Daily Archive: Saturday, August 5, 2017

LONDON, (Reuters) – Justin Gatlin ruined Usain Bolt’s farewell party when the 35-year-old American won the world 100 metres title today beating the Jamaican superstar into third and sparking a chorus of boos from a London crowd unhappy with his doping past.

CARACAS, (Reuters) – Venezuela’s chief prosecutor was fired today  and ordered to stand trial, less than 24 hours after a newly elected legislative superbody was installed with sweeping powers to strengthen President Nicolas Maduro’s grip on power.

SAO PAULO, (Reuters) – South American trade bloc Mercosur suspended Venezuela indefinitely today adding to international pressure on President Nicolas Maduro to dismantle a newly created pro-government constituent assembly and restore democracy.

GROS ISLET, St Lucia, CMC – Trinbago Knight Riders defeated St Lucia Stars by nine wickets in the opening game of the 2017 Caribbean Premier League at the Darren Sammy Cricket Ground here Friday night.

(Trinidad Express) Relatives of two men who were shot dead in Kelly Village on Thursday night said they were unable to understand why they were murdered as they were not involved in any illegal activity.

In the backdrop of a marginal expansion in sectors such as agriculture and fishing, Guyana’s economy grew by 2.2 percent in the first half of 2017, compared to the 2.0 percent growth recorded in the first half of 2016.

A murder accused prisoner was shot and killed during a reported attempt to escape from the Timehri Prison yesterday afternoon.

Fuelled by higher earnings from key taxes such as VAT and new sources such as the oil and gas industry, government’s revenue collection for the first half of this year rose by 13.1 percent to $97.2 billion.

Intense questioning of Assistant Police Commissioner David Ramnarine as to why he felt the probe of the alleged assassination plot against President David Granger was defective yesterday exposed deep rifts in the police force hierarchy and several accusations of impropriety.

Following hours of debate, the government last evening used its majority in the National Assembly to pass contentious update to the broadcast legislation.

Imran Khan, the brother of the man implicated as the intellectual author of an alleged plot to assassinate the President, yesterday denied asking Commissioner of Police Seelall Persaud, who is his friend, for any favours in relation to the investigation.

Police Inspector Prem Narine yesterday maintained that the Commissioner of Police Seelall Persaud had instructed him to release the main suspect in the alleged plot to assassinate the President, countering Persaud’s claim that he had merely made a “suggestion.”

Akeem John, a driver for Cevons Waste Manage-ment Inc, was yesterday sentenced to three years in jail for trafficking cannabis, which he was caught trying to smuggle into the Lusignan Prison on the East Coast of Demerara.

Owing to the looming withdrawal of garbage collection services by both Cevons Waste Management and Puran Brothers Disposal from tomorrow, City Hall will be setting up an emergency team to address the disposal of waste in the wards of Georgetown.

Miss World Guyana 2017 Vena Mookram yesterday launched her ‘Sweet Vigor’ campaign, which aims to raise awareness about Type 1 diabetes and promote a healthy diet and exercise.

Minister of Finance Winston Jordan on Wednesday presented to Cabinet the mid-year report on the implementation of the Public Sector Investment Programme (PSIP) and shared the reasons behind the low spending, Minister of State Joseph Harmon said yesterday.

Contracts for consultancy services for the reconstruction of the St. Roses High School as well as the design of landfill sites at Bartica, Mahdia and Linden were among 29 multi-million dollar awards which received no-objection by Cabinet at its meeting on Wednesday, Minister of State Joseph Harmon announced yesterday.

The National Assembly’s Committee of Supply on Thursday night approved a request for a sum of $756.1 million in supplementary funds by the Public Security Ministry for the reconstruction of the Camp Street Prison and rehabilitation works at the Lusignan Prison.

Minister of Public Infra-structure David Patterson on Thursday said that the rehabilitation of the Bagotville Bridge will take three months to be completed.

LONDON, (Reuters) – Mo Farah launched the World Athletics Championships in scintillating fashion yesterday with another consummate 10,000 metres triumph that further embellished his claim to being the greatest distance racer in the sport’s annals.

The Committee of Supply of the National Assembly on Thursday approved requests for a total of $98.3 million in additional capital funding by the Ministry of Public Health.

LONDON, (Reuters) – Usain Bolt took his first, somewhat stuttering, steps towards what he hopes will be a glorious World Championship farewell yesterday when he recovered from a poor start to win his heat in the first round of the 100 metres in 10.07 seconds.

The Guyana Power and Light Inc (GPL) yesterday reported two disruptions in service for customers served by the Demerara-Berbice Interconnected System (DBIS).

Scores of Dynamic Airways and Fly Jamaica passengers travelling to North America were left stranded at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) after aircraft from both airlines developed mechanical issues in New York.

Insurance company Nalico/Nafico last month paid over $1 million to Sentinel Security after the death of security guard Gerald Henry, who was fatally shot by bandits while on duty at a Liliendaal supermarket.

Former public service minister Dr Jennifer Westford and the ministry’s former chief personnel officer Margaret Cummings have been granted a stay of the proceedings against them in the magistrate’s court for allegedly attempting to steal state vehicles.

As it continues to process tax refunds, the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) is urging individual taxpayers to ensure that it has their correct addresses.

