Guyana News

Minister of Health Dr. Leslie Ramsammy believes that if certain key changes are made in the public health nursing programme the number of challenges it faces would be reduced significantly.

Efforts underway to improve law enforcement capacity to tackle piracy include a private trawler owner making a boat available to the police and coastguard for an immediate response to situations at sea and improved communication facilities at the Georgetown Boat House The Agriculture Ministry is also working with the Fishermen’s Co-op societies of the Corentyne and the East Coast Demerara to provide a boat to the police for patrol and responses, a Government Information Agency (GINA) release said.

In November 1996, police killed Winston Hescott during an exchange of gunfire at Madewini Creek.

The three remaining escapees from the gang of nine who broke out of the Mazaruni Prison two Fridays ago were recaptured yesterday bringing a close to the intense chase by the joint services.

Two years after the East Coast Demerara, Georgetown and other parts of coastal Guyana were devastated by flooding, Ruth Barrow and her family of Dazzell Housing Scheme and Bibi Shameena Persaud of Good Hope are still in the process of rebuilding their livelihoods.

Institutional strengthening of the Community Services Enhancement Project (CSEP) got a boost last Friday with the granting of a contract to facilitate the transition of the five Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (NDCs) to secondary township status.

Infestation of termites and bats at schools in Region Five is a major problem and officials said they have to intensify efforts to tackle the problem effectively.

The Central Islamic Organi-sation of Guyana (CIOG) recently donated $1M worth of computers and printers to the Farm Masjid.

The Region Four administration has written to Local Government Minister Kellawan Lall informing him of a 16:12 vote by councillors for the administrative building to be reconstructed at the same Paradise, East Coast Demerara location.

Three men armed with handguns on Saturday robbed the Enmore Post Office of $748,960 before escaping.

Residents of La Grange, Bagotville and Nismes through a community effort and donor assistance have contributed to the Bagotville Library Centre being upgraded to an official branch of the National Library.

Two more Community Development Councils (CDCs) on Friday received government’s support to empower them to improve the standard of living of residents, the Government Information Agency (GINA) reported.

A lone bandit carrying a handgun shot a female pump attendant at a Texaco service station on Saturday night during a robbery.

A Queens family is desperately searching for a deaf relative who vanished hours after arriving in New York.

The Guyana Sugar Corporation (Guysuco) Inc. is advising consumers that brown sugar is zero-rated and as such does not attract Value Added Tax (VAT).

The Guyana Islamic Trust (GIT) has expressed disappointment that President Bharrat Jagdeo has not taken into account the views of the religious community in terms of withdrawing the Gambling Prevention (Amendment) Bill for wider consultation.

Members of the medical fraternity are preparing to send a position paper on the controversial Health Licensing Facilities Bill of 2006 to the select committee to which the bill was sent last week.

A man who escaped from the Mazaruni Prison in December last year by jumping the fence continues to evade capture by law enforcement authorities more than a month later.

Over 16,000 public assistance recipients countrywide will soon be able to collect their grants from various post offices, according to Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security Trevor Thomas.

Former Region Three Chairman Esau Dookie has taken up a position to head the Saraswat Primary School after receiving a letter of introduction from the Teaching Service Commission (TSC), despite opposition from the Guyana Teachers Union (GTU).