Daily Archive: Thursday, July 2, 2015

PPP member Desmond Morian has moved to the court seeking to bar APNU+AFC members Winston Felix and Keith Scott sitting in the National Assembly unless their names are extracted from their coalition’s list.

Minister of Social Protection, Volda Lawrence on Wednesday visited several post offices in Region Three in order to have a firsthand view of the working conditions of the employees and to interact with pensioners, GINA said.

For Kevon Fredericks of Region Two, his five years of obtaining secondary education through the Hinterland Scholarship Programme was a life changing experience, since he was given the opportunity to write as many subjects as he wanted at the Caribbean Secondary Examinations Council (CSEC), without any financial burden on his parents.

Man held by cops At about 1300h. today, the police say that Sharon Baldeo of Diamond Housing Scheme, EBD, was in a mini-bus that stopped at Eccles, EBD, to allow a male passenger to exit.

President David Granger last evening told a gathering at the home of Guyana’s Consul-General in Barbados, Michael Brotherson that if national independence and regional integration are upheld, Guyana can overcome the territorial issue with neighbouring Venezuela.

ZURICH, (Reuters) – The United States asked Switzerland to extradite seven FIFA officials arrested in an investigation into a global bribery scandal at soccer’s governing body, the Swiss Federal Office of Justice (FOJ) said today.

Amid signs that Venezuela is trying to limit condemnation from Caricom on its May maritime decree that targeted huge swathes of Guyana’s Atlantic waters, President David Granger and Foreign Minister Carl Greenidge yesterday ramped up pressure on the regional body to take a strong stance while pointing out the threat to the wider community.

Registrar of Lands Juliet Sattaur was yesterday sent on leave to facilitate an investigation into the operation of the registry and “certain financial matters,” Minister of State Joseph Harmon has revealed.

A Bartica businessman was yesterday charged with misappropriating $120 million given to him to purchase gold when he appeared in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.

An excavator operator has been remanded to prison after being charged with the murder of Hardat Kissoon, who was shot once to his chest and robbed of a bag containing money on June 1 while he was in a minibus heading home.

Government by the end of yesterday was to make a final decision on the board of Atlantic Hotel Inc (AHI), the special purpose company for the controversial Marriott Hotel, Minister of State Joseph Harmon announced yesterday even as he made it plain that Winston Brassington will be removed as its Chairman.

As the new government continues its attempts to ascertain the state of the various ministries they have inherited, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has dispatched a team to assess the accounts and administration of the Guyana High Commission in India.

Cabinet on Tuesday approved US$100,000 ($20 million) in emergency funding to the Iwokrama Rainforest Centre to cover expenses such as paying staff of the cash-strapped forest reserve facility as international funding has dwindled over the years.

After meeting for the first time yesterday at the Agriculture Ministry, four members of the Commis-sion of Inquiry (COI) into the sugar industry will make their first visit to the crisis-ridden Skeldon factory today.

As government continues to put measures in place to get its State Assets Recovery Unit (SARU) up and running, Guyana will be sending a representative to Rome, Italy for an 11-day training programme dealing specifically with this issue, Minister of State Joseph Harmon said yesterday.

Five persons have been identified as having fraudulently accessed fuel from the Guyana Oil Company (GuyOil) through an arrangement set up by the former administration and Minister of State Joseph Harmon said they would be asked to pay for the fuel even as investigations continue into the racket which has ensnared three government ministries.

Three men were set free and placed on a bond after the charge of stealing $1.3 million in items was dismissed against them.

A labourer was placed on $75,000 bail yesterday when he appeared before Magistrate Ann McLennan charged with break and enter and larceny of a stall in La Penitence Market, Albouystown.

The prosecution will make closing arguments today when the trial of two men accused of killing Colleen Forrester and stuffing her body in a septic tank continues.

The national men’s 7s rugby team departed yesterday for Toronto, Canada ahead of the two-day rugby segment of the Pan American Championship which kicks off on July 10.

