Daily Archive: Friday, August 5, 2016

President David Granger last evening called on the business community and the rest of the nation to capitalise on new economic sectors, which will emerge as Guyana transitions into an oil and gas economy.

Minister of State, Joseph Harmon (left), on Friday congratulated Commissioner General of the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA), Godfrey Statia on his new appointment, during his first official meeting at the Ministry of the Presidency.

RIO DE JANEIRO, (Reuters) – Brazil unfurled a vast canvas celebrating its rainforest and the creative energy of its wildly diverse population to the tune of samba, bossa nova and funk in welcoming the world on Friday to the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados,  CMC — Darren Sammy has been sacked as West Indies Twenty20 captain, four months after leading the region to unprecedented second T20 World Cup triumph.

The problems associated with the shifting Hope Canal Bridge located at Hope on the East Coast of Demerara are due to poor design and not the failure of the contractor, Minister of Agriculture, Noel Holder says.

“Leadership is about the daily application of critical thinking, decision-making and problem solving.

(Trinidad Guardian) Determined not to let 14 years of marriage go down the drain, Ardia Yearwood-Marchan and Peter Marchan were trying to make life work.

Saying that any move to bar University of Guyana (UG) student loan defaulters from leaving the country would be illegal, President David Granger yesterday emphasised the need for more persuasive measures to be used to ensure repayments.

A damning report of a technical audit outlining numerous defects uncovered at the Kato Secondary School was yesterday presented to the National Assembly even as the firm responsible for the works defended its performance, while accusing the government of making the issue political and not requesting corrections as provided for in the contract.

A jury yesterday found a young West Berbice cane harvester guilty of killing his former partner.

A fisherman seriously wounded his former partner and her mother with a knife and cutlass around 10:40 pm on Wednesday at Greenwich Park, East Bank Essequibo before consuming a poisonous substance.

Ishwar Heeralall, 38, the man who allegedly chopped his estranged wife at the La Penitence Market, was yesterday charged with the crime and had his bail set at $600,000.

Photos by Orlando Charles   A fire ripped through a section of a four-storey building at the corner of Avenue of the Republic and America Street yesterday morning, disrupting several small businesses and causing the destruction of tens of millions of dollars in goods.

Government is seeking parliamentary approval for over $2 billion in extra-budgetary spending including $501 million for BK International as part payment for an out-of-court $1.1 billion settlement, and $109.6 million in extra funding for the University of Guyana which the institution had been seeking.

Cabinet has given its no-objection to expenditure of $168.3m for facilitators under the Hinterland Employment Youth Service (HEYS).

Mark Sauers and Rolston Bacchus, who are accused of recruiting drug mules, were freed of the charges against them yesterday after the prosecution’s star witness in their trial recanted his testimony and claimed that he had struck a deal with the Customs Anti-Narcotic Unit (CANU) to lie on the witness stand in exchange for a reduced sentence.

The Region Six Regional Democratic Council (RDC) yesterday made a decision to take on full responsibility for the Amerindian Hostel located in Stanleytown, New Amsterdam, following reports of substandard conditions at the facility.

A man who was wanted by police was yesterday shot by ranks of the force during an attempt to apprehend him.

RIO DE JANEIRO,  (Reuters) – The statue of Christ the Redeemer overlooking Rio de Janeiro was illuminated in Brazil’s yellow and green national colours yesterday as the city put the finishing touches to its preparations for South America’s first Olympics.

Matthew Stephen Lutchana, 19, an overseas-based Guyanese who fatally hit a pedestrian along the Number 51 Village Public Road on Monday, was yesterday charged with failure to render assistance and failure to stop at the scene of an accident.

(CPL T20) The Trinbago Knight Riders have defeated the St Lucia Zouks at the Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) to set up an effective semi-final against the Jamaica Tallawahs tonight.

(Reuters) – Five-times All-Star guard Russell Westbrook has signed a contract extension with the Oklahoma City Thunder, the NBA team said yesterday.

The Ministry of Social Protection approached the Guyana Elections Commission (Gecom) to disaggregate the information of all persons who are 65 and over from the national voter’s list in order to ensure that all pensioners are in receipt of their old age pension, according to Minister of Social Protection Volda Lawrence.

GTT, effective on Tuesday, made free data available to all its prepaid and postpaid smartphone customers.

Alpha United were officially presented with their Guyana Football Federation (GFF) Stag Beer Elite League Finale Championship trophy at a presentation ceremony yesterday at the 704 Sports Club on Lamaha and Albert streets.

RIO DE JANEIRO, (Reuters) – Brazil failed to make a winning start despite home advantage, a multi-million dollar strike force and a man advantage as they were held 0-0 by South Africa in their opening soccer match at the Rio Olympics yesterday.

