Daily Archive: Friday, August 28, 2015

President David Granger today received an artistic representation of his image sketched by , Jѐsusa Lee.

The Indian High Commissioner to Guyana, Venkatachalam Mahalingam, today paid a courtesy call on Minister of Governance, with responsibility for Natural Resources and the Environment, Raphael Trotman, a release from GINA said.

City Hall says it has taken action against popular restaurant New Thriving over its use of the parapet and other companies have been written to.

  Deoram Sookchand was today charged with murdering his wife, Pamela Kendall, whom he had claimed was killed by an intruder at their Number 45 Village, Corentyne home last week.

A total of 28 new Project Trust volunteers have arrived in Guyana, ahead of the start of the new academic term, to take up teaching posts in fourteen hinterland communities, a release from the UK High Commission said today.

The Ministry of Education today notified parents and guardians of the St.

Ian Pinard, the Minister of Public Works and Ports in Dominica, has told CBS News that there are at least 20 dead, and more are missing, due to tropical storm Erika which hammered the Caribbean island Wednesday and yesterday.

NEW DELHI, (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – International charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) is taking legal action against the producers of a new Bollywood film, saying its misrepresentation of the medical group could put its aid workers deployed in conflict zones at risk.

(Trinidad Guardian) An apparent mix-up and/or misunderstanding between Concacaf and the Central Football Club (CFC) caused the regional governing body for football to deposit some US$39,000 into the personal US account of Sport Minister Brent Sancho.

There is evidence of a large-scale network involving several locally-registered mining companies in the smuggling of gold out through the country’s major ports, according to the head of the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) Assistant Superintendent Sydney James.

President David Granger has full confidence that the government’s gun amnesty, which is to begin next month, will be successful and he also expects that the police force will be able to reduce the crime rate by the end of the year.

BEIJING, China, CMC – Usain Bolt added to his gold medal tally with a dominant performance at the IAAF World Championships 200 metres final yesterday, beating rival American Justin Gatlin into second place.

NEW YORK, (Reuters) – A former high-ranking soccer official charged with soliciting bribes, including $500,000 that allegedly went to build a swimming pool at his house, wants to stay in that house near Atlanta while he awaits trial, his lawyer said yesterday.

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo has criticised Minister of Finance Winston Jordan for refusing to account for a total of $8.8B that was channelled to GuySuCo and the Guyana Rice Develop-ment Board (GRDB).

(Reuters) – Former National Basketball Association star Darryl Dawkins, known as “Chocolate Thunder” for his powerful dunks and flamboyant personality, died yesterday of a heart attack, his family said.

The Ministry of Social Protection yesterday open-ed a two-day National Conference on Gender and Development as part of a consultative process for the drafting of a national policy.

An incapacitated Warren McKenzie arrived at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts yesterday on a hospital stretcher to be charged in connection with the brazen home invasion of land court judge Nicole Pierre and her husband, Mohamed Chand.

West Demerara club Foxy Ladies Football Club will stage its third annual Football Championship today at the Tucville ground with four fixtures.

Tajoe’s Entertainment’s inaugural Stag Beer King of the Turf Knockout Street Football Tournament will commence today at the Pouderoyen Tarmac in the West Demerara region with eighth fixtures.

Government has allocated $3B to the Linden Electricity Company Incorporated (LECI) and residential customers of the mining town will be paying $5 per Kilowatt-hour (kWh) and businesses $12 per kWh.

A total of $11.8 billion has been allotted for the security sector this year.

Overseas-based Guyanese and sports enthusiast Lloyd Lashley donated a quantity of football equipment and school supplies to Enterprise Primary yesterday at a simple presentation ceremony held at the school’s D’urban Backlands locale.

President David Granger yesterday announced that the government may be open to offering tax rebates to companies that provide day care services to their workers.

Quick action by the Guyana Fire Service and a Guyana Power and Light Inc (GPL) emergency crew yesterday averted what could have been a serious fire when an electrical pole caught on fire along Charlotte Street, near the High Court compound.

Festival City, Agricola and Queen Street Tigerbay were amongst the victors on day three when the inaugural RDE Vibes and Sparta Boss ‘King of the Streets’ Football Tourney continued on Wednesday at the Sparta Tarmac in East La Penitence.

The People’s Progressive Party yesterday condemned the APNU+AFC Coalition government’s 2015 budget for its “extravagance,” but explained that it was never its intention to cut the budget as this was in the party’s view illegal for the opposition to do.

With more than 80,000 items in stock, Giftland’s Chief Executive Officer Roy Beepat asserts that the imposing Pattensen Complex is by far the largest retailer in Guyana as if to deliberately underscore the magnitude of the achievement.

A bystander was shot on Wednesday evening when armed bandits invaded the Popeyes restaurant on Vlissengen Road and held up employees before escaping with over $200,000.

