Guyana News

The main sugar Union, GAWU today defended industrial action on Tuesday in the face of charges by GuySuCo on Wednesday that it had coerced Uitvlugt sugar estate workers to strike in the ongoing protest action over the planned closure of the Wales estate.

The government yesterday used its one-seat majority to pass a bill for increased fees for vehicle licences, which had not been reviewed for two decades.

Higher fees for a number of firearms licences were yesterday approved by the National Assembly despite concerns by the opposition PPP/C that poor farmers will be affected and the smuggling of weapons will rise.

The Tax (Amendment) Bill 2016 was passed by acclamation last night even though the number of MPs on both sides of the House was equal.

APNU+AFC ministers Winston Felix and Keith Scott yesterday took up seats once again in the National Assembly yesterday after Attorney-General Basil Williams secured an interim stay of execution on a recent ruling that they could not hold sit as non-elected members.

Shortly after Jermaine Jerrick, 35, was identified as the bandit who was accidentally shot and killed by his accomplice during a robbery on Thursday evening, his wife, who is suspected to have aided in the gunman’s getaway, was arrested and she remains in police custody.

The National Assembly saw consensus yesterday on the passage of a bill that government says will ensure that the abuse of the remigrant scheme, particularly the granting of duty-free concessions, is brought to an end.

Rape accused Linden Isaacs yesterday walked out of the High Court a free man after a jury unanimously found him not guilty of raping an eight-year-old girl.

The Guyana National Youth Council (GNYC) and Youth Challenge Guyana yesterday launched their ‘Vote Like a Boss’ campaign to rejuvenate the energy surrounding the upcoming Local Government Elections (LGE) and increase the number of youth, women, and special interest voters.

Team Benschop for Mayor yesterday outlined five pillars for the restoration of the city with emphasis on transparency at every level as it launched its manifesto ahead of next month’s local government elections.

Route 40 (Kitty/Campbell-ville) minibus operators yesterday held a mini-protest at their bus park as they claim “hotplaters” continue to break the turn system rules.

While former presidential press officer Kwame McCoy is claiming that he is the victim of efforts to assassinate his character, Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum on Thursday said that he and others were detained in connection with the Courtney Crum-Ewing murder investigation as a result of new information received by police.

As police look to enhance their capacity to tackle crime and violence, this year will see the introduction of bicycle patrols, the establishment of two new police locations in the interior and the creation of a serial crime investigations section at CID Headquarters, Eve Leary, according to Police Commissioner Seelall Persaud.

Local police are seeking the help of their overseas counterparts to arrest and extradite former Deputy CEO of the Guyana Power and Light Inc (GPL) Aeshwar Deonarine, who was charged as party to a multi-million theft from the company last month.

A man was arrested yesterday after a failed bid to smuggle suspected marijuana to a prisoner in a holding cell at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts complex.

A Leguan woman was yesterday charged for the alleged cultivation of cannabis and possession of the drug, for which her lawyer said both she and her two children, ages two and two months, had been held in lock-ups.

Marcia Andrews and Mark Williams, the two Grove residents who were charged separately on Monday with cultivating ganja, were yesterday each granted their release on $100,000 bail.

Sheila Veerasammy yesterday took the oath of office as the newest People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Member of Parliament.

Renuka Anandjit and Travis Spellin are the newest civil society representatives of the Global Fund Country Coordinating Mechanism (CCM), which provides grants to aid in the fight against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculo-sis (TB) and Malaria.

Jovanka Williams, Hanani Ben Lewi and the Fantastic Six B were among the winners on Thursday evening, when Pan-O-Rama kicked off at the Theatre Guild in Kingston.