Time ran out for a man yesterday when he was charged with stealing two clocks from the Ministry of Public Health and subsequently placed on bail.

Caught with cannabis is his pocket, a bus conductor was yesterday fined and ordered to perform community service at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.

New Campbellville Secondary got their campaign off to the perfect start, humbling Sophia Training Centre 6-1 when the 5th edition of the Digicel Secondary Schools Football Championship continued yesterday at the Tucville ground.

The Guyana Football Federation (GFF) during a simple presentation ceremony yesterday handed over 100 footballs to the Ministry of Indigenous People’s Affairs for distribution among hinterland villages for the upcoming Hinterland Games in August.

Minister of State Joseph Harmon said yesterday that the work of the National Assembly will continue into the scheduled recess period as there is much to be completed, particularly the presenting of the national budget.

The three suspects who were taken into custody in connection with the murder of Port Mourant businessman Rampersaud Shivcharan have been released on station bail.

The Georgetown Amateur Basketball Association (GABA) officially presented their prizes for the recently concluded ‘King of the Hard Court’ Open and U-23 Championship yesterday at a ceremony held at the Starr Computers Conference Room.

Anthony D’Andrade will lead a strong Bermine/Police Combined team in Sunday’s Berbice Cricket Board (BCB) `Caricom Championship 2015’ 10 overs-a-aside fundraiser be played at the Albion Sports Complex ground.

The damaged Sussex Street koker which had caused parts of Albouystown to be flooded last week, will cost the Government $3M to repair.

LONDON, (Reuters) – With everyone “feeling hot, hot, hot” at the All England Club yesterday it was little wonder that Novak Djokovic, Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams were eager to escape the Wimbledon furnace as quickly as possible.

LONDON, (Reuters) – Britain’s double Olympic champion Mo Farah said Tuesday he was “100 per cent clean” and would leave his long-time coach Alberto Salazar if it was proved the American was guilty of violating any doping rules.

A last minute penalty by Philippe Marignan helped St Joseph’s High School secure an emphatic come-from-behind victory over Bishops’ High School yesterday in the Digicel School Championships.

Education Minister Dr Rupert Roopnaraine has already initiated a countrywide audit of schools and commission of inquiry (COI) into education which he believes are critical to the implementation of evidence-based national policies to reform the education system.

Dear Editor, The Former Presidents (Benefits and Other Facilities) Bill 2015 will not apply to former presidents nor the current president.

Dear Editor, The television newscasts of June 30th, 2015 included an item on a protest and picketing exercise outside the Ministry of Public Security, involving several minibus operators who felt they were being unfairly targeted by the police, some with sheaves of “summonses”, with at least one operator receiving over thirty in a single day.

LONDON, (Reuters) – Leg-spinner Adil Rashid and fast bowler Steven Finn were included in England’s 13-man squad yesterday for next week’s first Ashes test against Australia.

KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – West Indies Players Association boss, Wavell Hinds, believes there needs to be greater communication among they key stakeholders in West Indies cricket, and says a harmonious relationship with the West Indies Cricket Board is key to the success of the game in the region.

HAVANA/WASHINGTON, (Reuters) – The United States and Cuba formally agreed yesterday to restore diplomatic relations on July 20, setting up a trip to Havana by John Kerry, who would become the first U.S.

Dear Editor, Much is being said in the news about the apparent breaches to the APNU-AFC Cummingsburg Accord.

BASSETERRE, St Kitts, CMC – Batting legend Brian Lara and outstanding former Manchester United striker Dwight Yorke, will highlight the Caribbean Premier League charity match at Warner here today.

Dear Editor, After reviewing the meeting with Minister of Governance Raphael Trotman and his activities in Kwakwani on June 27 and 28, I am satisfied that there will be genuine efforts to resolve the many problems that are affecting my community.

