Daily Archive: Wednesday, December 29, 2021

Speaker of the National Assembly Manzoor Nadir was this evening forced to suspend the second reading of the controversial Natural Resources Fund (NRF) bill after 18 members of the Opposition got out of their seats and onto the main floor to drown out Senior Minister with the responsibility for Finance Dr Ashni Singh as he was on the floor.

The Guyana Bar Association has rebuked Attorney General Anil Nandlall SC for stating in parliament today that Guyanese legal practitioners do not have the capacity to handle some matters which he described as “technical legal documents” and “joint venture agreements”.

The Private Sector Commission (PSC) today said that while it believes that wider consultation should have been pursued it supports the tabling and passage of the Natural Resource Fund legislation which is scheduled to come up for approval in parliament this afternoon.

On 4 June 2021, the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) dismissed an appeal against a decision of the Court of Appeal of Guyana in the consolidated matter of Guyana Geology and Mines Commission v BK International and Chunilall Baboolall; and Chunilall Baboolall v BK International and Guyana Geology and Mines Commission [2021] CCJ 13 AJ (GY).

The Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) today said that more time should be given to the public to provide input on the Natural Resource Fund Bill which the government appears intent on passing today in Parliament despite severe criticisms.

HONG KONG, (Reuters) – Hong Kong pro-democracy media outlet Stand News shut down today after police raided its office, froze its assets and arrested senior staff on suspected “seditious publication” offences, in the latest crackdown on the city’s media.

(Trinidad Guardian) Dozens of Venezuelan nationals who were attempting to enter Trinidad and Tobago illegally in two separate vessels, were intercepted by the Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard (TTCG) during patrols carried out over the Christmas holiday weekend. 

Leopold Street and Bent Street earned their place in the semifinal round of the Guyana Football Federation (GFF)/Kashif and Shanghai Organization Futsal Championship, following quarterfinal victories last evening.

President Irfaan Ali yesterday mounted an impassioned defence of the bill for the governing of oil money which the government apparently intends to pass today using its slim majority but he still did not explain who was selecting members of the Board of Directors, a major concern of critics of the legislation along with the proposed rate of extraction of monies.

(CMC) – Opener Matthew Nandu’s anchored an uncomplicated run chase to earn West Indies Under-19s an eight-wicket win over South Africa Under-19s in yesterday’s second Youth One-Day International.

New PNCR Leader Aubrey Norton yesterday took President Irfaan Ali to task over the Natural Resource Fund Bill promulgated by the government, charging that the Minister of Finance has been given too much authority and that the committee for determining the economically sustainable amount for withdrawal from the fund had been discarded.

Dear Editor, There is a saying, “The more you watch the less you see; the less you watch, the better for me.”

Dear Editor, There are lots of government critics with visions about how Guyana’s oil money should be spent, what is noticeably lacking are visions of improving the lives of Guyanese.

A New and United Guyana (ANUG) yesterday launched a blistering attack on the PPP/C government, accusing it of using the “absolute power” under the current constitutional system to consolidate its control and dispensing with necessary systemic safeguards.

Investigators probing the murder of martial arts instructor and bodyguard Garfield Newton have issued a wanted bulletin for an 18-year-old West Ruimveldt resident.

Dear Editor, The Editorial,  “Natural Resource Fund Bill  gravely deficient” of Stabroek News, December 28, 2021, shows scholarship and addresses the issue of how and who will dispense with the abundance of cash that is now and will in the future be available to the Government. 

Dear Editor, It was most informative to read in SN of the prompt Report on GuySuCo’s operations for year 2021.

The loss of Professor Emerita Dr Joycelynne Loncke is a blow to Guyana and the entire Caribbean’s cultural sphere since she was the embodiment of culture and humanity in the arts, according to literary critic Al Creighton.

MOSCOW,  (Reuters) – Russia’s Supreme Court ordered the country’s oldest human rights group to disband yesterday for breaking a law requiring it to act as “a foreign agent”, capping a year of crackdowns on Kremlin critics unseen since the Soviet era.

Eighteen-year-old Ezekiel Hawker is wanted for questioning by the police over the gunning down of Deon Charles on Christmas Eve night on James Street, Albouystown.

Dear Editor, The churches were closed for worship on Sunday, the Lord’s Day.

Minister of Agriculture,  Zulfikar Mustapha  and Lionel Wordsworth, Chairman of the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA), and members of the Civil Defence Commission (CDC) yesterday conducted assessments of flood impacted areas in Essequibo Islands-West Demerara (Region 3).

