Daily Archive: Monday, February 1, 2016

The Commissioners of the Walter Rodney Commission of Inquiry paid a visit to the Attorney General, Basil Williams, at the Attorney General’s Chambers today,a release from the Attorney General’s Chambers said.

GENEVA/LONDON, (Reuters) – The World Health Organization has declared the mosquito-borne Zika virus to be an international public health emergency due to its link to thousands of suspected cases of birth defects in Brazil.

LOS ANGELES, (Reuters) – “Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to diverse TV,” Idris Elba joked on stage after winning twice at Saturday’s Screen Actors Guild Awards, where actors of color claimed a slew of wins amid a furor in Hollywood over the lack of on-screen diversity.

Residents of Fort Island, Essequibo River, Region Three yesterday complained about their health centre during a visit by Minister of Public Health Dr.

(Trinidad Guardian) Apart from the fact the Zika virus can be spread by an Aedes aegypti mosquito, scientists have discovered two cases of the virus in semen, including one case where it was sexually transmitted.

An initial examination of the forensic audits into state-owed entities have identified “many instances” where the laws governing the entities and their operations were “violated with impunity,” Minister of Finance Winston Jordan says but the opposition has again challenged government to bring the evidence.

-Independents could shake up process With historic local government elections in the air, the Guyana Elections Commis-sion (Gecom) has revealed that the Disciplined Forces will vote on March 8th but the list of candidates for the districts has not been officially released as yet.

A mother of two has died after she was struck down while crossing the road to take a bus from her workplace on Saturday night.

Commuters, frustrated about the hassle to cross the Demerara Harbour Bridge (DHB) during the early morning rush-hour traffic, are asking for a solution to ease the situation.

So far, there has only been one case of the Zika virus in Guyana, Minister of Public Health Dr George Norton says.

As part of its efforts to “foster greener, more sustainable mining”, the Government of Guyana, through the Ministry of Natural Resources will soon be establishing a compliance unit and crafting a National Action Plan aimed at minimising and, as far as possible, eliminating the use of mercury in mining operations.

With $20.3 billion allocated to the agriculture sector in this year’s national budget, among the ministry’s plans are the development of a milk pasteurisation plant, an agriculture station for water harvesting in Region Nine and a strategy which focuses on “five F’s.”

In what was described as a historic occasion, the Alliance for Change (AFC) on Saturday formally opened its headquarters at Railway Line, Kitty, naming it the Centre for Change in memory of one of its founders, Sheila Holder who died in 2011.

Had the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) begun to pump water from the Pomeroon River into the Tapakuma Conservancy months ago, the farmers along the river would have suffered from salt water intrusion, NDIA head Frederick Flatts says.

During Saturday, police ranks conducted a drug eradication operation in the Onderneeming Backdam, Essequibo Coast, during which a two-acre size field with cannabis sativa (marijuana) plants under cultivation was found and destroyed.

Glenfield Dennison, the Belizean law student who was shot twice two Thursdays ago, has improved but remains hospitalised at the Georgetown Public Hospital.

A 44-year-old Guyanese woman has been arrested in Ireland on suspicion of swallowing more than 1.7 kilogrammes of cocaine worth about €120,000.

President David Granger has issued a call for citizens to redouble their efforts against what he described as the “four horsemen” that are hindering the country’s development: crime, disease, ignorance and poverty.

Republic Bank (Guyana) Limited registered an increase in after-tax profit of $746m for the quarter ended December 31, 2015, $73m higher when compared to the same quarter in 2014.

If there were any doubts that Christopher Henry Gayle is indeed the boss of T20 cricket, those doubts would have been dispelled Saturday night at the National Stadium at Providence.

Some 40 boxers have been shortlisted by the Guyana Boxing Asso-ciation (GBA) for possible selection to compete at the first International School Boys, Juniors and Youth Tournament to be held here in April.

The early 1950s in Guyana (then British Guiana) was a whirlwind of political activity which energized sections of Guyanese society to challenge the colonial state.

Defending champions Courtland All Stars defeated Rose Hall Town Bakewell by 30 runs recently to reach the final of the Raffik & Sons Construction second division T20 competition for teams in the Lower Corentyne area.

