Daily Archive: Friday, March 18, 2016

Several of the candidates in the First-Past-The-Post elections in Georgetown voted early this morning.

President David Granger and First Lady Sandra Granger voted in Local Government Elections this morning at the Enterprise Primary School, D’urban Backlands.

President David Granger and First Lady Sandra Granger were among those who voted early this morning in D’Urban Backlands.

(Trinidad Guardian) She’s out. Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley yesterday fired Marlene McDonald from the post of Minister of Housing and Urban Development, revoking her appointment and making several other shifts within his Cabinet at the same time.

MUMBAI, (Reuters) – Sri Lanka’s World Twenty20 title defence suffered a huge blow after fast bowler Lasith Malinga was ruled out of the tournament due to a knee injury, the team said today.

Tasked with beating the Jamaica Scorpions in a must-win encounter, defending Regional Four Day champs, Guyana Jaguars’ Head Coach Esuan Crandon is sticking to the basics in order to emerge successfully.

10-member Fruta Conquerors overcame fierce rival Pele FC 2-0 when the League Finale section of the Guyana Football Federation’s (GFF) Stag Beer Elite League continued on Wednesday at the Tucville ground.

An inmate yesterday testified that Deputy Prisons Director Gladwin Samuels had ordered that the door to the Capital A section be closed prior to the fire inside that claimed the lives of 17 prisoners at the Camp Street Prison.

In excess of $3M was disbursed to eight sporting associations and Help and Shelter yesterday at the National Sports Commission (NSC).

High Stars secured a hard-fought win over Cool Runnings by a 4-3 margin when the inaugural Guyana Beach Soccer Association (GBSA) National Championships began on Wednesday at the Bayroc Beach Facility in Linden.

Trinidadian conglomerate Massy yesterday opened its Massy Stores Supermarket at Providence, East Bank Demerara, where Minister of Business Dominic Gaskin welcomed the investment, while making an appeal to the local private sector to develop value-added products for export.

MUMBAI, India,  CMC – Chris Gayle says it was a remark from close teammate Sulieman Benn prior to the start of the West Indies innings, that inspired his scintillating hundred against England on Wednesday.

Last Monday’s Mahdia mining accident in which 19-year-old labourer Trenton Sebastian lost his life may well have been avoided had known procedures associated with standard safety practices been followed, according to a Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) source associated with the post-accident investigation.

According to the Guyana Elec-tions Commission (GECOM) everything is set for today’s historic local government elections.

Guyana’s attendance at and participation in the March 6 – 9 Inaugural International Mines Ministers Summit of the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) in Toronto, has enhanced the prospects for attracting investors from Canada and other parts of the world to the country’s gold-mining industry, Minister within the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment Simona Broomes has said.

Public service workers should not expect big salary increases, according to Finance Minister Winston Jordan and the main public sector union yesterday expressed concern that his remarks may prejudice negotiations on wage increases and said it was inappropriate.

If the voters of Constituency 13: East and West Ruimveldt vote to have Winston Harding as their councillor he will hold that seat until such time as the representative of the APNU+AFC First past the post list officially writes the Chairman of the Elections Commission requesting his removal.

CHENNAI, India, CMC – Off-spinner Anisa Mohammed says she is thrilled by becoming the first international bowler to take 100 wickets in Twenty20 Internationals but said that joy was eclipsed by West Indies Women’s come-from-behind win in their opening game of the Twenty20 World Cup.

Finance Minister Winston Jordan would—much more than the average citizen—be au fait with the condition of the national economy (or what is usually referred to as the numbers) in the context of whether or not it is in a position to afford public servants a salary increase and just how much the economy might be able to afford at this time.

With his third trial ending in a hung jury, Calvin Bailey was yesterday cleared of the murder of 18-month-old Shaquan Nero but he was sent right back to prison because of another pending murder charge against him.

