Police at Vigilance on the East Coast of Demerara detained over 20 persons for questioning as they probe the murder of Suresh Bhola which occurred outside a popular bar in the village of Strathspey early yesterday morning.By late yesterday however, only six men who were described as suspects remained in custody.Bhola was pronounced dead on arrival at the Georgetown Hospital, around 00:15 hours.He was picked up outside the bar bleeding from a wound to his abdomen, which he sustained during a brutal fight that had erupted among patrons of the bar.Police in a press statement said that Suresh Bhola was found lying on an access road at Strathspey with a wound to his abdomen and was taken to the GPHC where he was pronounced dead.Dead: Suresh Bhola No one knows for sure who inflicted the wound on Bhola, but according to eyewitnesses, the father of three was playing the role of peacemaker when he was stabbed.When this newspaper visited the scene, outside the bar resembled a storm hit area, with broken bottles and pieces of wood strewn along the roadway.Over at the dead man’s house, several persons gathered there to offer condolences to his wife Sharmilla and other relatives.Sharmilla Bhola told this newspaper that her husband, a carpenter, left their home around 18:00 hours,Wholesale Jerseys Free Shipping, saying that he was going out on the road and ended up at the popular bar which was being patronized by the usual weekend crowd.She said that her husband would not normally visit the bar,Cheap Jerseys From China, which is just a stone’s throw from his home, but for some strange reason he was there “taking a drink with some friends”.Several hours later, Sharmilla Bhola heard a big commotion coming from the direction of the bar.“About 11 o’clock, people call awe and tell awe how he get stab and he dead.”But by the time she and other relatives reached the scene, the badly injured man was already on his way to the hospital.A bartender at the club, who did not want to be named, told Kaieteur News that it was he who rushed Bhola to the hospital after several persons called on him for assistance.He told Kaieteur News that from his vantage point in the bar he could not see what exactly was taking place outside but he knew that several persons were engaged in a fight.Three detectives (left) in conference outside the bar where the incident occurred.A source in the village where the incident occurred told this newspaper that the fighting stemmed from a row over a female employee of the establishment.“Bottle been flying left right and centre and was everybody grabbing fuh something fuh defend themselves. When everything almost died down, we see de man (Bhola) lying down pon de road, he nah move,Jerseys NFL Wholesale,” one eyewitness told Kaieteur News.Sharmilla Bhola could not offer much insight as to what led to her husband’s demise.“Me hear dem say that they had a fight in de place and he come out fuh help part, and ma ain’t know how de boy get fu stab he,” she said.Residents claimed that the assailants, some of whom are still being detained at the Vigilance Police Station,Jerseys From China, are from another village on the Lower East Coast of Demerara.They said that during the melee, a few of the assailants managed to flee the scene while the others were held back until the police arrived to calm things down.“Dem boys hold on pon three ah dem and beat dem,Cheap Wholesale Jerseys, de rest run away. If dem boys didn’t hold on pon dem three all ah dem would ah get away,” a villager from Strathspey related.The three men who were arrested at the scene were taken to the Georgetown Hospital for treatment to several wounds they received during the incident.Investigators have not recovered any weapon that they suspect was used to stab Bhola but they hope that by the time their investigations are completed they will be able to ascertain who the killer is.

– agrees to finance 100 laptops for GECOMCanada has repeated calls for Guyana to seriously consider recommendations which will guarantee political parties more equitable access to media and financing.High Commissioner, Dr. Nicole Giles, yesterday,NFL Jerseys Supply, also pushed for adherence to timely and standardized procedures for the electoral process and the improvement of communications between stakeholders, in particular with the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM).The diplomat made the call shortly before signing an agreement which will see the Canadian Government paying for 100 laptops for GECOM’s use for elections.Giles, during the ceremony at GECOM’s Kingston headquarters on High Street,Cheap Mens Jordan Sneakers, noted that Guyana has made significant strides in elections management as noted in the 2011 elections reports.Recommendations were made by the Organization of American States (OAS) Electoral Mission and the Commonwealth Secretariat final report, which noted areas of improvement to make subsequent elections more efficient and fair.“We hope that the provision of laptops to GECOM will help with implementation of these recommendations.”The High Commissioner echoed earlier statements of Canada,Wholesale China NFL Jerseys, the US, UK and the European Union that free, fair and peaceful elections play a critical role in every democracy.“It is through elections that citizens choose their government and have their voices heard. There is strong correlation between free,Cheap Jerseys, fair and peaceful elections and the progressive development of a country. The work undertaken by independent election commissions is crucial.”She said that Canada has a high level of confidence in GECOM’s ability to deliver credible elections. The money for the laptops will be coming from Canada Fund for Local Initiatives (CFLI).The envoy said her country is promoting freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law by strengthening the professionalism and accountability of public institutions – including elections management bodies. This project, she emphasised, will also help GECOM to be even more transparent and responsive to the needs of the electorate.“There is an equally important role that the citizens of Guyana play in this electoral process. Voting is a right, a duty and an opportunity, for all Guyanese. The right to vote is the most significant representation of a citizen’s participation in the governance of their country. Canada is hopeful that the upcoming electoral process will allow the Guyanese people to debate the important issues that are facing the country.”Also addressing invitees, Chief Election Officer Keith Lowenfield insisted that elections have come a far way in Guyana.He said that while the laptops will be utilized at polling places on election day by staffers, they do not represent a paradigm shift in GECOM’s operation. He duly recognised that the donation was timely and would definitely help in improving capability and efficiency.GECOM’s Chairman, Dr. Steve Surujbally also noted the timeliness of the donation. “With the bell rung and Guyana in the homestretch of elections,Nike Air Max 97 Silver Bullet, the Canadian initiative can be seen as one that speaks of trust…trust in GECOM’s capacity to effectively manage elections.”Dr. Surujbally however bemoaned the fact that criticisms have been raised of GECOM’s methods.Admitting that GECOM still has a far way to go, he said that it makes it harder if there is distrust at home. GECOM remains very much available to answer questions, he stressed.He also said that GECOM has the capacity and has reached the stage where it can apply for certification to manage elections of international standards. He believes that the days of turbulence are over, with the upcoming elections being a watershed occasion for Guyana. The GECOM Chairman also asked Guyana to “trust” and “walk” with the body, as it has no agenda except the truth.

