News

Fugitive Steve Mohamed was yesterday sentenced to 10 years in prison and fined $200,000 at the end of a trial that went on in his absence.

A former clerk of General Equipment Guyana Limited (Genequip), alleged to have stolen nearly $30 million from the company, was yesterday arraigned on 34 counts of embezzlement at a city court.

Police yesterday afternoon arrested a man during which they discovered a firearm and ammunition, just minutes after he allegedly carried out an armed robbery on a driver and passenger of a Route 42 minibus.

The three persons who were arrested in connection with the shooting of Berbice resident Caitanya Kishundyal were all released from police custody, Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum said.

Residents of Bath Settlement, West Coast Berbice, will soon benefit from the services of a new health centre that was commissioned on Friday by Minister of Public Health, Dr.

The Regional Democratic Council (RDC) of Upper Demerara/Upper Berbice has completed its Plan of Action for Regional Development (PARD) and discussions are underway to bring it to fruition, a release from the Ministry of Communities said on Friday.

WASHINGTON/LONDON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama will ask the US Congress for more than $1.8 billion in emergency funds to fight Zika at home and abroad and pursue a vaccine, the White House said yesterday, but Obama also said there was no reason to panic over the mosquito-borne virus.

LONDON (Reuters) – At least 12 groups are now working to develop a Zika vaccine and health authorities said yesterday they were working to ensure development proceeded as rapidly as possible.

BEIRUT/ONCUPINAR, Turkey (Reuters) – The Syrian army advanced towards the Turkish border yesterday in a major offensive backed by Russia and Iran that rebels say now threatens the future of their nearly five-year-old insurrection against President Bashar al-Assad.

BOGOTA (Reuters) – The National Liberation Army, Colombia’s second-largest leftist rebel group, must release a civilian and a soldier held hostage before the government will agree to begin a peace process, President Juan Manuel Santos said yesterday.

LONDON (Reuters) – A quarter of a century since Margaret Thatcher was deposed by her own party, Britain’s ‘Iron Lady’ has stirred a row: Would the hero of Prime Minister David Cameron’s Conser-vative party have voted to leave the European Union?

(Gleaner) – A teacher who succumbed to his injuries after being shot in Bushy Park, Clarendon, on Saturday night, reportedly named his alleged killer—a policeman—before his death.

TAINAN, Taiwan (Reuters) – Rescuers pulled out alive an eight-year-old girl and her aunt from the rubble of a Taiwan apartment block yesterday, more than 60 hours after it was toppled by a quake, as the mayor of the southern city of Tainan warned the death toll could exceed 100.

DUBAI (Reuters) – The United Arab Emirates plans to outsource most government tasks to the private sector and cut the number of ministries, Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum said on Monday.

A lack of ink has scuppered today’s planned handing over the report of the Rodney Commission of Inquiry.

The Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) says that as at February 05, 2016, no less than sixty workers undertaking various tasks in the Wales fields and the factory were given marching orders by officials of the Guyana Sugar Corporation Inc (GuySuCo) GAWU today said that the 60 were told that they were no longer engaged in employ of the Estate on the ground that they were temporary workers.

The People’s Progressive Party (PPP) today called on the Diplomatic Community in Guyana to pay close attention to the upcoming Local Government Elections scheduled for March 18, 2016.

Diversification at the Wales sugar estate will entail land for displaced workers to engage in cane and other types of farming according to GuySuCo Chairman Dr Clive Thomas who yesterday defended the plan to close the estate noting that the industry was producing the sweetener at 45 US cents per pound while being paid a third of that.

A Chinese businesswoman was killed last night by bandits after her premises were invaded shortly after 8 pm.

Much of the supplies to help alleviate the drought baking the Rupununi are not reaching villages but are in storage in Lethem, residents have reported but Regional Executive Officer (REO) Carl Parker says the communities have to make requests to access the items.