ZURICH, (Reuters) – Former FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke, banned for 12 years by soccer’s governing body for ethics violations, is facing criminal proceedings by the Swiss attorney general’s office, the law enforcement agency said yesterday.

Guyanese head to the polls today to participate in local government elections for the first time in almost 22 years and with a chance to shake up local politics as for the first time, independent candidates are running in key areas.

KOLKATA, (Reuters) – Veteran opener Tillakaratne Dilshan smashed 83 off 56 balls as Sri Lanka completed a tricky chase to beat Afghanistan with seven balls remaining to kick off their World Twenty20 title defence yesterday.

The Credit Reporting (Amendment) Act, having been passed into law in the Guyanese Parliament on January 14, 2015, represents the commencement of major change in the credit environment of Guyana.

Private cane farmers supplying cane to the Wales Estate remain distressed over its planned closure and feel that the management can consider other options to keep the estate working.

Gold Prices for the three day period ending Thursday  March 17, 2016     Add New            Kitco is a Canadian company that buys and sells precious metals such as gold, copper and silver.

ZURICH, (Reuters) – Soccer’s ruling body FIFA said it paid disgraced former president Sepp Blatter 3.63 million Swiss francs ($3.8 million) last year, publishing his salary for the first time under new governance regulations.

Arising from the outcomes of his own experience a decade ago in renewable energy, Chief Executive Officer of Starr Computers Michael Mohan is recommending that both domestic consumers and business houses move in that direction without undue delay.

Dear Editor, I thank Clinton Urling for contributing to the discourse on local government by penning a letter published under the caption, ‘New system needed where Mayor directly elected,’ (SN, March 14).

Better roads and adequate water and power supplies are among the promises being made to residents of the Mabaruma Sub-region, in Region One (Barima-Waini), who will today vote to elect the new municipality’s first town council.

MUMBAI, (Reuters) – Not many players over the years have been compared to Viv Richards but Chris Gayle’s ability to destroy opposition attacks puts him right up there with the batting great, according to West Indies coach Phil Simmons.

Osoffo Ward, who was one of the moneychangers robbed by armed bandits on America Street last November, yesterday identified accused Troy Abrams as one of the men who carried out the attack.

Dear Editor, The construction projects on the East Bank and East Coast show good foresight, given the projected swell in traffic in the near future.

(Jamaica Gleaner) – A fight for control of the Starwood hotel chain is under way following a US$14 billion buyout offer Monday from a consortium led by China’s Anbang Insurance Group.

Planned this year to coincide with Guyana’s 50th anniversary independence celebrations, the May 12-15 GuyExpo will not only attempt to push for even higher levels of involvement by the Guyanese entrepreneurial community in the diaspora but will also be geared to ensure more aggressive domestic and international promotion of local enterprises with a view to enhancing their marketing prospects both at home and abroad and by extension ensuring the economic growth of Guyanese businesses.

MUMBAI, India, CMC – Head coach Phil Simmons believes West Indies victory over England in their opening game of the Twenty20 World Cup, has laid the foundation for their progress to the semi-finals.

Speeding up trials and hiring temporary magistrates are among the initiatives being actively considered by government and the judiciary to help ease the overcrowding in the prisons, the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) said yesterday.

Dear Editor, The Gecom advertisement illustrating the voting process, published several times recently in your newspaper, contains errors that are inconsistent with the logistics of smooth voting.

CAPE TOWN, (Reuters) – South African President Jacob Zuma fought back yesterday against suggestions that a prominent business family might have been behind his abrupt sacking of a finance minister, a move which shook confidence in the country’s economic management.

Dear Editor, Most of those reading this letter who live in Guyana are probably still undecided as to whom they should vote for in the local government elections (LGE).

The accused in the attempted robbery of a police rank and his family, who were believed to have been trailed from the airport last October, was yesterday faced with a new charge related to the crime.

CAPE TOWN, (Reuters) – South Africa’s sports minister yesterday denied that his country had paid a $10 million bribe to help it win the right to host the World Cup in 2010.