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – Barbados crowned themselves champions of the Regional Under-15 Championship when they beat Trinidad and Tobago by 15 runs in the final round of the tournament here yesterday.

  A homeless man was yesterday remanded to prison after he was charged with stealing from a city school.

LONDON, (Reuters) – Jeff Henderson, the Olympic long jump champion, was the first major casualty of the World Athletics Championships yesterday when he failed to qualify for the final.

Dear Editor, The political masquerade continues with the utterances of the Prime Minister in the National Assembly on August 3 as it relates to his government’s justification for including clauses in the Broadcast (Amend-ment) Bill of 2017 that infringe on both the freedom of the press and private enterprise.

COLOMBO,  (Reuters) – India amassed 622 for nine before declaring their first innings and then returned to remove both the Sri Lankan openers to tighten their grip on the second test yesterday.

The inaugural Guinness Cage Indoor Football Classic is slated to commence August 24th at the National Gymnasium, Mandela Avenue.

Dear Editor, It is now twenty-two years since I wrote a prescient piece in the Chronicle called ‘Time for Sheriff Nagamootoo to tame the Wild West’ about the anarchy then extant in Guyanese television.

CARACAS, (Reuters) – Venezuela yesterday inaugurated a new legislative superbody that is expected to rewrite the constitution and give vast new powers to the ruling Socialist Party, defying worldwide condemnation that the new assembly undermines democratic freedoms.

MANCHESTER, England, (Reuters) – South Africa are reported to have targeted England bowling coach Ottis Gibson as their next head coach but the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) said they have had no contact over the matter.

Dear Editor, I was shocked by recent disclosures in the press attributed to Mr Horace James, the Chief Executive Officer of NICIL, that the entity is financially “broke.” It

WASHINGTON,  (Reuters) – U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, taking up an issue that has infuriated Republican President Donald Trump, went on the attack against leaks yesterday, warning of a possible crackdown both on reporters and their sources inside the federal government.

CHELMSFORD, England, CMC – West Indies head coach Stuart Law says the drawn Essex tour game was pivotal in helping the Caribbean accomplish their objectives, as they continued their preparation for the three-Test series against England starting later this month.

Dear Editor, The Venezuelan Electoral Authority wishes to inform you about the serious remarks made by Antonio Mugica, the representative of the company [Smartmatic] that supplies the National Electoral Council.

MANCHESTER, England, (Reuters) – England ended a well contested first day of the fourth and final test against South Africa on 260 for six with the late loss of Ben Stokes giving heart to the tourists.

KIGALI, (Reuters) – Rwanda’s incumbent leader Paul Kagame has sealed a crushing victory in presidential elections that granted him a third term in office, extending his 17 years in power.

Dear Editor, My telephone line is down and so is my internet service.

WASHINGTON, (Reuters) – U.S. employers hired more workers than expected in July and raised their wages, signs of labor market tightness that likely clears the way for the Federal Reserve to announce a plan to start shrinking its massive bond portfolio.

CHELMSFORD, England, CMC – South African Ryan Maron has joined West Indies as the new fielding coach, replacing Jamaican Andre Coley who has taken up the new role of head coach of Windward Islands Volcanoes.

Dear Editor,   With much pride in the post-emancipation period Africans have sung ‘First of August come again.’

Track and Field standouts, Onasha Rogers and Claudrice McKoy are guaranteed a sum of $230,000 each annually for the next four years after signing an MoU with the National Sports Commission (NSC) yesterday.

Not built to last: Sections of this newly-constructed house at Farm, East Bank Demerara, owned by Althea Thegg, fell apart on Wednesday.

WASHINGTON,  (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump pressured the Mexican president to stop voicing opposition in public to his plan to have Mexico pay for a border wall, according to transcripts of phone calls published on Thursday that gave an insight into Trump’s attempts to influence foreign leaders in his first days in office.

Dear Editor, It was George Lamming, the revered Barbadian author, who observed that “There are men and women in the Caribbean who are so blinded by their own brilliance that they do not see the darkness through which they lead others”.

I left “Dunkirk” with the word “liminality” on the tip of my tongue.

Toolsie Persaud Group donates to orphanages: The Toolsie Persaud Group of Companies on Thursday donated 170 gallons of paint to the Shaheed Boys and Girls Orphanages in Georgetown.

(Trinidad Express) Two new investigations will be launched into the multi-billion-­dollar operations of CL Financial and its subsidiaries.

As Emancipation approached this year, I found myself uninterested. It wasn’t because I had strayed from its significance or that my love and respect for the occasion had dwindled.

ISLAMABAD, (Reuters) – Pakistan’s new prime minister called on Friday for an investigation into allegations that opposition leader Imran Khan harassed a woman lawmaker, charges Khan dismisses as revenge for his role in the ouster of then-premier Nawaz Sharif.

“The secret counsels of princes,” said Montaigne, “are a troublesome burden to such as have only to execute them.”

In an effort to raise much needed funds to send a five-man team of boxers to Jamaica in October, the Guyana Boxing Association (GBA) in collaboration with the Referee/Judges Commission has decided to stage a card and a BBQ and Lime tomorrow at Burnham Court.

Director of Prisons Gladwin Samuels last night confirmed that a fatal incident occurred at the Timehri Prison at approximately 5 pm yesterday involving prisoner Winston Hinds, 26,  who was on remand for murder.