Daily Archive: Friday, May 15, 2015

The People’s Progressive Party (PPP) tonight refuted reports in the media that Head of State, President Donald Ramotar is preparing to concede electoral defeat to opposition leader David Granger.

In a second and direct statement, the Private Sector Commission this afternoon called on the PPP/C to accept the results of Monday’s general elections and to pave the way for the transition to a new government.

While President Donald Ramotar refuses to concede defeat, the heads of the United States, British and Canadian diplomatic missions in Guyana have reiterated their confidence in the tabulation of results from Monday’s general and regional elections.

At about 2100h. last night, police say that four men armed with cutlasses and a handgun entered a home at Belvedere, Corentyne, through an open door, and held up Ramesh Puran, 49 years, his wife and two other relatives, and demanded cash and jewellery.

The Guyana Bar Association, the Guyana Association of Women Lawyers, the Justice Institute of Guyana and Transparency Institute (Guyana) Inc this afternoon called on President Donald Ramotar and the ruling PPP/C to accept the results of Monday’s general elections and to concede electoral victory to APNU+AFC.

The Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry says it is becoming deeply concerned by the apparent refusal of the one of the main political parties to accept the results of the 2015 elections.

Members of the APNU+AFC coalition this morning met with GECOM insisting that the commission make the official declaration of the elections result, however the commission is maintaining that it has until noon tomorrow to make the public declaration.

Swami Aksharananda today urged the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) to urgently declare the final election results and to swear in President-elect David Granger.

The European Union (EU) today commended the elections commission over the general elections and said that any grievance over the result must be addressed through legal channels.

(Reuters) – Blues legend B.B. King, who took his music from rural juke joints to the mainstream and inspired a generation of guitarists from Eric Clapton to Stevie Ray Vaughan, has died in Las Vegas.

Preliminary results show that the APNU+AFC alliance has won the May 11th elections by a margin of just over 5,000 votes but President Donald Ramotar yesterday refused to concede that his PPP/C had lost, while saying the process was rigged and demanding a manual recount of all ballots.

`Lewis kicked down the door that said world champions only, no Guyanese allowed’ Andrew ‘Sixhead’ Lewis, Guyana’s first world boxing champion and one of the nation’s iconic sports figures, was laid to rest during a tearful home going ceremony yesterday.

(WICB) ST. JOHN’S, Antigua – The Selection Panel of the West Indies Cricket Board announced a 13-member squad yesterday for a Tour Match against Australia from Wednesday, May 27, to Friday, May 29, at the Vivian Richards Cricket Ground here.

Region Four was pivotal in ensuring an APNU+AFC victory at the 2015 General Elections as it gained just above 18, 000 voters in this Region.

President Donald Ramotar yesterday refused to concede that the PPP/C has lost the 2015 general elections and called for a total recount of all votes even as he accused the APNU+AFC alliance of colluding with Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) staff to rig the elections.

MUMBAI, India, CMC – West Indies Twenty20 star Kieron Pollard bowled a superb final over to limit Sunil Narine’s Kolkata Knight Riders and guide Mumbai Indians to an exciting five-run victory in the Indian Premier League here yesterday.

For four hours on Monday night, Narine Khublall, former PPP/C parliamentarian Joseph Hamilton and about 30 other persons were surrounded by an angry mob in Khublall’s Sophia home fearful that an attempt would be made to burn it.

LONDON, (Reuters) – An emotional Anfield will witness the end of an era tomorrow when Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard makes his final home appearance after more than 700 games and 17 years playing for his boyhood club.

Crime Chief Leslie James yesterday said that he is satisfied with how police handled security in the city on Elections Day.

ST JOHN’S, Antigua, CMC – Ex-West Indies seamer Eldine Baptiste has been appointed by the government here to lead the country’s Elite Cricket Programme.

After Chief Election Officer, Keith Lowenfield declares the official results of the May 11th polls, he will then name APNU+AFC presidential candidate David Granger as the president-elect -which would pave the way for the eighth president of the country to be sworn in.

Gilbert Gill, who admitted to murdering another man after a row aboard a tug boat in the Demerara River, was yesterday sentenced to 40 years in prison.

(Reuters) – American Pharoah trainer Bob Baffert expects another challenging race for his Triple Crown hopeful against stablemate Dortmund and Firing Line in tomorrow’s Preakness Stakes in Baltimore.

LONDON, (Reuters) – Yorkshire opener Adam Lyth is poised to make his debut after being named yesterday in a 12-man squad for the first test against New Zealand at Lord’s that starts on May 21.

Local police yesterday arrested a man who is wanted for a double murder in Trinidad and Tobago.

(Reuters) – Alberto Contador’s Giro D’Italia hopes suffered a blow when the overall leader dislocated his shoulder after being involved in a high-speed pile-up at the end of the 183-km sixth stage on Thursday.

Mark Cromwell, the man being sought in connection with the hair-raising arms cache found at the GNIC wharf on Lombard Street, yesterday turned himself over to the police in the company of an attorney, Crime Chief Leslie James has confirmed.

Dear Editor, Congratulations to APNU+AFC on winning the 2015 election. This marks a major turning point in the history of Guyana.

