Monday 7
Decomposed body of missing man found in the ‘Blacka’
THE bloated and decomposed body of 25-year-old Tyrone Watts, who went missing from his home, was found in the Lama Canal (Blacka) by residents who had gone there for a swim. Aunt of the deceased, Coretta Eastman told this publication that her nephew was staying with her at her Lot 47 Norton Street, Lodge, Georgetown home, but returned to his mother’s place in Cummings Lodge. She explained that Watts was experiencing some domestic problems with his mom and stepfather because of his ‘smoking habits.’

CARICOM to get Debt Advocacy Team
A CARIBBEAN Community (CARICOM) Debt Advocacy Team is to be appointed to campaign for debt relief and/or debt amelioration on behalf of highly indebted CARICOM Member States. This was one of the key outcomes of the Thirty-Fifth Conference of the CARICOM Heads of Government, which concluded in Antigua and Barbuda on Friday July 4.

At a press conference on Friday afternoon, Chairman of the Conference of Heads of Government, Gaston Browne, Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, said that the Team will advocate with Development Partners on behalf of Member States.
The initiative emerged out of the recognition that the current burdensome debt was not realistic for some Member States, given their structural and other economic vulnerabilities.

584 East Canje residents benefit from OLPF initiative
THE distribution of laptops under the One Laptop Per Family (OLPF) initiative resumed in Berbice and residents of East Canje received 584 instruments at the Cumberland Primary School. OLPF Supervisor Ms. Archana Sawh stated that applicants from the villages of Seawell, Palmyra, Cumberland and Canefield, among others, benefited from the exercise. “It should be ongoing now for Region 6 until September; we have scheduled dates and will be targeting the different areas,” she revealed, adding, “OLPF will be moving to Port Mourant, Corentyne in July where more laptops will be distributed.” Ms. Sawh also encouraged more Berbicians to apply for the Government laptops.

Tuesday 8
Plane runs off Monkey Mountain Airstrip
A BRITTEN Norman Islander plane crashed on landing at Monkey Mountain airstrip in Region 8 (Potaro/Siparuni) but no one was seriously hurt. Investigators from the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) were said to have been dispatched to Monkey Mountain to determine what caused the aircraft bearing registration number 8R-GGY to run off the airstrip there, a release from the GCAA said. The pilot Orlando Charles and another passenger were reportedly not seriously injured. However, the release stated that the twin engine aircraft was badly damaged but to what extent will be known on the completion of the investigator’s report.

GFS mulling relocation of Central Fire Station
CHIEF Fire Officer, Marlon Gentle says that they have been mulling the idea of relocating the Central Fire Station, owing to the congested state of its present site near Stabroek Market. In an interview with the Chronicle, Gentle explained that the Central Fire Station consists of the headquarters, with support elements such as a storage compound, etc. He stated that because of the whole shift in what’s happening in the area with the market activities where the Central Fire Station is located, they are more confined and locked in. In that light, they have been thinking of alternative sites for relocation but given the fact that a lot of housing areas are developing, that must be taken into consideration so they cannot simply pick up and move.

Police deny stripping leader of rice farmer protest
THE Guyana Police Force (GPF), in a press release, has denied the allegation in some media reports that police ranks stripped the rice farmer protest leader, Mr. Naith Ram, who is Chairman of the Essequibo Paddy Farmers’ Association, during their engagement with the protestors. The GPF stated that the Essequibo Paddy Farmers’ Association applied to the police for approval to hold a protest march on July 04, 2014, commencing at 09:30hrs from the Bush Lot New Market to the Anna Regina High Bridge where a meeting was to be held. Approval was subsequently given by the police.

Wednesday 9
15 differently-abled graduates leave ‘Open Doors’
FIFTEEN young individuals were certified to effectively delve into the world of work, having completed a two-year skills training stint at the Open Doors Centre, a National Vocational Training Centre for persons with disabilities. This occasion represented the seventh graduating ceremony for the entity, which saw the trainees undertaking courses in the four disciplines offered by the Centre. Trainees are exposed to four main vocational training categories: Information Technology, Carpentry/Joinery, Garment Construction and Electronics.

Many of the trainees are products of the David Rose School for the Handicapped and the Diamond Special Needs School.

Guyanese woman goes missing in Brooklyn, NY
GUYANESE Chinelle Browne, 27, who is originally from Georgetown, went missing in Brooklyn, New York. Chinelle migrated to the United States last year May and returned here April this year for two weeks and then went back to the US. Her New York address was 346 Sumter Street, Brooklyn. Browne has four children: three-year-old twins Ariel and Michaela, five-year-old Jonathan and seven-year-old Gabrielle Browne, and they all reside in Guyana with their father.

Two refused bail for armed robbery in Albouystown
TWENTY-YEAR-OLD Raheem Benn of Lot 143 William Street, Kitty and 18-year-old Hakim Morgan of Albouystown appeared before Georgetown Magistrate Judy Latchman to answer an allegation that on July 3 at Albouystown, Georgetown, both being armed with an offensive weapon-half of a pair of scissors. They robbed Julian Whyte of one bicycle and $2,000 cash, together valued at $20,000. Both men pleaded not guilty to the charge when it was read to them; and they are expected to return to court on July 10.The prosecutor said that on the day in question, the virtual complainant (VC) was riding his bicycle heading home when the duo, one of whom was armed with half of a pair of scissors, placed the weapon to Whyte’s neck and they relieved him of the articles.

