Monday 23
Guyana’s Lisa Punch in final 30:
GUYANESE songbird Lisa “the knockout” Punch is one of the final 30 contestants selected for the new ABC Reality song show-Rising Star. In a press statement, ABC named in their Top 30 the 21-year-old Guyana-born, Brooklyn-based singer who migrated to the United States in December 2013. The series airs over 10 weeks, and beginning July 13, the series will be aired for one hour weekly. The field of contestants will continue to narrow until the night of the finals, when just one of the remaining acts will be named the Rising Star winner. ABC Entertainment says that to vote for your favourite contestant, home judges (viewers) can download the Rising Star ABC app through the Apple App Store, Windows Market Place, or the Google Play Store.

Car kills Patentia man near his home
JUDE Joseph, 28, of Public Road Patentia, West Bank Demerara, was struck and killed by a car a short distance from his home as he was on his way to purchase eggs and bread for his family. The man’s wife, Natasha Vandeyar, told this publication that she was at home when her husband left walking to make the purchase for their breakfast and within a few minutes she heard a loud impact and looked through the window and saw a man being pitched into the air. She did not know it was her husband. The driver of the car is in police custody.

Rare Guyana stamp fetches whopping US$9.5M
A RARE 19th century postage stamp from British Guiana, the former British colony now known as Guyana, has been bought by an anonymous bidder for a record US$9.5M at auction in New York. The famous British Guiana one-cent magenta stamp had been sold on three previous occasions, each time setting the auction record for a single stamp. The multi-million-dollar collector’s dream measures just 2.5 cm by 3.2 cm, and had not been publicly exhibited since 1986. Apart from setting a new world record for the price the stamp has fetched, the one-cent magenta was also the most expensive item by weight and size ever sold, according to Sotheby’s auction house.

Tuesday 24
Health Ministry to launch National Mental Health Action Plan soon:
THE Ministry of Health will soon be launching a National Mental Health Action Plan to deal with the numerous aspects of mental health. The Ministry is hoping to launch it in October on World Mental Health Day. Health Minister, Bheri Ramsaran said the plan will focus on the integration of mental health into the primary health care services, and will include training for family doctors, nurses and medex in mental health management, along with improving Psychiatric Services at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC).

First stone depot opens in Georgetown
THE first stone depot in Georgetown has received its initial shipment of 1,000 tonnes of stone at Battery Road, Kingston, just behind the Guyana Forestry Commission.

Mr. Vishnu Ramdial of Durban Quarries said that with the heavy demand for stone, the new operation is available to anyone who wishes to purchase. Obtainable are different grades from ½ inch, ¾ inch and others. The supply is expected to be renewed every two to three days. A lot of the stone will reportedly go towards housing, road and sea defence projects.

Money changer dies hours after being declared brain dead
FORTY-FOUR-YEAR-OLD Wendell Liverpool, the money changer father of four who had been shot three times after he had attempted to wrestle three men who had pounced on him and stripped him of his gold jewellery and money at a shop in West Ruimveldt, Georgetown. He succumbed to his injuries at the Georgetown Hospital. Liverpool had been listed as brain dead by doctors at the hospital, and was breathing only with the aid of a life-support machine. He lived two corners from where he had been attacked.

Wednesday 25
Unidentified man found dead in Le Repentir Cemetery
DOZENS gathered at La Repentir Cemetery as word spread that the body of an unidentified male was lying between a clump of bushes. A member of the public alerted police about the body. The man was clad in a green vest and black long pants while his hat lay next to the body. There was also a bottle which contained a small amount of water, suggesting that the contents may have been consumed by the deceased. The police are working on several theories with respect to the discovery.

Former President Jagdeo elected Chair of FAO Committee on Forestry
FORMER President, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo was elected Chairman of the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organisation)’s 22nd Session of the Committee on Forestry (COFO) for the period 2014-2016. COFO is one of the FAO’s governing bodies, with over 130 member countries, which deliberates on global forestry issues. This 22nd Session of COFO is being convened in Rome, Italy from June 23 – 27, 2014, and among the critical issues for discussion are a Report on the State of the World’s Forest 2014; Payment for ecosystem services and forest financing; Forests and the Sustainable Development Goals and REDD+ and the UN Climate Summit 2014.

36 graduate with MBAs via Nations University programme
THIRTY-SIX students graduated from the Master of Business Administration (MBA) programme offered by Nations University in collaboration with the Australian Institute of Business (AIB). The ceremony was held at the Guyana International Conference Centre at Liliendaal. This second batch of MBA graduating students represents a wide cross-section of the Guyanese business community, including senior personnel from government ministries, GuySuCo, Barama, Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), CARICOM and the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA). Six received graduate certificates in Management, seven collected graduate diplomas in Management and 23 uplifted their MBA certificates. Among the students, according to Dr. Brian O’Toole, Director of Nations University, are entrepreneurs and representatives from a range of private agencies.

