March 24-29, 2014
MONDAY 24
Youthful killer gets chance of a lifetime
TWENTY-ONE-YEAR-OLD Eddie Andy Williams of West Coast of Demerara was given the chance of his life by Justice William Ramlal who sentenced him to seven years imprisonment for manslaughter, as relatives of the deceased asked the judge to deal with the accused leniently. The judge took a number of mitigating circumstances into consideration when he sentenced the prisoner who could have been imprisoned for the rest of his life.Williams, defended by Miss Oneka Archer Caulder had pleaded not guilty to the murder of Jermaine Jones but guilty to the lesser count of manslaughter which carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.

Randy Jagdeo knew he would be free
THE FACT that murder accused, Randy Jagdeo had a CRB motorcycle parked outside the Georgetown Magistrates Courts on the day charges against him were dismissed due to the non-appearance of civilian witnesses is very alarming. This is according to Crime Chief, Deputy Commissioner Seelall Persaud, who further opined that the businessman had to have had prior knowledge that he was not going back into police custody when he left for court that morning. Randy Jagdeo had been on remand for the murder of a close friend and associate, biker Kirk Davis, who had been shot execution-style, while sitting in a vehicle outside a home in Eccles in 2013.

Wounding victim loses eye, defendant on $100,000 bail
FIFTY-YEAR-OLD Orlando Carrington, a mason of Lot 2966 North Ruimveldt, Georgetown, was ordered to post $100,000 bail after he pleaded not guilty on February 8 last to wounding Lennox Williams at North Ruimveldt. Police Inspector Michael Grant, prosecuting said the two men had a misunderstanding which led to a fight, and the defendant picked up a broken bottle and stabbed the virtual complainant in his right eye. Williams said he lost his right eye, and alleged that an officer who was present in court and another rank destroyed the medical certificate. The case was put off to April 23.
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TUESDAY 25
$220B Budget 2014
A record breaking $220B 2014 Budget was presented to the National Assembly by Finance Minister Dr. Ashni Singh, under the theme: ‘A Better Guyana for all Guyanese.’ The minister’s announcement that no new taxes will be introduced was much welcomed, as was his announcements that: old age pensions would be increased from $12,500 to $13,600 – up from $3,500 in 2006; old age pensioners would receive an annual electricity assistance of $30,000, an increase from $20,000; and a $10,000 allowance for each child in the public education system. The largest percentage of the budget went to the Education sector with an allocation of $32.3B, while the health sector received $21.5B. The security sector attracted an allocation of $19.5B.

Four suspects in custody over brutal beating, robbery of Patentia woman
FOUR men were taken into custody following the brutal beating and robbery of a 60-year-old woman at Patentia, West Bank of Demerara. Reports are that the woman, ‘Auntie Baby,’ lives alone. Shortly before midnight bandits entered the woman’s home and battered her for almost two hours, banging her head while demanding that she must say ‘where the money is.’ But as the woman insisted that she did not have any money the beatings continued until she lay unconscious on the floor. Fearing that she was dead the men fled the scene. She was found by neighours and rushed to the West Demerara Regional Hospital.

Eleven-month old toddler killed by minibus
POLICE on the Essequibo Coast are investigating the death of an eleven months old child, who was struck and killed by a minibus on a street in Dartmouth Village. The boy, Javell Andron Peters, was picked up in an unconsciousness condition by his parents and rushed to Suddie Hospital, where doctors pronounced him dead. The driver of the vehicle involved is in police custody.
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WEDNESDAY 26
iRadio expected to broadcast on FM band next month
iRadio for the first time went public when its frequency and tag lines were announced on one of the social network sites. It is likely the radio station will be broadcasting from next month on the FM band. iRadio will be streaming on the 90.1 dial of the FM band with the tag line, “90.1 love FM, the heartbeat of Guyana”. However, there was no clear indication on the social media site about details on the official launching of the radio station.

Another major hotel brand to announce operations soon
GUYANA’S premium hotel-room stock will be given a significant boost with the opening of commercial operations by the Five-Star Marriott Hotel in August this year. But according to Finance Minister Dr. Ashni Singh during his presentation of the 2014 National Budget in the National Assembly, one other major brand is likely to announce commencement of operations in Guyana soon.

