Monday 22
Hague ‘dentex’ confesses to murdering ex-lover
RAJKUMARIE Persaud, 23, of Lot 64, Hague Backdam West Coast Demerara was found lying in a pool of blood in the lower flat of her aunt’s home with suspected stab wounds about her body, as her reputed husband was seen fleeing the scene. Relatives described the suspect, Sudesh Lakeram, as a very quiet individual who is not known to be violent. Relatives indicated that the two were separated, and on Saturday Lakeram returned to the woman’s home to reconcile with her but it is unclear what happened. Lakeram, who works as a dental technician at an East Bank Demerara dental clinic, fled to his workplace after committing the crime. He called out to his employer upon arrival there, and indicated that he and his former lover had been involved in an argument and he had stabbed her to death.

Speaker, AFC reject allegations of sexual assault of minor
SPEAKER of the National Assembly Raphael Trotman was empathic in his denial of claims that he sexually assaulted a young man, made on the popular social media site, Facebook. “A malicious and unfounded allegation of sexual molestation has been made against me by an unstable young man, who sadly, appears to have a troubled mind. I categorically deny his wicked assertions,” the Speaker said in a statement. Trotman has since called for a “thorough and professional” investigation into the “scurrilous” allegation. According to him, the young man seems to have been “conveniently encouraged by manipulative and diabolic political” forces.

Children being admitted to private school still under construction
AS the new school term kicks off, the building which will house Camille’s Institute for Business and Science Studies is still being constructed. The school is now located in the Diamond Junior Staff Compound, on the East Bank of Demerara (EBD). Although their teachers and students, which include infants are still attending school, concerns have been raised that their health and lives are in jeopardy, as it is unsafe to carry out construction while persons are being accommodated in the building.
Camille’s Institute provides education for all ages of children in nursery, primary and secondary; their services also include a daycare centre.

Tuesday 23
Revamped Parliamentary website launched
THE National Assembly yesterday launched its revamped, upgraded parliamentary website, www.parliament.gov.gy that seeks to provide relevant information to the public in a timely fashion.
Recognising significant short-falls in the previous website, a contract was signed on November 1, 2013, to upgrade the website with consultant Cirrus Multi-media, with funding provided by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) through its “Enhanced Public Trust Security and Inclusion Project 2.”
The website is user-friendly and provides relevant information to MPs, members of staff, members of the media, students and the general public on the major aspects of the functions and various activities of the National Assembly of the Parliament of Guyana.

Prowling jaguar terrorising Cozier Canal residents
RESIDENTS living along the banks of the Cozier Canal in the Pomeroon River community have reported that a jaguar is prowling the area during nightfall in search of dogs, its favourite meal. The jaguar is reported to have already killed and eaten numerous dogs in the farming community, but prowls every night in search of more. Accordingly, residents are very scared of the fearsome animal, and have to secure their homes during nightfall. The jaguar reportedly visits homes during the dark of night, and would at times climb up stairs in search of its prey. In spite of their fear, residents have organised a hunt in the area for the fearsome animal.

One dead, baby among three hospitalised as man sets house ablaze
THE charred remains of Jason Munroe 27, of 308 Parfaite Harmonie was removed from his gutted house, while Princess Bobb, 3 years, her mother Zelena Calender, 20, and Shantel Calendar, all of Lot 201 Dairy Parfaite Harmonie were hospitalised after their home was set alight by Clifton Joseph, 38, of Broad Street, Charlestown. The Guyana Chronicle was told by relatives of the three women that the two sisters and the baby were at home, along with Munroe, who shares a relationship with the 20-year- old, when the suspect, who shares a relationship with the 15-year-old, used a window to gain access to the home while they were asleep. The suspect was arrested.

Wednesday 24
Obama says global climate deal must include emerging economies
(Reuters) – U.S. President Barack Obama said a new global agreement on climate change must include strong commitments from emerging economies and move past the rich-poor country divide that has hampered progress in United Nations negotiations. Obama addressed the U.N. climate change summit with a statement meant to build political momentum for a global deal on climate change in 2015 and a list of commitments his administration has made to address. He said a “global compact” needs to include strong commitments from some of the world’s emerging economies because the amount of greenhouse gases they emit increases as their economies grow. “This time we need an agreement that reflects economic realities in the next decade and beyond,” Obama said.

