Year: 2015

Guyanese foods and restaurants

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Last week, “Restaurant Week” – officially the “Guyana Restaurant Week” (GRW) – kicked off under the theme “Explore, Eat and Repeat”. With many gourmets and aspiring ones fearing foods “repeating” on them, maybe the theme was not the most felicitous, but the intent was to have domestic and foreign tourists – and hopefully food loving natives – sample our local “fine dining”. That is a worthwhile endeavour. As part of the ongoing “Tourism Awareness Month”, GRW is in its second incarnation and will continue to the 15th of the month.…

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Road carnage

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Every year in November, Guyana observes Road Safety Month. This year, Guyana is observing the month under the theme, “Be wise, stay alive, stop speeding, don’t drink and drive”. Sadly this month began with four persons being killed within two days on the Corentyne Highway. Over the past week, 15 people have been injured in separate accidents which have been reported in the media. The first 11 persons were injured in an accident at Mahdia, followed by three others in Corentyne and a Policeman in Georgetown. This comes even as…

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Man granted Gy$1M bail for causing death of wife in Harbour Bridge accident

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According to an online news agency, a 26-year old Vendor was on Thursday granted bail in the sum of Gy$1 million for the November 8 Demerara Harbour Bridge fatal accident which resulted in the death of his wife. The man, Dhanram Ramdeo Ramlall appeared in the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court before Magistrate Judy Latchman and entered a not guilty plea while his Attorney filed the application for bail so that he could attend the funeral of his wife and also care for their 9-month-old child. In keeping with advice from the…

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Road carnage continues – 4 dead in 2 days

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Two teenagers were on Tuesday evening killed after the car in which they were travelling slammed into a concrete base at Number 75 Village “Welcome to Corriverton” arch, Berbice when the driver reportedly lost control of the vehicle. Dead are 19-year-old Balram Nourang and 17-year-old Haresh Ramsaywack both of Number 69 Village Corentyne, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne). The two were the only occupants of the car and said to be best friends since they were young children. According to reports, the accident occurred about 23:20h. Nourang and Ramsaywack   were travelling…

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No new rice deal inked since PetroCaribe collapse

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By Devina Samaroo Since the collapse of the PetroCaribe deal with Venezuela in July, Guyana has not yet clinched a similar rice deal with any other country that would see local rice farmers exporting their rice at premium rates as they did with the “rice for oil deal” with the Spanish-speaking nation. The historic rice deal was sealed by the previous People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Government of President Bharrat Jagdeo with the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela of President Hugo Chávez several years ago, which saw Guyana receiving oil in exchange…

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Rice as a political football

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The news that the US rushed in to fill the shortfall in the rice imports of Venezuela occasioned by the latter’s interruption of shipments on the contract with our country must have come as a shock to many. However, this is simply an illustration on how the modern global trading system operates through a logic driven by countries weighing their economic interests and not reflexively reacting to political disputes. The contretemps with Venezuela began after the new Government grounded the Venezuelan air carrier Conviasa Airlines in June due to an…

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Swami Vidyanandaji gets emotional send-off

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…as thousands pay last respects BY KRISTEN MACKLINGAM Thousands of Hindu devotees, scores of prominent figures in society, members of the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) