Guyana News

Two men were killed this evening and another is fighting for his life after they were shot by the police.

Guyana’s and Venezuela’s foreign ministers are to meet in the coming week on the arrest by the Venezuelan navy of a US-contracted vessel doing seismic work in this country’s Exclusive Economic Zone.

A Venezuelan naval vessel on Thursday intercepted a research boat for a US oil explorer in Guyana’s waters and later forced it to the Venezuelan island of Margarita, sparking a strong protest from the Government of Guyana (GoG).

Leader of the Opposition David Granger yesterday condemned Thursday’s actions by a Venezuelan navy vessel in Guyana’s territorial waters and called for a strong diplomatic response by the Government of Guyana.

Parts of Guyana shook last night in the aftermath of a 6.0-Richter scale earthquake just offshore Sucre, Venezuela and about 87 kilometres west of Port of Spain, in neighbouring Trinidad and Tobago.

The Guyana Elections Commis-sion (Gecom) is in elections mode as local government elections may be held by mid-2014, Local Government Minister Ganga Persaud yesterday announced.

Andre Gustav, found guilty of supplying an American drug mule with four kilogrammes of cocaine for drug trafficking, will be spending the next five years in jail.

A fruit exporter was yesterday remanded to prison for allegedly smuggling over 20 kilos of cocaine in hollowed star apples to Canada.

Two men were yesterday read drug trafficking charges after being held during the alleged transfer of eight kilos of marijuana found in the trunk of a car on the premises of the La Familia Hotel.

A fisherman will be spending over 10 years in jail after being found guilty of robbing a Bounty Meat Centre security officer of his gold band, gun and car, but has been spared a conviction over the $6.5M stolen during the ambush.

A young Guyanese woman, held at the Dubai International Airport officers with 3.013 kilos of cocaine in her handbag in May, was sentenced to ten years in jail and fined Dhs50,000 (Gy$2.7M) on Thursday.

Guyana has signed on to a new international pact to control mercury emissions and has won the support of Japan in its call for discontinue use through gradual phasing out.

A fire ripped through the Beepat’s bond and a house at Temple Street, Ogle, East Coast Demerara yesterday morning, leaving untold losses in its wake, though firefighters managed to rescue two rabbits.

The police are investigating the death of Chris Allicock, 30, of Aruka River Mouth, North West District, who succumbed in hospital on Sunday after being struck by a brick during an altercation.

Khodesh Daljit, 22 of No 4 Settlement, Blairmont, West Bank Berbice was yesterday charged with the murder of a Hosanna Street, Rosignol, West Bank Berbice teen, who succumbed in hospital days after a fatal blow.

Leader of the Opposition David Granger said he does not regard the statement by Head of the Presidential Secretariat Dr Roger Luncheon about wanting to run off snap elections as serious and he called it piscatory.

The Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) on Thursday announced that it has instituted wind-up proceedings against the holding company for the local KFC and Pizza Hut operations and security company COPS (Guyana) over large outstanding taxes.

The New Testament Church of God (NTCOG) is inviting men to its National Men’s Convention 2013 next Wednesday, when it plans to address issues that affect boys and men nationally.

The Avon Community Help Fund on Friday donated $350,000 to the Cancer Institute of Guyana to pay for mammograms for uninsured and low-income women.

Much of the core engineering work needed for the US$24 million project that will transform Sheriff Street/ Mandela Avenue corridor is moving apace as the Works Ministry draws closer to completing the Final Design of the project.