PM denies Administration played any part in allegations against Speaker
SPEAKER of the National Assembly, Raphael Trotman has allegedly offered a settlement of $1.7M to a young man, who has levelled allegations of sexual assault. This was according to the young man, 22-year-old Jonny Welchman (Jr.), who first made the allegation of assault on the popular social media site, Facebook. Trotman has since denied the claims, adding that the allegations have seemingly stemmed from a political plot. Acting President and Prime Minister, Mr. Samuel Hinds, in an invited comment, rejected the assertions of a political ploy by the ruling party. “I know of us doing no such things,” he stressed.

Global Shapers put smile on faces of 500+ hinterland children
OVER 500 students in Regions 1, 8 and 9 have benefited from the Global Shapers Community ‘Head Start! Stationery Drive’ micro-project at the start of the 2014-2015 academic year. Two teams of Global Shapers from the Georgetown hub embarked on a journey to three hinterland communities: Matthews Ridge – Region 1, Fairview -Region 8 and Shulinab – Region 9 in early September. Their mission was to distribute school supplies to approximately 500 or more students in both nursery and primary schools.
This initiative was intended to provide students in remote communities in Guyana’s hinterland with stationery supplies for the new academic year.

Thursday 25
GDF Cessna crashes – no one injured
THE Guyana Defence Force’s (GDF) Cessna 206, GDF 3 crashed upon landing at Camp Jaguar, New River – which is about 215 nautical miles from Georgetown. None of the four persons on board were injured. A Board of Inquiry (BOI) has since been set up to investigate the circumstances surrounding the accident and is expected to travel to the location. The aircraft’s pilot was Captain Paul Dalgetty. Further details on the crash are expected to be provided on completion of the inquiry, according to the GDF.

Colleague MP calls for House Speaker to resign
A COLLEAGUE Member of Parliament (MP) on the Opposition side of the House is of the firm opinion that the Speaker of the House, Raphael Trotman should resign to preserve the integrity of the position he holds. The opinion was expressed, on condition of anonymity, in light of the sexual assault allegations levelled against Trotman by 22-year-old Jonny Welchman (Jr.), allegations that could both shadow his office and pose a threat to the integrity of the Speakership. Welshman had also alleged that Trotman offered him $1.7M to settle the matter.

Balwant Singh Hospital launches In Vitro Fertilisation service
THE Dr. Balwant Singh’s Hospital launched its In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) programme, making it the first medical facility here to offer such a service. According to Dr. Madhu Singh, the programme began in January of this year and the hospital was patiently awaiting the results in order to officially launch it.
The first IVF baby conceived in Guyana was birthed on the September 16, 2014. Dr. Singh advised the public that both the mother and baby are doing well, and were discharged from the hospital on September 18, 2014. Dr. Singh further stated that it is the only option for patients with low sperm counts, blocked fallopian tubes or prolonged, unexplained infertility.

President Ramotar meets Guyanese in Brooklyn
PRESIDENT Donald Ramotar met with the Guyanese community in Brooklyn, New York, where he updated them on the economic, social and political developments in Guyana. The president in his address spoke of a number of initiatives his government is pursuing to propel the country from a developing middle income country to the “next level”. The Guyanese Head of State highlighted the current achievements, aspirations and challenges his government faces on a daily basis, in its quest to continue Guyana’s social and economic development.

Friday 26
Sattaur suing Kaieteur News for over $500M
JUSTICE Sandra Kurtzious has granted an injunction against Kaieteur News, preventing the daily newspaper from publishing defamatory statements about Commissioner-General of the Guyana Revenue Authority(GRA), Khurshid Sattaur. National Media and Publishing Company Limited, publishers of the local daily (Kaieteur News), its owner Glenn Lall and editor Adam Harris, were named in the order granting the injunction. The application also called for aggravated damages, in excess of $500M, for libel resulting from the false and/or malicious writings published. The move by Sattaur’s legal representatives follows allegations, made in Kaieteur News articles and columns, which stated that: the GRA Head compromised confidential tax information; he breached his Oath of Office; and was involved in a plot to destroy the newspaper, among other assertions.

Berbice man gets 55 years for killing ‘Scare Dem’ gang member
JUSTICE Navindra Singh sentenced Naresh Ramjohn, called ‘Sadam’, to 55 ½ years’ imprisonment for the unlawful killing of ‘Scare Dem’ gang member Anthony Samaroo. The crime was committed in 2008. However, the prisoner became a fugitive and was captured in May 2010 for another matter.
It was while he was in the lockups at Central Police Station in New Amsterdam that Ryan Samaroo, the sibling of the deceased, who incidentally was also in police custody, informed the cops of Ramjohn’s involvement in his brother’s demise. “Sir, I am innocent of this crime. Please have sympathy on me,” he rambled, before his lawyer indicated to him to be quiet. The judge told him: “I am disappointed that you showed no remorse. The jury has spoken. You have maintained your innocence. Guess this will go to a higher court. Nevertheless, I find that it was a brutal attack. I do find from the evidence that there may be some contribution of the deceased, whatever aggravating factors they were… My sentence is 60 years. I have taken off four and a half years for the time you have spent in prison. My sentence therefore is fifty-five and a half years.”