Thursday 26
NIS updating contributors records electronically
MANAGEMENT of the National Insurance Scheme (NIS) has confirmed to Cabinet that virtually all of the 15 million outstanding contribution records have been updated and uploaded electronically on the NIS Database System. Cabinet had issued a December 31, 2014 deadline to NIS to have this project completed, and according to Cabinet Secretary, Dr. Roger Luncheon, by the end of June all of the contributions/records would be electronically entered on the NIS database. July to December will be the period for NIS to concentrate on the verification of the data.

Cabinet agrees on components of USAID LEAD project
CABINET has approved the design and activities of two components of the $300M United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Leadership and Democracy (LEAD) Project that had been halted to facilitate talks between the Government of Guyana and the US Embassy in Georgetown.

Furthermore, Cabinet has also approved tools and governance mechanisms that would be associated with the implementation of the two components, one of which deals with matters surrounding the strengthening of the National Assembly, and the other with civic education and support for Local Government Elections. Last June 18, the US authorities were officially notified by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Cabinet’s decisions made last June 10 about the proposed Government of Guyana/USAID Project. There remain several components in excess of two, and so the engagement between the Government and the US authorities will continue.

Body discovered in cemetery identified as Digicel football coordinator
THIRTY-SEVEN-YEAR-OLD, Jermaine Marshall was the person whose body was discovered in La Repentir Cemetery. The former North Georgetown Secondary School student and father of one was identified by his brother and sister-in-law who were watching a TV newscast. The post-mortem examination (PME) performed on the body found that he had died as a result of pesticide poisoning. Marshall who is the eldest of seven children was contracted by Digicel as a regional coordinator for the Schools’ Football Championship as a coach and had been performing in that capacity up to the time of his demise.

Friday 27
US Congress approves establishment of a DEA office here
TALKS with the United States of America (USA) to have the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) establish a branch here in Guyana have met with success. And, with the blessing of the US Congress, equipped DEA personnel will be based in Georgetown at the US Embassy, Duke Street, very soon. Previous cooperation between Guyana’s law enforcement and the US was done through a DEA office based in neighbouring Trinidad & Tobago. The DEA is the US lead agency for domestic enforcement of federal drug laws, and for coordinating and pursuing US drug investigations abroad.

Access road to Sophia finally completed
THE Ministry of Public Works, Force Account Department officially concluded its refurbishments to the road leading to Sophia last week, which was a part of the UG access road overhaul project. The Works Ministry found it necessary to give the road a facelift, given that it was in a deplorable state with enormous potholes that caused damage to vehicles. The road is now fully refurbished and allows a faster entry and exit to the surrounding communities. Meanwhile, in regard to the access road that leads to the University of Guyana and the Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE), the levelling work has been done and the final course is to be completed as soon as the aggregate (stone materials used in building roads) becomes available.

WPA suffers untold losses after break-in at head office
A BREAK-IN at the head office of the Working People’s Alliance (WPA) on New Garden Street, Queenstown, has left the party suffering untold losses after intruders gained entry by breaking a window at the front door and an inside bar. Speaking with this publication, WPA Administrative Assistant Alleyne Allen said when she was on her way to work, Member of Parliament, Desmond Trotman, who is the WPA Manager, called to inform her about the incident. She said he told her that someone had broken into the office, which is located in a rental building. Missing articles included computers, monitors, printers, speakers, back-up batteries, a cheque book and a public address system.

Saturday 28
US State Department TIP REPORT contains several inaccuracies, misrepresentation
IN response to the United States (US) State Department’s 2014 report on the Trafficking In Persons (TIP) situation in Guyana, Minister of Human Services and Social Security Jennifer Webster, during a press conference, said that the Task Force is deeply concerned that once again the report has not reviewed Guyana fairly and therefore attracts little merit on the part of the Government of Guyana. She said that the report contains several inaccuracies and misrepresentations with regard to the scope of TIP in Guyana.

GT&T partners with Guyana Festival
THE Guyana Festival continues to attract increasing support from corporate entities operating here.

The Guyana Festival Committee received $3M from the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph (GT&T) as they reaffirmed their philosophy of giving support to the national development of arts and culture. Festival Passports are on sale and patrons can uplift their passports from authorised sales vendors for a low cost of $3,000. This allows access to all three, fun filled and exciting days of the Guyana Festival, from August 8 -10 at the Guyna National Stadium. These Passports are available at Nigel’s Supermarket, Ashmin’s Trading, N & S Mattai, Survival Supermarket Vlissengen Road, K & K Service Station- Mahaica, M & M Snackette- Harbour Bridge, Courts in Parika, Church’s Chicken in Linden, Essential Care Pharmacy- Diamond, Fatboy Discount- Vreed-en-hoop, Ministry of Tourism, Industry and Commerce, Guyana Tourism Authority and Choke Gas Station- LBI.

Accused Ramsahai in the Eon Daniels murder case freed
BEFORE he discharged 44-year-old Ramsahai Boodoo of the charge that he had murdered Eon Daniels on July 8, 2011, Justice William Ramlal warned him about the use of alcohol, and added: “This verdict does not mean you are not, in some way, connected with this matter.” On the fateful day of July 8, 2011, when the two men had an altercation, the accused, Ramsahai, reportedly had a knife in his possession, while the deceased, Daniels, was seen with a pot spoon.