Thursday, 10th
Sod turned for US$54M five-star Sun and Sands Hotel
WITH respect to the US$45M Sun & Sands Hotel, President Donald Ramotar underscored that development of the hospitality and tourism sectors is inextricably linked to the planned expansion of the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA). At the sod turning ceremony of the multimillion-dollar Five-Star hotel at Liliendaal, Greater Georgetown, the President noted that Guyana’s tourism sector and its capacity to host high profile international events is not only dependent on more investments such as the Sun & Sands Hotel, but to a larger extent on the development of airport facilities to handle such an influx of visitors. Mr. Ramotar observed that development of such infrastructure plays an integral role in societal and economic productivity as prospects are made for linking Guyana with the rest of the world, particularly high priority areas such as Europe, North America and Africa.

St. Stanislaus teacher missing after basketball game
Nyozil Goodman, 34, a teacher at St. Stanislaus College, went missing after a basketball game at the National Gymnasium, Mandela Avenue. She, along with another teacher, accompanied students from her school to the games. And she told them later to make their way home as someone was to pick her up. Goodman is five feet five inches tall, dark brown in complexion, and she lives on William Street, Kitty. Anyone with information about her is asked to contact her brother on telephone number 692-4526, or the nearest police station.

Jehovah’s Witnesses three-day convention starts at National Park
JEHOVAH’S Witnesses are inviting everyone to attend their annual three-day convention at the National Park, Thomas Lands, Georgetown.
The theme of this year’s programme is “Keep Seeking First God’s Kingdom!” The programme began on Friday July 11, 2014 at 09:20hrs and will conclude today. There is no admission fee.
Samuel Moore, a convention spokesman, said in a press release that: “People of many faiths pray for God’s Kingdom. This convention will explain what that Kingdom is and how it can be a positive influence in our lives.”

Friday 11
Tomb raiders have second thoughts
AFTER a controversial burial and a family feud, relatives of 43-year-old Noel Champo got the shock of their lives when they received news that his tomb had been broken into and his casket left exposed to the elements at Le Repentir Cemetery. The dead man’s uncle told the Chronicle that the man died two weeks ago of natural causes. However, he acknowledged that there was much drama between the deceased’s second wife and his mother, who were not seeing “eye to eye” on several issues. The deceased, who had been hospitalised for almost a month, was the father of five children, including a one-year-old baby girl from his second marriage after his divorce.

Lone gunman ambushes, shoots Lusignan teen dead near her home
NINETEEN-YEAR-OLD cosmetologist Ashminee Harryram of lot 9 ‘B’ Lusignan Embankment Road, East Coast Demerara died after being shot to her head while walking home along the Lusignan Railway Embankment. She had just disembarked from a bus after returning from Georgetown where she and her cousin went shopping.

However, as the teens made their way a burgundy car, with the registration number blocked, was parked on the left hand side of the embankment road. The teen was approximately 70 metres away from her home when an armed man exited the vehicle and fired a shot to Ashminee’s head before snatching her phone and escaping in the car.

APNU blames gov’t for high murder rate:
LEADER of the Opposition, David Granger has disclosed that A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) is blaming the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) for the high murder rate during their twenty-two-year long governance, a period during which APNU member Winston Felix was Commissioner of Police. According to the Opposition Leader, the PPP/C administration has failed consistently to implement a comprehensive counter-crime strategy. He noted that: “The twelve-year Bharrat Jagdeo presidency, most particularly, will be remembered in this country’s history for the extraordinary number of murders which occurred. The trend has continued to rise under the Ramotar presidency,” he said.

Saturday 12
Project “C-PETS” launched in Police ‘D‘ Division
RESIDENTS on the East Bank of Essequibo and West Demerara should have safer communities with the implementation of the Guyana Police Force’s ‘D’ Division C-PETS programme which was launched at the Tuschen Car Park, East Bank Essequibo. C-PETS- Creating Positive Environments through Safer Communities and Partnerships is an initiative of Commander of ‘D’ Division, Ian Amsterdam, and is part of the strategic plan for his Division on how to get community involvement and partnerships with the police. The initiative will see the building of partnerships with the stakeholders and building cohesion between the faith-based organisations in the various districts within the Division.

Copa makes inaugural flight to Guyana
COPA Airlines made its inaugural flight to Guyana from Panama landing at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA), offering unmatched connectivity to Latin America, South America and North America destinations. The new flight will provide Guyanese with a non-stop service to Panama the hub of the Americas and connectivity to more than 66 other destinations flown by COPA Airlines and 1,316 airports in 192 countries reached by Star Alliance carriers. They have about 9,000 employees worldwide.

Guyanese female caught with whopping 480 kilos of cocaine in Antigua
A GUYANESE female has been reportedly caught with a staggering 480 kilos of cocaine in Antigua. Two individuals inclusive of a 41-year -old Guyanese born woman are expected to appear in court in Antigua after the Office of National Drug and Money Laundering Control Policy (ONDCP) send out reports that they have seized over EC$17M in illegal substances recently. This organisation has so far declared that the latest seizure of 480 kilos of cocaine is the largest in the Caribbean recently. Reports suggest that a male Antiguan national is also being held in connection with this bust.