Travelspan suspends service out of Guyana
TravelSpan has announced that it would be suspending its service out of Guyana from September 27, but is in the process of finalising a new arrangement with another airline. Recently, the airline has been plagued by inconsistent service which saw a significant number of cancelled and delayed flights that caused major inconvenience to customers and continued losses to TravelSpan. The company also noted “Vision Airlines, effective September 27, the company will be discontinuing its General Sales Agent (GSA) status.” The company had recently trained 14 Guyanese flight attendants and had told the public that it was here to stay. In early 2003, Guyanese passengers were left stranded when the company had again pulled out of the market at that time. Travelspan will announce details of the arrangement with the new carrier in the coming days.

Saturday 27
President Ramotar calls for UN Security Council reform
PRESIDENT Donald Ramotar is contending that the most important precondition for progress is peace, and at the United Nations’ General Assembly on Thursday he underscored the need for reforms to the body’s Security Council among other calls.
“Many conflicts and potential for conflicts continue unresolved while new threats to global security have risen to dangerous levels…concrete progress in the reform of the Security Council is imperative in order to assure the continued legitimacy and relevance of this important United Nations organ,” he told the Assembly, which met in New York, United States.

Ramjattan’s “buy-out” claim is an invention – Granger
-says there is no evidence to support what he is saying
ACCUSATIONS which were levelled against the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) by leader of the Alliance For Change (AFC) that they (PPP) were attempting to “buy-out” Opposition Members of Parliament to vote against the no-confidence motion has been described as an “invention” by Leader of A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) Brigadier David Granger.
Granger who had only last week made this point that there was “no buying out” of his MPs, reiterated yesterday at his Party’s weekly press conference that Ramjattan’s claim is “an invention” adding that there is no evidence to support his revelations.
The AFC leader last week made the startling revelation that the ruling People’s Progressive Party was attempting to “buy-out” three Opposition Members of Parliament (MPs) to vote against their sponsored no-confidence motion which is expected to be tabled in the National Assembly next month.

CGX clinches agreement with Prospector to resume operations in Guyana
CGX Energy-the Canadian-based oil and gas exploration company which is focusing on the exploration in the Guyana-Suriname Basin has announced that it has entered into a contract with a marine seismic service company  named Prospector to resume exploration of its 100% owned Demerara Block, offshore Guyana. CGX said that the contract involves Prospector conducting 3D seismic surveys within 3,116.74 square kilometres of the Demerara Block. The aggregate cost of the surveys will be approximately U.S.$17.9 M with 40% of the costs (or approximately U.S.$M) being paid to Prospector by way of issuance of 15,534,310 common shares  and the remainder payable in cash twelve months after the conclusion of the seismic survey, the Company disclosed.

Trotman will resign if charged
“I will do what is right and in the interest of Guyana if and when that time comes,” the Speaker of the National Assembly and co-founder of the Alliance For Change (AFC) Raphael Trotman assured. His comments were made during a press conference hosted by the AFC, following the sexual abuse allegations, which were levelled against him by 22-year-old Johnny Welchman (Jr.). “I am a patriot. I love my country. I love that I can serve Guyana as Speaker, but I will do nothing that will injure the reputation of the National Assembly or to interfere or impede the business of the house…anything that will detract from the work of the House, I will not be a part of it,” he said.

Manatee experts conduct assessments to create management plan
Following months of negotiations, the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment, through the Protected Areas Commission (PAC), recently hosted a team of international manatee experts at the National Park and the Zoological Park. The Team was headed by Dr. Nataly Castelblanco-Martínez from the U.S.-based Oceanic Society and the Co-chair for the IUCN South American Sirenian (Manatee) Specialist Group, and included Mr. Boris Lerebours, a Manatee breeding and re-introduction expert from the National Parks of Guadeloupe. The team conducted initial assessments of the populations and their enclosures at the National Park and Botanical Gardens, using sonar and visual observations. Water samples were also collected and a series of tests are currently being carried out. The PAC is now working with the team to organise a much more extensive follow-up assessment.