The economic exploitation of Guyana’s precious metals sector cannot be allowed to proceed without taking stock of the need to be mindful of the safety considerations that must be applied in the mining sector, Minister in the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment Simona Broomes told Stabroek Business on Tuesday in the wake of Monday’s mining accident at Mahdia, in which a 19-year-old labourer lost his life.

Dear Editor, Tacuma Oguyseye castigated Hamilton Green on his distorted letter about Walter Rodney (see, ‘Green misrepresented the facts surrounding Rodney’s assassination’, SN, March 15).

              GASCI (www.gasci.com/telephone Nº 223-6175/6) reports that session 659’s trading results showed consideration of $11,181,068 from 536,391 shares traded in 19 transactions as compared to session 658’s trading results, which showed consideration of $46,942,154 from 2,087,376 shares traded in 25 transactions.

A Coroner’s Inquest is now underway to determine if anyone is criminally liable in the deaths of Paul Bascom and Alberto Grant, who were fatally shot by lawmen over two years ago.

AMSTERDAM/BOGOTA, (Reuters) – The International Court of Justice yesterday said it would consider a claim by Nicaragua to expand its maritime boundaries in a mineral-rich part of the Caribbean Sea toward Colombia, a ruling set to further strain relations between the two countries.

(The Sports Xchange) – Kyrie Irving scored 33 points and came up with a key steal in the final seconds to preserve the Cleveland Cavaliers’ 99-98 victory Wednesday against the Dallas Mavericks.

(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.

BRASILIA, (Reuters) – Former Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was sworn in as chief of staff to his successor Dilma Rousseff yesterday as a judge sought to block his appointment and Congress began proceedings to impeach her amid the country’s deepening crisis.

Dear Editor, Politics aside, children really are the future for our nation.

(The Sports Xchange) – The Golden State Warriors recorded their 50th consecutive home victory Wednesday night, riding Stephen Curry’s 34 points to a 121-85 thumping of the New York Knicks.

A taxi service dispatcher was yesterday charged with breaking and entering a Queenstown store.

BRUSSELS, (Reuters) – European Union leaders will try to convince Turkey’s prime minister to help end Europe’s migration crisis in return for financial and political concessions but they remain unsure if today’s Brussels summit can clinch a deal.

  The watermarks on the walls of the manatee ponds in the Botanical Gardens show the drastic reduction of the water as a result of the ongoing El Nino dry weather.

Notwithstanding his recent indiscretions, Chris Gayle’s match-winning, 47-ball century with 11 sixes, in West Indies’ first match against England in the ICC World T20 championship in Mumbai on Wednesday, was an undoubted crowd-pleaser and an emphatic reminder that he is still one of the most destructive batsmen in international T20 cricket, if not the master of the format.

How to positively transform the general ambience in and around the city’s municipal markets is not a question to which the Georgetown municipality has been able to provide a persuasive answer in years.

HAVANA, (Reuters) – Cuba made a rare gesture of reciprocity to the United States yesterday, three days before a historic visit by U.S.

WASHINGTON, (Reuters) – U.S. lawmakers yesterday called for the resignations of Michigan Governor Rick Snyder and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Gina McCarthy on the grounds that they failed to quickly intervene in the city of Flint’s contaminated drinking water crisis.

A man made bail at a city court yesterday, after he denied stealing a gold chain from his business partner.

Dear Editor, The APNU+AFC government has determined that the allocation of central government resources to the regional democratic councils, municipalities and neighbourhood democratic councils should be a function of their political support of the government.

RIO DE JANEIRO, (Reuters) – Brazil passed key anti-doping legislation yesterday that avoided the embarrassing possibility of the country being in breach of the rules at its own Olympic Games.

This land is my land. Whose?   You would be right to suspect, even conclude; that I like to explore definitions and meanings in my old dictionaries.

Deep cleaning: The Hunter Street canal being cleaned yesterday. (GINA photo)