Daily Archive: Tuesday, September 19, 2017

  MEXICO CITY,  (Reuters) – A major earthquake of magnitude 7.1 struck central Mexico today, killing at least 60 people in several states, toppling buildings in the heavily populated capital and forcing thousands of people into the streets in panic.

At approximately 2 am yesterday; the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) says inclement weather disrupted a number of circuits within the Demerara Berbice Interconnected System (DBIS).

LONDON, (Reuters) – An unbeaten century from Jonny Bairstow helped England stroll to a seven-wicket victory over West Indies in the opening match of their one-day series at Old Trafford on Tuesday.

  UNITED NATIONS,  (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump today vowed to “totally destroy” North Korea unless Pyongyang backs down from its nuclear challenge, mocking North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as a “rocket man” on a suicide mission.

  ZURICH, (Reuters) – World soccer body FIFA said on Tuesday that the president of the Caribbean Football Union (CFU), Gordon Derrick, had been banned for six years from all soccer-related activities for violating several articles of FIFA’s ethical code.

  WASHINGTON, (Reuters) – U.S. investigators wiretapped former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort under secret court orders before and after the 2016 election, CNN reported on Monday.

                SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico,  (Reuters) – Hurricane Maria, the second maximum-strength storm to hit the Caribbean this month, killed at least one person in Guadeloupe and bore down menacingly on the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico today after devastating the tiny island nation of Dominica.

An Upper Corentyne youth lost his life on Sunday evening after a car, which was reportedly speeding, hit him and a co-worker on the Number 54 Village, Corentyne Public Road.

Thousands of commuters on both sides of the Demerara Harbour Bridge were left stranded for around two hours after two trucks broke down on the bridge last evening.

Well-known businessman Yusuf Sankar, 77, died after he was trapped in his Main Street, Georgetown home, which was gutted by fire early yesterday morning.

Though the Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the alleged plot to assassinate the president made strong recommendations that could see changes in the hierarchy of the Guyana Police Force, the extent of implementation is heavily dependent on discussions with the President and the Prime Minister, Minister of Public Security Khemraj Ramjattan said yesterday.

President David Granger’s Public Information and Press Services Officer Lloyda Nicholas-Garrett who has been accused of uttering a racial slur  is once again at his side while he attends the 72nd Regular Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

A Customs Anti-Narcotic Unit (CANU) officer was yesterday granted bail after he was charged with threatening to kill his neighbours.

A 24-year-old man who managed to evade the police for the last three years is now the latest guest of the state after he was slapped with several charges when he appeared before Magistrate Esther Sam at the Charity Magistrate’s Court yesterday.

A New Thriving Restaurant security guard was yesterday charged with stealing $1.5 million from the company.

A police lance corporal is under close arrest after he struck down and killed a female pedestrian along the Ogle Public Road, East Coast Demerara on Sunday evening.

Two men who were charged with trafficking cocaine off the Pomeroon River on the 17th of July 2017, were yesterday granted bail of one million dollars each when they appeared before Magistrate Esther Sam at the Charity Magistrate’s Court.

Guyana Police Force (GPF) won the inaugural Corona Beer Invitational Football tournament, arresting Georgetown Football Club (GFC) 4-0 on Sunday in a lopsided final.

MANCHESTER, England, CMC – Unpredictable West Indies face the improbable task of whitewashing favourites England in their five-match One-Day International series starting here today, as they chase a quickly dissipating dream of direct qualification for the 2019 World Cup.

Two years after a fire at the Guyana Forensic Science Laboratory destroyed several electrical outlets, a $16.5 million contract has been awarded for the execution of remedial work for the facility’s electrical system.

Business consultancy, McKinsey, which crafted the financial model for Guyana’s Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) under the Jagdeo administration is now at the centre of a scandal in South Africa that could see a criminal complaint being brought against it.

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad,  CMC – Rookie off-spinner Bryan Charles says Trinidad and Tobago Red Force will be focussed this year on bringing an end to their four-day title drought, but need to pay special attention to their preparation phase in order to make this is a reality.

(BBC) When Adam Hollioake was faced with the choice of staying in Afghanistan after being caught up in a suicide bombing or going back home, the former England cricketer opted to stay.

The suspect in the stabbing at Sophia on Sunday, which left a man hospitalised, is in police custody, while two suspected arsonists, who reportedly torched three houses in retaliation, are still being sought, ‘C’ Division Commander Calvin Brutus says.

With the aid of three Canadian colleges, the Government Technical Institute (GTI) has added an Automotive Electrical/ Electronic Service and Repairs programme to its curriculum.

The first in a series of discussions on commercial and power generation issues between  officers of the Government of Guyana and technical members of ExxonMobil will begin  in Georgetown today, according to  a release from the Ministry of Public Infrastructure (MPI).

Dear Editor, It is with increasing worry that I read the story in the September 18 issue of the Stabroek News captioned ‘Hurricane-hit Guyanese in BVI face woes’.

MANCHESTER, England, CMC – Captain Jason Holder has no plans on keeping combative Marlon Samuels on a leash during the five-match One-Day International series starting here Tuesday, but has urged the experienced stroke-maker not to get carried away in his rivalry with all-rounder Ben Stokes.

Dear Editor, Recent events involving the interception of private messages to publicly bring someone into disrepute caused me to pause to consider the issue of privacy in this current information age.

Contracts were signed yesterday for the rehabilitation of seven police stations, which will boast several user-friendly features, including domestic violence rooms.

KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – Clarendon Football Associaton president, Michael Ricketts, was Saturday elected to succeed the late Captain Horace Burrell as head of the Jamaica Football Association, and said he planned to immediately get to work in rebuilding the organisation.

