GUYANA-Guyana has been commended for its strides to implement legislations and other measures to combat money laundering. Attorney General (AG), Basil Williams, and Legal Advisor of the Finance Intelligent Unit (FIU), Alicia Williams, were part of a tele-conference with representatives of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and Representatives of the Americas Regional Review Group (ARRG) on Thursday, August 27, last. The foreign officials were in Quito, Ecuador. Due to the Parliamentary debate on the National Budget, the AG had requested that Guyana participate via teleconferencing.This teleconference came on the heels of the just concluded CFATF Ministerial meeting in Miami, Florida.(KAIETEUR NEWS/ kaieteurnewsonline.com)…[+]

AFGHANISTAN- The Taliban, it turns out, were not initially forthcoming about the death of Mullah Mohammed Omar, the head of the Sunni Islamist organization. Omar died on April 23, 2013, according to a statement the Taliban released Monday in support for his presumed successor, Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Mansour. The Taliban had acknowledged in late July that Omar was dead at the time Mansour was first announced as the new leader. But the group did not at that time specify when he died. Omar’s death was kept secret to keep morale high as international intervention in Afghanistan wound down, according to the statement.(CNN NEWS/ article.wn.com)…[+]

GUYANA-Coming alive with architecture, culture and cuisine is the Sophia Exhibition Centre just in time for Indigenous Heritage Month, which officially begins tomorrow. The festivities for September are pushing to be recognised as the “dawn of Independence” celebrations next year. When Kaieteur News visited the Sophia Indigenous Village yesterday, preparations were fast underway as contractors were putting the final touches on the renovated area. Performers for the month’s cultural shows were also rehearsing their presentations, which will be showcased at tomorrow evening’s opening ceremony.The heritage buildings were originally constructed in 2008 for the 10th Caribbean Festival of Arts (Carifesta), contractors from the village of Moraikobai.(KAIETEUR NEWS/ kaieteurnewsonline.com)…[+]

GUYANA-THE 2015 Indigenous Heritage Month was given the green light on Saturday afternoon when contractor Colin Andrews officially handed over the new Indigenous Village to Minister within the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs Valerie Garrido-Lowe. The village, based at the Sophia Exhibition Complex, will house most of the activities of this year’s celebration. Andrews delivered on his 21-day promise which he had made prior to starting construction.  He told the gathering that with his staff of 21 they were able to refurbish several benabs, while building three new ones.(KAIETEUR NEWS/ kaieteurnewsonline.com)…[+]

KHARTOUM — Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir and his Yemeni counterpart Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi on Saturday held joint talks in Khartoum. “Yemen is passing through very complicated situations. We are running a war to stop the Iranian expansion in the region,” Hadi said at a joint press conference with al-Bashir. “There is Iranian presence in Iraq, Syria and Lebanon and when the Houthis controlled Yemen, Iran would announce that it has controlled the fourth Arab capital,” he noted. Al-Bashir, for his part, reiterated his country’s support for the legitimacy in Yemen, saying that “we could not fail to join the coalition supporting the legitimacy in Yemen. We will continue our support for our Yemeni brothers until they restore security and stability.” Hadi on Saturday arrived in Khartoum in his first visit to Sudan since he assumed power in Yemen in 2012. (Xinhua)…[+]

GUYANA- Finance Minister, Winston Jordan had his hopes set high on going head-to-head with Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo during the deliberations of the 2015 estimates for his Ministry. But he was sorely disappointed. Throughout that session in the National Assembly last week, Jagdeo, a former Finance Minister, was “as quiet as a church mouse.” Only two Opposition Members of Parliament attempted to grill Jordan; former Tourism Minister, Irfaan Ali and former Junior Finance Minster, Juan Edghill. Ali questioned the Finance Minister on matters unrelated to the line items in the estimates. He was told repeatedly by Jordan that he would not entertain his questions on statutory expenditure which encompasses salaries of the Ombudsman, Judges and the public debt. This is not examined by the National Assembly.( kaieteurnews)…[+]

INDIA-Growth in production in the eight key infrastructure sectors hit a six-month high of 4.4 per cent in May, after two consecutive months of decline, indicating a recovery in industrial activity. The index of these eight core sectors grew 3.8 per cent in the corresponding month last year. In February this year, the eight sectors had recorded growth of 1.4 per cent. Cumulatively, growth in the eight core sectors — coal, crude oil, natural gas, refinery products, fertilisers, steel, cement and electricity — in the first two months of this financial year fell to 2.1 per cent from 4.7 per cent in April-May 2014-15.(Business Standard/India Digest)…[+]

Global software major Infosys Ltd on July 3 announced it would invest $10 million (Rs.64 crore) in Ireland-based start-ups as it made a foray into the island-nation by winning a deal from Allied Irish Banks, plc. “The $10-million investment in Irish start-ups will be from our global innovation fund to leverage our strategic partnership with Allied Irish Banks, a leading financial services group,” the company said in a statement here. (Indo-Asian News Service)…[+]

Buoyed by growing sales, India will overtake the US to become world’s second largest smartphone market by 2017, says a report. According to international research firm Strategy Analytics, global smartphone sales are forecast to grow from 1.5 billion units in 2015 to a record 1.7 billion by 2017. China, India and the US are the three big countries driving smartphone growth worldwide. “India will soon overtake the US to become the world’s second largest smartphone market by 2017 behind China, selling an impressive 174 million units,” the report said. “We forecast global smartphone sales will grow from 1.5 billion units in 2015 to a record 1.7 billion in 2017,” said Neil Mawston, executive director at Strategy Analytics in a statement.( Indo-Asian News Service)…[+]

AFGHANISTAN – Taliban militants have killed 25 civilians in the northern Faryab province with Maimana as its capital 425 km northwest of Kabul over the past two days, a local official said Friday. “Taliban militants stormed Astana village in Shirin Tagab district and have massacred 25 innocent civilians including women and children over the past two days,” Mohammad Tahir Rahmani, deputy to provincial council, told Xinhua.Government forces captured Astana village weeks ago, but the Taliban insurgents recaptured it, the official added. Taliban militants fighting the government to regain power have yet to make comments. (Xinhua.org/photo: somtribune.com)…[+]