Year: 2014

Mayor Bill de Blasio on Tuesday announced the creation of the New York City Children’s Cabinet, a multi-agency initiative to bolster communication among city agencies and develop strategies for a holistic approach to a child’s safety and well-being. The plan to assemble a Children’s Cabinet came after the tragic death in January of 4-year-old Myls Dobson. It stems from the mayor’s belief that children at risk are served by multiple city agencies, and therefore the responsibility of keeping them safe and attending to their well-being should extend beyond the Administration…

Guyana on Thursday mourned the passing of well-respected Caribbean integrationist and United Nations Good Officer in the border controversy with Venezuela, Professor Norman Girvan. “For Guyana, we valued the wisdom which he brought to the Good Offices Process as the Personal Representative of the United Nations Secretary General,” said President Donald Ramotar in a statement. Girvan, 72, died in Cuba where he had been receiving treatment for paralysis due to fall while hiking in Dominica three months ago. Foreign Minister, Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett also praised Girvan’s work as the United Nations…

After intense grilling by the combined parliamentary Opposition, the Gy$6 billion subvention for the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) was approved by both sides on Wednesday evening as the National Assembly commenced consideration of the Gy$220 billion 2014 Budget Estimates. In addition, the House approved the entire Agriculture Ministry’s budget, but not before scrutinising the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA). Allocations to other agencies under the Ministry were also approved. These include the Guyana School of Agriculture, Guyana Livestock Development Authority, Guyana Rice Development Board, Guyana Marketing Corporation, and Hope…

The main Opposition A Partnership For National Unity (APNU) has criticised the Gy$220 billion National  Budget presented by Finance Minister, Dr Ashni Singh on Monday, saying it is bloated with expenditures  while warning a “difficult debate” even as it threatens to cut sections of the estimates. While addressing media representatives, Opposition Leader and APNU Chairman, Retired Brigadier David Granger said: “I don’t know what the budget is all about” as he registered his concerns. Granger said several issues were not adequately addressed, for instance, the plan to computerise hinterland secondary…

– “Opposition members were invited for consultations” Finance Minister, Dr Ashni Singh said the Gy$220 billion budget should be judged on its merits even as he set the record straight on the Government’s engagements with the Opposition on the estimates. When Minister Singh began the 2014 budget presentation to the National Assembly on Monday, members of the Alliance For Change (AFC) left the chamber, claiming that there had been no meaningful consultation before the preparation of the budget. According to a Government Information Agency (GINA) statement, in dismissing the party’s…