Daily Archive: Thursday, June 30, 2016

Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of the Presidency (MOTP), Omar Shariff has been sent on leave by Minister of State, Joseph Harmon, a release from MOTP said today.

At 01:30hrs today, police say that a fire destroyed a home at Wales, West Bank Demerara, and the body of an unidentified person was subsequently discovered among the rubble.

Exxon Mobil Corporation today said that drilling results from the Liza-2 well, the second exploration well in the Stabroek block offshore Guyana, confirm a world-class find with a recoverable deposit of between 800 million and 1.4 billion oil-equivalent barrels.

LONDON, (Reuters) – Former London mayor Boris Johnson abruptly pulled out of the race to become Britain’s next prime minister today, in a shock move that upturned a political order shaken by last week’s vote to leave the European Union.

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad,  CMC – West Indies opener Johnson Charles belted an attacking half-century and South African David Miller produced an entertaining late cameo as St Lucia Zouks stunned title-holders Trinbago Knight Riders by six wickets in the opening game of the Caribbean Premier League here Wednesday night.

Proposed tobacco control legislation will see a ban on smoking in public places while cigarette advertising will no longer be allowed and pictorial and text health warnings will have to be displayed on at least 75% of the packaging on tobacco products.

Government needs to explain why about $800 million worth of steel and other equipment that were earmarked for the now-frozen specialty hospital project, went solely to businessman Brian Tiwarie, former President Donald Ramotar says.

Clyde Barker, the truck driver who was accused of running over 12-year-old Ezekiel Murray along the Friendship Public Road last year and causing his death, was yesterday sentenced to 3 years imprisonment.

A businessman was yesterday sentenced to two years imprisonment and fined $100,000 after being found guilty of illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition.

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo yesterday said that Minister of Business Dominic Gaskin is in denial about Guyana not being in an economic crisis.

Kevin Joshua, who doused a schoolboy with acid and left him disfigured, was on Tuesday found guilty by a jury of inflicting grievous bodily harm on the youth.

Accused earlier this year of having in his possession a .32 firearm and matching rounds Mark Calvan was yesterday found not guilty.

The absence of probation reports prevented Justice Brassington Reynolds from handing down sentences in two cases at the Berbice Assizes on Tuesday.

Minister of Agriculture Noel Holder yesterday called for all fishermen in Guyana to be licenced and to have their boats registered, if the industry is to remain sustainable and viable.

Six months after the city of Georgetown began implementing its 2016 Budget, the council has  failed to formally present the budget for approval or to make it available for inspection by the general public.

A Haitian mother and daughter were yesterday fined $30,000 each after they admitted, in a city court, to entering Guyana illegally from Brazil.

A group of Corentyne fishermen yesterday held a protest at Port Mourant, Corentyne, Berbice, against shrimp from Suriname being sold at markets in and around the Corentyne area.

A Kitty businessman was arrested earlier this week and subsequently released after he was questioned in connection with the lobbing of a grenade outside the Kaieteur News’ office almost one month ago.

Poor drainage in Lima on the Essequibo Coast has contributed to flooding in the area resulting in the loss of livestock, a resident has said.

Police are currently searching for two suspects after bandits attacked and robbed a Corentyne shop owner and her son at their home on Monday evening.

The Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation and other stakeholders on Tuesday hailed nineteen nurses for their continued professionalism as a new initiative was launched to recognise their exemplary work.

Over 200 pupils from St Stephen’s Primary were yesterday given supplies after First Step made its inaugural donation at the institution.

As part of its drive to improve on school attendance, the Lethem Town Council plans to introduce a school bus service.

Calling on the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph (GTT) Company to engage them in talks over changes in the company, GTT workers represented by the Guyana Postal and Telecommunications Workers Union (GPTWU) staged another protest yesterday.

OTTAWA,  (Reuters) – Canada, the United States and Mexico yesterday mounted a fierce defence of free trade, vowing to deepen economic ties despite an increasingly acrimonious debate about the value of globalization.

Regan Rodrigues, who is accused of murdering political activist Courtney Crum-Ewing, on Monday once again voiced his frustration at what he maintains is a false accusation against him.

With the Caribbean Basketball Confederation (CBC) u16 Championships only days away, the Guyana Amateur Basketball Federation (GABF) has acquired the FIBA Level-1 Certified Equipment for the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall.

PARIS, (Reuters) – Portugal’s coach Fernando Santos will leave his final decision on team selection for the quarter-final clash against Poland until this morning because of injuries to at least two players, he told reporters.

Guyana will soon have a coordinated Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) regarding oil spills, GINA said.

LONDON, (Reuters) – Novak Djokovic made tennis history at Wimbledon yesterday when he notched up the most consecutive grand slam match victories in the Open Era, and said he aimed to continue his assault on the record books.

The man who entered a city bank on Tuesday and demanded $10M under the name of Islamic State (ISIS) before threatening to explode a bomb is expected to appear in court  today.

LONDON, (Reuters) – Twice champion Petra Kvitova needed just 15 minutes to bulldoze through the first set against Romania’s Sorana Cirstea at Wimbledon yesterday, taking the match 6-0 6-4.

OTTAWA, (Reuters) – U.S. President Barack Obama yesterday urged the Venezuelan government to respect the democratic process and the rule of law, including allowing the release of political prisoners.

A 35-year-old man accused of verbally abusing his mother and threatening her over the seizure of a phone from his little sister was placed on a bond to keep the peace when he appeared at the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court yesterday.

