Daily Archive: Friday, December 15, 2017

President David Granger this morning said that while he does not believe that the placing of the US$18M ExxonMobil signing bonus into a Bank of Guyana (BoG) account instead of the Consolidated Fund violates any laws, if advised by his legal team that the act was unlawful he will correct it.

As investigators continue to pay more attention to robbery under arms involving the theft of motor cars, their efforts are being rewarded, the police said today.

(Trinidad Guardian) Three days after PC Richard Babwah was killed during a shootout with bandits, another officer was shot under similar circumstances in Marabella.

A maiden unbeaten century from Guyana Jaguars’ wicket keeper batsman Anthony Bramble, placed the hosts in a position of comfort at stumps last evening, the first day of their seventh-round encounter against the Leeward Islands Hurricanes at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence  Jaguars end the night on 276 – 8  The day/night encounter began with the hosts winning the toss and electing to bat.

Keevin Allicock, Colin Lewis and Joel Williamson all chalked up wins on Wednesday in exciting fashion at the Caribbean Development Boxing Tournament currently underway in St Lucia.

Admitting that it was he who advised President David Granger to not disclose the ExxonMobil US$18M signature bonus, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Carl Greenidge  yesterday said that he thought then and still believes that publicising of the deal holds serious implications for Guyana pertaining to the border controversy with Venezuela.

Dear Editor, Reference is made to an article published in your newspaper’s Wednesday December 13, 2017 edition, under the headline, ‘Gloomy Christmas looms for Kopinang as ASL suspends flights’.

Defending champion Silver Shattas crushed Topp XX by a 3-1 scoreline, when the 5th Annual Upper Demerara Football Association (UDFA)/GT Beer Football Champion-ship continued on Wednesday.

A miner was yesterday remanded to prison by a city Magistrate, after he was charged with the murder of a Venezuelan national, who was allegedly beaten to death last Friday evening.

Despite the Ministry of Public Health having stated its intention to end the contract for the rental of  the controversial Sussex Street bond, Minister Volda Lawrence confirmed last night that budgetary allocations have been made for its rental for the entire year of 2018.

Dear Editor, On reading two recent articles in the media, ‘Developer steams ahead with smaller windfarm’ (a report on representations purportedly made by businessman Lloyd Singh); and ‘Minister Patterson sets record straight on Windfarm Project’, I have felt a need for a greater grasp by our public of three important matters.

By Statistician Charwayne Walker Grenadian Emmanuel Stewart, who led the West Indies Under-19 team earlier this year to South Africa and Zimbabwe, created history by becoming the first player from the Windward Islands to captain the West Indies at this level.

Dear Editor, I note a media report citing statistics provided by the Guyana Police Force about the number of murders, robberies, traffic accidents, etc, that have occurred this year.

Taylor Fernandes and Daniel Islam secured contrasting wins in the Category-A section, when the Farfan and Mendes Junior Skill Level Squash Championship, continued on Wednesday.

The onus was on Minister of Natural Resources Raphael Trotman to tell President David Granger that he would be breaking the law if the US$18M bonus went anywhere else but to the Consolidated Fund, commentator and civil society activist Melinda Janki says.

Defending champion Colts and Linden unit Victory Valley Royals, clinched contrasting wins, when the Guyana Amateur Basketball Federation (GABF) ‘Road to Mecca’ Club Championship, continued on Wednesday.

Keeping information from the public only results in distrust and contracts for all of the country’s natural resources should be published,  says Government’s Petroleum Advisor Jan Mangal.

Dear Editor, We wish to respond to an article in SN captioned ‘Salesman robbed of $1M cash outside Demerara Park’ published on December 13th, 2017.

Lawmen who showed up in the Parliament Chambers on Monday following the ruckus around PPP/C Member of Parliament, Juan Edghill were summoned by a caller purporting to be acting on the instruction of the Clerk of the National Assembly Sherlock Isaacs, a well-placed source told Stabroek News.

Dear Editor, I was awaiting President Granger’s response to the scandalous revelation of enormous proportions that after repeated denials from his government including from none other than the Minister of Finance, Winston Jordan, that Exxon had paid the government a signature bonus before seeking an opportunity to offer my comment on the matter.

The inaugural Guyana Football Federation (GFF) ‘Super 16 Year-end Classic’ will officially kickoff today at the Mackenzie Sports Club (MSC) ground, Linden with a doubleheader.

MUMBAI,  (Reuters) – Rohit Sharma has been unable to cement his place in India’s test side but the right-handed batsman continues to show he has the right stuff for limited-overs formats.

The Kaneville, East Bank Demerara machine operator Ishwar Ramanah, who was shot minutes after midnight on Wednesday by armed bandits, remains in the hospital but is showing signs of recovery.

Dear Editor, The Guyana Public Service Union’s (GPSU) President, Patrick Yarde, along with another GPSU executive have been members of the outgoing Public Service Commission (PSC).

Against the backdrop of what it says is its focus of creating further opportunities for the development of hinterland agriculture, government has disclosed in its 2018 budget an intention to allocate some $265 million to the design and construction of an agricultural centre and reservoir at Lethem and the upgrading of the existing agricultural research station at Ebini.

Dear Editor, The Guyana Football Federation (GFF) recently indicated that it would approach the Guyana Police Force and other public agencies to ask them not to give permission to any individual or company interested in hosting a football competition until the GFF gives its blessing.

(The Sports Xchange) – Highlights of National Basketball Association games on Wednesday: Rockets 108, Hornets 96 Chris Paul posted a season-high 31 points, Houston seized control with a 25-0 run bridging the first and second quarters to extend their winning streak to 11 games with a victory over Charlotte.