A post-match scuffle marred Georgetown unit Colts’ 64-57 semi-final win over Linden unit Victory Valley Royals when the GABF Forbes Burnham Memorial Championship continued on Wednesday at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall.

A disorderly behaviour complaint against a Rupununi farmer has landed him in jail for three years after police ended up finding him with marijuana.

From as early as last Monday there had been clear indications that the week that has come and almost gone with lightning speed would witness a frantic last-minute rush by parents to kit out their children for the new academic year.

Former Guyana off-spinner Garvin Nedd is on a mission to help the country’s young, upcoming slow bowlers to improve their trade and to technically correct their skills as he embarks on a journey to rescue the art of off-spin bowling.

Retail trading this past week has been dominated by spending on items associated with equipping children to return to school for the first term of the new academic year.

Preparations are almost complete for the hosting of activities to commence Indigenous Heritage Month 2015 celebrations at the Indigenous Village, Sophia, GINA said yesterday.

The Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) says that the Save Abee (Save Us) foundation yesterday donated a quantity of medical supplies to the hospital.

MELBOURNE, (Reuters) – New Australia captain Steven Smith will seek counsel from former skipper Ricky Ponting on how to lead the team and be its best batsman in a period of transition.

Dear Editor, Budgets are now in place, but it is not too early to take a look at developmental opportunities for the future.

Gunpowder residue was found on the hands of the husband of murdered Berbice farmer Pamela Kendall and police investigators have received information that the couple was heard quarrelling moments before the woman was fatally shot in what was originally believed to be a home invasion.

(Reuters) – FIFA yesterday disowned comments made by the head of its reform committee, who had questioned why American authorities were investigating corruption in soccer, which he described as “just an ethnic sport for girls in schools” in the U.S.

Dear Editor, Some unscrupulous house owners in the area around the UG campus are ripping off poor parents from the countryside by charging exorbitant rents for lodging alone for their children who cannot be provided with accommodation at the dorms.

It is not just the future of the rice industry that preoccupies significant numbers of residents of the Essequibo Coast but what the decline of the sector is likely to mean to communities which, in large measure, have never really contemplated any comparable options.

Chronic quantitative and qualitative weaknesses affecting the performance of the National Procurement and Tender Administration (NPTA) system and which are yet to secure the attention of the political administration are likely to continue to seriously affect the efficiency of the tender process.

The 2015 National Budget was approved at 03:16 hours yesterday morning, GINA said.

Dear Editor, A letter from Ray Chickrie in you edition of August 26 highlights a discomfiture all Guyanese passport holders suffer.

BEIJING, (Reuters) – The day after winning gold in a 400 metres hailed as the greatest of one-lap sprints, South Africa’s Wayde van Niekerk says the world record could be the next target in his mission to “tell his story”.

Julius Simon holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science from the University of Guyana and is the Technical Director and Lead Developer at Innovative Systems Inc.

Haiti’s Foreign Minister Lener Renaud and Caricom’s Secretary General Irwin LaRocque have agreed on the necessity for the international community’s greater involvement as it relates to the migration issues experienced by the Haitian community in the Dominican Republic.

COLOMBO, (Reuters) – Left-handed batsman Upul Tharanga will replace retired Sri Lankan great Kumar Sangakkara for the third and final test against India, captain Angelo Mathews said yesterday.

Dear Editor, After 24 hours of travelling, I literally just got off the big (slow) boat from Georgetown to Port Kaituma via the brutal and challenging Atlantic Ocean, when I opened the newspaper.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, CMC- Former Indian spinner Venkatapathy Raju would be part of the coaching team for the ICC Americas Cricket Combine to be held in Indianapolis, USA next month, the International Cricket Council (ICC) announced on Wednesday.

Dear Editor, Clement Rohee, General Secretary of the PPP/C in one of his media briefings had said that when his party entered parliament for the budget debate their engagement would be unprecedented.

Unquestionably, it is a matter of trust. City Hall and particularly Town Clerk Royston King says that the proposed temporary location of the forty or so vendors plying their trade in both Robb Street and Bourda Street in proximity to the long-abandoned Bedford Methodist School has to do with the Council’s desire to have the structure torn down on the grounds that it has become unsafe for the vendors.

Shell has launched a Drivers’ Club Card which will allow card holders to earn cash rewards on their accounts which can eventually be redeemed for free fuel.

NEW YORK, (Reuters) – Serena Williams must navigate a heavily American quarter of the draw including sister Venus to complete a calendar sweep of the four grand slams, while two sensational quarter-finals loom on the men’s side after yesterday’s U.S.

Businessman Pierre Saint-Arroman who served as Honorary Consul of France to Guyana from 1991 has passed away at the age of 69.

