Daily Archive: Thursday, April 26, 2018

NORRISTOWN, Pa.,  (Reuters) – Comedian Bill Cosby was convicted today of drugging and sexually assaulting a onetime friend in 2004, marking the first such conviction of a celebrity since the #MeToo movement that has brought down rich and powerful men for their treatment of women.

A man was earlier today charged with the 2016 murder of Shonette Savory.

(Trinidad Express) Guyanese writer Imam Baksh was last night presented with the 2018 CODE Burt Award for Caribbean Young Adult Literature.

With the jobs of over 500 bauxite workers hanging in the balance because of US sanctions against Russian billionaire Oleg Deripaska, government ministers yesterday flew into Kwakwani to assure them that there will be minimal impact on their lives.

The University of Guyana has signed an agreement with the US-based Jay and Sylvia Sobhraj Foundation to refurbish and convert the building that formerly housed the Spicy Dish restaurant into a state-of-the-art behavioural studies and research centre at a cost of US$400,000 or some $80 million.

The community of Good Intent, West Bank Demerara, is in shock after a man allegedly strangled his partner before apparently  attempting to kill himself by slitting his throat.

More than 9,000 gallons of gasoline and diesel have been seized for this year alone, according to the Guyana Energy Agency (GEA), which has also recorded seven discoveries of illegal fuel so far for 2018.

Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Basil Williams SC, has said that Government will be appealing the recent High Court ruling ordering it to pay Toolsie Persaud Limited (TPL), $1.7 billion in damages after losing its challenge to the company’s ownership of land at Turkeyen, including the site of the MovieTowne cinema complex and shopping mall.

A dispute between two East Coast Demerara families has left a Good Hope auto dealer in a serious condition at a city hospital after he was attacked and beaten on Sunday evening by a group of men.

The emerging oil and gas industry requires Guyana to sharpen its commercial arbitration skills, Attorney General Basil Williams, SC said yesterday while noting that government will be working to equip its partners with the necessary abilities.

A 20-year-old security officer was yesterday granted $100,000 bail, after he denied stealing over $400,000 from his place of work, Massy.

While Demerara Tobacco Company Limited raked in $2.5b in profits before tax for 2017 that sum still represented a 9.5 per cent decline compared to 2016  and the after-tax profit for 2017 was $1.41b compared to $1.56b in the preceding year.

The Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) is challenging members of the business community to prove that recent changes to the Value-Added Tax (VAT) regime are negatively affecting their export operations.

The Kitty police are investigating the allegations made by a reporter about the conduct of the first responders at the scene of a fatal accident at the Russian Embassy turn last week Sunday.

Some 900 East Coast Demerara students will have a brand new school as construction of the Golden Grove Secondary School is expected to be completed in another three weeks and it will also feature an elevator for the differently able, the Department of Public Information said.

In the face of concerns raised about the Fyrish well being located in a cemetery, the Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) has said that tests have shown no contamination in the last three years.

The top brass of the Guyana Olympic Association (GOA) along with General Manager, David Fernandes  collectively described Guyana’s performance as ‘fair’ during the staging of the 21st edition of the Commonwealth Games held from April 4-15 in Australia.

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – Captain Jason Holder has underscored the importance of several one-day series leading up to next year’s World Cup in England, stressing it was vital West Indies used them to gain confidence, momentum and a settled line-up for the global showpiece.

The mother of America Street money changer Shawn Nurse, also known as ‘Fabulous’, who was killed during an attempted  robbery earlier this year, testified yesterday during the continuation of the Preliminary Inquiry.

The University of Guyana (UG)  on Tuesday launched a refrigerant management and equipment presentation course that teaches new and emerging technologies to replace chemicals  harmful to the atmosphere.

BANGALURU, India, CMC – West Indies all-rounder Dwayne Bravo played hero as Chennai Super Kings plundered 16 runs from the final over to overhaul an imposing target of 206, and beat Royal Challengers Bangalore by five wickets with two balls to spare here yesterday.

Following the conclusion of their investigation into the shooting incident at the Petra Organization Futsal finale, the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) has concluded that the security arrangements for the event were inadequate but has nevertheless given approval for the match to be replayed under specific conditions.

A man found in possession of a carpet, which he stole from a Charlotte Street resident, was yesterday fined $25,000 by a city court after he admitted to the theft.

The interest in agro-processing among youths in Region Two is expected to rise with the recent introduction of the Certificate in Agro-processing programme at the Guyana School of Agriculture (GSA) on the Essequibo Coast.

Guyana has been allotted 50 spots for the Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games which will be held in Barranquilla, Colombia from July 19 to August 3.

The police are currently pursuing two suspects in connection with the armed robbery attack committed on food vendor Owen Xavier Khan, who was shot and robbed along the Lusignan Public Road, East Coast Demerara, two weeks ago.

The Lady Jaguars and Grenada played to a scoreless draw in the opening match of the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) Women’s Challenge Series yesterday in Trinidad and Tobago.

PARIS,  (Reuters) – A French judge yesterday placed tycoon Vincent Bollore under formal investigation over allegations his company undercharged for work on behalf of presidential candidates in two African nations in return for port contracts.

By United States Ambassador Perry L. Holloway Every year on April 26, we celebrate World Intellectual Property Day to learn about the role that patents, trademarks, and copyright play in promoting innovation, creativity, and progress. 

