Daily Archive: Thursday, August 20, 2015

The government today announced that a Commission of Inquiry will be held into the trafficking of persons in mining communities.

PPP/C parliamentarians  walked out of  Parliament this afternoon even as debate on the 2015 National Budget continued but returned shortly after.

ATLANTA, (Reuters) – Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter said today that his cancer has spread to his brain and he will start radiation treatment for it later in the day, adding that his fate was “in the hands of God.”

Government wants to install CCTV cameras on every city street as part of its plans to address the country’s escalating crime, Minister of Public Security Khemraj Ramjattan announced last evening, while informing that more resources would also be given to the police force.

Minister of Finance Winston Jordan yesterday announced that effective today fuel prices at the state-owned GUYOIL will be reduced.

Testifying before the Commission of Inquiry into the sugar industry, economist and chartered accountant Rawle Lucas says that the debt-laden Guyana Sugar Corporation should be phased out.

A pregnant woman died in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPH) yesterday, 10 days after she was rushed there from the New Amsterdam Hospital in an unconscious state.

Indigenous People’s Affairs Minister Sydney Allicock yesterday denied that the current government sacked the almost 2,000 Amerindian Community Support Officers (CSOs) that were previously engaged under the Youth Entrepreneurship and Apprenticeship Programme (YEAP) and said that the former PPP/C administration did not budget for the scheme beyond April this year.

The APNU+AFC government has lauded the service of retired Head of the Public Service Hydar Ally.

History was created yesterday as conglomerate ANSA McAl officially partnered with the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) Normalization Committee to stage the inaugural Elite League as the titular sponsor.

An Enmore resident has alleged that police placed a plastic bag over her nephew’s face and beat him up at the Mackenzie Police Station on Monday evening in trying to force him to confess to a murder that was committed at Kimbia,  Berbice River, earlier this year.

After declaring his intention to run for the FIFA presidential post earlier in the month, Trinidadian David Nakhid said here yesterday he is confident he can become the Head of FIFA when the entity stages its election in February of 2016.

President David Granger yesterday accredited the country’s first ever resident Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary from Chile to Guyana, Claudio Rachel Rojas at the Ministry of the Presidency.

The Women and Gender Equality Commission (WGEC) has called for more women in the elected leadership of the Indigenous Peoples.

A Travis Grant goal with only two seconds remaining propelled Sparta Boss to a 3-2 win over Alexander Village when the inaugural GT Beer Futsal Championship kicked off in exciting fashion on Tuesday at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall on Homestretch Avenue.

The U.S. Department of Justice and the Guyana Ministry of Public Security are working together to provide training to the Guyana Police Force Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) under the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative (CBSI) Police Integrity Program.

The inaugural RDE Vibes and Sparta Boss ‘King of the Streets’ Football Tournament will kick off today at the National Cultural Centre Tarmac on Mandela Avenue with eighth fixtures.

Saying that this year’s budget gives an unprecedented stimulus for the growth of the country’s tourism sector, Tourism Minister Cathy Hughes yesterday emphasised that the sector has the potential for job-creation, the improvement of the country’s image and to contribute significantly to its gross domestic product.

A thirty-seven-year-old man who resides at One Mile, Wismar, Linden says he was beaten by police at the Wismar Police Station on Tuesday night and threatened.

SEOUL, (Reuters) – FIFA presidential candidate Chung Mong-joon said yesterday that payments he made to Haiti and Pakistan in 2010 were “charitable donations” and any attempt to use them as part of a reported ethics investigation was “cynical and unethical”.

Region 10 is “breathing a breath of fresh air” with the end of the PPP/C’s rule, according to regional parliamentarian Jermaine Figueira, who on Tuesday accused the former government of stifling the region and mismanagement.

AMSTERDAM, (Reuters) – Judges will reopen a hearing into whether to take action against Kenya over allegations it obstructed investigations into its President Uhuru Kenyatta, after an appeals court ordered them yesterday to reconsider their rejection of the case.

