Elderly woman gunned down on Robb St
Moments after two men approached her Robb Street home asking for “auntie”, a 72-year-old woman last evening had six bullets pumped into her by one of the men. Dead is Clementine Parris, popularly known as `Sister Clemmy’. She lived on Robb Street, two doors from Light Street. A relative told Stabroek News that about 7:45 [...]
Gov’t stands by ‘One Laptop’ bid evaluations
Government yesterday staunchly defended the evaluation process for the first tender for the supply of computers for the One Laptop Per Family (OLPF) project and said that Giftland OfficeMax was disqualified because it submitted a “counterfeit” Lenovo computer sample. However, President of Giftland Roy Beepat, when contacted, denied this and said that he had submitted [...]
PPP wants registration reopened
The PPP has written to the Guyana Elections Com-mission (GECOM) requesting that it considers some measure to facilitate the registration of eligible persons who have not yet done so. However, both the PNCR and the AFC, who had previously raised concerns on this matter, questioned the timing of this move
Unions must enlist unorganised labour
Widening the trade union base to include various groups of currently unorganised workers could be the key to bridging the racial and political divide pervasive in the local labour movement, social activist Andaiye believes. Speaking at a forum on labour yesterday organised by the University of Guyana (UG) Students for Social Change, Andaiye said that [...]
Around 70 homeless after fire destroys Kingston tenement
A condemned two-storey building at the south-western corner of High and Barrack streets, Kingston, was yesterday afternoon completely gutted by fire, leaving dozens homeless and destroying huge amounts in valuables and household items. At least 70 persons, from about 16 families, occupied the building up to yesterday morning, this newspaper was told. The fire started [...]
IDB evaluator retracts concerns about Amaila hydropower developer
Erik Helland-Hansen, the Head of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB)’s expert panel commissioned to evaluate the Amaila Falls Hydropower project in Guyana, has reportedly withdrawn a statement where he expressed concerns that the project’s developer Sithe Global LLC had not as yet taken adequate environmental considerations into their plans. In late March, Helland-Hansen was quoted [...]
If elected, Ramotar to seek advice on presidential immunity
Should PPP presidential candidate Donald Ramotar win office there are unlikely to be any sweeping changes to the country’s constitution but advice may be sought on altering the immunity from prosecution afforded to presidents. Speaking during a press briefing yesterday morning at Freedom House, Ramotar, while responding to a question regarding changes to the constitution [...]
REO urged to sanction Region 4 officials over $1.8M contractor overpayment
The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of parliament on Monday urged the Regional Executive Officer (REO) of Region Four Donald Gajraj to take disciplinary action against regional officials who would have facilitated the overpayment of almost $1.8 million to a contractor back in 2006 for work that was only about 60 percent complete. The PAC also [...]
Man dies from poisoning after chopping ex wife to death
A stormy relationship between a Timehri couple ended tragically yesterday morning when a man chopped his former reputed wife to death in front of one of their three children. He died this morning in hospital after taking poison. Twenty-six year old Gaitri Narine, also known as Lalieta, was chopped with a cutlass by her former [...]
McDowell, locals warm hearts at gospel concert
For just about an hour on Saturday night, internationally acclaimed gospel singer William McDowell led thousands gathered at the National Park tarmac in worship. Songs of adoration for his God flowed from his lips and the massive gathering sang along, fully enwrapped. McDowell isn’t a performer or an entertainer and when he’s on stage, there [...]
Huawei US$50,000 ‘gift’ raises question of ethics
Is it legitimate for governments to receive gifts from companies that have been awarded contracts? The US$50,000 “thank you gift” from Chinese company Huawei to the Guyana government after being awarded a US$14 million contract to lay fibre-optic cables here, has raised questions about the propriety of such transactions. “It is unethical. In some countries [...]
Amaila hydropower plant may face delays in financing – developer
The developer of the Amaila Falls Hydroelectric Plant (AFHEP) yesterday admitted that there may be delays in securing financing for the project. The announcement was made by Senior Vice President of Sithe Global LLC Rafael Herz during a media briefing at the Pegasus Hotel, where he also said that the plant would generate an additional [...]
Huge sums spent but conservancy management poor – engineers
The state of the East Demerara Water Conservancy (EDWC) is cause for concern for some knowledgeable engineers, who say the facility remains inadequately managed despite the large investments being made by the government. Data provided by the Ministry of Agriculture indicate that from 2003 to 2009 over $1.8 billion have been spent upgrading the EDWC. [...]
Resignation hangs over flood-hit East Coast
With flooding now a norm for some villages along East Coast of Demerara, many affected residents have resigned themselves to being under water for several more days. More rain is projected and the Ministry of Agriculture said that the East Demerara Water Conservancy is at a “threatening level,” leaving communities vulnerable. Agriculture Minister Robert Persaud [...]
Fired RUSAL workers see resolution in sight
Bauxite workers affected by ongoing disputes between the BCGI and the Guyana Bauxite and General Workers Union (GB&GWU) hope that the favourable ruling on the issue of union recognition would pave the way for the quick resolution of all outstanding issues between the two parties. “We can make some progress now,” Wayne Coppin said. Coppin, [...]