Daily Archive: Friday, May 22, 2015

Nine more ministers of the APNU/AFC Administration were sworn in today at the Office of the President (to be renamed Ministry of the Presidency) by President David Arthur Granger, GINA reported.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has congratulated David Granger on his election as President of Guyana following the May 11th general election.

The newly appointed Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Basil Williams (centre) formally met with the staff of his Ministry today in the conference room of the Ministry’s Carmichael Street office.

CANNES, France, (Reuters) – Michael Caine, the British actor sometimes lampooned for playing versions of himself in his six-decade career, says he is unrecognisable in his latest role as a retired orchestra conductor.

Kendell Skeete, 34 years, of Goed Fortuin, WBD, who had been charged and for whom an Arrest Warrant had been issued by the court during 2008, was arrested by police ranks in Georgetown yesterday, acting on information received from a member of the public, the police say.

A Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) study says that youth unemployment in Guyana is hovering around 40%.

At about 0200h. today, the police say that a Rural Constable intervened after he observed a woman on Louisa Row, Georgetown, shouting for “thief” and running behind two men who had a television set in their possession.

The police say that investigations are being conducted into the murder of Lloyda Thomas, 20 years, of Sunflower Clove, South Ruimveldt, Georgetown, which occurred at about 2230h.

(Trinidad Express) Integrity Commission deputy chairman Justice Sebastian Ventour yesterday tendered his resignation saying he was “flabbergasted” with the Commission’s decision to terminate its investigation into Emailgate.

The new government is looking to increase public servants’ salaries by 10% in keeping with the APNU+AFC promise in its elections manifesto, ac-cording to newly-appointed Finance Minister Winston Jordan, who says the administration also has to work on tempering expectations.

Former Police Constable Terrence Wallace yesterday walked out the Supreme Court a free man, after being found not guilty of the murder of 17-year-old Shaquille Grant.

Only Guyana’s Ambas-sador to Suriname, Keith George and the Permanent Representative to the United Nations, George Talbot will be retained by the APNU+AFC administration and new envoys are to be appointed to the US, UK and Canada among other places.

Former president Donald Ramotar and other People’s Progressive Party (PPP) members and supporters yesterday hit the streets to protest the recent general elections results and to press for the resignation of Guyana Elections Commission (Gecom) Chairman Dr Steve Surujbally.

WASHINGTON, (Reuters) – A Guyanese man charged in the deaths of a wealthy Washington businessman, his wife, son and housekeeper was arraigned today and ordered held without bond.

The Guyana Sugar Corporation has missed its first crop production target of 86,201 tonnes of sugar, ending the harvest with approximately 83,000 tonnes even after the corporation extended the crop by two weeks.

The opposition PPP yesterday accused the new APNU+AFC government of nepotism citing the appointment as a minister of Dominic Gaskin, the son-in-law of President David Granger.

Businessman Dereck Jaisingh, charged with the attempted murder of two men who he allegedly shot last year, was committed to stand trial at the High Court yesterday.

After making an informal request to the PPP to partner with the new government for national unity, President David Granger said a formal request will be dispatched soon.

The United States says it looks forward to working with new president David Granger and the APNU+AFC administration.

Newly-appointed Minister of Tourism Cathy Hughes is focusing on implementing a new international marketing plan to better boost tourism in Guyana.

The Indian Arrival Committee (IAC) has provided monetary support to two families in Sophia who suffered the loss of property on Election Day.

An East Coast Demerara man was yesterday sent to jail for six months after he admitted to stealing from a Georgetown store.

A woman was yesterday nabbed at the Ogle International Airport as she attempted to smuggle over a kilogramme of cocaine that was strapped to her body out of Guyana.

Courts Guyana Inc. donated a fridge and a stove yesterday to domestic abuse survivor Tamika Miller, who had lost her previous home to a fire.

Twenty staff members of the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) recently completed a two-day training programme on the requirements of the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) 9001 Quality Management Systems (QMS) and its implementation.

After denying a charge of break and enter and larceny, accused Winford Tinnie got himself remanded to prison by attempting to deceive a city court about his address.

