Gun, ammo found during Mahaicony River raid

Police have seized a shotgun and a quantity of ammunition during a raid on a house at Esau and Jacob, Mahaicony River, East Coast Demerara. In a release, police said that between 07:00hrs and 11:30hrs last Friday, December17th, ranks conducted searches on several houses at Esau and Jacob.  During the search of one of the houses, the ranks found an unlicensed 12-gauge single barrel shotgun along with seven 12-gauge cartridges, one spent 12-gauge shell, and 793 rounds of .22 ammunition.  Two men and a woman have been arrested, and are…

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Peruvian and Venezuelan charged for illegal entry

A Peruvian and a Venezuelan, who both illegally entered Guyana, were remanded to prison by acting Chief Magistrate Priya Beharry when they appeared at that Georgetown Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday. Jose Rodriguez, 25, of Margarita, Venezuela, and Jessica Ruby Escarpaso, 35, of Lima, Peru, both pleaded not guilty to the charge. It is alleged that on December 12, at Springlands, Corentyne, they entered Guyana via sea without the consent of an immigration officer.  The couples do not speak English, so an interpreter, CID Detective Motilall Persaud, was afforded to them,…

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IDB was not sought for funding of Marriott Hotel – govt

The Guyana government said that it did not apply to the Inter-American Development Bank for funding to build a Marriott hotel here, and deemed a Stabroek News report which dealt with the issue on Thursday as misleading. In a release on Thursday, government said “Stabroek News’ (SN) headline of December 16, 2010:  “IDB unveils $$ for eight Marriott hotels…but Guyana still not on radar” is misleading.  “The simple fact is Guyana has not applied to the IDB for funding of this hotel project, and therefore could not be expected to…

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Govt pledges $5M to Salvation Army drug rehab programme

As the Salvation Army continues to gather funds as part of its efforts to assist those in need — especially at Christmas time — government has pledged continued support to that organisation with a $5M donation towards its drug rehabilitation programme for next year.   At the occasion of the presentation of annual Christmas hampers, held at the institution’s headquarters on Wednesday, Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh said government will continue to lend its support to the organisation, specifically to the drug rehabilitation programme which the institution spearheads.  In a recent…

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Linden headmaster stands firm against ‘automatic promotion’ policy

BY REUBEN STOBY The headmaster of the Christianburg/Wismar Secondary School, Cleveland Thomas, has said that, despite the criticisms levelled against him from the Education Ministry and some members of the public, he would not be conforming to the ‘automatic promotion’ policy.  Thomas was in the spotlight recently when he was summoned by the Teaching Service Commission (TSC) after he had refused to promote some 30 Form One students, whom he called illiterates.  The head teacher’s action received support from many parents, who demonstrated against the ministry’s policy outside the TSC…

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Supenaam stelling to be fixed

Government has earmarked some $67.5 million to fix the defective Supenaam Stelling, and materials to facilitate repairs are already being sourced. Guyana Times International understands that the Transport and Harbours Department drafted designs for the corrective works to the stelling after the engineers discovered defects with the newly-built structure. These were awaiting cabinet’s approval.  Prime Minister Samuel Hinds told Guyana Times International in November that the plan is to have the facility operable in time for the arrival of the two roll-on roll-off ferries expected from China under an agreement…

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Nine homeless after fire guts Grove home

A fire which was allegedly deliberately set has left nine persons of Grove, East Bank Demerara, homeless.  The inferno completely gutted the two-storey building in the wee hours of Monday morning, December 20th.  Guyana Times International has learnt that the alleged arsonist was taken into police custody immediately after he publicly admitted that he had started the blaze.   The suspect, 40-year-old Tony Gookle of Grove, East Bank Demerara, is a known drug addict in the area, and has reportedly made numerous previous attempts to burn the house in which his…

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Aeronautical engineers urged to keep safety as their watchword

Prime Minister Samuel Hinds urged the 22 graduating students of the Art Williams and Harry Wendt Aeronautical Engineering School (AWHWAES) to always keep safety as their watchword as they venture further into the field of aviation.  Hinds was speaking at the AWHWAES graduation, induction and prize giving ceremony at the Ogle International Airport on Friday, 17th December.  “In aeronautical engineering, there is really no room for errors; but we know that human errors do occur. But, in aviation, it has to be (as) close to zero as is humanly possible,”…

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Senior citizen community in Richmond Hill treated to Christmas party

By Natasha Waldron Anthony Some 400 senior citizen residents of Richmond Hill, New York were guests of Dr Taj Rajkumar, initiator of the annual Elderly Christmas Party. Rajkumar, the first Guyanese to hold the position of District Leader in the New York State Assembly District 31, started the event several years ago in collaboration with several community leaders and organizations, including the Indo-Caribbean Federation and the Inter-community Civic Association.  He told Guyana Times International that the idea is to ensure elderly residents within the community are also treated to a…

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Caribbean countries should be represented at G20

Caricom Secretary General Sir Edwin Carrington has said that the region should be accorded representation to forums such as the G20. He stated that the Caribbean Community has no voice, as such, when issues common to the territories are ventilated and discussed. At the end-of-year press briefing to present his parting message, Dr Carrington said he believes Caricom should be allowed some form of access to the G20, since climate change, crime, and regional security are issues affecting the region.  “As if our inherent vulnerabilities are not enough, to add…

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