Cabinet has given its nod of approval for the establishment of a National Border Institute, Minister of State Joseph Harmon said yesterday.

Entries for Guyana’s biggest and most lucrative horse racing meet closes in two days.

The Ministry of Agriculture is intensifying efforts to increase land rates and to recoup billions of dollars outstanding for land rates and irrigation fees owed to the Mahaica, Mahaicony, Abary- Agriculture Development Authority (MMA-ADA).

Long believed to be lacking in the clout to effectively assert itself in the wake of a government ban on the scrap metal trade that has been in force for more than a year, the Guyana Metal Recyclers Association (GMRA) on Thursday unleashed a withering broadside on the administration, dismissing the closure of the trade as illegal and demanding its immediate reopening.

In the wake of the public controversy that has shrouded the planned introduction of parking meters in the capital in recent months, Managing Director of Smart City Solutions Ifa Kamau Cush told Stabroek Business that yesterday’s launch of public consultations on the issue at the National Library represented a determined effort on his part to ensure that Guyanese secure “the correct understanding” of the nature and potential benefits of the project.

BIRMINGHAM, England,  (Reuters) – Azhar Ali’s patient century lifted Pakistan to 257 for three and a dominant position on the second day of the third test against England at Edgbaston yesterday.

Officials at the Guyana Live-stock Development Authority (GLDA)  on Wednesday evening impounded several dogs which entered Guyana illegally, breaching quarantine regulations.

A teenager was sentenced yesterday to two months in jail for stealing a phone he said he thought belonged to no one.

By Raymond F Trotz: Chairman, National Stakeholders Platform, Guyana Background and Introduction In recent months there has been much focus on developing the coconut industry in Guyana.

KINGSTON, Jamaica,  CMC – Captain Jason Holder has urged West Indies to build on their spirited final day performance here Wednesday which saw them earn an improbable draw in the second Test against India at Sabina Park.

ST GEORGE’S, Grenada,  CMC – Trinidad and Tobago were crowned Regional Under-15 champions for a record eighth time when they cruised to a four-wicket victory over Guyana here Wednesday, to win the 2016 edition.

Minister of State Joseph Harmon yesterday signaled that the report of the inquiry into the corruption allegations made against officials of the Customs Anti-Narcotic Unit (CANU) by self-confessed drug lord Barry Dataram may not be made public as was initially stated, because of the sensitive information it contains.

BRASILIA, (Reuters) – A Senate impeachment committee voted yesterday to put suspended Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff on trial in the full chamber for breaking budget laws, opening the way for her to be removed from office.

Dear Editor, It was announced some time in June of this year that Guyana intended to join the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI).

The state of the country’s economy and exactly where it has been heading over the past year or so is one of the current talking points among Guyanese.

You could be forgiven for thinking that Rudolph Wellington is a native of Kamarang.

BUENOS AIRES,  (Reuters) – U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry yesterday urged Argentina to be patient with the slow pace of economic progress under its new government, and urged Venezuela to allow a vote this year on whether to recall President Nicolas Maduro.

The poor execution of projects by contractors in Region One is a source of major concern for the region’s administration as it strives to complete its 2016 capital works before the reading of the 2017 Budget, according to Chairman Brentnol Ashley.

Cycling action returns to the inner circuit of the National Park tomorrow with the staging of the 13th annual Seven Seas 11-race programme.

Dear Editor, I am not convinced that the Parliamentary Natural Resources Committee and the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples Affairs will be able to work together for the betterment of Indigenous communities if they can’t find common ground to facilitate the revision of the Amerindian Act.

PRETORIA,  (Reuters) – South Africa’s ruling party was on track for its worst electoral performance since coming to power two decades ago, poised to lose control of a key metropolitan area in a reflection of rising anger over a stubbornly high jobless rate and a lack of basic services.

KINGSTON, Jamaica,  CMC – West Indies have axed opener Rajendra Chandrika for the third Test against India starting next Tuesday in St Lucia, and have recalled Shai Hope to the 14-member squad.

Dear Editor, The May 2015 general and regional elections have come and gone but several persons in the hinterland regions who provided transportation services to the Guyana Elections Commission (Gecom) on that day have not as yet been paid.

General Secretary of the Guyana Trades Union Congress (GTUC) has criticized what he says was the recent focus by Natural Resources & Environment Minister Raphael Trotman on production figures in the bauxite industry without “mentioning a word about working conditions and the industrial relations problems” in the industry.

A West Ruimveldt man charged with stealing a $15,000 cell phone was on Wednesday placed on $20,000 bail when he appeared before a city magistrate.

Dear Editor, What a day for West Indies cricket! The fourth day was all India’s as excellent bowling in the sessions available due to the cessation of torrents of rain, saw the rapid dismissal of the four top order WI batsmen.

