News – Page 765 – Guyana Times International

Treason preliminary inquiry continues –former GDF officer to give evidence

March 24, 2011 TIMES INT'L

The trio charged with the capital offence of treason appeared in Court One of the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts at the new location at 92 Middle Street, Georgetown on Tuesday under heavy security and in shackles and cuffs. The preliminary inquiry which was started on February 15 continued before acting Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry with testimony from former Guyana Defence Force Lieutenant Quincy Critchlow. The charge against Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Major Bruce Munroe, his wife Carol Ann Munroe and ex-soldier Leonard Wharton stated that, between December 1, 2009 and December…

History of Phagwah celebration in NY

March 24, 2011 TIMES INT'L

BY VISHNU BISRAM New York City’s Phagwah celebration this weekend brings back memories of early celebrations among the Caribbean communities in the city when there was nowhere to celebrate the festival outdoors and when people looked at you funny for having powder or red substance on your face or hair. It was unheard of to celebrate Phagwah in public. The celebration started out small during the 1970s indoors, and expanded over the years to larger indoor locations (like school auditoriums) and then outdoors during the late 1980s, resulting in the…

IDB seeks ways to increase remittances to Caribbean

March 24, 2011 TIMES INT'L

The Inter-American Development Bank is seeking to increase savings among Latin immigrants in the United States by fostering greater competition in the money-transmission industry and providing them with information on lowcost remittance services to help reduce transaction costs and allow migrants to send more money home. The bank is also hoping to provide assistance to financial institutions to develop financial products that offer migrants more control over remittance uses to increase savings. These announcements are contained in the new edition of the IDB’s 2010 Development Effectiveness Overview. The overview said…

Five to stand trial for Bartica Massacre

March 24, 2011 TIMES INT'L

The five men who allegedly murdered 12 persons in the Bartica Massacre three years ago were ordered to stand trial before a judge and jury. Mark Williams, also known as Royden Williams; Celbert “Chi Chi” Reece; Dennis “Anaconda” Williams; Michael “Capone” Caesar; and Roger “Goat Man” Simon were remanded to prison pending a date in the High Court for the commencement of the trial. This was disclosed by Magistrate Fazil Azeez after the conclusion of the preliminary inquiry (PI) which lasted approximately 10 months, with 37 witnesses testifying, including civilians,…

USAID closing Guyana office ..HIV/AIDS partnership will continue – Ramsammy

March 17, 2011 TIMES INT'L

The United States Embassy in Guyana has announced that the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) plans to close its Mission in Guyana next year because of financial constraints. However, local authorities say this country and that organisation will continue their partnership in the fight against HIV/AIDS. A press release from the embassy states that the decision to close the Guyana Mission in the fiscal year 2010 is “part of its worldwide strategy, in a tight budgetary environment, to be more efficient in the management of its aid resources.” “The…

GuySuCo battles rains, sugar production at standstill

March 17, 2011 TIMES INT'L

By Ravena Gildharie Activities in the sugar industry have halted for more than a week now as heavy rains batter cane fields and the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) now faces a setback in production of some 20,000 tonnes – approximately Gy$2 billion worth of sugar. Speaking to Guyana Times International on Wednesday, GuySuCo Chief Executive Officer Paul Bhim, while making it clear that this is not a loss of canes, sugar or income for the industry, said it is a missed opportunity and is based on the corporation’s weekly…

Strict enforcement key to Guyana’s energy self-reliance

March 17, 2011 TIMES INT'L

A Japanese energy expert has said that Guyana has one of the best energy conservation awareness programmes in the world, but the country lacks sufficient government support and enforcement of regulations to achieve a comprehensive policy for energy self- reliance. Dr. Kimio Yoshida, senior coordinator of Environment and Energy, Business Department of J- Power, was speaking at a seminar organised by the Guyana Energy Agency (GEA) and the Japan International Cooperation Agency held at the Cara Lodge last Friday. Prime Minister Samuel Hinds, in his remarks, stated that government does…

Product of Soesdyke serving her community well in New Jersey

March 17, 2011March 17, 2011 TIMES INT'L

By Natasha Waldron Anthony Thirty-two-year-old Shaundell Barker accomplished several firsts when she joined the Guttenberg Police Department in New Jersey as an officer in 2007. She is the first African-American to work with that department since 1859, and the first female member of the Guttenberg Police Honor Guard. The Guyanese-born detective, who left Guyana in the late 1980’s lives in Newark, New Jersey. She graduated from the New Jersey City University, where she studied Health Sciences. Being born into a family that peruses law enforcement jobs, Barker jumped at the…

UG students remanded on theft, ganja charges

March 17, 2011 TIMES INT'L

Acting Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry remanded three University of Guyana students on Monday when they appeared before her in Court One to answer a series of charges, ranging from theft to possession of cannabis. The accused are Kester Brian, Sanjaya Sunajpaul and Karen Fiedtkou, all of Cummings Lodge, East Coast Demerara. They were represented by attorney-at-law Mark Waldron. Sergeant Lionel Harvey, prosecuting in the case, told the court that on March 10, 2011, at Henry Street, Werk-en-Rust, Georgetown, the three stole groceries worth Gy$80,000, cash in the sum of Gy$300,000,…

Friendship businessman found dead in Le Repentir Cemetery

March 17, 2011 TIMES INT'L

By Bhisham Mohamed Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the death of 31-year-old businessman Carlos Persaud, called “Jason”, of Lot Six, Rams Field, Friendship, EBD, whose body was found in the Le Repentir Cemetery, Georgetown last Saturday. The body was found by passersby with gunshot wounds to the chest. His car, PMM 2625, was found abandoned in ‘C’ Field, Sophia, Greater Georgetown prior to discovery of his body. At time of this report, Persaud’s body was at the Lyken Funeral Home awaiting a post-mortem examination, which was expected to…