PRETORIA, (Reuters) – A century from Hashim Amla laid the foundation for home success yesterday as South Africa beat New Zealand by 20 runs to win their opening one-day international at Centurion.

New Canadian High Commissioner to Guyana, Pierre Giroux lauded the Government’s commitment to holding local government elections by year end, a release from the Ministry of the Presidency said yesterday.

UNITED NATIONS, (Reuters) – The United States proposed yesterday implementing a United Nations arms embargo on South Sudan and further targeted sanctions from Sept.

The family of a retired Mackenzie Primary School teacher is seeking the public’s assistance to raise funds for her to undergo an emergency heart surgery.

JOHANNESBURG, (Reuters) – Oscar Pistorius will not be freed on parole tomorrow because the decision to do so was made without the right legal basis, South Africa’s justice minister said yesterday, shocking the athlete’s family as they prepared for his homecoming.

Guyana’s hopes of retaining their male title and clinching the overall team title got off to the worst possible start, losing all three of their fixtures when the Caribbean Squash Association Championships Team Tourney commenced yesterday in the Cayman Islands.

Police are not yet closer to finding the perpetrators in separate attacks on two Chinese businessmen, which ended with one being murdered and the other being shot.

BRASILIA, (Reuters) – Brazil’s Senate approved a bill to roll back payroll tax breaks yesterday that is a key measure in President Dilma Rousseff’s efforts to reduce a gaping fiscal deficit and restore confidence in her government’s accounts.

WASHINGTON, (Reuters) – The United States sanctioned 21 Mexican businesses and individuals on Wednesday, saying they were part of the business network of a powerful drug cartel in the country.

Two youths were remanded to prison yesterday after they were charged with stealing almost $500,000 in cash and other valuables from a patron who fell asleep at a concert.

Dear Editor,   Kindly permit me to offer a brief response to two recent letters written by Mr Leon Rockcliffe and Mr Christopher Ram, respectively, in which they sought to address the issue of the legality of the appointment of Ms Rosalie Robertson as the new Registrar of Lands (‘Government should urgently amend the Land Registry Act’ SN, August 15; ‘A Registrar of Lands has been appointed without any amendment to the Land Registry Act’ SN, August 16).

BEIJING, (Reuters) – Sebastian Coe was elected as the new head of international athletics yesterday and promised to stand by his campaign pledge to set up an independent anti-doping body for the embattled sport.

Local beverage giants Banks DIH Limited has launched its XM brand rum products on the United States of America (USA) market through distributors Royal Wine Inc.

(Reuters) – St. Louis police fatally shot a black teenager who they say pointed a gun at them yesterday and arrested three protesters, recalling racial tensions sparked by the killing of an unarmed African-American teen in nearby Ferguson, Missouri, a year ago.

Dear Editor,   I am most enthused by the renewed interest which is being placed on the issue of cyber security, and moreso, the recognition of the need for relevant mechanisms to tackle the growing cyber-threats in Guyana.

LONDON, (Reuters) – The holidays are over and Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton faces a new start as the second half of the season revs up at Belgium’s Spa-Francorchamps circuit this weekend.

A man was sentenced to six months in prison yesterday after admitting to stealing a chainsaw bar.

Dear Editor,   Please for some space to thank the organisers of the Festival of Flowers which was held at the Brickdam Cathedral on Monday 17th and Tuesday 18th August, 2015.

TORONTO, (Reuters) – Love lives and reputations may be at risk after the release of customer data from infidelity website Ashley Madison, an unprecedented breach of privacy likely to rattle users’ attitudes towards the Internet.

COLOMBO, (Reuters) – A recovering Murali Vijay is likely to open the innings for India in the second test against Sri Lanka beginning today as the beleaguered visitors chase a series-levelling victory.

LONDON, (Reuters) – England fast bowler James Anderson will not play in the final Ashes test against Australia at The Oval due to a side strain, captain Alastair Cook said yesterday.

