Daily Archive: Friday, June 10, 2016

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC – Test captain Jason Holder is among five West Indies players released by the West Indies Cricket Board to play in the initial phase of the Caribbean Premier League starting at month end.

LOUISVILLE, Ky.,  (Reuters) – Religious and political leaders joined celebrities, sports stars and tens of thousands of ordinary people today in bidding farewell to Muhammad Ali, the boxing champion who jolted America with his showmanship and won worldwide admiration as a man of conviction.

President David Granger today attended the funeral service of Jules Kranenburg, a former Minister of Public Works and Communications with responsibility for transport under the Desmond Hoyte administration.

Despite the prohibition on Styrofoam containers they are still ever present and continuing to clog drains as evidenced in these two photos of North Road and Sussex Street.

Months after local government elections, campaign material for a variety of candidates can still be seen all around the city.

MUMBAI,  (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – Bollywood star Anil Kapoor today kick-started a campaign to highlight the plight of millions of children in India who are forced into work, adding that he hoped his celebrity status would influence and inspire others to stamp out the practice.

The Police are investigating the murder of Pooman Baljeet of Madewini, East Bank Demerara, which occurred about 2100h, yesterday.

A raid was last night carried out on a house in a gated community at Versailles, West Demerara and over 150 lbs of marijuana was found.

(Trinidad Guardian) Fraud accused (Trinidad Guardian) Fraud accused Vicky Boodram has been sent to St Ann’s Hospital for a psychiatric evaluation on the request of her attorney.

-says ‘cancer’ of overcrowding must be tackled -cites testimony of ‘indescribably harsh’ prison conditions   The Prison Commission of Inquiry (CoI) has concluded that the prisoners were mostly to blame for the deaths of 17 inmates at the Camp Street prison on March 3 and it has urged the formation of a committee to focus on reducing the overcrowding in the prison system where at least 60% of the population are on remand.

Having sent conflicting signals, City Hall last night announced that Astrolobe Technologies will not be considered for the parking meters project as it “lacks both the human and technological competencies to install and manage parking meters in the city of Georgetown.”

The Private Sector Commission (PSC) is currently seeking legal advice on whether City Hall has the right to implement a $25,000 container tax which the city council is enforcing, even as it awaits a meeting to discuss the issue.

The opposition PPP yesterday accused government of not naming all the ministerial advisors it has employed and said that they hope the error, deliberate or otherwise, is corrected soon.

The Ministry of Education has expressed sympathy to the family of Yogendra Persaud.

According to a Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) press release, over 100 ranks of the Guyana Police Force were allocated house lots in Kildonan/Chesney and Number 76 and 77 villages yesterday at prices ranging from $92,000 to $300,000.

The Tourism and Hospitality Association of Guyana (THAG) says it is astonished at government’s reported plan to shift the tourism portfolio  to the Minister of Business and  it charged that APNU+AFC’s manifesto commitments remain “largely undelivered”.

Cabinet has granted its no-objection for  four  representatives from within the Ministry of Public Security to attend a training session hosted by the International Criminal Police Organisation (INTERPOL).

LOUISVILLE, Ky., (Reuters) – A Muslim funeral for Muhammad Ali yesterday drew thousands of admirers to the boxer’s hometown of Louisville, Kentucky, where mourners prayed over the body of a man who battled in the ring and sought peace outside it.

New GPC and the International Pharmaceutical Agency (IPA) were among companies getting Cabinet’s no- objections for contracts to supply the health sector.

Some of the country’s leading hotels and guest houses have been talking up their favourable occupancy levels during the peak period of the 2016 Jubilee Independence Anniversary celebrations.

A third man was yesterday charged in relation to what police have said was a staged robbery involving RK security guards outside the Demerara Bank branch at Le Ressouvenir, East Coast Demerara last month.

At a time when local business houses are not averse to openly frowning on what they say is the underperformance of business support organizations (BSOs) the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) says it believes its agenda is moving ever closer to meeting some of the critical needs of the business community.

The police yesterday continued their hunt for an individual who it is believed played a key role in last week’s grenade lobbing incident outside of Kaieteur News even as close to a dozen suspects and the vehicle suspected to have been used by the perpetrators remain in custody.

Several months after we raised the issue of the seemingly long-postponed public/private sector ‘summit’ there has been no definitive word from either side as to whether or when the two will meet though the former chairman of the Private Sector Commission (PSC) Major General (ret’d) Norman McLean did say in a letter to this newspaper that the meeting will take place.

