Days after Chairman of the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC), Clinton Williams, defended his acquisition of several mining blocks in the Cuyuni, Region Seven, the issue is refusing to go away.  Former Auditor General, Anand Goolsarran, in his weekly column, Accountability Watch in Stabroek News on Monday, questioned whether GGMC’s board was even made aware of the transaction. As Chairman of the Board, there had been criticisms that Williams abused his authority to help his friend, Ivor English, acquire eight blocks of mining lands last year.(Kaieteurnews.com/photo:Kaieteurnews.com)…[+]

U.S.   –  After favorable initial reactions from Twitter, reviews from film critics seem to confirm an overwhelmingly positive response to “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.” The film currently holds a 97% “fresh” rating on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes with only two critics to have posted negative reviews thus far.(CNN.COM/photo:cnn.com)…[+]

GUYANA-Minister of State, Joseph Harmon has rapped former President Bharrat Jagdeo over his comments that the. controversial Edul Ahmad land lease was revoked in 2009. Harmon said that Government has no record of this claim. He therefore called on Jagdeo to bring the evidence. Harmon made this charge yesterday. He made it clear that contrary to Jagdeo’s claims that the lease was terminated back in 2009, the Guyana Lands and Survey Authority could attest to the lease never being terminated, until recently.“The lease (was) not terminated (in 2009),” Harmon asserted, in response to Jagdeo’s defense. (KAIETEUR NEWS/ kaieteurnewsonline.com)…[+]

/abonnement/GUYANA-The young man who lost his left eye during a confrontation with police following a botch robbery at Grove Housing Scheme, East Bank Demerara, Sunday morning is well known to lawmen. Devon Forde has been described by police as a known criminal, having been charged previously with carjacking a few years ago. Police confirmed that Forde was one of three men who robbed a taxi driver and stole his car back in 2009. However a police source who spoke to this newspaper could not say if Forde and his accomplices were ever convicted for that crime. On another occasion, Forde was also charged with simple larceny when it was alleged that he stole a bicycle. That case was dismissed.(KAIETEUR NEWS/ kaieteurnewsonline.com)…[+]

WASHINGTON-U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl will face a military court on charges of desertion and endangering fellow soldiers, the U.S. Army announced Monday. Gen. Robert Abrams, the commander of U.S. Army Forces Command, ordered the court-martial on Monday, breaking with the U.S. military officer overseeing Bergdahl’s preliminary hearing who recommended that Bergdahl be referred to a special court-martial and face no jail time. Abrams on Monday ordered Bergdahl’s case to a general court-martial, which means Bergdahl could face life imprisonment if convicted of “misbehavior before the enemy by endangering the safety of a command, unit or place.” Bergdahl disappeared from his base in Afghanistan in June 2009 and was held in captivity by the Taliban until the U.S. released five Taliban detainees in a controversial exchange for Bergdahl in May 2014. (CNN/ myfox8.com)…[+]

Police are hoping that they have finally made a breakthrough in the murder of Chinese businessman Zhenjz Su, who was bound and hacked to death in his Mandela Avenue, East Ruimveldt restaurant four months ago.

They have detained an 18-year-old man who they say may be one of the bandits who killed Su, and badly battered his wife before escaping with an undisclosed sum of cash. The suspect was arrested last Thursday and is being detained at the Golden Grove Police Station. Kaieteur News understands that the youth, who is from East Ruimveldt, was chopped in the head last Thursday during an altercation. It was when he went to make a report that police informed him that he was a suspect in Su’s murder and took him into custody. The teen has reportedly insisted that he was with his girlfriend at the time of the murder. Su, 35, was found gagged and bound in the kitchen area of the Jade Stone Restaurant, on August 7. He had been chopped to the head…[+]

A Stevedore Housing Scheme man can now use the soubriquet “one eye bandit” after his left eye was shot out by the police following a robbery committed on a Guyana Revenue Authority Official that went horribly wrong at Grove Housing Scheme, East Bank Demerara yesterday.

The 21-year old man was also wounded in his left shoulder after he and an accomplice were confronted by an alert party of policemen. His accomplice managed to escape. The police report is that Sunday ,Cheryl Embrack, 50, of Lot 812 Block Y, Golden Grove Housing Scheme, EBD, was entering her home when she was attacked by two men, one of whom was armed with a handgun. The men took her upstairs into the house and took away a stereo set and a cell phone. While the robbery was in progress, neighbouring residents informed the police who responded and encountered the perpetrators as they were leaving the scene…[+]

U.S –  Another poll shows Ted Cruz leading Donald Trump in Iowa. A Fox News survey released Sunday shows the Texas senator with 28% support in the first state to vote in the presidential nominating process — ahead of Trump, who is in second place with 26% backing. Iowa Republicans see Trump as most qualified to handle the economy and Cruz as best qualified on national security, the poll shows.(CNN.COM/photo: redstate.com)…[+]

GUYANA- The restoration of the Brickdam Independence Arch cost $18.7M. Corporate citizens contributed $12.1M and the remainder came from “others”.According to an Independent Accountant’s Review Report prepared by Nigel Hinds Financial Services, and dated July 5, 2015, the activities, inclusive of the restoration and inauguration, included the period between May 20 and June 5, last.
The report said that donations amounted to $19.2M but only $18.7M was used.
Some $665,000 was spent on advertising; $8.4M on meals and entertainment; $4.65M on cleaning and sanitation; $288,500 on contractor fees; $660,000 on professional fees and $4M on rental.  The arch was a gift to the people of Guyana from the Demerara Bauxite Company (DEMBA) commemorating Guyana’s Independence from Great Britain on May 26, 1966. The structure consists of three tubes made of aluminum from Guyana’s bauxite mounted on a quartz base.
It was designed by a Canadian engineer, Edric Klak.(Kaieteur News)…[+]

RIYADH — Voting in Saudi Arabia’s first elections open to women kicked off on Saturday. More than 1.4 million people are eligible to vote, including 130,637 females who will be allowed to contest and cast ballots in the third municipal poll. Sources confirmed to Al Eqtisadiya news website that the turnout will not exceed 60 percent. As many as 6,917 candidates are running in the election, including 979 females. The vote that started at 8:00 in the morning local time (5:00 GMT) will continue until 17:00 (14:00 GMT). There are 343 constituencies distributed all over the Saudi districts for citizens above 18 years. In 2005, the election for half of the municipal councilors was held, with men voting for male candidates. In February 2009, it was announced that municipal elections would be postponed indefinitely “for evaluation.” The vote was scheduled to take place in 2011, but it was delayed until this year.(Xinhua)…[+]