Month: August 2014

President Donald Ramotar and other Caricom Heads of Government on Monday met with Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe where a number of issues to strengthen relations were discussed. The meeting was held in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. The forum, the first summit meeting of Caricom Heads of State and Government and their Japanese counterpart took place as the countries are celebrating in 2014 Caricom-Japan Friendship Year, to mark 20 years since their first formal engagement in 1993. The discussions centred on the vulnerabilities faced by Caricom member countries…

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Police are investigating a hit-and-run fatal accident that occurred on the Number 66 Public Road, Corentyne, Berbice early Tuesday morning. Dead is Haresh Roth of Number 69 Village, Corentyne, Berbice. According to Roth’s uncle, Annand, the 18-year-old was last seen on Monday evening when he left to purchase something in the village. The grieving uncle related to this publication that it was unusual for Roth to leave his Number 69 Village and venture to other villages. The uncle related that he was on his way to the Number 66 Fishery…

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– cites conflict of interest The People’s Progressive Party (PPP) on Monday said it was still awaiting a response from Speaker of the National Assembly, Raphael Trotman about the conflict-of-interest claims involving Alliance For Change (AFC) Leader Khemraj Ramjattan and member Cathy Hughes. General Secretary Clement Rohee said the PPP, through its Chief Whip, Gail Teixeira, had written to Speaker Trotman, calling on him to refer both Hughes and Ramjattan to the Committee of Privileges over two matters of conflict of interest. According to Rohee, Hughes’ company was hired to…

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The Ministerial Task Force on Trafficking in Persons (TIP) last Thursday met with US officials to discuss the situation in Guyana. The meeting was held in the boardroom of the Home Affairs Ministry. Two officials from the US State Department, along the US Embassy’s Chargé d’Affaires Bryan Hunt were present at the meeting. According to Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee, the Task Force had several meetings in the past with officials from the US State Department and was looking forward for a productive discussion this round. “We have had several…

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Agriculture Minister, Dr Leslie Ramsammy is calling for the establishment of an Agriculture Development Bank as a step toward alleviating some of the financial issues in the agricultural sector. The Minister, who was speaking at the launch of the Ministry’s 2013-2020 Strategic Plan for the agriculture sectors, said that within the strategy, there are provisions for the continued advocacy in the establishment of such a bank to meet the needs of the sector. The strategy also seeks to advocate for the establishment of a revolving fund to serve the needs…

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President Donald Ramotar has again reiterated the call for Guyanese to unite so as to take the country forward, as it is only through unity that full benefits will be realised. “We can lift a country to the state of a developed country, but we need to be united and understand what is taking place and work together to overcome our challenges and allow Guyana to realise its full potential,” the President said. The President was at the time addressing those in attendance at the opening ceremony for the 10th…

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While declaring polls at   its just-concluded 18th Biennial Congress to be free and fair, the PNCR on Wednesday accused Aubrey Norton and Sharma Solomon of deliberately setting out to cause “maximum disruption” to the proceedings. At a news conference at Congress Place, Sophia, on Wednesday, party General Secretary Oscar Clarke suggested that Norton should apologise to Solomon, who is the Regional Democratic Council Chairman for Region 10, for misleading him into believing there were efforts afoot to disenfranchise Lindeners. Clarke said the disruptive actions led by Norton and Solomon over…

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Guyanese and visitors who want to be at the heart of the action this August should head to the inaugural Guyana Festival to enjoy three spectacular days of fun, entertainment, and food. The countdown is on and with a few days to go before the grand opening, festival fever is sweeping the country as more persons are clamouring to get a hold of their Festival Passports, which would guarantee them access to all three days and the chance to win a car. The National Steel Orchestra, Woodside Choir, and Nyrityageet…

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– says outdated Copyright Act stifling creative industry By Tajeram Mohabir The absence of modern copyright legislation has paved the way for the creation of a lucrative enterprise in intellectual piracy, stagnating the growth and development of the local creative industry. According to the US Department of Commerce, about five to seven per cent of all world trade involves counterfeit products, and estimates the cost to the global economy at more than US$650 billion per year. The income raked in from pirated DVDs, CDs, the unauthorised photocopying of books and…

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