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC – Caribbean Premier League organisers say they will explore pushing the increasingly popular Twenty20 tournament into Asia, as well as expanding the number of franchises involved and hosting them in North American cities.

NEW YORK,  (Reuters) – Six members of the Honduran National Police were indicted yesterday on U.S.

President David Granger yesterday said that education is the best investment Governments can make in preparation for the future development of any nation.

Rescheduled due to the inclement weather, the Ministry of Health/Petra Organization Soft Shoe football championships will resume today with the round of 16 stage at the Santos Training Area on the Square of the Revolution.

Dear Editor,   Please refer to an editorial, which appeared in your issue of, Tuesday, June 28, captioned ‘Déjà vu’.

WASHINGTON,  (Reuters) – An international ruling next month is expected to deprive China of any legal basis for its claim to most of the South China Sea, and Beijing risks being seen as an “outlaw state” unless it respects the outcome, the Philippines’ chief lawyer in the case said yesterday.

Dear Editor, For quite a while, even before it was formally acknowledged, there has been an emphasis on embedding STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) at all levels of our school curriculum.

LONDON, (Reuters) – Few players have reduced the great Roger Federer to a role as secondary attraction on Wimbledon’s Centre Court but for one hour and 25 minutes yesterday he had just a walk-on part in the Marcus Willis fairytale.

A teenager appeared in a city court yesterday where he was remanded to prison after being accused of stealing over $300,000 in items.

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – West Indies captain Jason Holder says the regional side needs to play more One-Day International cricket if they are to make any serious strides up the international rankings.

Dear Editor, Permit me to respond to Mr Manzoor Nadir’s letter published in the Stabroek News of Saturday, June 25, under the caption, ‘Jagan was prepared to offer Vice-Presidencies to Thomas and Tennassee’.

The police have wrapped up their investigations into the deaths of two sisters who were crushed to death last Thursday in Kamarang, Region Seven and the file is expected to be sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) today for legal advice.

(Reuters) – The release of police dispatch records offering new details from witnesses of the Orlando nightclub massacre provided fresh grist yesterday for the debate about whether law enforcement waited too long to take out the gunman.

Three Guyanese Foreign Service officials attended the Training Workshop on Diaspora Engagement and Consular Services recently held by the Institute for Mexicans Abroad (IME) at the Mexican Consulate General in New York.

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC-Telecommunications provider Digicel announced on Tuesday that it has re-signed a multi-year contract as official sponsor of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) which is entering its fourth season.

NEW DELHI,  (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – India’s Supreme Court said it will examine how far it could interfere in Muslim laws governing family-related issues as it heard a plea to end a practice allowing Muslim men to divorce their wives by saying “talaq” three times.

Dear Editor, I ask citizens to associate with a troubling picture, now a daily occurrence for close to a hundred days. 

Dear Editor, No one can disagree that the Georgetown City Council is in dire need of money to meet its operational and capital programme. 

KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – Former prime minister PJ Patterson says Jamaica has a duty to rigorously defend its athletes against doping allegations, as such matters had implications for the country’s image.

A miner accused of stealing several phones from different persons and refusing to pay for expensive taxi rides was remanded to prison when he appeared at the New Amsterdam Magistrate’s Court yesterday.

LONDON,  (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani teenage education activist who survived a near-fatal attack by the Taliban, and her family have become millionaires in under four years due to sales of a book about her life and appearances on the global speaker circuit.

(Jamaica Observer) Prime Minister Andrew Holness on Tuesday launched his promised Caricom Review Commission and immediately dismissed speculation that Jamaica is preparing to pull out of the regional economic bloc.

(Jamaica Gleaner) Three years ago, Jamaica was producing just six per cent of the onions consumed locally.

Dear Editor, The Sunday papers (June 26) carried a notice issued by the Registrar of the Supreme Court requesting that all attorneys-at-law  attend an orientation session on the new High Court Rules at the Georgetown Club.

HOUSTON, (Reuters) – The U.S. Virgin Islands’ attorney general yesterday agreed to withdraw a sweeping subpoena issued against Exxon Mobil Corp as part of a push by a coalition of state prosecutors to try to investigate whether the world’s largest publicly traded oil company misled the public about climate change risks.

At eight days out, it is almost Showtime for the Guyana Bodybuilding and Fitness Federation’s flagship event, the Senior National Championships.

The nation’s cyclists are in for a busy weekend as two events organized by Hassan Mohamed are scheduled to pedal off Saturday and Sunday.

A cheque to the tune of $1.3 million was handed over to veteran comedian and actor Henry Rodney (sitting) by Sharon Cadogan Taylor at the National Cultural Centre yesterday.

Cartoons

WASHINGTON, (Reuters) – The U.S. Senate gave solid approval yesterday to a relief plan to help Puerto Rico address its $70 billion debt, sending the measure to President Obama for his signing into law just ahead of a possible default by the U.S.

(Jamaica Gleaner) “Jamaica has been the ATM for Trinidad and Tobago.”

Dear Editor, I consider it my duty as a resident of Region 3 and a citizen of Guyana to publicly express appreciation to the Regional Executive Officer of Region 3, Mr Denis Jaikaran, and by extension the Government of Guyana for the many improvements Region 3 has seen over the past year.

On March 18 this year, the citizens of Georgetown—at least those who ventured out to vote—elected public officials to whom the careful and responsible management of the city was entrusted.

Politikles