Two men were yesterday granted bail after denying a charge of armed robbery when they appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court.

Business Cartoon

By Valrie Grant Entrepreneur, Managing Director GeoTechVision   Achieving success in your business will not happen by chance – it begins with your attitude.

Two months after solo charges of larceny and conspiracy to commit a multi-million dollar larceny were levelled against former Guyana Power and Light (GPL) director Carvil Duncan, he appeared before a city court yesterday, where the charges were amended.

Gold Prices for the three day period ending Thursday June 09, 2016

KINGSTON, Jamaica,  CMC – Sports Minister Olivia Grange says Jamaica has become the centre of international attention in track and field and believes the country will enter this summer’s Rio Olympics as the “team to beat”.

(Jamaica Observer) – GraceKennedy (GK) Ltd on Monday announced its intention to execute sub-division of its ordinary shares, or a stock split, three-for-one.

A security guard was fined $40,000 after admitting that he threatened his wife and mother-in-law on Independence night; he denied an assault charge and was placed on $30,000 bail when he appeared in court yesterday.

As rain continues to fuel flooding in Region Five, officials are working around the clock to bring the situation under control.

One of the more interesting business houses to put in an appearance at this year’s GuyExpo was the Surinamese company Verenigde Surinaamse Holdingmij (VSH)-United, one of a growing number of entities from Guyana’s Dutch-speaking neighbour to have set up operations in Guyana.

Eagles FC were crowned the Upper Demerara Football Association (UDFA) under-17 champions, edging Amelia’s Ward Panthers by a 1-0 score line on Wednesday at the Mackenzie Sports Club (MSC) ground in Linden.

Cabinet has approved financing to the value of $9.4M or the equivalent of US$44,750 for a team from the International Children’s Heart Foundation (Baby Heart) to perform cardiac operations on 18 children, a release from the Ministry of the Presidency said yesterday.

The Facebook picture of Minister in the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment Simona Broomes balanced delicately in the middle of a decidedly vulnerable looking paddleboat, her hands extended on both sides, holding on to whatever she is able to grip as a boatman gingerly paddles her across the Konwaruk River, does much to communicate the risks that inhere in working in the mining sector.

Plans are in the pipeline for boxer Clive Atwell to have reconstructive surgery on his skull overseas with the help of the Government of Guyana.

The city constabulary has begun investigations into the whereabouts of $8 million gifted to the Global Friendships Foundation from the Chinese Embassy to aid in the restoration and enhancement of George-town.

Gladwyn Brandis, the South Ruimveldt taxi driver who was found unconscious in Sophia after being badly beaten and robbed in a reported carjacking, has regained consciousness and is recuperating at the Georgetown Public Hospital.

Following much anticipation after a grand opening, the 6th edition of Digicel’s National u-18 Secondary Schools Football Championship will officially kick off today at the Leonora Sports Facility.

Melissa Davy has taken the plunge into what she believes is a decisive phase of her career as a professional in the services sector.

If the recent survey done by the United States magazine, Travel and Leisure is anything to go by, the Caribbean’s hugely economically significant tourist season is not in danger of imminent ruin on account of the Zika virus.

After misleading the court by claiming he was a juvenile, a Lodge Housing Scheme teen was on Wednesday remanded to prison on a charge of armed robbery.

Dear Editor, The issue of the admission of LLB graduates of the University of Guyana to the Hugh Wooding Law School has once again raised its head in the public domain.

LONDON, (Reuters) – Twice former champion Rafael Nadal will not play at this year’s Wimbledon due to the wrist injury that forced the Spaniard out of the French Open, he said yesterday.

By Karen Abrams   STEM is a familiar acronym for Science, Technology, Engineer and Mathematics and many Guyanese students access at least two of the four subject areas in their primary and secondary years of school.

LONDON, (Reuters) – England’s Jonny Bairstow compiled his first century at Lord’s — and his second of the series — to ensure the hosts completed a satisfactory first day of the final test against Sri Lanka yesterday, finishing at 279 for six.

A technical team from the Ministry of Public Infrastructure (MPI) will be sent to Barabina, Region One to assess the condition of the road after it was highlighted that it had returned to its deplorable condition mere weeks after being rehabilitated.