CAPE TOWN (Reuters) – Zimbabwe pulled out of this month’s historic cricket tour to Pakistan and then retracted their decision in a bizarre 16-minute turnaround yesterday.

Dear Editor, The preliminary results have just been declared and my immediate thoughts are that this is no occasion for celebration.

Three persons, including a 16-year-old, were charged yesterday over looting that occurred in ‘C’ Field, Sophia during protests on Election Day.

Dear Editor, Following my earlier call for parties to accept the results of the general elections of 2015, without demand for recount and court challenges, I urge the PPP to concede the elections and let us move on with the task of healing and reconciliation.

SYDNEY, (Reuters) – Cricket Australia has commissioned an independent review into the cause and circumstances of last year’s death of test batsman Phillip Hughes in a bid to prevent anything similar happening in the future.

Although there were signs that tensions were diminishing in the city, many businesses remained tightly shut yesterday even after the Guyana Elections Commission (Gecom) announced preliminary results of the general and regional elections.

LONDON, (Reuters) – As flashbulbs illuminate his cast-iron torso in a gym wedged under a railway arch near London Bridge, Anthony Joshua paws at a punchbag with considerably less force than he used to demolish his first dozen opponents.

Dear Editor, Congratulations to all those who worked on the campaign, in whatever form; those who voted and/or encouraged others to vote; and those who reside abroad but whose love for country still burns deep.

A Linden man was yesterday charged with possession of cannabis and assaulting a policeman who attempted to arrest him for the offence.

While the Ministry of Education maintains that schools across the nation are opened and operating normally, parents at least in the city have taken the decision to keep their children at home during the wait for results from Monday’s polls.

Former national youth pacer Andre Stoll was surprisingly left out of the Demerara senior inter-county squad when the county board yesterday named its team to participate in the upcoming Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) senior inter-county competition.

Even as local tour operators seek to structure their entities to attract a greater share of the visitor market in the hemisphere the idea of Guyana’s greater involvement in a more integrated approach to marketing the tourism product in South America is being mooted by international industry experts.

Dear Editor, The voting for elections 2015 is over and preliminary results show the APNU+AFC has won the general elections with 33 seats to the 32 seats for the PPP/C.

Roman Catholic Bishop Francis Alleyne noting that Gecom’s preliminary results of the 2015 elections show a photo-finish with APNU+AFC emerging victorious, yesterday called for the declaration of results to be done speedily.

Guyana can learn more than a thing or two from the news that this year the government of   sister Caribbean Community (Caricom) state Jamaica allocated J$12.8 million to a Craft Enhancement and Business Planning Training Project, which has been set up to improve and strengthen the capacity and business acumen of the country’s producers through increased quantity and diversity of their product offerings to meet, indeed exceed, the demand of the country’s tourist industry.

West Indies Test batsman Assad Fudadin was yesterday named Captain of a strong Berbice 13-man team ahead of Saturday’s start of the 2015 Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) senior 4-Day inter-county tournament.

SAO PAULO, (Reuters) – Brazilian investigators believe 6.19 billion reais ($2.1 billion) in bribes were moved in a corruption scheme involving state-run oil firm Petroleo Brasileiro SA, prosecutor Deltan Dallagnol said yesterday.

Dear Editor, It is recommended that the ruling party graciously concede the elections.

CARACAS, (Reuters) – Venezuela’s powerful parliament head Diosdado Cabello has sought a travel ban on some media bosses he is suing for slander over reproducing a story from a Spanish newspaper accusing him of running a drug ring.

The vending row begins on Water Street just outside Bounty Supermarket, pushes west on the pavement towards Stabroek Market then forks sharply in the direction of Demico House.

The Commonwealth Observer Group yesterday welcomed the release of the preliminary results for all 10 districts in the national and regional elections.

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – West Indies off-spinner Ashley Nurse says he is looking to get back to his best for this year’s Caribbean Premier League and believes Barbados Tridents has what it takes to win the competition again.

Dear Editor, I had recused myself from the politics of Guyana for a while.

Dear Editor, Now that the coalition has won (by one seat), the PPP should behave like a mature party and do the honourable thing.

One of the Caribbean’s longest-serving politicians, former Barbados Deputy Prime Minister Mia Mottley has told a Carib-bean Export Development (Caribbean Export) business forum in Kingston, Jamaica that the region now needs a new “development vision to replace the now outdated ones that we have gone through over the past half a century.”

National skipper Leon Johnson will lead a 14-man Demerara team against Essequibo in the first round of the 2015 Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) Four-Day Inter-County tournament which bowls off on May 16 at the Wales Community Centre Ground.

CAMP DAVID, Md., (Reuters) – President Barack Obama vowed yesterday to back Gulf allies against any “external attack,” seeking to reassure them of Washington’s iron-clad commitment to their security amid Arab anxiety over U.S.-led

On May 13, Ivan Roberto Sierra -Medel was appointed the newest Mexican Ambassador to Caricom strengthening the ties first established in 1974.

Dear Editor, As never before in the last twenty-three years, the ruling PPP will take a back seat to the APNU+AFC coalition led by David Granger and Moses Nagamootoo.

