Australia have announced their preliminary 30-man squad for the Champions Trophy in Pakistan in September, with Shaun Tait being recalled as he continues to work his way back into international cricket after taking a self-imposed break due to exhaustion. The squad also includes five newcomers in Xavier Doherty, Ryan Harris, Brett Geeves, George Bailey and Tim Paine. Read the full story

Asia has a well-deserved reputation in the world of boxing, and pugilists from the region look set to enjoy success in Beijing. While Cuba continues to dominate the amateur sport, in Athens four years ago Thailand’s Manus Boonjumnong and Kazakhstan’s Bakhtiyar Artayev were gold medal winners. Both will be back to defend their titles, and there are other prospects for podium places waiting in the wings. Read the full story

Sri Lanka’s tour of England next year hangs in the balance with Mahinda Rajapakse, the country’s president, instructing his sports minister to ensure that Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) propose alternate dates for the tour or decline the invitation of the England and Wales Cricket Board. Cricinfo has learnt that Rajapakse issued the instructions to Gamini Lokuge, the sports minister, after senior Sri Lankan players presented him on Wednesday with a copy of a letter they had sent to SLC chairman Arjuna Ranatunga seeking a clarification on the proposed tour from April Read the full story

Although the weather has taken a damp and chilly turn, the English summer is about to heat up. After all the hype and expectation England and South Africa finally lock horns in one of the most anticipated contests of recent times. Since 1994 this contest has always produced some electric action and, when the various head-to-heads are thrown in, the next month should be compelling viewing. Read the full story

Cabinet Sub-Committee over the next several weeks will address drafting laws to protect people living with disabilities (PLWDs) with a view to taking it to parliament in October according, to Minister of Health Dr. Leslie Ramsammy. These actions will be taken by government to improve the lives of PLWDs, however, this will not serve as a panacea; he said as it will take a major attitudinal shift of the population and society. In this instance, Minister Ramsammy urged them to lead the process by providing positive messages.
The National Commission on Disability (NCD) as part of its strategic plan of promoting, Public Awareness and Media Advocacy began that process today at a two-day training on developing awareness messages for use in the media. Disabled people are the world’s largest minority. According to the 2002 Census, the number of persons with disabilities (PWDs) in Guyana is 48, 419, about 6.4 percent of the total population (51.1% females, 48.8% males). Read the full story

Several youths turned out at the Guyana National Museum Wednesday to begin the second of a series of training sessions in taxidermy, the art of preserving, stuffing and mounting the skins of dead animals and other living organisms for public display. The programme is an initiative of the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport to promote meaningful occupation for youths during the two-month period when they are away from school.
The first phase of the programme began yesterday and will continue until July 18, making way for the second phase which will be held from July 21 to 31. The youth participants are between the ages of 8 and 18. When the Government Information Agency (GINA) visited the scene, the youths were learning the art of capturing, immobilising, inoculating, Read the full story

The Demerara Harbour Bridge (DHB) Corporation today announced that during the period July 19 and 22, vehicular traffic wishing to use the bridge will be restricted to cars, mini-buses and vehicles less than 5 tons, from 5:30h to 18:00h daily.
This is to allow for corrective maintenance to be conducted on the retractor span, code named ‘Operation Transom’, and is scheduled to coincide with the high tide while making full use of the daylight, the release said.
The release added that the weight limit for vehicles using the 30 year-old bridge during the period shall be set at 21 tons during the night. Marine traffic shall be allowed to transit at 5:30h during the operation.
Repairs to the bridge which links Region Three and Four commenced earlier this year. Government provided approximately $555M at the end of 2007 for these repairs which will include removal, blasting, repainting and replacement of 79 pontoons, three large and one extra extra-large for the bridge’s high span and retractor spans and construction and replacement of Read the full story

The US$27M ‘Support for Competitiveness Programme’ under the National Competitiveness Strategy (NCS) which aims to enhance Guyana’s competitiveness and contribute to the increase in the levels of private investment and exports in the country was today launched at the Guyana International Conference Centre.
The NCS is a result of the signing of a loan agreement in March 2007 between the Government of Guyana and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). It will finance activities under the following components; strengthening the institutional capacity to formulate and implement the NCS, improving the business climate, enhancing investments attraction, export promotion and raising production standards and supporting private enterprise competitiveness for export development.
Minister of Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh said that, “In many respects the competitiveness programme was perhaps preempted because if one peruses this strategy and the number of interventions that are being financed under it one sees the activities that will contribute in a very significant way that will accelerate the private investments and growth in a number of sectors that show Read the full story

Farmers of the Buxton/Friendship community, East Coast Demerara who have been affected by the Joint Services de-bushing exercise aback of the village, and who were compensated in the initial phase today again received assistance from the Ministry of Agriculture as part of its Compensation Programme for  affected farmers.
Minister of Agriculture Robert Persaud during a meeting with the farmers informed them of other agricultural interventions that will be put in place to assist them including in the area of drainage and irrigation.
A contract was signed at the Ministry after the meeting for the cleaning of major drainage canals in Buxton/Friendship.
In April Minister Persaud during his second visit to the Buxton backlands where clearing was ongoing had held discussion with farmers in the Pond Dam area. Read the full story

The health sector continues to improve as newer services are introduced to ensure the delivery of quality health care. On July 12, another service, kidney transplant, will be introduced at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC).
The patient, 18-year old Munesh Mangal from Lusignan, East Coast Demerara, will receive the kidney from his mother. The surgery will be done by a team of surgeons from New York who is expected to arrive in the country tomorrow morning. They will be aided by local medical staff.
Minister of Health, Dr. Leslie Ramsammy at a press conference today said tests carried out in preparation for the surgery have so far been positive.
The team of doctors include senior transplant surgeons of the Water Reed Army Medical Centre, Washington, D.C., Dr. Rahul Jindal, who will be the lead surgeon,  and Dr. Edward Falta; Dr. Arthur Womble, attached to the Athens-Limestone Hospital, Athens, Alabama; Dr. Melanie Guerrero, and Laura Owen. Read the full story