Guyana News

Two new hotels currently under construction in the Kitty area are expected to be completed in time to help meet accommodation needs for Cricket World Cup 2007.

The Ministry of Health last Friday hosted a workshop to deliberate on the draft National Strategic Plan for Laboratories which is aimed at regulating the levels of service offered by public health laboratories within the public and private sectors.

Residents of Number Three Village, West Coast Berbice are counting their lucky stars that an abandoned house which went up in flames early Friday morning did not spread to their homes.

Parliament has voted to set up a special committee to look at the steps that need to be taken to enable it to employ its own staff.

While there are no immediate plans to remove Lamaha Street embankment residents in the absence of an official policy on that issue, persons living on government reserves in Sophia and on the East Bank of Demerara are required to move by month end.

The President’s Youth Award: Republic of Guyana (PYARG) says it has a number of projects planned for the year that will involve more than 3000 participants.

Dr Rupert Roopnaraine has been appointed as the new principal of the Critchlow Labour College.

Prime Minister Samuel Hinds says nearly 450,000 incandescent bulbs were replaced in the bulb distribution exercise.

The Professional Guard Services said several ranks received monetary and other awards at its Fourth Quarterly and Annual Incentive Award ceremonies.

The shooting of four servicemen who were part of the initial search party after Friday’s Mazaruni Prison break was found to be the result of friendly fire, Director of Prisons Dale Erskine said yesterday.

One of the police constables shot on Friday afternoon during a bid to locate the nine prisoners who had hours before staged a daring escape from the Mazaruni Prison, is still in a serious condition and may have to be flown overseas for further treatment.

The 13-year-old mother who made the news two weeks ago when her five-day-old baby was kidnapped is being offered a second chance as efforts are being made to have her admitted to a school where she will be taught a trade so as to be able to provide for herself and child in the future.

Amid concerns that a huge windfall will be made from the sale of the Linden bauxite operations by IAMGOLD, the government is mulling the separation of a key asset before it blesses a deal between the Canadian miner and the Chinese company Bosai Privatisation Unit Head Winston Brassington said on Friday that the government, as a 30% stakeholder, was discussing the proposal by IAMGOLD to sell Omai Bauxite Minerals Inc (OBMI) to Bosai Minerals Group Company Ltd.

With the right support-financial and otherwise-the six-storey Buddy’s Interna-tional Hotel with several entertainment facilities is likely to be ready for an official opening by mid-February, after being under construction for just 13 and a half months.

President Bharrat Jagdeo said that government would review the situation with regard to the Value Added Tax (VAT) transition in light of the complaints surfacing and may be making adjustments this week to ease the burden on consumers.

The business community is spending millions of dollars to beautify downtown Georgetown in time for Cricket World Cup (CWC) and littering will be the biggest focus.

Only a small number of people turned out yesterday in the rain for the march against the Value Added Tax (VAT) and the rise in expenses that they face as a result.

A family at Number Two Village, West Coast Berbice is still traumatized after six masked gunmen stormed their home and carted off nearly $300,000 worth of gold jewellery, $15,000, sneakers valued at $7,000 and a landline telephone.

The PPP has labelled the call by the PNCR-1G for a countrywide shutdown in protest over the two recent controversial bills laid in Parliament and the Value Added Tax (VAT) “irresponsible and reckless”.

Justice B.S. Roy is currently hearing a case of a 77-year-old man who has approached the court asking the Ministry of Human Services to show cause why it shouldn’t release his 13-year-old bride.