Dear Editor, As a British-Guyanese I am at heart a democrat.

BOGOTA,  (Reuters) – Colombian security forces yesterday neutralized two clandestine refineries in the country’s northeast which belonged to the rebel National Liberation Army (ELN), the defense ministry said.

NEW YORK,  (Reuters) – A New York state appeals court yesterday put on hold part of a trial judge’s decision blocking the New York Times from reporting on documents prepared by a lawyer for the conservative activist group Project Veritas.

Dear Editor,  Being given a mandate by the people  does not mean the cries and exhortations of a cross-section of society must be ignored.

Former APNU+AFC Minister of Finance Winston Jordan who was yesterday charged (see other story below) over the sale of waterfront property to BK International at a price allegedly far below market value had been cautioned in January of 2019 via the Ministry of Public Works that the transaction could lead to charges against him and other culpable officers.

A Corentyne fisherman is now battling for his life at the New Amsterdam Public Hospital after he was stabbed on Monday morning after he defended his nephew, 13, against the alleged attacker.

Dear Editor Recently, Hon. Robeson Benn, M.P. Minister of Home Affairs piloted Bill No.8 of 2021 – POLICE (AMENDMENT) Bill.

LOS ANGELES,  (Reuters) – Body-camera video released yesterday showed the chaotic, violent moments leading to the fatal Los Angeles police shooting of an assault suspect in a clothing store, and of a 14-year-old girl caught in the line of fire while hiding inside a dressing room.

Dear Editor, Not much political and social commentary nor analysis is published nowadays in our country’s mainstream media about the state of affairs concerning young people in the world at large in general and Guyana in particular.

Ja Morant scored 33 points, including a layup with 0.5 seconds remaining, and Desmond Bane scored a career-high 32 points as the visiting Memphis Grizzlies withstood a fourth-quarter rally by the Phoenix Suns for a 114-113 win on Monday night.

Six Berbicians are now nursing injuries after the driver of the vehicle they were in slammed into a concrete structure on Main Road early yesterday morning.

(Reuters) – England’s humiliating surrender of the Ashes to Australia exposed not only a gulf in class between the two old rivals but also laid bare, in brutally emphatic fashion, the deep-seated problems in English test cricket.

(Reuters) – Shell-shocked England captain Joe Root called on his players to show some pride in the badge after they suffered a humiliating innings and 14-run loss to Australia in Melbourne yesterday to lose the Ashes with two tests to spare.

Almost two months to the day after the World Bank had staged its October 25-28 forum on the subject of Data Analytics for Anticorruption in Public Administration, in which it had made some pointed observations about the nexus between corruption and poverty in poor countries, the Stabroek News published in its December 23 issue an article headlined “Education Ministry signed contracts for over $15 million before Internal Tender Board’s approval.”

(Reuters) – Joe Root must step down as England captain after his team’s meek surrender in Melbourne ensured Australia retained the Ashes, former England batsman Geoffrey Boycott said yesterday.

(Reuters) – Thrilled Australia captain Pat Cummins praised his players for turning his childhood dream into reality with a victory in Melbourne yesterday that delivered an Ashes triumph in his first series in charge.

MELBOURNE, (Reuters) – Time appeared to be catching up with David Warner as he struggled for runs a few months ago, but the revitalised opening batsman is now eyeing another Ashes win in England in 2023 after helping Australia retain the urn in Melbourne.

(Reuters) – India seamer Mohammed Shami claimed his 200th test wicket and completed figures of 5-44 as hosts South Africa were bowled out for 197 on the third day of the first test yesterday.

(Field Level Media) Hall of Fame coach and broadcasting icon John Madden died yesterday.

(Reuters) – Former India captain Sourav Ganguly, who heads the country’s cricket board, has been admitted to hospital in Kolkata after testing positive for COVID-19, his brother Snehasish told Reuters yesterday.

SAN SALVADOR,  (Reuters) – A former senior Salvadoran anti-corruption prosecutor said President Nayib Bukele’s government shut down his unit’s investigation into its alleged negotiations with violent street gangs to help expand its power, as the United States steps up pressure on the Central American country over those talks.

(Reuters) – Ireland and hosts United States agreed to cancel the one-day international (ODI) series between the two sides after members of the touring staff tested positive for COVID-19, the two boards announced yesterday.