2011 – Page 23 – Guyana Times International

OAS commends parties for signing election code

November 17, 2011 TIMES INT'L

The Assistant Secretary General of the Organisation of American States (OAS) Ambassador Albert Ramdin, said the signing of a code of conduct by all political parties participating in Guyana’s presidential campaign is a sign of responsibility and commitment that must be commended. The high-ranking OAS official, who travelled to Guyana to meet with all stakeholders ahead of the November 28th elections, said: “This is an important achievement. The leaders and candidates have recognised their duty to act responsibly during the political campaign. I also believe it is their responsibility to…

Guyana must take centre stage in Caricom – Granger

November 17, 2011 TIMES INT'L

BY MICHAEL YOUNGE A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) presidential candidate David Granger has contended that Caricom needs very strong leadership to remain relevant, and Guyana can fit the role. Granger, who expressed the view during an interview with Guyana Times International, said the region needs better leadership, and the forging of deeper ties between the heads of government in order to ensure Caricom as an integration movement delivers on its promises of deeper cooperation and regional integration. “My approach is based on very strong leadership and better cordial relationships…

NCN cancels presidential debate after opposition withdraws

November 17, 2011 TIMES INT'L

The presidential candidates of the two main opposition parties contesting the upcoming general election have shunned a National Communications Network sponsored debate, urging the state entity to first address issues such as lack of access and bias. The state-owned NCN in a release on Monday expressed its disappointment at the lost opportunity, especially when some of the parties are claiming lack of access to the network. “This claim is also not true since advertisements of all the parties are broadcast on the network,” NCN said in its release. The debate…

New York-based Guyanese observe Teerat/Kartik

November 17, 2011 TIMES INT'L

By Vishnu Bisram New York-based Guyanese Hindus observed the annual festival of Kartik Snaan by fasting and performing special prayers last week. They visited the waterways in NY on that warm Thursday to perform special Ganga puja. Kartik or teerat is an observance to mark the culmination of a series of sacred purification rites, directing man towards his goal of “moksha” or liberation of the soul. Teerat is celebrated on the last day in the month of Kartik in the Hindu calendar and is normally celebrated with a bath in…

Guyanese tourists relate exciting and memorable experiences during India trip

November 17, 2011 TIMES INT'L

By Vishnu Bisram Two groups of Guyanese returned to New York from a tour of India last week. The tours were organized by Kali Travel of Queens, NY – a tour operator recognized by the Government of India and an authorized travel agent of Air India. The tours involved a group of 46 that visited North India and another group of 19 that went down south. For almost all of them, it was a dream come true. The two groups met in Jaipur where they celebrated Diwali in grand style.…

Guyana remembers war heroes

November 17, 2011 TIMES INT'L

The Guyana Legion along with other members of the public service on Sunday joined in the remembrance of the fallen soldiers in World Wars I and II. The occasion, held at the Guyana Legion was attended by Prime Minister Samuel Hinds, Commodore Gary Best, British High Commissioner Andrew Ayre, members of the discipline services, veterans and their families and students. Ayre said the sacrifice of the servicemen has contributed in making the world a better place, noting that both men and women from British Guiana and the United Kingdom worked…

57,000 households to be equipped with laptops by next year – President Jagdeo

November 17, 2011 TIMES INT'L

President Bharrat Jagdeo on Friday said by December monthend more than 57,000 households will have laptops, which have already been shipped, in their possession with Internet connections and by the end of the first quarter of next year, another 33,000 will benefit. He was at the time speaking at the launch of the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company’s BlackBerry service on Brickdam. Against this backdrop, Jagdeo also noted that over the next three years every house will become computer literate and every home will be equipped with computers, but that…

Citizens Bank opens Gy$225M Linden branch

November 17, 2011 TIMES INT'L

Residents of Linden, Region 10 will now be able to access additional banking services from today with the commissioning of Citizens Bank’s spanking Gy$ 225 million branch on Wednesday. The facility, which is located on Republic Avenue, was declared open by Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh in the presence of Managing Director of the bank Eton Chester and other regional and national executives. The finance minister, during his feature address, applauded the financial institution for fulfilling its promise made to the people of Region 10. According to Singh, the creation…

LCDS US$10M project to support micro-enterprise development

November 17, 2011 TIMES INT'L

The government of Guyana has identified the development of micro and small enterprises (MSEs) and the provision of alternative livelihoods to vulnerable groups as a key component of the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS). On October 14, the Guyana REDD+ Investment Fund (GRIF) Steering Committee approved the start of work for the Micro and Small Enterprise Development and Building Alternative Livelihoods for Vulnerable Groups Project, the Office of Climate Change said in a release. The project aims to address two of the major bottlenecks that constrain the development of MSEs…

Mechanic killed as minibus slams into CBR

November 17, 2011 TIMES INT'L

A 40-year-old mechanic was killed last Tuesday morning when a minibus slammed into him on Aubrey Backer Road, South Ruimveldt. Dead is Patrick “Mitch” Welcome of Critchlow Street, Tucville. He was at the time riding a CBR bike and was heading back to his work place, through Aubrey Backer Road, South Ruimveldt when the accident occurred. Reports indicate that Welcome was struck by minibus BNN 9334, which was speeding and had overtaken another minibus, before slamming into the mechanic, killing him on spot. The accident attracted a huge crowd. In…