The European Union (EU) has allocated €10 million to fund 14 projects to aid the Caribbean region in its disaster preparedness under the European Commission’s Humanit-arian Aid and Civil Protection Department (ECHO).

The Ministry of Sport has been merged with the Ministry of Education which will be headed by Dr.

After pleading guilty and being sentenced to six months in prison for simple larceny, Damion James yesterday thanked the magistrate for being fair.

Following the deadline of May 11th for clubs applying directly to the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) for the CONCACAF Elite Club Licensing, the Georgetown Football Association (GFA) reportedly leads the list of national aspirants with seven submissions.

The Guyana Prize for Literature Management Committee has said that judging is progressing for the two prizes scheduled to be awarded this year and the shortlisted candidates would be announced in late July.

Dear Editor, The 2015 General and Regional Elections in Guyana have come and gone.

Chief Executive Officer of the local IT Company Brain Street Lance Hinds says the new government should undertake a cost/benefit analysis of the damaged e-governance cable, “to determine whether it should be maintained as against whether it should be scrapped and consideration given to purchasing bandwidth from commercial providers at concessional prices.”

Beneficiaries of the grant component of the Norway-funded Guyana Redd+ Investment Fund (GRIF) for Micro and Small Enterprise Development (MSED) being executed by the state-run Small Business Bureau have (SBB) received grants totalling almost US$100,000 to finance small and micro enterprise initiatives in more than 10 sectors, the Stabroek Business has been informed.

The merger of the Ministries of Education and Sport have been met with mixed reviews by heads of sporting associations.

Following a firsthand look at what obtains at the Public Service Training Centre and courses offered, President David Granger yesterday said that works will commence soon for the much needed upgrade.

Dear Editor, One can understand that Mr Basil Williams, an attorney, is appointed Attorney General or that Dr Rupert Roopnaraine, an educator, is appointed as the new Minister of Education.

RANCHI, India, IANS/CMC – Today’s all important qualifier between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Chennai Super Kings will bring together three West Indies Twenty20 heavyweights wrangling for a place in Sunday’s final of the cash-rich Indian Premier League.

Dear Editor, I am encouraged that President Granger has a code of conduct that the ministers of his cabinet would be required to respect.

The presence of President David Granger out and about last Sunday morning, taking a look at work being undertaken to unblock clogged drains in the city and to restore the once impressive Independence Arch in Brickdam served to send a signal of his interest in restoring a sense of physical order in the country’s capital and repairing our historic sites and monuments.

The Caricom Secretariat has extended condolences to the Government and people of Guyana following the mining disaster in Konawaruk, Region Eight on Sunday that claimed the lives of at least 10 miners.

Dear Editor,   The members of Cuffy 250 congratulate APNU+AFC on winning the confidence and vote of the majority of the Guyanese people in the May 11 elections.

The Government of Mexico has extended congratulations to the Eighth President of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, David Granger on his recent success at the May 11 polls and pledges continued friendship with the nation.

BRISTOL, England, CMC – Former West Indies vice-captain Brendan Nash got yet another start but failed to convert but Kent still marched to a comprehensive eight-wicket victory over Gloucestershire in the English County Championship here yesterday.

KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – West Indies Cricket Board president, Dave Cameron, says he wants to ensure veteran left-hander Shiv Chanderpaul gets a fitting send-off when his career finally ends.

LONDON, (Reuters) – Ben Stokes provided the gloss and Joe Root the glue as England recovered from a terrible start to reach 354 for seven at the close on the opening day of the first test against New Zealand at Lord’s yesterday.

Dear Editor, I feel constrained to write about Guyana Water Inc (GWI), and the Department of Culture due to many decades of association as a worker/pensioner of the GWI, and a similar lengthy association with Culture as a long standing management committee member of the Woodside Choir and the Guyana Musical Arts Festival Inc.

By John Seeram This article is being published by the Stabroek Business as a service to the Guyana Chapter of the Institute of International Auditors to mark Audit Awareness Month, May 2015 The Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA) Global has declared the month of May, Audit Awareness Month.