Despite winning only two out of five games in the opening stages of the Trinidad and Tobago Outdoor Women’s League, Head-Coach of the GCC unit Phillip Fernandes said he is confident they can improve when the tourney continues on May 16th.

You get a sense from listening to Wilderness Explorers General Man-ager Tony Thorne that trying to run a viable business in Guyana’s tourism industry can be like rowing against a gale force storm.

CHICAGO, (Reuters) – Movie director Spike Lee, known for films that deal frankly with racial issues, appeared in Chicago yesterday to defend his planned movie about the city, after its reported title, “Chiraq,” was criticized by local politicians.

OTTAWA, (Reuters) – Canada’s left-leaning New Democratic Party (NDP), which stormed to victory in a provincial election in conservative Alberta this month, has vaulted ahead of Justin Trudeau’s Liberal Party in national support, a public opinion poll showed yesterday.

The Central Islamic Organisation of Guyana (CIOG) has extended congratulations to the Guyanese public for their orderly Election Day conduct.

Dear Editor, James Earl Carter, Jr, known as Jimmy Carter is the 39th President of the United States of America and he deserves a monument in Guyana to honour the invaluable role he has played over the last twenty-five years in ensuring the evenhanded and credible counting of votes for general and regional elections here.

APNU+AFC supporters jubilant

After having lived in Miami for approximately eight years, studied computer engineering and landed a job with Gateway Computers in Florida, Navin Hansraj decided that was not the direction in which he wanted his life to go.

CANNES, France (Reuters) – The 68th Cannes film festival unfurled its official poster featuring Ingrid Bergman on Monday, in a tribute to the Hollywood actress on what would have been her 100th birthday this year.

KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – Following on from his recent success in Tests, West Indies batsman Jermaine Blackwood is now looking to leave his stamp on the Caribbean Premier League when it bowls off next month.

By Jeff Trotman A young professional has charged Lindeners and the rest of Guyana to collectively utilize the resources of Linden to make it a model township of the twenty-first century and to build a better country for all Guyanese.

KHANNA/KAMARGAON, India, (Reuters) – Just one year after taking office, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is facing a challenge that could come to haunt him – the farm sector that sustains three-fifths of the population is in deep trouble, and he is being blamed for not doing enough.

CANNES, France, (Reuters) – “Mad Max: Fury Road” is a movie of singularities.

BUJUMBURA, (Reuters) – President Pierre Nkurunziza returned to Burundi yesterday, his office said, after the army chief declared that an attempted coup staged when the east African leader was abroad had failed.

Dear Editor, Why did Gecom delay the announcement of the election results?

(Trinidad Guardian) Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions Joan Honore-Paul on Wednesday night slammed Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar for her suggestion that she and her colleagues should be cleared in the Emailgate probe, saying the police were far from done with their investigations and the case was still wide open.

This APNU+AFC supporter holds ups a palm branch while celebrating APNU+AFC’s victory in Monday’s general elections. 

Guyana Squash Association (GSA) Treasurer Garfield Wiltshire said that he expects a very competitive tournament when the entity stages its Junior National Championships from May 27th-31st at the Georgetown Club facility on Camp Street.

(Reuters) – New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady yesterday formally appealed a four-game suspension for his role in “Deflategate” after his team, one of America’s most high-profile sports franchises, delivered a blistering rebuttal of an NFL investigation into the matter.

Pardon me, but dammit! I have a deadline to meet editorially which precludes me from awaiting even the significant, substantial preliminary results from Dr Surujbally’s GECOM, the authorized, Constitutional Election Commission.

Gold Prices for the three day period ending Thursday May 14, 2015  

GASCI (www.gasci.com/telephone Nº 223-6175/6) reports that session 615’s trading results showed consideration of $3,515,177 from 173,688 shares traded in 11 transactions as compared to session 614’s trading results, which showed consideration of $1,930,504 from 90,931 shares traded in 10 transactions.

Dear Editor, The first Test against Australia begins on June 3.

NEW YORK, (Reuters) – Julia Staab was known in 19th-century New Mexico as a successful businessman’s wife, but decades after her death she became famous in her own right when people talked about seeing her haunting her former home.

International tour operators visiting Guyana never fail to leave these shores without commenting on the underachievement of the country’s tourism sector.

BUENOS AIRES, (Reuters) – The Argentine government’s call for medical tests to evaluate a Supreme Court judge’s mental and physical health has placed the independence of the country’s judiciary under tight scrutiny for a second time this year.

Business Cartoons

BRASILIA, (Reuters) – A surprise boost to pension benefits approved in Congress late on Wednesday could cost Brazil dozens of billions of dollars in the years ahead, jeopardizing government efforts to rein in spending excesses that threaten the country’s fiscal health.

By Taurus – The Heckler  BLACKOUTS AND ELECTION RESULTSOh my dear!

Politikles

The country has spent the best part of this week waiting to exhale, with rising tensions and most of the citizenry fit to burst, not to mention the stress placed on children taking CXC papers (and their parents), and the general loss of productivity suffered by the nation.

Lockdown