Guyanese man gets 21 years for fatally stabbing wife in NY

A Queens-based Guyanese man who murdered his wife last December on a Richmond Hill, New York street, nearly decapitating her with a kitchen knife, has been sentenced to 21 years in prison, prosecutors said on Wednesday. According to Dnainfo.com, Prem Rampersaud, 51, who lived in Guyana but was temporarily staying with a friend in South Jamaica, New York was sentenced after pleading guilty to manslaughter in July, Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said. Investigators said that Rampersaud attacked Rajwantie Baldeo, 46, around midnight on Dec. 5, at the corner of…

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Prisoners demand steak for breakfast during another uproar at Camp St

Prisoners housed at the Camp Street Prison on Tuesday morning caused uproar at the penitentiary, demanding steak for breakfast. Reports are prison officials had to intervene after the inmates, comprising of those who recently escaped and were recaptured, began behaving disorderly while demanding steak instead of porridge for breakfast. Director of Prisons Gladwin Samuels when contacted said t the situation at the prison was under control. “The escapees wanted steak for breakfast and it was not available,” he told this publication. In July, prisoners set fire to the penitentiary, raising…

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Venezuelan busted with illegal firearm, ammo

A Venezuelan woman, who entered Guyana illegally, was busted, along with two others with an illegal firearm and ammunition at the Itaballi Police Checkpoint, Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni). Reports are that about 12:00h, ranks conducted a search on the vehicle in which the suspects were travelling and the items were found. As such, the three were arrested. Meanwhile, Police also reported that about 13:45h on Saturday, ranks were conducting a river patrol in the Mazaruni River when a 53-year-old miner of Fifth Avenue, Bartica was nabbed with a quantity of cannabis.…

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Mrs. Granger, CARICOM and African First Ladies and Spouses to advance investment in women

Guyana’s First Lady, Mrs. Sandra Granger, yesterday, joined with the First Ladies and Spouses of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), members of the Organisation of African First Ladies Against HIV/AIDS (OAFLA) and First Ladies from other continents to commit “to mobilise resources so as to prioritize investments in women’s and youth’s health and in particular, the sexual and reproductive health of adolescent girls”. According to a release from the Ministry of the Presidency, Representatives of the African Union Commission (AUC), United Nations agencies, the private sector, philanthropists,…

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Cop dies after crashing motorcycle

A Police Constable on Saturday morning lost his life after a motorcycle which he was test driving crashed on the Unity Old Road, East Coast Demerara (ECD). Dead is Elroy Newton, 37, of Lot 70 Voorzig, Mahaicony, ECD, who was stationed at Transport Workshop, Eve Leary. Reports are that the accident occurred sometime around 19:30h while the officer was test driving motorcycle CE 4555. This publication was told that at the time of the accident, the Constable was proceeding north along Unity Old Road allegedly at a very fast rate.…

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New Demerara River Bridge not feasible without huge Govt subsidy – Consultants

The Guyana Government is forging ahead with its plans to construct a new Demerara River crossing currently pegged at US$170M minus additional costs, such as for the mandatory accompanying road networks, but given the cost of the entire project, it is not feasible without the input of billions of dollars annually from the Government. This warning is encapsulated in the Feasibility Study which was commissioned by the Coalition Administration at a cost of in excess of G$150M. According to the consultants Lievense, “The Project is financially not viable without support…

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Cocaine mule jailed, fined G$2.5M

A 38-year-old taxi driver was jailed and fined when he appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts charged with trafficking in narcotics. Julius Watkins was jailed for four years and fined G$2.5 million on Tuesday when he admitted to Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan, between September 12 and 15, he swallowed 114 pellets, which were laced with a total of 960 grams of cocaine. The father of four was nabbed as he attempted to board an outgoing flight to Canada after Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) ranks noticed him acting in a suspicious…

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Significant increases in school dropouts in Amerindian communities

Dear Editor, A Education Ministry report of November 6, 2008, revealed that, up to 2007, 13,844 students had dropped out of the primary school system, representing four per cent of the national population. The report continued: “… according to Evelyn Hamilton, Chief Planning Officer of the Ministry of Education, the situation is much worse, particularly in primary and secondary schools in hinterland areas, like Region One [Barima-Waini] and Region Nine [Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo], where rates are more than tripled.” However, the previous Administration had significantly lowered those figures when the…

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Guyanese Americans rally for DACA in Richmond Hill

Dear Editor, A couple dozens of Indo-Guyanese and Indo-Trinis, joined by a few nationals of other countries, rallied mid-afternoon on Saturday, September 16, in Richmond Hill in support of DACA (Deferred Action on Child Arrivals) which was terminated by President Trump on Sept 6. Meanwhile, four Indo-Guyanese lawyers in Richmond Hill held a legal clinic, or session, to assist DACA people. DACA is a limited federal programme that was designed to protect immigrants who came to the US illegally as children (known as Dreamers) with their parents. There are some…

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Guyanese sugar workers against closure of estates

Dear Editor, The Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) finds it incumbent to respond to Mr Gobin Harbhajan’s letter, titled “Not doom and gloom for sugar workers”, which appeared in sections of the media on September 16, 2017. Mr Harbhajan seemed very upset by the GAWU-organised march and public meeting which was held at Corriverton, Berbice on September 12, 2017. Like Mr Harbhajan says, “action speaks louder than words”, and quite clearly the workers, by their actions, have demonstrated that they are opposed to plans by the APNU/AFC Government…

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