Daily Archive: Wednesday, March 2, 2016

WELLINGTON, (Reuters) – Former New Zealand cricket captain Martin Crowe has died after a long battle with cancer, local media reported today.

KINGSTON, (Reuters) – West Indies all-rounder Andre Russell has committed an “anti-doping whereabouts” rule violation, the Jamaica Anti-Doping Commission (JADCO) told Reuters today.

Justice Yonette Cummings-Edwards was today sworn in as a member of the Judicial Service Commission at the Ministry of the Presidency.

A Board of Inquiry will be set up to investigate recent claims made by self-confessed drug trafficker Barry Dataram of the alleged involvement of the Customs Anti-Narcotic Unit (CANU) in the drug trade and corruption, President David Granger revealed today.

(Trinidad Guardian) Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley’s recent rift with the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) has left uncertainty surrounding the staging of the third Test match against India at the Queen’s Park Oval.

A policeman was stabbed to death yesterday afternoon and two others were injured while they were in the process of arresting a man who was wanted in connection with a rape allegation.

Permanent detention of former Health Minister Dr Noel Blackman has been ordered by a New York judge after the US government argued that he posed a serious flight risk from the charge he faces of conspiracy to distribute and distribution of the painkiller, oxycodone.

Declaring that the decision to fire him was based on “a political directive,” former Managing Director of the Guyana Oil Company (GuyOil) Badrie Persaud says he was denied an opportunity to respond to the audit report that precipitated his sacking.

A taxi driver was yesterday arraigned on charges of causing death by dangerous driving and failing to report the accident after the victim succumbed to injuries two days ago.

Over 1,500 sugar workers yesterday engaged in a strike as part of an ongoing Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) campaign over wages and the closure of the Wales sugar estate.

A man who pleaded guilty to intentionally wounding his neighbour, was yesterday sentenced to nine years behind bars by Justice Navindra Singh at the High Court in Georgetown.

In a survey of political interest in 28 Latin American and Caribbean countries, Guyana placed last with only a 28.5 interest out of a maximum of 100, according to the Latin American Public Opinion Project (LAPOP).

RIO DE JANEIRO, (Reuters) – Heavy rain has delayed the laying of the athletics track for this year’s Rio Olympics but there is little chance it will not be ready for test events in May, the man in charge of the project said yesterday.

The Ministry of Public Infrastructure yesterday received multi-million dollar bids for the construction of sea defences in Regions 6 and 3.

West Indies U19 Captain, Shimron Hetmyer said winning the International Cricket Council (ICC) U19 World Cup with his fellow Guyanese teammates was an emotional experience.

A little over one week after residents of Hosororo Hill, Region One alleged that their homes were raided by members of the joint services, investigations into the matter have been completed and the file will be sent for legal advice soon.

Concerns over the omission of St Cuthbert’s Mission in the supplying of troolie palm leaves for the rebuilding of the Umana Yana in Kingston have been resolved, according to village Toshao Lennox Shuman, who has promised to provide leaves of exceptional quality for the project.

Sun and Sand Mining Resources Inc. plans to invest a total of US$12M into a proposed open pit mine in the Cuyuni/Mazaruni.

ZURICH, (Reuters) – New FIFA president Gianni Infantino wants players to become more involved in the running of the sport and has recommended a cautious approach to the use of technology.

LAUSANNE, Switzerland, (Reuters) – For the first time in 32 years male boxers will be able trade punches without any headgear at this year’s Rio Games after the International Olympic Committee sanctioned a change introduced by world boxing federation AIBA.

Caricom Heads of State were recently briefed that Secretary General of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon has made a proposal to Guyana and Venezuela on the way forward in the ongoing border controversy between the two countries.

PARIS, (Reuters) – French judges investigating corruption in athletics have extended their inquiry to look into the bidding and voting processes for the hosting of the 2016 Rio de Janeiro and 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, according to France’s financial prosecutor.

In spite of various challenges, the Guyana Sugar Corporation’s (GuySuCo) management says it is optimistic of meeting the first sugar crop target of 80,500 tonnes, GINA said.

Damion Allicock, who police alleged was a member of the “Hot Skull” gang, was yesterday granted his release on a total of $105,000 bail after being read four charges, including escaping police custody.

