Guyana News

HAVANA, (Reuters) – Cuba’s National Assembly will  set up a powerful new agency tomorrow tasked with fighting  corruption, which President Raul Castro has called a “deadly  cancer” plaguing the communist-ruled island’s economy.

CARACAS, (Reuters) – Venezuela and China formed a  joint venture yesterday worth $7.5 billion to build a railway  that will link farm and oil regions in the South American  country, a senior official said.

MAIDUGURI, Nigeria, (Reuters) – The leader of a  radical Islamic sect in northern Nigeria has been killed in  police detention hours after being captured by the security  forces, a police spokesman said yesterday.

TEHRAN, (Reuters) – Baton-wielding Iranian police  fired tear gas yesterday and arrested protesters mourning the  young woman killed in post-election violence who has become a  symbol for the opposition to Tehran’s hardline leaders.

HARARE, (Reuters) – Zimbabwean authorities yesterday issued an operating licence to a local newspaper group forced to close down by the state five years ago, a move which  suggests the new unity government intends to open up the media.

LOS ANGELES, (Reuters) – Michael Jackson’s mother  will get custody of the late pop star’s three children after  reaching an agreement with his ex-wife Debbie Rowe, avoiding a  custody battle only days before a court hearing on the matter.

President Bharrat Jagdeo yesterday challenged drug trafficker Roger Khan to “speak whatever he knows” about his connections here and who he was fighting for saying that he is not afraid and or worried about anything Khan would reveal.

Under pressure to clear his name, Health Minister Dr Leslie Ramsammy yesterday distanced himself from the allegations raised in a US court about his connections to drug trafficker Roger Khan calling the claims “absurd” and charging that the witness was trying to frame him.

A vehicle belonging to former Chief Magistrate Juliet Holder-Allen was driven to a Meadowbrook house on the night that channa bombs used to set the Ministry of Health building alight were being made President Bharrat Jagdeo has said, a claim Holder-Allen dismissed as “total nonsense”.

Selwyn Vaughn, a professed former member of confessed drug trafficker Roger Khan’s “Phantom gang” yesterday said that he had provided a safe house in Agricola for the infamous Rondell ‘Fineman’ Rawlins.

Difficulties with accessing birth certificates, public assistance and transportation were among the issues affecting their communities which toshaos brought to the fore yesterday when their national council meeting continued at the convention centre at Liliendaal.

A Guyana-born Brooklyn, New York man was gunned down on Tuesday night in front of his two-year-old son.

-will skip Parliament The Alliance For Change (AFC) yesterday said that revelations in a US court over the killing of Ronald Waddell point to a clear crisis of governance and it called on the police commissioner to discharge his obligations in investigating that murder and that of boxing coach Donald Allison.

Special Constable Dennison Benjamin  who stole  a camera, a DVD player and US$20 from the home of Magistrate Chandra Sohan  on the Corentyne was sentenced yesterday to  four years, six months after he pleaded guilty to three charges of larceny from a dwelling house.

The New Building Society Limited (NBS) and its Chairman, Dr Nanda Gopaul, have sued the publishers of Kaieteur News and Christopher Ram for alleged libel contained in the July 27th edition of KN.

The Chief Executive Officer (ag) of the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA), Lionel Wordsworth has denied that he was involved in any negotiations for purchase of property which was owned by John Willems as alleged in an article in yesterday’s edition of Kaieteur News (KN).

A woman accused of having a quantity of cocaine in her possession was yesterday remanded to prison when she appeared before Magistrate Hazel Octive-Hamilton at the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court.

Archie Poole, who was arrested on Monday, several days after police announced he was wanted for questioning in relation to the Ministry of Health fire, will remain in custody as long as police need him to be.

-toxicology tests to be done Police yesterday said the cause of death of murder accused David ‘Biscuit’ Leander is undetermined and now hinges on the results of toxicology tests.

–new strains of corn, soybean being developed The National Agricultural Research Institute (NARI) and the Iowa-based M S Technologies, LLC/Stine Seed Company yesterday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) which is expected to boost local research in seed development.