July 1, 2011 – Guyana Times International

Small business group disbursed Gy$274M in loans last year

July 1, 2011 TIMES INT'L

The Small Business Development Finance Trust Incorporated provided some 685 small loans in 2010 to the tune of Gy$274.1 million. This is according to its chairman Sattaur Gafoor, at the trust’s eighth Annual General Meeting at the Tower Hotel, Georgetown on June 27. Gafoor revealed in his report that, despite several hurdles, the trust has managed to increase its lending by 22 per cent from the 652 loans disbursed in 2009. He said that loans were distributed in four categories: developmental, consumer, housing and micro loans. Under developmental loans, Gy$217…

Guyanese pandit honoured for Humanitarian work in New York

July 1, 2011 TIMES INT'L

The Guyana Tri-State Alliance, in collaboration with The Consulate General of the Republic of Guyana in New York and the Permanent Mission of Guyana to the United Nations, celebrated Guyana’s 45th Independence anniversary on Wednesday, June 22 with a special evening and appreciation ceremony. Dbbed “A Taste of Guyana”, the event was held at the Brooklyn Borough Hall in Joralemon Street, Brooklyn, New York. Among the distinguished recipients of the special honour were community philanthropist Rick Chetram (humanitarian Vibert Bernard); actress and advocate for preservation of Guyanese culture, Rose October-Edun;…

US$ 1.2M aquaculture ranch commissioned in Berbice

July 1, 2011 TIMES INT'L

Aquaculture is one of the fastest growing sectors, and it is being positioned to reduce marine fishing. As part of its Fisher Folk Day activities, the Agriculture Ministry chose to highlight this aspect of the sector by commissioning the Onverwagt Aqua Ranch in West Berbice. Aquaculture replaces marine fishing and offers healthy, farm grown fishes for consumption. Complete with a hatchery and 25 acres of irrigation reservoirs; 24 one-acre tilapia ponds, six four-acre shrimp ponds, and a seven acre tailings reservoir, the Onverwagt Aqua Ranch can produce up to 60…

Gy$60M pump station commissioned at Cane Grove

July 1, 2011 TIMES INT'L

The Cane Grove pump station which has been rehabilitated to the tune of Gy$60 million was recommissioned on June 24 amidst praise by farmers who in the past had suffered losses due to adverse flooding. The project, funded by government with support from the Inter-American Development Bank, was executed under the Agriculture Support Services Project. Prior to the rehabilitation, the pump was non-functional and could not manage the amount of water that strained the system during the La Niña floods early this year. The project is currently 92 per cent…

Barath, Bishoo move up Test match rankings

July 1, 2011 TIMES INT'L

Exciting West Indies opener Adrian Barath and rookie leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo have made significant jumps in the latest ICC Test Player rankings released on June 24. The 20-year-old Barath has risen 29 spots to 62 in the batting rankings, while Bishoo has leapt 12 spots to 49 in the bowling rankings. Both players made substantial contributions during the First Digicel Test against India in Jamaica, which West Indies lost by 63 runs inside four days on June 23. Barath stroked a top score of 64 in the first innings and…

Stephenson captures gold, silver in Florida

July 1, 2011 TIMES INT'L

Guyanese CARIFTA gold medallist Jessica Stephenson competed at Florida’s Fort Lauderdale International Invitational swim meet last weekend, and managed to secure a silver and a gold medal in two of her three breaststroke events. The 16-year-old Junior Sportswoman-of-the-Year runner-up won the 100m breaststroke on the night of June 25 after placing second in the 200m earlier that day, according to her mother Davina Stephenson. Davina reported that her daughter was among more than 1,056 swimmers at the meet last weekend. She was also expected to compete in the 50m breaststroke…

Caribbean Classics

July 1, 2011 TIMES INT'L

– In the run-up to the 2,000th Test, the website Cricinfo looks at some of West Indies’ more memorable Tests – from George Headley’s twin centuries to Taylor’s decimation of England Georgetown, 1929- 30 West Indies lost their first three Tests in England, in 1928, by an innings, and things didn’t look too good when their next series, at home to England early in 1930s, started with a draw and another heavy defeat. And then things started to look up: they won their sixth match by a whopping 289 runs.…

Capital city champs!

July 1, 2011July 1, 2011 TIMES INT'L

Marian Academy overcome 19-point deficit to beat Saints 70-59 and win Georgetown Conference BY KIEV CHESNEY To be down by 19 points in the second half of a basketball game is bordering on a blowout. It is a position that few teams can come back from, and usually the time when the coach gives his reserves their first sweat of the game. But last Sunday evening, June 26, Marian Academy refused to go quietly into the night. They refused to disappoint the many family members, friends and other supporters…

Absence of ill Hugo Chavez sparks speculation

July 1, 2011 TIMES INT'L

There is growing uncertainty in Venezuela over President Hugo Chavez’s health, two weeks after he underwent an operation in Cuba for what the authorities said was a pelvic abscess. On June 24, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Nicolas Maduro said Chavez – who is still in Cuba – was in what he called a “great battle” for his health. But Vice-President Elias Jaua accused the media of stoking speculation. “We will have Chavez for a long time!” he said on June 25. The normally loquacious Chavez, 56, had been uncharacteristically quiet since…

Cholera increasing in Haiti and Dominican Republic

July 1, 2011 TIMES INT'L

Cases of cholera are on the rise in Haiti and neighbouring Dominican Republic, the United Nations World Health Organisation (WHO) reported on June 24, saying more than 18,000 new cases in Port-au-Prince, the Haitian capital, have been recorded recently. “This increase may be partly due to the beginning of the rainy season and the flooding that hit the capital,” WHO spokesperson Tarik Jasarevic told reporters in Geneva. “Data from the Ministry of Public Health of Haiti showed that since the beginning of the outbreak till June 12, there had been…