacked by two men armed with handguns.

At about 0300h. today, the police say that Adrian Osborne, 23 years, and Colin John, 20 years, both of Henrietta, Essequibo Coast, were walking along the roadway at Richmond, Essequibo Coast, when they were struck down by a motor vehicle.

A newspaper vendor was shot early this morning following a robbery at the Kaieteur News outlet located on the corner of Robb and King streets.

(Trinidad Express) Even as calls continued for Attor­ney General Anand Ram­lo­gan to resign, the AG remained in the position yesterday.

Roger Hinds also called Young Bill Rogers has been crowned 2015 Chutney King, winning the competition from among 17 other contestants last evening at the Anna Regina Community Centre ground, GINA said.

(Reuters) – Glenn Maxwell produced a stellar all-round performance and Mitchell Johnson returned to terrorise England as Australia clinched the one-day tri-series with an emphatic 112-run victory over their Ashes rivals today.

‘… The best way to attract UK and other developed world investment is to have the best possible business environment and the least possible corrupt environment’ The government here is not doing enough to fight corruption and faces a stark threat from organized crime which needs a far greater allocation of resources, outgoing British High Commissioner to Guyana, Andrew Ayre has said.

‘Bush cook’ and a game of cricket on the seashore were the order of the day for young boys living in Annandale in the 1980s.

Online shopping spiked in the run up to the Christmas holidays, but the lack of telecommunication re-forms still has the Private Sector Commission (PSC) concerned.

A miner who was shot three times about his body and then robbed on Friday night at McDoom by four gunmen, pretended to be dead, which may have saved his life.

Under fire over its $3 billion loan to the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA), the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) yesterday argued that the disbursement is permissible under the law, while pointing out that it has provided billions in financial assistance in various areas in recent years.

The attacks by government officials on foreign diplomats do not reflect favourably on Guyana and do not promote Guyana’s interests, outgoing British High Commissioner to Guyana Andrew Ayre has said.

The captain of the MV Sabanto, which ran aground in November last year, has been fired and his helmsman was suspended from duty for a month, according to the Transport and Harbours Department (T&HD).

The relatives of Ryan Couchman say that there are more questions than answers surrounding the circumstances under which he was shot dead by an off duty policeman several weeks ago and more so that eyewitness accounts rubbish the story presented by the police.

The trial into the brutal slaying of Hague hairdresser Bibi Saymar ended without a conviction, leaving behind lingering questions over just how glaring pieces of evidence could have been ignored or possibly forgotten.

Saying the police failed to act on important leads to bring the suspected killers of shopkeeper Bibi Sheniza Khan-Bhola to justice, the woman’s family is now planning to use the upcoming elections campaign period to demand an inquiry into the handling of the investigation.

Relatives of airport employee Chris Andrew Jacob whose body was found in the Cheddi Jagan International Airport’s water reservoir two months ago, yesterday launched a charity foundation in his name as they renewed calls for justice.

The unions representing University of Guyana (UG) workers, who began a sit-in last week, are awaiting clarification from the University Council on the resumption of negotiations.

With recent history against Barbados supporting a favourable outcome, can Guyana under the leadership of Jamaal Shabazz secure their first win in 25 months when the nation’s faceoff  in the Land of the Flying Fish?

Negative territory For the first time in five years the stock index prepared by this writer has ended the year in negative territory.

MELBOURNE, (Reuters) – A sickly Serena Williams gave Maria Sharapova another serving of grand slam heartbreak yesterday to win the Australian Open and bolster her claims to be the all-time greatest player with her 19th major title.

A few days ago, the Vice President of the United States, Joe Biden, met with Caribbean leaders in Washington to discuss the region’s long term approach to energy security.

The inclement weather continues to affect the Guyana Jaguars preparation for their upcoming fifth round match against Jamaica.

The recent visit by three former Latin American leaders to Venezuela has not only helped draw attention to their assertion that the region’s democracies have “abandoned” Venezuela, but has shown that former presidents can play a larger-than-expected role in pushing for democracy in Latin America.

US based quarter miler, Stephan James erased the national indoor 400m record on Friday at the Armory Track Invitational in NY, NY.

You can identify change in the world by reading lengthy polemics, or by examining complex data, or by attending scientific forums.

North Georgetown survived a two goal first half deficit to secure a 3-3 draw with newcomers Mae’s Secondary when the third annual Milo/Petra Organization Secondary Schools U20 football tourney commenced yesterday.

PHOENIX, (Reuters) – The Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots could produce one of the greatest Super Bowls of all-time today but the real winner may be debated for decades given the “deflategate” scandal hanging over the game.

