February 2014 – Page 14 – Guyana Times International

Kennard says no evidence Harding was baton raped

February 7, 2014 TIMES INT'L

– but physical assault charges likely to be filed against some ranks There is no evidence to suggest that 23-year-old Colwyn Harding was baton-raped, Police Complaints Authority Chairman, Justice Cecil Kennard said, noting that criminal charges to this effect will not be instituted against police officers accused of the allegation. In a telephone interview with Guyana Times International on Tuesday, Kennard said he has completed his role in the process and is currently preparing his report with recommendations to be handed over to the relevant agencies. Asked whether there will…

Guyana, EU sign 10th EDF agreement

February 7, 2014 TIMES INT'L

The government of Guyana and the European Union (EU) on Friday signed a financing agreement to the tune of 14.8 million euros under the 10th European Development Fund (EDF) Sea and River Defence Sector Budget Support Programme. Finance Minister, Dr Ashni Singh said the support is most welcomed since Guyana remains vulnerable to climate change, particularly rising sea levels. Some 90 per cent of the population lives on the coast. “Guyana’s topography renders it vulnerable to natural risks related to climate change and sea level rise as most of the…

Guyanese listed as second largest immigrant group in Queens

February 7, 2014 TIMES INT'L

In December 2013, the New York City Department of City Planning issued a detailed report showing that Guyanese are the second largest immigrant group in Queens and the fifth largest in New York City. Immigrants from Trinidad & Tobago occupy the eighth position. The report, The Newest New Yorkers, is based on data collected in the 2010 Census and the 2011 American Community Survey. The report details the change in population and provides comprehensive information on the foreign-born population to policy makers, program planners, and service providers to help them…

Dialogue is the best means of resolving conflicts – President

February 7, 2014 TIMES INT'L

As Guyana joined the rest of the world in observance of the United Nations (UN) designated World Interfaith Harmony Week, President Donald Ramotar on Saturday called for a redoubling of efforts to foster greater understanding and appreciation among the different religions in Guyana. World Interfaith Harmony Week was officially launched on Saturday at the Guyana International Conference Centre, Liliendaal. The ceremony opened with prayers and messages from the Hindu, Christian, Muslim, Baha’i, Rastafarian, indigenous and Seventh Day Adventist bodies, and the United Apostolic Mystical Council. The president, who delivered the…

Almost 100 per cent of under-five children vaccinated in Guyana

February 7, 2014 TIMES INT'L

In 2013, Guyana recorded a 96 per cent vaccination rate in children under five, according to initial data. Health Minister, Dr Bheri Ramsaran disclosed in an exclusive interview with Guyana Times International that babies born in Guyana over the past 11-15 years have all received vaccines for preventable diseases. “In recent years, we have been able to touch as much as 95 per cent to 96 per cent of our vaccinated population, that is, the babies that we need to vaccinate for vaccine preventable childhood illness,” he said. Dr Ramsaran…

Rogue ranks should be weeded out of the police force – Rohee

February 7, 2014 TIMES INT'L

Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee said the police force must pay closer attention to its recruitment procedures and screening practices so as to ensure that perverts are not allowed into the organisation. His comment came via a statement in which he expressed disgust at the damning allegation that three ranks sodomised a teenage boy at the Stabroek Market Police Outpost. The accused ranks have been placed under close arrest. Rohee said if found guilty, such ranks should be weeded out of the force as they are not worthy of wearing…

Willful blindness

February 7, 2014 TIMES INT'L

…of Harris and Muckraker Adam Harris is an old head when it comes to propaganda. He’s been spinning lies for almost half a century now – first for Burnham and the PNC at the Chronicle and then for The Mook over at the MuckrakerKN. But if day in and day out you’re mixing lies and truth, at some point you’ll end up not knowing which the heck is which. Or you end up believing your own BS. Or psychotic (psychosis??). Take Harris’ column in MuckrakerKN. The man bemoaned the murders…

Gov’t to present Food Safety Bill in Parliament

February 7, 2014 TIMES INT'L

Government will move to present the Food Safety Bill to the National Assembly before the beginning of the 2014 budget debates. This is according to Agriculture Minister, Dr Leslie Ramsammy who said government is in the final stages of completing the Food Safety Bill, which it hopes to present in the National Assembly for the first reading and approval. Dr Ramsammy said the Agriculture Ministry has concluded its part and Cabinet has given the approval for the bill to be vetted by the Office of the Attorney General before it…

Feral….

February 7, 2014 TIMES INT'L

…youths Back in 2011, London was wracked by riots during which youths looted stores for the fancy clothes and the expensive “gear” they affect nowadays. The Mayor of London blamed it on “people in this city, sadly, who are intent on violence, who are looking for the opportunity to steal and set fire to buildings and create a sense of mayhem, whether they are anarchists or part of organised gangs, or…feral youths.” Now if you’re going to call youths pillaging from stores as acting like animals in the wild…what do…

Movies and nostalgia

February 7, 2014 TIMES INT'L

By Anu Dev We all have heroes and heroines from movies we saw as children. Some of these movies we can re-watch and they take us back, even just for two hours, to that time when things were so much simpler. Much of the appeal of those movies comes from the nostalgia accompanying our memories of when we first saw them, and what things were liked back then. Movies and songs can be really powerful in the way they evoke certain emotions within us. For me, “The Little Mermaid” and…