… 8.5% of landmass to be protected under Protected Areas BillThe recent passage of the Protected Areas Bill puts Guyana? much closer to meeting obligations as a signatory of the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity.According to Minister of Agriculture, Robert Persaud, Iwokrama, Kaieteur National Park and Konashen which are already established as protected areas, account for five percent of the country’s landmass while proposed areas at Kanuku and Shell Beach will bring the total up by another 3.5 percent, to 8.5 percent.The figures are important against the background of one of the specific targets of the UN Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020. The Strategic Plan itself is an integral part of the 2011-2020 United Nations Decade on Biodiversity.Last October,Nike Air Vapor Max Flyknit Women, in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, Japan,Nike Shox Women Clearance, the tenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties adopted a revised and updated Strategic Plan for Biodiversity, including the Aichi Biodiversity Targets, for the 2011-2020 period. The plan is the overarching framework on biodiversity,Nike Huarache Shoes For Sale, not only for the biodiversity-related conventions, but for the entire United Nations system.Some of the Aichi targets are to halve and, where feasible, bring close to zero the rate of loss of natural habitats, including forests; to restore at least 15 percent of degraded areas through conservation and restoration activities and to make special efforts to reduce the pressures faced by coral reefs.Of particular relevance to this bill is the target that calls for nations to establish a conservation target of 17 percent of terrestrial and inland water areas and 10 percent of marine and coastal areas.In full this target reads: By 2020, at least 17 per cent of terrestrial and inland-water areas and 10 per cent of coastal and marine areas, especially areas of particular importance for biodiversity and ecosystem services, are conserved through effectively and equitably managed, ecologically representative and well-connected systems of protected areas and other effective area-based conservation measures, and integrated into the wider landscape and seascape.According to a provisional technical rationale written after the tenth conference of parties in Japan, the target falls under the third strategic goal which seeks to improve the status of biodiversity by safeguarding ecosystems, species and genetic diversity.The rationale continues to say that currently, some 13 per cent of terrestrial areas and 5 per cent of coastal areas are protected, while very little of the open oceans are protected. The document posits that reaching the proposed target implies a modest increase in terrestrial protected areas globally, with an increased focus on representativity and management effectiveness, together with major efforts to expand marine protected areas.It also calls for the integration of protected areas into the wider land- and seascape, bearing in mind the importance of complementarity and spatial configuration.In doing so, the ecosystem approach should be applied taking into account ecological connectivity and the concept of ecological networks, including connectivity for migratory species.Protected areas, according to the rationale, should also be established and managed in close collaboration with, and through participatory and equitable processes that recognize and respect the rights of indigenous and local communities, and vulnerable populations. It is noteworthy that in the Protected Areas Bill 2011, not only are Amerindian Village Councils recognized as one of the bodies that can request a tract of land be declared a protected area but that Part Five of the bill is entirely focused on the establishment of Amerindian Protected Areas. This section of the Bill allows for “village lands or any part thereof to be recognized as an Amerindian Protected Area.”It also makes the provision that an Amerindian Village Council may also request and receive technical advice and assistance from the authorities in meeting the application requirements.According to Persaud, by 2010 signatory countries should have attained at least 10 percent of landmass being declared a protected area.He pointed out that the passage of this bill puts Guyana that much closer to meeting these targets, since we will have reached at least 8.5 percent of that target.Persaud pointed out that not only is the Protected Areas legislation compatible with several international conventions; but the bill also fits neatly into a number of negotiations that are taking place within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.He pointed out that Guyana is a permanent advocate in terms of REDD Plus and the associated incentives of the scheme. In December last year,<a href="http:

Students and workers,Cheap NFL Jerseys 2016, including senior staff, of the University of Guyana will today begin a protestFreddie Kissoonover the termination of Freddie Kissoon’s contract, and other issues which affect the University.This follows a meeting of the University of Guyana Students Society, the University of Guyana Workers Union,Cheap Jerseys Wholesale, and the University of Guyana Senior Staff Association.Kissoon was Monday formally told that his contract was being terminated with immediate effect by the University’s Council. He was a political science lecturer who functioned in that capacity for 26 years. The University Council has not formally given a reason why Kissoon’s contract was terminated.At the meeting yesterday, the three bodies stated that the University’s Council usurped the function of the academic community which determines how a lecturer performs.The decision of the students and workers to stage a protest from today sprung from the termination of Kissoon’s contract,NFL Jerseys Outlet, which he sees as politically motivated given the heavy criticisms he has heaped upon the government through his column in the Kaieteur News.However, the students and workers are also protesting what they see as discrimination against Registrar Vincent Alexander.They say that while the Council took a decision to advertise Alexander’s position as vacant, meaning that he has to re-apply,Wholesale NFL Jerseys, two other posts – the Director of the Berbice Campus and the Bursar – were renewed without any advertisement.The students and workers are also protesting conditions at the University,Cheap Jerseys From China Outlet, such as the situation in which chemistry students have to use acids without any protection.The protest will continue until Monday when the students and staff of the University will hold a general meeting to decide on what further action would be taken.