Dear Editor, I greatly appreciated Alfred Bhulai’s letter (SN, June 9) detailing his concerns over and his personal experiences of the lawless use of our roads by bikers.

Dear Editor, To say that Guyana is losing its soul would be to suggest that it had one.

(Jamaica Gleaner) – Finance Minister Audley Shaw says investors from Jamaica’s diaspora are challenged by international banks who are refusing to do correspondent banking with banks in Jamaica.

Drivers of vehicles traversing the Railway Embankment road on the East Coast Demerara are calling on the authorities to fill the many potholes on the roadway.

(Reuters) – Philippe Coutinho grabbed a hat-trick as Brazil ramped up their Copa America campaign with a resounding 7-1 win over a hapless Haiti on Wednesday.

WASHINGTON,  (Reuters) – U.S. President Barack Obama formally endorsed Hillary Clinton’s White House bid yesterday and called for Democrats to unite behind her after a protracted battle with Bernie Sanders for the party nomination.

Dear Editor, New Amsterdam Hospital is drastically going downhill: dogs and cats have become visitors since the stench is inviting; patients have to fork out monies to buy basic medications; some patients who cannot afford to buy will have to await the arrival of drugs; x-ray films have now become a luxury and the operating theatre also seems to be joining the show once in a while.

(Reuters) – California Attorney General Kamala Harris, the top vote-getter in the state’s U.S.

CLEVELAND, (Reuters) – LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers stormed back into the NBA Finals with a dominant 120-90 victory over the defending champion Golden State Warriors on Wednesday that cut the series deficit to 2-1.

Stock market updates

Dear Editor, There is no doubt in my mind, fortified by wide, relevant and substantial experience, that “meritocracy is the way to go” as GHK Lall writes (‘Meritocracy is the way’ SN, June 8) if we are to achieve unduly unbiased, effective recruitment and promotion of staff without playing the tit-for-tat or revolving political/racial games which many of the commentators and critics of my earlier letter against “social engineering” of this nodal human resource management function seem to be advocating.

RIO DE JANEIRO,  (Reuters) – Brazil’s federal police yesterday accused mining company Samarco, a joint venture between Vale SA and BHP Billiton, of willful misconduct in relation to a deadly dam burst last November, saying the company had ignored clear signs the dam was at risk of collapsing.

(Prepared by the Guyana Marketing Corporation and published by Stabroek Business as a public service)

(Reuters) – Golden State’s “Splash Brothers” duo of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson are in the midst of a rare drought and their suddenly wayward shooting has helped pave the way for Cleveland to climb back into the NBA Finals.

LIMA, (Reuters) – Former World Bank economist Pedro Pablo Kuczynski won 41,438 more votes than Keiko Fujimori in Peru’s photo finish presidential election, but thousands of disputed or unclear ballots remain uncounted, authorities said yesterday.

WASHINGTON,  (Reuters) – Following months of internal wrangling, the U.S. House of Representatives, yesterday passed legislation creating a federal control board to help Puerto Rico cope with crippling debt that is wreaking havoc throughout the island’s economy.

Orders for $3 million worth of his company’s fabricated steel furniture resulting from his appearance at this year’s GuyExpo may not amount to a major breakthrough for his business, but it is sufficient to persuade Ivor Bunbury that Steel Pro, his 33 Victoria Road Plaisance furniture-making enterprise can still hold its own in a challenging business environment.

CARACAS, (Reuters) – A group of Venezuelan opposition lawmakers said yesterday government supporters attacked them as they tried to enter the electoral board headquarters to press their demand for a recall referendum against unpopular socialist Presi-dent Nicolas Maduro.

Politikles

Crane collision: A head-on collision involving a car, HC 407 and a minibus, BPP 700 at Crane, West Coast Demerara yesterday morning resulted in several persons being injured and rushed to the West Demerara Regional Hospital.

I am aware of the United Nations’ definition of human security.

Dear Editor, Guyana and Belize have a lot in common. Belize is the only English-speaking country in Central  America while the Co-operative Republic is the only English-speaking state in South America. 

The funeral takes place today of the former, three-time world heavyweight champion, Muhammad Ali, the self-proclaimed and for many, ‘The Greatest of all Time’, in his hometown of Louisville, Kentucky.

(Reuters) – With his championship hopes on the line, LeBron James reminded everyone ready to crown the Golden State Warriors NBA champions for a second consecutive year that there is plenty of basketball left in the NBA Finals.