Four centuries highlighted the quarter finals of the A. Ally & Sons Inter-Secondary Schools U17 competition as Lower Corentyne Secondary, Berbice High, Rosignol Secondary and Skeldon High School all reached the semi-finals.

Dear Editor, At paragraph 3.1 of the budget speech, the Finance Minister admitted the economy recorded a dismal 0.7% GDP growth by mid-year (up to June 30, 2015).

RECIFE, Brazil, (Reuters) – For scores of women in the epicenter of the Zika outbreak in Brazil, the joy of pregnancy has given way to fear.

KAMPALA, (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – At first, Sarah Nakintu was grateful to her friend for alerting her to job opportunities in marketing and retail in Dubai.

CHITTAGONG, Bangladesh, CMC – Shamar Springer struck a stunning hundred as West Indies Under-19s clobbered minnows Fiji Under-19s by 262 runs here yesterday to pick up their first victory of the International Cricket Council Under-19 Cricket World Cup.

Dear Editor, Mr Lincoln Lewis in a letter to the editor carried in KN and SN (‘The administration must use the Jagdeo government’s performance as an example of what not to be’) of Sunday, January 24, in referring to the announced intended closure of Wales sugar estate, presented again his views that our PPP/C administration of 1992 to 2015, in our reworking of our bauxite sector, was inhumane and violated workers’ rights enshrined in various laws including the Guyana Constitution .

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC – West Indies off-spinner Sunil Narine made his highly anticipated return to competitive cricket here Saturday, as he continued his comeback from a career-threatening international ban.

MAIDUGURI, Nigeria, (Reuters) – At least 65 people were killed during an attack by Islamist militant group Boko Haram near Nigeria’s northeastern city of Maiduguri, a Reuters reporter said after counting bodies at a hospital morgue.

At the edge: Two vehicles barely escaped falling into the trench after a collision yesterday afternoon.

Dear Editor, With the current drought period in Guyana, irrigation may be limited or unavailable in some areas.

Dear Editor, Minister of Social Cohesion Amna Ally and the First Lady recently met the residents of Mabaruma and outlying areas in Region One.

DES MOINES, Iowa/ COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa, (Reuters) – Republi-cans Donald Trump and Ted Cruz battled yesterday to persuade their supporters to turn out and tried to lower expectations on how well they will do in the first U.S.

(Reuters) – Martin Guptill and Kane Williamson hit brisk fifties and combined in a record stand of 159 to power New Zealand to a thrilling series-clinching three-wicket win against Pakistan in the third and final one-day international in Auckland yesterday.

(The Sports Xchange) – Highlights of Saturday’s National Basketball Association games:   Pacers 109, Nuggets 105 (OT) Guard Monta Ellis scored a season-high 32 points, including a key three-point play in overtime, as Indianapolis slipped past Denver on Saturday.

LONDON, (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – Prizes worth 1.25 million pounds ($1.8 million) funded by the Britain’s development ministry (DFID) are up for grabs for innovative minds with ideas on how to reduce billions of gallons of water trickling from pipes in developing countries.

Corruption has disastrous impacts on development when funds that should be devoted to schools, health clinics and other vital public services are instead diverted into the hands of criminals or dishonest officials.

Dear Editor, I submitted a number of proposals for incorporation into the 2016 Budget.

Not walking this plank: This bridge located at Lamaha and Thomas streets has one too many planks missing to be considered safe for public use.

MELBOURNE, (Reuters) – Novak Djokovic vanquished Andy Murray for the fourth time in an Australian Open final yesterday to win a record-equalling sixth title and serve notice to his rivals that he could surpass even his stellar 2015 this year.

 This week on What the People Say we asked persons to share their views about this year’s budget.

Producing two budgets within six months is a feat that is deserving of the highest commendation and the Minister of Finance and all of those who participated in this process must be given their deserved credit.

Dear Editor, The tragedy of asylum seekers who die by drowning in search of a better life must be a cause for concern for the international community.

BOGOTA, (Reuters) – Colombia’s FARC rebel group will enter politics and seek alliances with other parties after it signs a peace deal with the government, the top guerrilla leader said yesterday, despite rebel fears they may be targeted by right-wing armed groups.