LGE 2018: Berbice pastor accuses AFC of using him as a “scapegoat”

A Corentyne, Berbice pastor is accusing the Alliance For Change (AFC) of using him as a “scapegoat” and of now asking him to be silent, but he said that he could not be quiet, since the party has caused him to fool his entire congregation. Pastor Lieon Benjamin, in an interview with Guyana Times International, said that he was the AFC’s candidate for Constituency Number One in the Good Hope-Number 51 Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC). According to him, after he obtained all the required signatures and documents, he noticed that…

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Linden Mayor proud of accomplishments during her tenure

As her tenure draws to a close, outgoing Mayor of Linden, Waneka Arrindell believes that the foundation has firmly been established for the incoming Council; as the present body has made several strides in moving the Linden Town Council forward from the position it was in three years ago. Mayor Arrindell told the Department of Public Information (DPI), many of the issues, including dealing with millions of dollars of debt as well as an internal system that needed much strengthening, have been dealt with collectively as a Council. As she…

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History and significance of Diwali, the festival of lights

Deepawali, Deepavali, or Diwali is the biggest and the brightest of all Hindu festivals. It is the Festival of Lights: deep means “light” and avali “a row” to become “a row of lights”. Diwali is marked by five days of celebration, which literally illuminates the country with brilliance and dazzles people with joy. The Diwali festival occurs in late October or early November. It falls on the 15th day of the lunar Hindu month of Kartik, so it varies every year. Each of the five days in the festival of…

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Guyana’s Amerindian land titling project moving at snail’s pace

…Only 5 demarcations completed since 2015 Following concerns of the Opposition People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) that the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) Government has been dragging its feet over Indigenous land titling, it has been disclosed that only five demarcations have been completed under the current Administration. This number is in disparity with the overall 93 villages that have been demarcated overall. Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs Minister Sydney Allicock made this admission via written responses to the Opposition in the National Assembly last week. Allicock also admitted that…

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Change of Govt will not affect Linden to Lethem road project – Brazilian official

A senior Government official from Brazil’s External Relations Ministry has reassured that the commitment to build an all-weather road from Lethem to Linden remains a priority for the country even with a change of Government in Brazil. Head of the Division of Venezuela, Colombia and Guyana, Ana Beatriz Nogueira, recently said, “the organs responsible for infrastructure in Brazil are aware of the strategic importance of the Linden-Lethem road.” She further explained that while some key appointments are political in nature, the Secretary of Infrastructure assured that the necessary budgetary arrangements…

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Ex-Cop gets life imprisonment for raping toddler

A former Police Officer was on Thursday morning jailed for life after he was found guilty of raping a 3-year-old girl by a 12-member jury. The 53-year-old man, Deon Aaron of Friendship, East Bank Demerara (EBD) was handed the heavy sentence by Justice Jo-Ann Barlow at the High Court. Justice Barlow had delayed sentencing until November 8 for a probation report. It was reported that on March 16, 2016, at said Friendship, the accused sexually penetrated the child. The accused was reportedly entrusted by the child’s mother with taking care…

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GECOM chair appointment case goes to CCJ

The Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), in accordance with Section 6(c) of the CCJ Act, Chapter 3:07, has granted leave to Peoples Progressive Party (PPP) Executive Secretary Zulfikar Mustapha to challenge the Guyana Court of Appeal’s decision to uphold the appointment of Justice (retd) James Patterson as Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM). The Guyana Court of Appeal’s ruling, handed down on October 19, 2018, upheld the High Court’s ruling that President David Granger was well within his rights when he unilaterally appointed Patterson as GECOM Chairman. Mustapha has…

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‘Made in Kwakwani’ – adding a dash of flavour

Kwakwani women are answering the call of President David Granger to diversify and are processing and bottling viable raw material ingredients. The women of this small Region 10 community are empowering themselves financially as they pioneer the first agro-processing business in the area, and train others to follow their example. Nathelyn Benn-Dequoy’s ‘Made in Kwakwani’ line is a small-scale manually manufactured pepper sauce and green seasoning venture, made from ingredients found right within arm’s reach. She very carefully selects and manually processes onion, garlic, various green leafy herbs such a…

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DPP withdraws murder charge against CPG member

Tony George, the Community Policing Group (CPG) member, who was previously charged with the murder of 15-year-old Ricardo Singh, is now a free man after the charge was withdrawn by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP). The Police Prosecutor had previously requested that time be granted by the court for additional statements to be obtained after the charge was laid on October 16, 2018. However, Attorney Dexter Todd strongly objected to any delay in the commencement of the Preliminary Inquiry (PI) on the grounds that the charges were bad in…

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Father, son, nephew freed of attempted murder charge

A father, his son and nephew were on Wednesday set free on an attempted murder incitement by a Berbice jury. The three, Rajnarine Ishree 48; his son Kumar, 21; and nephew Sandeep Toolsie, 19; all of Bush Lot, West Coast Berbice, were accused of attempting to murder Henry Garret, 28, of Number 23 Village, Berbice. The prosecution’s case, which was presented by Sate Prosecutor Mandel Moore, stated that on March 12, 2016, Garret was at a wedding house at Bush Lot and left to check on his bicycle and as…

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