Dear Editor,   Since the announcement on July 24 of Gayle`s intention to undergo surgery, a cricket fan would need to do major ‘research’ to find out what has happened to him medically.

OSLO, (Reuters) – Many of the world’s plants are turning “alien”, spread by people into new areas where they choke out native vegetation in a worsening trend that causes billions of dollars in damage, scientists said on Wednesday.

Although she was allegedly found with some of the over $1 million in items stolen from the pushcart of a street vendor, one of the three accused denied committing the crime yesterday.

The Government Analyst – Food and Drug Department (GA-FDD) seized a quantity of unregistered, improperly labelled and expired drugs during a recent enforcement exercise conducted in Region Four.

Dear Editor,   Like so many viewers and listeners one could not help but empathise with the thrust of the budget presentation for 2015 by the newly christened Minister of Finance, Mr Winston Jordan.

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, CMC- Former International Cricket Council (ICC) President Ehsan Mani has accused Pakistan of manipulating an upcoming tri-series to safeguard their qualification for the 2017 Champions Trophy.

ORLANDO, Fla., (Reuters) – Florida treasure hunters found a trove of $4.5 million worth of Spanish gold coins 300 years to the day after a fleet of ships sunk in a hurricane while en route from Havana to Spain, the salvage owner said Wednesday.

Truck on fire: This container truck caught afire yesterday next to the Providence Police Station, East Bank.

Four months after Teleperformance anticipated its grand opening to the Guyanese public, the company is not saying when the local branch of the international call centre will actually be fully up and running.

Dear Editor, I am responding to Mr F Hamley Case’s letter of August 18 on President Cheddi Jagan and the Unamco story in response to one of my columns.

MEXICO CITY, (Reuters) – Mexico’s government yesterday slammed U.S. presidential hopeful Donald Trump’s proposals to deport undocumented immigrants en masse and make Mexicans pay for a wall separating the two countries as absurd, racist and ignorant.

BEIJING, (Reuters) – Usain Bolt returns to the site of his first global triumph this week for a world championships showdown with a convicted dope cheat that has ramifications for athletics beyond just establishing who is the fastest man in the world.

LONDON, (Reuters) – After 63 years on the throne, Queen Elizabeth next month becomes Britain’s longest-ruling monarch but there is little prospect of her stepping aside, as other ageing European crowned heads have done, in favour of her son, Charles.

Dear Editor,   Further to a commentary I penned (SN, Aug 9) comparing aspects of politics in Sri Lanka and Guyana, the former Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapaksa has failed in his attempt to make a political comeback.

Please navigate well! This container truck slipped off the road while making the turn on Lombard Street yesterday.

LONDON, (Reuters) – Australia captain Michael Clarke was in reflective mood on the eve of his final test match against England at The Oval as he plotted a consolation victory to finish the series on a high.

(Trinidad Guardian) Some 200 workers were left on the breadline yesterday after a fire destroyed the popular Hearty Foods Supermarket at the corner of Sorzano and Pro Queen Streets, Arima.

Pretty weighty: Three containers have been positioned on the embankment along the seawall on  Clive Lloyd Drive just opposite the Celina Atlantic Resort.

JAISALMER, India, (Reuters) – Two-and-a-half years after the completion of a new $17 million terminal building, the airport in Jaisalmer, a small and remote desert city in India’s western Rajasthan state, stands empty.

ST.JOHN’S, Antigua, CMC- Antigua will host the third edition of the Caribbean Awards for Sports Icons (CASI), on September 26, organisers have announced.

Dear Editor,   All the daily papers publish on a regular basis reports of political events, and explanations accompany these articles seeking to justify the claims made.

Politikles

Cartoons

Along with the ugly concrete high rises that have gone up around the city in the past few years, the ones that have been touted as signs of development by the new opposition, then in government, there has been a noticeable rise in the number of city beggars.