Guyana News

Regent Street and downtown Georgetown seemed less busy than usual this week and some businesses blame low consumer spending on the Value Added Tax (VAT) which has tacked on 16% to prices in the majority of cases.

General Secretary of the Guyana Trades Union Congress (GTUC) Lincoln Lewis has accused his Clerical and Commercial Workers Union (CCWU) counterpart Grantley Culbard of undermining the leadership of the GTUC.

Former Minister within the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development Clinton Collymore was yesterday admitted to the Georgetown Hospital after complaining of chest pains.

The badly mutilated body of a cane harvester who was allegedly killed by relatives of his wife on January 3 was discovered floating in a trench around 11:30 am yesterday.

The main opposition PNCR has issued a call for a countrywide shutdown to protest what it describes as the “excesses” of the current administration.

The government last night forged ahead with plans for the controversial casino gambling bill despite a raft of challenges yesterday which included protests outside Parliament, a petition signed by 40,000 and an opposition motion seeking to have a study done on possible impacts.

The prison population as of December 1, 2006 was 1,955 and 170 prisoners were incarcerated in the Georgetown prison for the capital offence of murder.

Commuters using the Berbice ferry expressed displeasure recently at the way they were treated at the Rosignol stelling.

One month after bandits broke into Aaron & Son Jewellery Establishment on Main Street, New Amsterdam and carted off $1.2M in gold and silver jewellery they again invaded the store a few nights ago.

A bill to amend to the Old Metal Dealers Act was passed yesterday in the National Assembly giving sweeping powers to the Prime Minister to halt the export of scrap metal if deemed necessary.

Magistrate Melissa Robert-son-Ogle yesterday remanded two men who appeared at the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court accused of having cannabis and cocaine while going into the interior.

A man who allegedly had ammunition in his pocket was yesterday refused bail by Magistrate Melissa Robertson-Ogle.

A day after the Demerara January Assizes opened, a man is on trial in the High Court for allegedly killing two teenagers at Enterprise Squatting area four years ago.

Two Chinese nationals who allegedly breached the conditions of their two-week work permit granted in 2004 were yesterday refused bail by Magistrate Melissa Robertson-Ogle.

With local government reform listed as one of its priorities for 2007, the main opposition is hoping that the anticipated polls can be used as a starting point for shared governance.

The government is to withdraw a controversial Order that would have withheld pay increases from Members of Parliament unless they gave written agreement to them.

A cargo vessel sunk early yesterday morning in the Berbice River with early reports indicating that the incident may have been the result of heavy winds and rain.

Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr. Roger Luncheon spent several hours in hospital yesterday after he fell in his office and aggravated a chronic back ailment.

Increases in the price of meat due to VAT have seen consumers cutting back on purchases and producers are worried as sales fall.

The Christian community is urging the government not to legalise casino gambling for Cricket World Cup (CWC) 2007 or at any time; to defer discussions on the draft legislation until after CWC and to learn from experiences based on research.