Year: 2014

Four persons were brought before Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry on Friday after they were charged in connection with the Shamdas Kirpilani robbery. Three men and one woman appeared in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts where they were not required to plead to the indictable charges. Howard Rambarose of 6 Meadow Bank, Greater Georgetown, Rajesh Singh of 216 Layne Avenue, and Alistair Naughton of Guyhock Park, were all charged for robbery under arms. They all stood silently as Chief Magistrate Sewnarine-Beharry read the charge which stated that on December 20 at Georgetown,…

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Finance Minister, Dr Ashni Singh, is calling for more involvement by civil society to foster and promote social programmes aimed at developing Guyana. He made the call at a Guyana Salvation Army dinner and social event on Friday evening. “Nowhere in the world can government alone confront and overcome all of the challenges faced by a country,” he said, adding: “Responsible social partners and responsible citizens are an absolutely critical pre-requisite if our country is to achieve what we want of it.” The minister noted that the work of the…

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Guyana can be proud of many things in 2013, but there were also disappointments. Guyana continues on an upward development trajectory. Several countries in the Caribbean Community (Caricom) experienced negative economic growth, but Guyana’s gross domestic product (GDP) of about five per cent for 2013 was the highest in the region. This has been so for at least the last five years. Guyana’s debt continues to be stable. Many Caricom countries were warned by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) of the devastating impact of debt burdens on their economies and…

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The Alliance For Change (AFC) said it has noted with amusement the alarm uttered by Cabinet Secretary, Dr Roger Luncheon regarding his reservation about the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) funded Leadership and Democracy Project. In a statement, the AFC said any “effort which enhances democracy promotes, rather than undermines sovereignty and at a time when there has been no local government elections for over 14 years, and where the country is governed by a minority party which is continuously at war with the legislative arm of the…

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St Vincent and the Grenadines’ diplomats in the United States are appealing for urgent aid to help their homeland in the wake of the Christmas storm that left several people dead and a trail of destruction. In a letter commissioned to nationals in the diaspora by St Vincent and the Grenadines Consulate General in New York, Consul General Selmon Walters on Saturday appealed for donations of cash, food, clothing, toiletries, water, and medical supplies. Walters, a former government minister in the administration of Prime Minister, Dr Ralph Gonsalves, noted that…

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In keeping with its tradition of spreading Christmas cheer, the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) presented hampers and cash contributions, to the surviving spouses, children and relatives of seven of its members who passed away during 2013. This was just one of the activities during which the force undertook to embrace and share the spirit of the Christmas season with its officers and ranks and their extended families, GDF said in a release. The deceased ranks, whose spouses and relatives received the Christmas tokens were Lieutenant Ronald Gonsalves, Sergeant Viola George,…

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Black Bush Polder rice and cash crop farmers are bracing for widespread damage to their crops from floodwaters that have already caused millions of dollars in losses. The main concern is the immediate threat the floods pose to several cash-crops such as cabbages, tomatoes and sweet peppers. “Farmers are suffering huge losses since the water that has swamped their farms are not draining away,” said Sally Singh, a frustrated cashcrop farmer from Mibicuri. “Over two weeks now this water deh here and nobody care, when the chairman come, he drive…

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A comprehensive plan to modernise the local health sector was on Monday unveiled at an elaborate ceremony at the Guyana International Conference Centre, Liliendaal. Dubbed Health Vision 2020 – the plan is a national health strategy for Guyana for the period 2013-2020. The strategy aims to make persons resident in Guyana the healthiest people in the Caribbean and the Americas by the year 2020, officials said. The plan was launched by Health Minister, Dr Bheri Ramsaran; Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Dr Shamdeo Persaud; and President Donald Ramotar. Dr Persaud presented…

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Amid the row over the rejected US$ 13.1 million United States Agency for International Development (USAID) governance project, the Local Government Ministry announced on Monday that other internationally-funded projects are progressing smoothly. Despite a few hiccups during the initial stage, Local Government Ministry Permanent Secretary Collin Croal said the US$ 150,000 Empowerment Inclusion and Reconciliation Programme (YEIRP) will be completed by the second quarter of 2014 while the Caribbean Local Economic Development Project (CARILED) funded by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) has completed its mandate for 2013. First component…

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