BRASILIA,  (Reuters) – Brazil’s environmental regulator Ibama decided on Thursday to shelve the environmental license request for a hydroelectric dam on the Tapajos River in the Amazon, a project that had been opposed by indigenous tribes and conservation groups.

(Reuters) – Kusal Mendis excelled under pressure again, hitting a sparkling 86 and featuring in two important partnerships to help Sri Lanka overcome a shaky start and post 281 all out on the opening day of the second test against Australia yesterday.

RIO DE JANEIRO, (Reuters) – Olympic officials yesterday cleared about 270 Russian athletes to compete at the Rio Olympics, just one day before the opening ceremony, the TASS news agency reported, citing the head of the Russian Olympic Committee.

Dear Editor, I must confess that I enjoy the debate proffered by a respected colleague – George N Cave ‒ as to whether or not there is a totally integrated institution identified as ‘the government’.

Moray House Trust will host ‘A Life in Agriculture: Beni Sankar in conversation with Arnon Adams’ on Thursday, August 11, at 5.30 pm at Moray House, Camp and Quamina streets.

(Reuters) – The mayor of Stockton, California, was arrested yesterday on a felony eavesdropping charge stemming from a strip poker game he is accused of surreptitiously recording at a summer camp he hosts for disadvantaged inner-city children, prosecutors said.

Company Secretary of the Continental Group of Companies Mohamed S Ali has told Stabroek Business that the company is persuaded that the Government Analyst Food and Drugs Department (GAFDD) is doing the best with the resources at its disposal in the wake of the challenge which it faces in curbing the proliferation of fake products into Guyana.

ISTANBUL, (Reuters) – Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan vowed yesterday to choke off businesses linked to the U.S.-based

KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – Batting hero Roston Chase says he, along with a few teammates, had plotted the strategy on the previous night, on how to draw the second Test against India on Wednesday’s critical final day at Sabina Park.

Dear Editor, The current disciplinary process and procedures in the public service should be revisited with a view to provide for a speedier due process and natural justice for public servants as outlined hereunder.

RIO DE JANEIRO,  (Reuters) – Nita Ambani, an Indian businesswoman and owner of the Mumbai Indians cricket team franchise, was among eight new members elected to the International Olympic Committee yesterday on the eve of the Rio de Janeiro Olympics.

By Ryan Peterson It a truism that tourism is experiencing a tectonic transformation.

LONDON,  (Reuters) – A U.S. woman was killed and five other people injured by a man with suspected mental health issues who went on a rampage with a knife in central London.

Dear Editor, The appearance of TV ads informing our MPs of upcoming sittings of our exalted parliament, the premier institution of our country, has been a source of irritation to me, a continuing assault on my national pride and unhappiness that my tax-dollar is being wasted.

Dear Editor, In the words of the great Rev William Barber in his speech at the Democratic Convention, “Pay people what they deserve, share your food with the hungry. 

(Reuters) – Manny Pacquiao will take on American World Boxing Organisation welterweight champion Jessie Vargas when he returns to the ring on Nov.

BELIZE CITY, (Reuters) – Tropical Storm Earl whipped Belize and Mexico’s Caribbean coast with wind and heavy rain, battering cars, disrupting transportation and forcing hundreds into shelters as it moved through Guatemala toward southeastern Mexico yesterday.

(Trinidad Guardian) Students currently pursuing degrees in accredited tertiary education institutions will continue to receive Government Assisted Tuition Expenses (Gate) programme funding for their entire programme of study.

The business community in ‘F’ Division (Regions 1, 7, 8, 9) recently supplied the members of the Guyana Police Force under 15 Football Team, based in Bartica, with $200,000 worth of sports equipment.

The Georgetown Football Club (GFC) Ground in Bourda will come alive on Sunday August 7th when the Mayor’s Cup Football Championship resumes with four exciting fixtures from 15:00hrs.

If anyone was expecting the announcement of a comprehensive strategy to tackle the student debt problem, both in terms of existing non-performing debt already on the books, and the processing and managing of new debt through the Student Loan Programme, they were to be disappointed.

I concede that the following will be mere, not-too-structured ramblings. More of a “free-flow” as the thoughts that were influenced pour out.

(Prepared by the Guyana Marketing Corporation and published by Stabroek Business as a public service) The New Guyana Marketing Corporation has agreed to provide us with the above information which we will publish on a weekly basis subject to receipt.

Dear Editor, This is an endlessly fascinating country.  It perplexes, even as it intrigues.

Politikles

WASHINGTON,  (Reuters) – The World Bank approved new rules yesterday that aim to expand protections for people and the environment in projects financed by the bank while making it easier for borrowers to comply with its standards.

HAVANA, (Reuters) – Cuba has chosen French firms Bouygues and Groupe ADP to modernize, expand and operate its Jose Marti International Airport in Havana to cope with a tourism boom.