Fresh obstacles that threaten to block an official decision that taxes deducted from payments made to Bauxite Company of Guyana Inc.

Police are currently investigating the death of a one-year-old who is suspected to have drowned on Wednesday.

A 21-year-old man was yesterday granted bail after being read three fraud charges, where he allegedly obtained a total of $5,825,000 from his underage friends.

Dear Editor, On the face of it the attack on Bishop Edghill in the National Assembly on December 11th, his subsequent suspension from sittings until December15th and his arrest on December 12th would appear as just an abuse of power by the regime and its agents.

Even as the proliferation of Chinese stores in downtown Georgetown continues to serve as evidence of the country’s increasing prominence as the most visible trading presence in the hemisphere, Guyanese fashion designer Carol Fraser has told Stabroek Business that the local fashion industry can do much worse than look to China to accelerate the growth of the sector in Guyana.

PERTH, (Reuters) – Dawid Malan struck England’s first century of the Ashes series as the tourists saw off Australia’s marauding pace attack to emerge on top of an enthralling first day of the third test at the WACA on Thursday.

PPP/C Chief Whip, Gail Teixeira clashed with Minister of Communities Ronald Bulkan on Wednesday evening during consideration of the budget estimates after it was revealed that the Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Aranaputa Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) were being paid a stipend despite not being elected via Local Government Elections.

Dear Editor, His Excellency appears to have honed his perception aof what constitutes vulgarity (in public office) since the matter involving his Attorney General in the court of Justice Holder was brought to his attention by the head of the judiciary.

WASHINGTON,  (Reuters) – The U.S. Federal Communications Commission voted along party lines yesterday to repeal landmark 2015 rules aimed at ensuring a free and open internet, setting up a court fight over a move that could recast the digital landscape.

Leisa Gibson is acutely aware of the likelihood that in a society where a   preoccupation with hair is now the focal point of women’s fashion, her involvement in the sector, as a hairdresser for the past fifteen years and more recently as the manufacturer of natural hair and body products, may well be positioning  her for entrepreneurial success.

During a visit to Region Six on Saturday, Minister of Public Health, Volda Lawrence was informed that all three operating theatres at the New Amsterdam Public Hospital were functioning properly.

These days, Guyanese are no strangers to technology-assisted shopping…on line shopping is the appropriate term.

KUALA LUMPUR, (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – At least 6,700 Rohingya Muslims, including many children, were killed in the first month of violence that erupted in Myanmar’s troubled Rakhine state in August, Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) said yesterday.

Dear Editor, The Guyana Police Force is responding to an article in the Kaieteur News on page 5 of the December 7, 2017 edition under the caption ‘The Police are supporting this unfair competition’.

LONDON,  (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – A pledge by health and development experts to tackle neglected diseases that blind, disable and disfigure millions of the world’s poorest people has spurred tremendous progress in five years, a report said yesterday.

TAROUBA, Trinidad, CMC – Barbados Pride captain Shamarh Brooks narrowly missed out on a hundred and left-hander Jonathan Carter supported with a solid half-century to help their side make a strong start against Trinidad & Tobago Red Force in their Regional 4-Day Championship match on Thursday.

NEW YORK,  (Reuters) – Two nephews of Venezuela’s first lady were sentenced to 18 years in prison yesterday following their convictions in New York on U.S.

The staff of the Ptolemy Reid Rehabilitation Centre (PRRC), were honoured for their service and dedication at the centre’s 50th anniversary Golden Jubilee Dinner and Awards presentation at the Pegasus Hotel, Kingston earlier this week.

Dear Editor, As usual, during any season, prices seem to increase without a reason and most would say there’s a shortage.

Gold Prices for the three day period ending Thursday December 14, 2017  

The Ministry of Education last week received a grant of US$18,952 along with several pieces of equipment from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

Dear Editor, For the umpteenth time I am highlighting this grave injustice that both the government and opposition and no one affected seems willing or are able to address.

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

Hundreds of teachers graduate: A total of 468 young teachers graduated from the Cyril Potter College of Education yesterday at the institution’s 83rd Graduation Exercise which was held at the National Cultural Centre, according to a statement from the Ministry of the Presidency.

The pragmatism associated with the decision to significantly scale down the size of a sugar industry which has become a significant financial strain on the rest of the economy and on the country as a whole cannot gainsay the hardships at individual, family and community levels that will accrue from the alarming levels of job losses, some of which have already been announced.

Comrade Mrs Santa Claus and “Pashway” in the House The answer to the question, “should you/should we trust elected representatives?”

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) on Tuesday launched its report on the State of the World’s Children (SOWC) with specific reference to the effect of the digital world and the internet on the children of the world.

New Account On the day this column appeared last week, the press in Guyana, in an outstanding case of enterprising journalism, confirmed that Guyana had indeed received a signing bonus from ExxonMobil.

GASCI (www.gasci.com/telephone Nº 223-6175/6) reports that session 751’s trading results showed consideration of $8,273,912 from 213,873 shares traded in 3 transactions as compared to session 750’s trading results which showed consideration of $166,994,000 from 4,550,110 shares traded in 5 transactions. 

RIO DE JANEIRO, (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – Brazil topped the list of the world’s most important Places to Watch for deforestation on Wednesday, in a new initiative that uses near real-time satellite to highlight forest loss.

ABU DHABI, (Reuters) – Real Madrid can cap their most successful year ever with victory in the Club World Cup final against Brazilian side Gremio tomorrow, which would see them become the first team to successfully defend the trophy and end 2017 with five titles.

NEW YORK, (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – The use of giant rats to sniff out the potentially deadly disease tuberculosis (TB) in Tanzania is set to nearly double by the end of the year due to successful detection rates, a charity who trains them said yesterday.