WASHINGTON, (Reuters) – The United States and Venezuela have embarked on their most extensive dialogue in years in an attempt to improve their acrimonious relations, according to a senior U.S.

Dear Editor,   After over twenty years of neglect, our young people need to be given attention and guidance in securing a bright future for themselves so they can make a meaningful contribution to our country.

MONTREAL, (Reuters) – The United States reached the final of the women’s soccer World Cup for the second time in a row on Tuesday, taking advantage of a dubious penalty to beat top-ranked Germany 2-0 in a hugely enjoyable game.

Dear Editor,   Some time back one of our dailies to my bewilderment had virtually stopped printing my letters for almost a year.

BERLIN, (Reuters) – Sepp Blatter, president of the world soccer governing body FIFA that is embroiled in corruption investigations, has told a German magazine he has a clean conscience and believes he will “go to heaven one day”.

(Jamaica Observer) Digicel Group’s mobile subscriber base and total revenues remained flat amid posting a US$157.6 million (J$18.2 b) net loss for its March 2015 year end, documents indicate.

(BBC) Mitchell Marsh further pushed his claim for a place in the Australia Test side with a century on the first day of their final Ashes warm-up at Essex.

Dear Editor, Ever since the new APNU+AFC took over from the corrupt PPP/C regime, announcements are being made almost on a daily basis of the large number of massive frauds, embezzlement, corruption and wrongdoings.

Dear Editor, I applaud Junior Minister for Social Protection Simona Broomes for her avowed commitment to address the scourge of rape.

MELBOURNE, (Reuters) – Australia paceman Mitchell Starc has expressed concerns about the pink ball to be used in the first day-night test, saying it behaved “very differently” to the usual red ball and crowds might not even be able to see it.

This fortnightly column by the Guyana Bar Association aims to inform, to share, and to engage the public on legal issues.

ISMAILIA, Egypt/CAIRO (Reuters) – Egypt’s army said yesterday more than 100 militants and 17 soldiers were killed after simultaneous assaults on military checkpoints in North Sinai, in the deadliest fighting in years in the restive province.

Dear Editor, The justice system is the mechanism that upholds the rule of law.

WELLINGTON, (Reuters) – Rookie all-rounder Mitchell Santner and veteran Grant Elliott have been rewarded for their recent strong performances by being included in New Zealand’s list of centrally contracted players yesterday.

ATHENS/BRUSSELS, (Reuters) – A defiant Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras urged Greeks yesterday to reject an international bailout deal, wrecking any prospect of repairing broken relations with European Union partners before a referendum on Sunday that may decide Greece’s future in Europe.

MUMBAI, (Reuters) – Ajinkya Rahane admits he was stunned to be named India captain for their upcoming Zimbabwe series, after being dropped just a week earlier, and while he plans to draw inspiration from past skippers he also wants to make his own mark on the team.

The prize winners of the Guyana Squash Association’s (GSA)  2015 national championships pose for a photo op at the Digicel–sponsored presentation.

In a letter in the June 30, 2015 edition of Stabroek News headlined `Flooding in the Mahaicony area is due to the siltation of the Abary River’ by Malcolm Alli, the loan figure for the Abary project was incorrectly printed by SN as US$20M.

Cuba marked its place in history on Tuesday when the World Health Organisation (WHO) was able to validate that it had eliminated mother-to-child transmission of not just the Human Immuno-deficiency Virus (HIV), but also syphilis, both of which are sexually transmitted infections that are also vertically transmitted from mother to foetus and can have debilitating effects on babies.

Nassau, Bahamas/Beijing (Reuters) – China’s push to extend its influence in the Western Hemisphere has hit an embarrassing setback at an unfinished, $3.5 billion resort and casino project in the Bahamas.

(Trinidad Express) Twelve-year-old Guy­anese national Debra Amata is the top 2015 Secondary Entrance Assessment (SEA) pupil in Tobago.