Dear Editor, The Guyana Oil Company Ltd (GUYOIL) has noted articles in the press on the subject of the former Marketing and Sales Manager of GUYOIL, Eric Whaul’s departure from the company.

KINGSTON, Jamaica,  CMC – Assistant Reggae Boyz coach, Donovan Duckie, said the presence of head coach Theodore “Tappa” Whitmore for the upcoming friendly internationals against St Kitts and Nevis and Antigua and Barbuda, will be important for the squad.

LONDON, (Reuters) – South African Caster Semenya’s long and controversial reign as the queen of middle distance running looks set to be ended this year not by a track rival but by a new hyperandrogenism rule that will stop her from running 800 and 1500 metres races.

SACRAMENTO, Calif., (Reuters) – An elderly former policeman has been arrested and charged with eight murders attributed to the Golden State Killer, a serial criminal responsible for dozens of rapes and slayings that terrorized parts of California during the 1970s and 1980s, authorities said yesterday.

Fruit scented and patriotically coloured “Magnificent Candles” are being produced by the Mahaica Women’s Group, a group of single mothers and early school leavers, the Department of Public Information (DPI ) says.

Dear Editor, April 25th, 2018 marks the 10th year since Guyana’s indisputably brilliant folklorist crossed over to another world.

(Reuters) Kawhi Leonard played only nine games for the San Antonio Spurs this season, but the team has no greater offseason priority.

Dear Editor, Few of us alive would have been aware of the opening scene of the drama recently reported to have climaxed between the Government of Guyana and Toolsie Persaud Ltd, with the former being burdened with a billion dollar legal bill payable to the latter.

WASHINGTON/BRUSSELS,  (Reuters) – French President Emmanuel Macron called on the United States yesterday not to abandon the Iran nuclear deal as Western envoys said Britain, France and Germany were nearing a package that seeks to persuade U.S.

(Reuters) – Facebook Inc shares rose yesterday after the social network reported a surprisingly strong 63 percent rise in profit and an increase in users, with no sign that business was hurt by a scandal over the mishandling of personal data.

Dear Editor, The parliamentary opposition notes with great amusement, the invitation under the signature of the Clerk of the National Assembly, who was directed by the Speaker, at the behest of the Minister of Public Infrastructure, to a tour of the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) expansion project site, scheduled for Friday, 27th April, 2018.

(Reuters) Dwyane Wade has not decided if he will continue his NBA career.

RIO DE JANEIRO,  (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – The escalation of violence against land rights activists in Brazil is of “deep concern”, the United Nations’ environment chief said on Wednesday, calling for a full and impartial investigation into the recent killings of three of them.

LONDON, CMC – Two-time winners West Indies will open their 2019 World cup campaign against nemeses Pakistan, in their bid for a third title in the International Cricket Council’s premier 50-overs showpiece.

Dear Editor, I am a longstanding customer of GT&T’s DSL internet service on its Gold plan.

HOUSTON, (Reuters) – An international arbitration court has ordered Venezuela’s state-run oil company PDVSA to pay ConocoPhillips $2.04 billion for early dissolution of two joint ventures for producing oil in the OPEC-member country, the U.S.

LONDON,  (Reuters) – Tennis faces “very significant” integrity problems caused by the sharp increase in internet betting, an independent report concluded in its interim finding  yesterday with one investigator describing it as a “tsunami” at its lower levels.

Dear Editor, It appears to have been missed by our government, but domestic violence against women (VAW) (intimate partners violence) has long passed a national crisis in Guyana.

Dear Editor, So the Town Clerk has finally awoken from his long slumber to realise the city cannot be managed on a shoestring budget (SN, April 24).

(Reuters) The Golden State Warriors responded to their first loss of the postseason with a championship-type defensive effort Tuesday night, suffocating the San Antonio Spurs 99-91 to complete a 4-1 win in the first round of the NBA playoffs at Oakland, Calif.

NEW DELHI,  (Reuters) – An Indian court jailed a self-styled religious preacher for life yesterday for raping a teenage girl, the latest sexual abuse case against a so-called “godman”.

Thorny legal issues unexpectedly emerged in British Guiana (BG) over the uncertain status of John Gladstone’s East Indian indentured labourers when the influential politician and wealthy merchant secretly transferred his Vreed-en-Hoop sugar estate to his sons in 1839 and they quietly sold it a year later.

What about nature’s worth? It’s our planet’s womb… What about forest trails?

(Reuters) JJ Redick scored 27 points to lift the Philadelphia 76ers past the visiting Miami Heat 104-91 to clinch the teams’ first-round playoff series in five games Tuesday night at the Wells Fargo Center.

BOGOTA,  (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – Millions of sterile mosquitoes will be released from drones over parts of Brazil to combat the Zika virus, after successful field tests were hailed as a “breakthrough” by the United Nations.

More than twenty persons working in various administrative capacities at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation were yesterday recognised for their contributions to the daily operations of the medical facility.

Dear Editor, Don’t people ever understand that there are major consequences when we continue to kill off our tourism sector?

(Reuters) – U.S. oil major Chevron Corp has evacuated executives from Venezuela after two of its workers were imprisoned over a contract dispute with state-owned oil company PDVSA, according to four sources familiar with the matter.