Dear Editor,   It is indeed very heartening to read pronouncements and statements by two senior government Ministers George Norton and Khemraj Ramjattan of the need for an Alcohol Control Bill to deal with the negative and horrendous consequences of alcohol abuse in our dear land of Guyana.

Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan said yesterday that the alleged collusion between police ranks and the persons who escaped from a Brazilian aircraft shortly after it landed on an illegal airstrip in Region Nine last month is still being investigated.

Guyana’s premier cyclists will unchain their competitive juices and renew their cycling rivalry on Sunday with the staging of the 15th annual Victor Macedo memorial road race.

The Chairman of the Queen’s College (QC) Board of Directors has apologised and accepted responsibility for the fire that was set at the QC field on Saturday, although he related that no instruction was passed for the grass to be lit.

Dear Editor, The media has recently been reporting on complaints from school cleaners about their conditions of work and pay.

Dear Editor, I was in the ninth grade when I decided to study economics.

MANCHESTER, England, CMC – The return of the self-proclaimed ‘Universe Boss’, Chris Gayle, to West Indies one-day colours following a two-year absence, is expected to strengthen the Caribbean side’s batting in the upcoming five-match series against England.

Police have released the man who was being questioned in connection with the armed robbery carried out on the Readymix Concrete Limited’s main office at Eccles Industrial Site, East Bank Demerara, two Sundays ago.

A crying mason was yesterday remanded to prison by a city magistrate after he denied robbing a man of a quantity of jewellery and other items, valued at over $300,000.

Dear Editor, The Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) finds it incumbent to respond to Mr Gobin Harbhajan’s letter titled ‘GAWU was one of the main culprits in running down the sugar industry’ which appeared in the September 18, 2017 edition of the Stabroek News.

BEIJING,  (Reuters) – China supports efforts by the Myanmar government to protect its national security and opposes recent violent attacks in the country’s Rakhine state, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told U.N.

(Reuters) – An electric display of scoring by Slovenian captain Goran Dragic paved the way for his side’s stunning 93-85 victory over neighbours Serbia as they were crowned Eurobasket champions for the first time after a thrilling final on Sunday.

RIO DE JANEIRO/SAO PAULO,  (Reuters) – JBS SA’s decision to replace the Brazilian company’s jailed chief executive with his father was a sign of “deviousness” and should be investigated, the head of state development bank BNDES, the company’s second-largest shareholder, said on Monday.

LONDON,  (Reuters) – Sebastian Vettel’s temperament is under the spotlight again after the Ferrari driver’s hopes of seizing back the Formula One lead disappeared in a few seconds of mayhem at the Singapore Grand Prix on Sunday.

The Society Against Sexual Orientation Dis-crimination (SASOD) held a vigil on Saturday on the eve of World Suicide Prevention Day at its office in Duncan Street under the theme ”Take A Minute, Change A Life.”

BEIJING, (Reuters) – Panama’s decision to ditch long-standing ties with self-ruled Taiwan and switch recognition to China had nothing to do with “chequebook diplomacy”, its president has told Chinese state television.

Dear Editor,   The 2017 paddy crop is in an advanced stage in Region Two, although there is delayed harvesting in some parts of the coast.

(BBC) Former heavyweight champion Tyson Fury has called for a resolution to his doping suspension, as he bids to end a near two-year absence from the ring.

UNITED NATIONS,  (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump criticized the United Nations for bloated bureaucracy and mismanagement on his first visit yesterday to U.N.

Dear Editor, I read with great interest Ian on Sunday’s  ‘Thinking, already, about the next general election’ (September 3, 2017).

The work on the Kitty Seawall sinkhole and its surrounding environs will to be completed soon as an official from the Ministry of Public Infrastructure has said that the project is now 65% complete.

LOS ANGELES, (Reuters) – “The Handmaid’s Tale” and political comedy “Veep” won the top prizes at the Emmy awards on Sunday, but satirical sketch show “Saturday Night Live” won the most Emmys overall on the back of a season of Donald Trump spoofs.

Construction of the bridge between Annandale and Lusignan on the East Coast Railway Embankment which began in August is moving apace as this Keno George photo taken on Thursday shows.

NEW YORK,  (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday he wanted democracy restored soon in Venezuela and warned that the United States might take additional measures to apply pressure on the oil-producing nation.

LONDON, (Reuters) – Rory McIlroy will play in next week’s British Masters after the four times major winner failed to qualify for the Tour Championship in Atlanta.

The Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) on Sunday evening met with residents of `C’ Field Sophia, in a continuation of their ‘Road Network Upgrade and Expansion Programme’ consultations.

Up until now, relations between the incumbent political administration and the private sector have not exactly been characterized by an abundance of warmth and eagerness to work together.

Dear Editor, A couple of dozen Guyanese and Trinidadians, joined by a few nationals of other countries, rallied mid-afternoon on Saturday September 16 in Richmond Hill in support of DACA (Deferred Action on Child Arrivals) which was terminated by President Trump on Sept 6.

The Guyana Oil Company Limited yesterday launched its Castrol GTX Promotion.

In the aftermath of Hurricane Irma, I have received emails from friends and relatives all over the world asking whether this city will drown under the sea or be blown away by hurricanes over the next few decades.

PRETORIA,  (Reuters) – South Africa’s tax agency yesterday accused KPMG of “unethical” and “unlawful” behaviour in withdrawing a report that suggested the former finance minister ran a rogue unit to spy on political leaders.

A Linden poultry farmer was yesterday charged with an armed robbery, in which he allegedly shot the victim, who was then relieved of cash and his phones.