Then and now Sadly, as we approach Republic Day 2015, and after about half a century of independence, the classic description of the Guyana colonial economy as very small (even micro by global standards), poor, highly open, and exceptionally dependent on trade in primary commodities remains as broadly accurate today as it was back then.

Victoria Kings and Grove Hi-Tech were sent packing from the Mayor’s Cup knockout football tourney, suffering upset defeats to Agricola Red Triangle and Golden Grove respectively on opening night at the Victoria ground on Friday.

Guyana is in virgin, unexplored, political territory. In various interviews both Opposition Leader David Granger and AFC Leader Khemraj Ramjattan, have indicated that the period of foreplay between their parties is over and consummation is in progress.

And I am not referring to the menace of al Qaeda, IS and assorted deranged constituencies which cast a pall of horror around the world.

Punica granatum commonly called Pomegranate originated in Iran (formerly called Persia).

SYDNEY, (Reuters) – Australia captain Michael Clarke shrugged off speculation of rifts with Cricket Australia and his international team mates after making a successful comeback from injury in a club game yesterday.

IT was the last, parting body blow for a team that had absorbed more than its fair share in the preceding six weeks.

World chess champion, Norway’s Magnus Carlsen emerged victorious in the brutal Tata Steel Masters Chess Tournament in the Netherlands recently.

The 2015 cycling calendar of events continues today with a 40-mile race on the open roads of West Demerara.

BEIRUT/TOKYO (Reuters) – Islamic State militants said yesterday they had killed Japanese hostage Kenji Goto, after the apparent failure of sustained international efforts to secure his release through a prisoner swap.

Psychological considerations   In the January 18, 2015 column, I referred to some behavioural changes in the elderly dog/cat.

Sustainable tailoring: This tailor in the Timehri Docks area has set up his sewing machine outside in the bright sunshine.

    The Yellow Oriole is also called the ‘plantain’ and ‘small corn bird’.

PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC- Five senior players of lowly placed Trinidad and Tobago Red Force have withdrawn from the squad for the WICB Professional Cricket League (PCL) which resumes next week.

(Trinidad Express) Telephone records show that National Security Minister Gary Griffith contacted Police Complaints Authority (PCA) director David West on December 19, 2014.

MINSK/KIEV (Reuters) – Peace talks on Ukraine collapsed yesterday after just over four hours with no tangible progress towards a new ceasefire but with Ukraine’s representative and separatist envoys angrily accusing each other of sabotaging the meeting.

SANTIAGO (Reuters) – Chile’s president, Michelle Bachelet, unveiled plans yesterday to ease a complete ban on abortions in the socially conservative South American country.

N’DJAMENA (Reuters) – Chadian forces have killed 120 militants from Boko Haram in a battle in the north of neighbouring Cameroon that began when the insurgents attacked its troops, the army said in a statement yesterday, adding that three of its soldiers were killed.

By Terry Golway (Terry Golway is author of Machine Made: Tammany Hall and the Creation of Modern American Politics, due out in March.

The relationship between the carnival season in the Caribbean and Guyana’s Mashramani is very easily disguised.

Dear Editor, The Minister of Local Government, as has become normal now, bypasses the constitutional bodies for reasons only he can explain.

(Reuters) – Grant Elliot’s all-round performance eclipsed Shahid Afridi’s 29-ball blitz to secure New Zealand a comfortable seven-wicket victory over Pakistan in the first One Day International in Wellington yesterday.

The 2015 track and field season moves into high gear today with a Development Meet at the Camp Ayanganna ground.

Sunday Cartoon

PANAMA CITY (Reuters) – Panama yesterday expelled a former Colombian intelligence chief, Maria del Pilar Hurtado, to face charges at home of illegally intercepting phone calls from opposition Colombian lawmakers.

  I prefer to eat carrots raw. The exceptions are when they are diced or julienned and cooked to make Fried Rice or Chowmein.

NEW YORK (Reuters) – The popular photo blog “Humans of New York” said it had raised more than $1 million by Thursday to pay for college trips and tuition for middle-school students in one of the city’s most crime-ridden neighbourhoods.

  She would not say why and preferred to bend her head shyly when pressed, but at the tender age of 14, for some reason, Jane (not her real name), decided to leave her parents’ home and start a common-law relationship with a man.

There are some general truths about tertiary education that apply everywhere, the primary one being that you cannot get a decent university on the cheap.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The FBI had no prior knowledge of a police raid in the Philippines last Sunday to arrest wanted militants that went awry and left 44 police dead, an FBI spokesman told Reuters on Saturday.

Dear Editor, I hesitantly decided to pen this letter so please let me make it clear that I am speaking on my personal behalf and not for the WICB.