Dear Editor, Many years ago when Mr Jagdeo took office as President of Guyana I suggested via the print media that Mr Jagdeo go calling at the home of Mr Hoyte and ask that Mr Hoyte join him in walking across Guyana together and telling the nation that while their approaches may be different their common intent was the good of this nation.

This article was received from Project Syndicate, an international not-for-profit association of newspapers dedicated to hosting a global debate on the key issues shaping our world Niall Ferguson is Professor of History at Stanford and a senior fellow of the Hoover Institution.

MONACO, (Reuters) – Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton was fastest but teenage rookie Max Verstappen stood out with an eye-catching practice performance on a rainy Thursday at the Monaco Grand Prix.

Dear Editor, Since April 2, 2015, the northern carriage of a bridge at Liliendaal on the Railway Embankment was blocked off to vehicular traffic.

KINGSTON, Jamaica (JIS/Jamaica Observer) – The Ministry of Agriculture is projecting that Jamaica’s beekeeping industry will generate an estimated $1 billion in earnings from honey production in 2015.

WASHINGTON, (Reuters) – Talks between the United States and Cuba will go into a second day today as the sides try to reach agreement on reopening embassies shut for more than half a century, the crucial next step in their historic detente.

LONDON, (Reuters) – Raheem Sterling’s agent has fuelled the fire surrounding the player’s contract standoff with Liverpool by saying the England winger would not sign a new deal at Anfield – even for 900,000 pounds ($1.41 million) a week.

Dear Editor, The Sanatan Vaidic Dharma Pandits’ Sabha, Region 3, takes this opportunity to congratulate the APNU+AFC Coalition on its historic victory at the May 11 election.

President of the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) Lance Hinds says he wants to see “an adjusted relationship” between government and the private sector that focuses “much more closely” on the specific roles of the two in the task of building the country in the period ahead.

(Reuters) – Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Shaharyar Khan hopes that Zimbabwe’s tour of the country will be a proving ground for others and has called on their Asian rivals to lead the way.

BEIRUT, (Reuters) – Islamic State fighters tightened their grip on the historic Syrian city of Palmyra yesterday and overran Iraqi government defences east of Ramadi, the provincial capital that they seized five days earlier.

GUATEMALA CITY, (Reuters) – Guatemala’s President Otto Perez announced a major cabinet reshuffle yesterday, firing several ministers after corruption scandals battered his government, fueling calls for him to step down.

Vendors trading in the area of the Stabroek Market Wharf, a section of the roof of which collapsed last September bringing an abrupt and protracted halt to their activities can anticipate the commencement of work by the municipality in conjunction with the Ministry of Works in the near future, Deputy Mayor Patricia Chase-Green told Stabroek Business in a telephone interview on Monday.

Dear Editor,   Professor Gordon Rohlehr shaped hundreds of Caribbean teachers to appreciate the value of English Literature and expected a more prominent place for the subject in the school curriculum.

LONDON, (Reuters) – Unless the world of soccer shifts on its axis at the end of this month, Sepp Blatter will be re-elected as FIFA president for a fifth term at the annual congress of world soccer’s governing body in Zurich.

(Daily Express Trinidad) – The Trinidad and Tobago Manufacturers’ Associa-tion has told Government that it wants no more incentives and all it is interested in is the State doing its job.

SANTIAGO, (Reuters) – Chilean President Michelle Bachelet acknowledged her government had endured a difficult few months and sought in her annual State of the Union address yesterday to regain the political initiative by outlining the details of a raft of new bills.

(Reuters) – A grand jury has brought charges against six Baltimore police officers in the death of a black man who suffered fatal neck injuries while in police custody, a case that touched off angry protests and a day of looting and arson in the Maryland city.

Dear Editor, Leading up to the elections, the coalition made much ado about stamping out corruption if elected to government.

(Reuters) – If you ask Barcelona and Spain fans about their most cherished footballing memories over the past decade the chances are they will involve an exquisite intervention from midfield maestro Xavi.

PARIS, (Reuters) – Maria Sharapova has hit form at the perfect moment as she eyes a defence of her French Open crown but old nemesis Serena Williams is lurking in the Parisian shadows.