(Reuters) – The coach of sprinter Justin Gatlin has stepped down as the head of the United States relay squads just months out from the Rio Olympics due to a change in USA Track and Field’s criteria.

Magistrate Fabayo Azore yesterday set the date for the commencement of the trial of former minister Jennifer Westford and her former aide Margaret Cummings for charges of forgery and attempted larceny.

A Potaro labourer was placed on $100,000 bail yesterday after he appeared before a city court facing allegations that he stole close to $1,000,000 in cash.

(The Sports Xchange) – Highlights of National Basketball Association games on Monday: Cavaliers 100, Pacers 96 Center Tristan Thompson gave the Cavs the lead in the final minute and then preserved it with a big block in the Cleveland Cavaliers’ 100-96 victory over the Indiana Pacers.

Dear Editor, This week, the University of Guyana in response to a report of rape has responded by saying that according to its investigations no rape occurred.

Minister within the Ministry of Communities Dawn Hastings-Williams on a recent outreach exercise to Smith Creek, Barima River, Region One told residents that every child there must attend school.

Dear Editor, I refer to a letter written by Minister of Natural Resources Raphael G C Trotman, published on March 1 in the Stabroek News (There was no likelihood that the bill would have been defeated’).

CAPE TOWN, (Reuters) – South Africa left-arm spinner Aaron Phangiso will miss the first two Twenty20 Internationals against Australia this week after his action was found to be illegal by the ICC’s testing laboratory.

Dear Editor, Help & Shelter has noted the headline report in the Guyana Chronicle of February 28 of a female student who was reportedly gang raped on the UG campus and the report in Stabroek News of February 29 that UG has said that its investigation has revealed no basis to conclude that the student was sexually assaulted.

CAPE TOWN, (Reuters) – An “energised” Dale Steyn has passed his fitness tests and will play for South Africa in their three-match Twenty20 International series against Australia starting in Durban on Friday.

Residents of Region One in the Mabaruma District on Saturday benefitted from free eye tests and spectacles as the Ministry of Public Health continues to work with private sector agencies to host medical outreaches.

A Plaisance man was yesterday released on self-bail on a wounding charge after a court heard that he stabbed another man with an ice pick only to defend himself during an attack.

Dear Editor, Kaieteur News of February 29 carried an Oscar Ramjeet letter captioned ‘That document should not have been leaked’.

GUATEMALA CITY, (Reuters) – Former Guatemalan soccer federation president Brayan Jimenez was taken to the capital’s airport yesterday for extradition to the United States to face corruption charges, two local officials said.

Dear Editor, I started to blog, or rather, follow up on Harry Hergash’s letter in the February 29 edition of SN entitled, ‘We have to address the negative impact of Burnham, not just the positive if we are to be honest to history’, but the response began to involve lengthy quotes from the writing of my former political science lecturer.

SHARJAH, United Arab Emirates, CMC- Power hitter Johnson Charles has described the West Indies as an improving side with less than a week before the start of the International Cricket Council’s T20 World Cup in India.

Romana Sanasie, the daughter of murdered businesswoman Patricia Sanasie, testified yesterday from New York in the ongoing Preliminary Inquiry (PI) into the murder charge against Richard Stanton, who is accused of the crime.

WASHINGTON, (Reuters) – FBI Director James Comey told a congressional panel yesterday that a final court ruling forcing Apple Inc to give the FBI data from an iPhone used by one of the San Bernardino shooters would be “potentially precedential” in other cases where the agency might request similar cooperation from technology companies.

Dear Editor, When one read the words “I dare say” in the last paragraph of the challenge proffered in my colleague Nowrang Persaud’s letter published in Stabroek News of February 27, it was easy to detect that the author had made a soft landing.

KINGSTON, (Reuters) – A final vote count showed Jamaica’s opposition won last week’s general election with a one seat margin, electoral authorities said yesterday, ending days of uncertainty over the outcome of the close race fought in the shadow of a tough austerity plan.

BRASILIA, (Reuters) – Federal prosecutors who uncovered a huge corruption scheme at oil company Petrobras are looking into whether Brazil’s former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva received undue favours from engineering firms they are investigating.