Dear Editor, As Mining Month concludes, the recent announcement of a mining court and a magistrate to deal specifically with mining related issues by the government is most welcome, and a step in the right direction.

(Jamaica Gleaner) The University of the West Indies is to sign an agreement with China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) that is expected to lead to a J$40-billion deal for a redevelopment plan that will double the hospital capacity and introduce a hotel to the Mona campus.

JOHANNESBURG, (Reuters) – South Africa’s parole review board will meet on Sept.

Stock market updates    GASCI (www.gasci.com/telephone Nº 223-6175/6) reports that session 630’s trading results showed consideration of $1,546,020 from 15,818 shares traded in 7 transactions as compared to session 629’s trading results, which showed consideration of $4,409,880 from 66,008 shares traded in 11 transactions.

BOGOTA, (Reuters) – Venezuela and Colombia each recalled their ambassadors to the other country yesterday, amid a diplomatic crisis sparked when socialist-run Venezuela closed two border crossings and deported over a thousand Colombians.

Dear Editor, I am a licensed vehicle driver who has been driving vehicles for 58 years and has driven on all our coastal roads, inclusive of the Linden Soesdyke Highway, Region One road at Mabaruma and 72 Miles Potaro road in Region 7.

BEIJING, (Reuters) – American Christian Taylor produced the second-longest triple jump in history as he soared 18.21 metres to take gold in a high-quality world championship competition on Thursday.

Close to two weeks after Stephen Abrams was hit by a speeding driver along the Plaisance Railway Embankment, he remains hospitalised at the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPH) while the driver is still at large.

Dear Editor, My light bill for the month of August has strangely taken on some new colours.

(Prepared by the Guyana Marketing Corporation and published by Stabroek Business as a public service)            *Prices only represent the average Wholesale Farmgate and Retail Prices at the above mentioned markets and are NOT prices set by the Guyana Marketing Corporation or Ministry of Agriculture.

PARNDORF, Austria, (Reuters) – As many as 50 corpses were found in a parked lorry in Austria yesterday, and another migrant boat sank off Libya, deepening a crisis that is overwhelming Europe and throwing up new tragedies by the day.

Participants at the National Conference on Gender and Development which was convened by the Ministry of Social Protection at the Arthur Chung Convention Centre yesterday.

PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC-FIFA presidential candidate David Nakhid, the former Trinidad and Tobago captain, is questioning the credentials of rival Michel Platini, who is also seeking to replace Sepp Blatter as president of the world’s football governing body.

Part of Natasha Daly’s mission is to seek to persuade the private sector as a whole to pay more attention to social causes that enhance the quality of the Guyanese society and by extension create an enabling environment in which business can better thrive.

Managing Director of Namilco, Roop-narine (Bert) Sukhai (second from left) is seen presenting a cheque to Bob Ramdhanie, Coordinator for the 2nd Rupununi Music and Arts Festival which will be held on September 18-20th 2015 at the Rock View Lodge, Annai, Rupununi.

Dear Editor, I am suggesting that the government make arrangements to hold local government elections as well as a referendum on the two-term presidential limit on the same day.

CARACAS, (Reuters) – Venezuelans with chronic medical conditions such as breast cancer, haemophilia and transplants protested in Caracas yesterday, the latest demonstration to demand urgent medicines in a country whose health care system is beset with shortages.

Dear Editor, 1) President Granger’s new ten point strategic plan for hinterland development speaks, inter alia, of a Hinterland and Indigenous People Lands Commission and Hinterland Language Cultural and Sport Service, as if the Peoples Progressive Party had neglected these very important areas of hinterland development.

(Trinidad Guardian) Professor Clement Sankat, pro-vice chancellor and campus principal at the University of the West Indies (UWI), St Augustine, said the newly opened Centre for Workforce Research and Development (CWRD) will be critically important in a time of stalled economic growth, high youth unemployment and increasing competition within the Caribbean.

DUBAI, (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – A new species of palm tree has started sprouting around Dubai.

(Reuters) – Derrick Rose, the 2011 National Basketball Association Most Valuable Player, is being sued by a former girlfriend who claims he and two friends drugged and gang-raped her in 2013, TMZ reported.

I had given myself up to this month end/weekend to feel free to criticize harshly but constructively, the still “new” May 2015- Granger Administration.

MIAMI, (Reuters) – Tropical Storm Erika weakened slightly yesterday as it dumped torrential rain on islands in the Eastern Caribbean and appeared to be headed for the U.S.

The world is fast running out of superlatives to describe the exploits of its fastest runner, Usain Bolt.

LOS ANGELES, (Reuters) – Director Spike Lee and actresses Gena Rowlands and Debbie Reynolds will receive honorary Oscars for their filmmaking legacies, the organizers of the world’s most coveted movie awards said Thursday.