February 2014 – Page 11 – Guyana Times International

EU, Guyana hold third round of talks

February 21, 2014 TIMES INT'L

The third round of European Union-Guyana Political Dialogue, under the framework of Article Eight of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP)-EU Cotonou agreement, was held on Wednesday at the Foreign Affairs Ministry. The previous rounds of political dialogue took place in 2009 and 2010. The Guyanese delegation was headed by Foreign Affairs Minister Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, and included Director General Elisabeth Harper; the Americas Department Director, Ambassador Audrey Waddell; acting Multilateral and Global Affairs Department Director, Deborah Yaw; Foreign Trade Department Director, Rajdai Jaggernauth; Chief of Protocol, Esther…

Justice Desiree Bernard hailed as icon of legal profession

February 21, 2014 TIMES INT'L

Former Chancellor of the Judiciary, Justice Desiree Bernard was on Wednesday hailed as an icon of the local jurisprudence during a special farewell sitting of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) held in her honour. The CCJ panel was in Guyana for a three-day itinerant sitting held at the Guyana International Conference Centre, Liliendaal, Greater Georgetown. Justice Bernard will be officially retiring from the CCJ today (Thursday). The special sitting in her home country was attended by local judges, magistrates and attorneys. Several foreign jurists and other dignitaries also gathered…

Public-private sector dialogue

February 21, 2014 TIMES INT'L

When the National Competitiveness Council (NCC) met last week, some very important points were brought up for discussion and consideration in relation to the development path Guyana should take. This approach being taken by the administration seeks to involve all the relevant stakeholders as part of the national development dialogue. Government alone cannot, and should not, be left to decide national development policies and how they must be implemented. The private sector, which is considered the engine of growth, must be encouraged to have an input. The NCC is the…

CFATF official to meet local MPs on anti-money laundering bill

February 21, 2014 TIMES INT'L

A Caribbean Financial Action Task Force (CFATF) official on Friday will meet with parliamentarians fine-tuning the controversial Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) Bill. Chairperson of the special select committee looking at the bill, Gail Teixeira made this disclosure on Wednesday, minutes after a brief meeting with committee members at Parliament Buildings. According to the government’s chief whip, preparations have commenced for the arrival of the CFATF official, who is expected to address concerns expressed by A Partnership for National Unity (APNU). On Wednesday, when the committee…

Independent expert to examine delayed e-governance project – PM Hinds

February 14, 2014 TIMES INT'L

Prime Minister Samuel Hinds on Monday disclosed that an independent third-party expert has been asked to examine the government’s ambitious US$32 million e-governance project and make recommendations for its satisfactory completion at the earliest time. Hinds’ comments were contained in his response to written questions from A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) Member of Parliament Joseph Harmon on cost overruns related to the E-Government Project and the resume and salary of the project manager, Alexei Ramotar, the son of President Donald Ramotar. He also informed the National Assembly that the…

PI nearing an end to biker’s murder

February 14, 2014 TIMES INT'L

The alleged killer of the well known biker Kirk Davis appeared in court on Monday before Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts for further proceedings of his preliminary inquiry (PI). Randy Jagdeo, 28, of Lot 159 Third Street, Alexander Village, Georgetown was accused of shooting Kirk Davis, 30, at his Eccles, East Bank Demerara home on September 3, 2013. Ranks from the Guyana Police Force continued to testify against the accused as to what evidence was actually received and what they did with the evidence they collected.…

Lethem residents say no to electricity tariff hike

February 14, 2014 TIMES INT'L

A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) Member of Parliament (MP) Sydney Allicock on Monday petitioned the National Assembly for the Lethem Power Company Inc to rescind its recent decision to hike electricity tariffs. In his request for the petition to be read for the first time in the National Assembly, Allicock said the increase comes at a time when the power company has been badly managing its resources. As he called for an investigation to be launched into the operations of the company, he contended there are cases of malpractices.…

Eating healthy

February 14, 2014 TIMES INT'L

By Anu Dev The first Friday of every February is designated “National Wear Red Day” in the U.S. Heart disease is actually the number one killer of women in America. Attention has been brought to this since 2003 by wearing red to raise awareness about heart disease. There are so many decisions we can all make (not just women) about our lifestyle to reduce our risk of developing heart disease. Things like checking your cholesterol levels regularly and getting in a bit of exercise can go a long way in…

The visionary value of Gandhi, King and Mandela

February 14, 2014 TIMES INT'L

Dear Editor, The great Mahatma Gandhi and his self-styled disciples, Reverend, Dr Martin Luther King and our beloved ‘Madeba’ Nelson Mandela, all of whose ‘visions’ served to transform their respective societies, and eventually the world, were unique ‘visionaries’ and transformational leaders par excellence! There is no doubt about their self-less, almost ‘God-like’ image and contribution to humanity which live on forever in the minds of people all over the world. It is in that context that I was outraged when I became aware of a local advertisement by a company…

Congratulations to the president for his efforts at CELAC Summit

February 14, 2014 TIMES INT'L

Dear Editor, The People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) would like to take this opportunity to congratulate President Donald Ramotar, who led Guyana’s delegation to the recently-concluded Second Summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), in Havana, Cuba. President Ramotar, who was one of the many heads of state from the 33 member countries to be present, represented Guyana with distinction and has once again ensured that this country continues to have a voice on the international scene and contributes meaningfully to the resolving of global issues. CELAC…