First Lady, Sandra Granger on Monday launched her ‘Self Reliance and Success in Business Workshop’ at the Mabaruma Learning Resource Centre in Barima-Waini (Region One), where more than 40 women will be exposed to entrepreneurial and management training, a release from the Ministry of the Presidency said.

SHARJAH, United Arab Emirates, CMC – West Indies opener Andre Fletcher says he was forced to curb his aggression, initially, as Johnson Charles dominated their unbeaten opening stand against Zimbabwe in their second warm-up game here on Monday.

Dear Editor, The things I have heard said by people belonging to one ethnic body about another as I move around bodes no good.

PORT-AU-PRINCE, (Reuters) – Provisional Haiti President Jocelerme Privert said yesterday a new election council would determine if a delayed runoff could be held by an April deadline, as concerns grow that a political standoff would again scupper efforts to hold the vote.

Winners Connection and Eagles secured hard-fought wins over Milerock and Blueberry Hill respectively when the Upper Demerara Football Association (UDFA) first division league continued Sunday at the Mackenzie Sports Club (MSC) ground in Linden.

(Barbados Nation) The crackdown against people accessing illegal television programming content has moved region-wide.

The Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA) in collaboration with the Ministry of Education is currently training 29 volunteers to become tour guides for Georgetown, GINA said.

Dear Editor, Please refer to a letter in the Tuesday, March 1 edition of the Stabroek News captioned ‘Misuse of name.’

Following the rescheduling of the Rose Hall Town Jammers and Rose Hall fixture due to inclement weather, the Berbice Amateur Basketball Association (BABA) sanctioned Anamayah Memorial Basketball Championships will resume on Sunday.

(Trinidad Express) For the second time in less than four months, a prison officer has been murdered near his home, prompting Prisons Commissioner Sterling Stewart to declare “we are under attack”.

WASHINGTON, (Reuters) – Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden outlined in letters and other documents how at least $29 million of his funds and possessions should be apportioned after his death, requesting that most of it be used to continue global jihad.

Sixty-four students were yesterday welcomed into the health care system at an orientation ceremony at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), GINA said. 

The Russian Federation has pledged to continue providing training for members of the Guyana Police Force.

Waiting for the tide: A flotilla of fishing boats at Ogle yesterday no doubt waiting for the tide to float them.

Royals Youths and Attention Family (RYAF) were amongst the winners when the inaugural Guyana Beach Soccer Association (GBSA) National Championships recommenced on Sunday at the Bayroc Beach Facility in Linden.

SAO PAULO, (Reuters) – Executives from Brazil’s second-largest engineering company, Andrade Gutierrez, have testified that the company paid suppliers for President Dilma Rousseff’s 2010 electoral campaign off the books, newspaper a Folha de S.Paulo

Progress has been made on the rehabilitation of the Diamond Well Station, East Coast Demerara, the Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) said yesterday and testing will begin on Thursday.

Dear Editor, The constitution is the supreme law of our country.

BRASILIA, (Reuters) – Samarco Mineracao SA will pay at least 20 billion reais ($5 billion) over 15 years as part of a deal reached with the Brazilian government to settle a lawsuit for damages caused by a deadly dam spill at a mine in November, a government source told Reuters yesterday.

(Trinidad Guardian) “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment,” was the Bible quote Darlene Gordon used in describing her son Ronaldo Gordon’s tragic death.

Early kite flyers: These kite enthusiasts were photographed at Ogle yesterday.

With the opposition Jamaica Labour Party gaining 33 of the 63 parliamentary seats in the preliminary count of last Thursday’s general elections in Jamaica, the rejoicing of its supporters will have been substantially stifled as the recount of the vote took place.

Politikles

‘Practice without theory is blind. Theory without practice is sterile. Theory becomes a material force as soon as it is absorbed by the masses.

Dear Editor, I am from a new generation which has not had experience of previous local government elections in Guyana.

MELBOURNE, (Reuters) – Australia’s bowling coach Craig McDermott will leave after the upcoming World Twenty20 tournament in India, joining batting coach Michael Di Venuto in departing the top-ranked test nation.

HAVANA, (Reuters) – The Rolling Stones will perform a free outdoor concert in Havana on March 25, the band announced yesterday, a milestone event in a country where the communist government once banned the group’s music as an “ideological deviation.”