NEWS
Guns, ganja found by Eastern, Western, Central cops
Police from Central, Eastern and Western Divisions seized guns, ammunition and marijuana over the weekend during anti-crime exercises, a police statement said on Sunday. Central Division Task Force police held an exercise in Freeport and Couva Police districts on Saturday night when they received information and went to an open lot along Roopsingh Road, Waterloo Road in Carapichaima. There they found a plastic bag containing 17 clear packets of marijuana with a total weight of 105 grammes. The police also discovered a gun with 15 rounds of .22 ammunition in another plastic bag. Read more here
Mohammed’s opens 1st inclusive bookstore
Mohammed’s Bookstore Associates Limited has opened the country’s first “inclusive” bookstore. Speaking at the grand opening of the company’s sixth branch located along the Western Main Road in Cocorite yesterday, Ameerah Mohammed, daughter of the company’s founder Teddy Mohammed, said that the store will seek to cater to customers with learning and physical disabilities. Mohammed said: “Education is not a one size fits all...Why should we restrict persons who see the world differently from the accepted norm from a place where they may feel comfortable?” She added, “Inclusive in this context means creating a space where persons who belong to certain minority groups, such as persons with learning disabilities, neurological disorders, and even Venezuelan migrants, can feel a sense of community.” Read more here
POLITICS
UNC skips Senate on Nomination Day
Opposition Senator Wade Mark has said the UNC's Senate bench will be empty on Monday as party members carry out their duties in relation to nominiation day for local government elections. Speaking at a UNC media briefing on Sunday, Mark said, “It is the first time in living memory I recall that a government has chosen nomination day to call a sitting of our Parliament. "It has never happened, as far as I am aware, in the past.” Read more here
Ex-Senator mum on NiQuan exit
Former independent senator David Small has made his departure from NiQuan Energy but has signed a non-disclosure agreement with the company which prevents him from discussing why he exited the organisation. Guardian Media understands that Small, a former NiQuan vice president, is currently engaged in a legal wrangle with NiQuan on his exit from the company. In response to questions by Guardian Media last week, Small confirmed he had exited the organisation but was abrupt and said he could not discuss the matter any further. Small was the vice president of NiQuan for close to nine years. He joined the organisation in 2013 and left in October 2021 and employed at the time of the April 2021 explosion. Read more here
BUSINESS
ASA Enterprises marks milestone export to Jamaica
Trade and Industry Minister Paula Gopee-Scoon shared in ASA Enterprises Ltd's celebration of its milestone export to Jamaica on Wednesday. She was welcomed by Arfan Khan, CEO, his son and director Aadil Khan and their team. This company is responsible for the snacks branded Oh Snacks. A release from the ministry said this shipment marks the company’s highest in terms of export value thus far and solidifies its penetration of yet another Caricom market. Read more here
No duties on lithium-ion batteries from July 1
THE Government has removed import duties on lithium-ion batteries. These batteries are used in renewable energy systems. The Ministry of Trade and Industry, in a news release on Friday, said it and the Ministry of Energy and Energy Industries (MEEI) have taken action to remove import duties on lithium-ion batteries of Ex. HS 8507.60.00 used in renewable energy systems for two years from July 1. It said, “This measure is intended to reduce the cost of the item, which would provide an incentive to installing renewable energy systems thereby making these systems more accessible and affordable for adoption.” Read more here
REGIONAL
GPHC successfully treats ‘extremely rare’ medical condition
The unique presentation of a pathology such as the ‘human tail’ is not only rare to Guyana but also the world. According to a press release, this is a rare congenital anomaly which mostly presents immediately after birth or in early childhood, and there are less than 60 cases documented in medical literature of caudal appendage or the human tail. The human tail is usually considered as a marker of underlying pathology of peculiar spinal dysraphism. Read more here
INTERNATIONAL
New images show Chinese spy balloons over Asia
New evidence of China's spy balloon programme - including flights over Japan and Taiwan - has been uncovered by BBC Panorama. Japan has confirmed balloons have flown over its territory and said it's prepared to shoot them down in future. China has not directly addressed the evidence presented by the BBC. US-China relations were thrown into turmoil earlier this year, when an alleged Chinese spy balloon was shot down off the US coast. China claimed the balloon seen over north-western US in late January was a civilian airship, used for scientific research such as meteorology - and that it was an unintended and isolated event. John Culver - a former East Asia analyst for the CIA - told Panorama that this "had been not just a one-off, but a continuing effort dating back at least five years." He said the Chinese balloons were "specially designed for these long-range missions" and some had "apparently circumnavigated the globe". Read more here
26th June 2023