Survey finds arapaima fish stocks decreased by 31% in two years
A SURVEY has found that over-exploitation of the giant Arapaima fish in the North Rupununi has led to a 31 percent depletion of stocks over the past two years. The agency carrying out the survey is the North Rupununi District Development Board (NRDDB). It has said there is evidence that without strong management the arapaima is still at risk of being overfished, with all the negative consequences to bio-diversity conservation, the eco-system, and the livelihoods of the sixteen Amerindian communities in the wetlands where the species proliferates.
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THURSDAY 27
Guyana’s economy records 5.2 % growth in 2013
GUYANA’S economy in 2013 performed well, recording 5.2 % growth, despite a year underlined by parliamentary difficulties surrounding cuts to the national budget, and a global economy that had begun to emerge from the doldrums of its worst economic crisis. This year, the economy is projected to grow by 5.6 %. Reporting on the state of the international economy, the following significant positives were noted: there was stronger demand in the advanced economies, coupled with increase in exports in emerging economies; and, a world economy growing by 3% in 2013.

Guyanese man murdered in Queens, New York
THE shot body of Guyanese Quynton Ross, 32, a Queens, New York resident, was found hidden in garbage bags on Far Rockaway Beach’s 40th Street, between Edgemere Avenue and the boardwalk in Queens, New York, after he had reportedly disappeared.

HIV/AIDS epidemic further reduced in Guyana
THE steady commitment of the health sector and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) in Guyana in the battle against the HIV/AIDS epidemic, has seen a drastic reduction in the dreaded disease. This was revealed during a discussion meeting on the 2013 Guyana Country Progress Report on HIV/AIDS. Chief Medical Officer of the Ministry of Health, Dr. Shamdeo Persaud, observed that while Guyana stills stands a little bit ahead of most neighbouring countries, with 1.2% prevalence in the general population, the Caribbean has actually achieved about 1% and Latin American countries 0.5%, there is still work to do.
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FRIDAY 28
Cricket Board serves writ over Cricket Administration Bill in Parliament
SPEAKER of the National Assembly Raphael Trotman, Attorney General Anil Nandlall and Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, Dr Frank Anthony have been served writs of summons by the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) to attend court in relation to the correctness of the National Assembly considering the Cricket Administration Bill.

Consumer alert sounded over counterfeit ‘Del Monte’ corn product
THE Government Analyst – Food and Drug Department is alerting consumers about a counterfeit ‘Del Monte’ gold and white corn product with a gold coloured cap. The original product has a silver cap, is hard to the touch and difficult to place an indentation on the can but the counterfeit brand can be easily indented, placing consumers at risk of poisoning by chemicals or microorganisms, a press release from the Food and Drug Department said.

Guyana misses another CFATF deadline
THE Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) (Amendment) Bill was not taken to Parliament Thursday, resulting in Guyana missing a critical deadline, as previously indicated by the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force (CFATF) adviser, Mr. Roger Hernandez. The Parliamentary Special Select Committee reviewing the Bill failed to complete its work Thursday and adjourned to March 5, after meeting for just under an hour. The adjournment followed the indication by Chief Parliamentary Counsel (CPC), Mr. Cecil Dhurjon, through a letter to the Committee’s Chair, Ms. Gail Teixeira, that he was unable to complete the drafting of amendments.
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SATURDAY 29
Police Commissioner Leroy Brumell bids farewell to the GPF
THE Guyana Police Force held a farewell parade at the Police Sports Club Ground in Eve Leary, Georgetown in honour of outgoing Police Commissioner Leroy Fitzpatrick Brumell. With family members present to lend him support, Commissioner Brumell, in a “bittersweet address at a bittersweet occasion,” spoke of his tenure in the GPF, and his experience for the past two and a half years since his appointment as Commissioner. He spent 36 years and four months as a member of the force, served in various departments and commanded several divisions during his time.

Sex scandal, bankruptcy forces private school closure
A PRIVATE school has been closed because of the rippling effects of a sex scandal and the accusation against its director of ordering the execution style killing of her husband. The sex scandal is engaging the attention of the police and because of the controversies surrounding the school there was a large dropping out of students from the school which has eventually led to bankruptcy. Consequently, the Academy of Professional Studies is now closed.

Couple attempting to ship cocaine in fake awaras busted
A 41-YEAR-OLD shipper from Mahaicony, East Coast of Demerara, and later his wife, were detained following a drug bust at a cargo company holding area at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA), when ranks of the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) inspected a consignment of fresh fruits destined for Canada and discovered a ‘whitish’ substance in a quantity of awaras that were stored among mangoes. A test later confirmed the presence of cocaine, and, upon closer examination, ranks discovered that some of the ‘awaras’ were fake and were hidden among the real ones which were packed in boxes. Ranks are also looking for several other suspects as the probe widens.

Relatives upset with mother accused of poisoning children
RELATIVES of 21-year-old Awena Rutherford, who killed her children by poisoning them with carbon tablets, are very upset at her actions and are calling for her to feel the full force of the law if she survives. The young woman, who remains a patient at the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPH) under Police guard, also swallowed two of the pills, of which she fed the four-year-old and one-year-old half each. A health worker said the substance would have entered the woman’s veins and her chances of survival are slim.