Dear Editor, UN Resident Coordinator Khadija Musa was evasive enough in her response regarding the statements she made to Kaieteur News (May 15) for me to ask for further clarifications.

NGOZI, Burundi, (Reuters) – In the Burundian president’s rural stronghold, his party’s youth wing dismisses the fears of those who have fled the east African nation that it is gathering arms and sharpening knives for a new bout of ethnic bloodletting.

The past president of the Guyana Arts and Craft Producers Association (GACPA) Nicholas Young believes that the two-week workshop on mould design and manufacturing from May 25- June 15, being executed by the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) in collaboration with the Caribbean Technological Consultancy Services Network (CTCSN) and the GACPA could well signal an important turning point in the history of what he believes is an important sub-sector in the art and craft sector.

FRANKFURT (Reuters) – Traffic jams in the future could cause potentially dangerous data snarl-ups as cars packed with entertainment, safety and navigation features vie for airwaves with smartphones, tablets and networked features in other vehicles, according to a study.

TEGUCIGALPA, (Reuters) – Fabio Lobo, son of former Honduras president Porfirio Lobo, was arrested in an anti-drug operation in Haiti, with the help of the U.S.

KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – Former World 100 metres champion, Yohan Blake, is back to full fitness but says he will not be rushing his comeback to international competition.

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC – Highly-rated Trinidadian club W Connection will launch their bid for their fourth Caribbean Football Union Club Championship title when they do battle in the semi-finals of the tournament starting here today.

Dear Editor, The PPP regime totally controlled the state press (Guyana Chronicle, which became the Mirror newspaper for the PPP) and state TV, since it came to office in 1992.

(Reuters) Canadian e-commerce software maker Shopify Inc’s (SHOP.N) (SH.TO) shares rose as much as 69 per cent in their US debut, valuing the company at about $2.14 billion.

DALLAS, (Reuters) – Boy Scouts of America President Robert Gates said yesterday the group’s ban on adult gay leaders needs to end, taking a step toward dismantling a policy that has caused deep rifts in the 105-year-old organization.

Dear Editor, My late friend Lionel Peters must be smiling in heaven that our comrade in political struggle Moses Nagamootoo has been sworn in as Prime Minister of Guyana.

(Reuters) – Most Valuable Player Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James headlined the list of players selected for the All-NBA team, the league said yesterday.

PARIS, (Reuters) – For the first time in nearly a decade Rafa Nadal, the undisputed king of clay, will walk into Roland Garros this weekend facing legitimate claims to his French Open crown.

Healthy food, exercise, regular check-ups, rest, not smoking or overindulging with alcohol – ask most people the keys to good health and these will be their answers.

GASCI (www.gasci.com/telephone Nº 223-6175/6) reports that session 616’s trading results showed consideration of $537,274 from 6,376 shares traded in 5 transactions as compared to session 615’s trading results, which showed consideration of $3,515,177 from 173,688 shares traded in 11 transactions.

Former Minister in the Ministry of Finance Juan Edghill (left), former Attorney General Anil Nandlall (centre) and former president Donald Ramotar holding up placards yesterday in front of the Guyana Elections Commission to push for a recount of the recent elections results.

ROME, (Reuters) – Alberto Contador extended his overall lead in the Giro d’Italia while Philippe Gilbert snatched a last-gasp stage win in a rain-soaked 12th stage yesterday.

This man-in-the-street, 23-year-old column welcomes the Presidency of David Granger, as well as his brand-new administration which should be unfolding, personnel-wise, as you read this.

Dear Editor, I join in congratulating President David Arthur Granger. The just concluded general and regional elections have produced a win-win for all Guyanese with our political leaders outlining a course of development which would not have the winner take all, but which will give impetus to our national motto.

As the dust settles following the May 11 elections and their tension-filled aftermath, a few ironic comparisons with 1992 have not gone unnoticed.

Kitco is a Canadian company that buys and sells precious metals such as gold, copper and silver.

MONACO, (Reuters) – Formula One world champions have backed a proposed return to refuelling in 2017 if it makes cars faster and races more exciting.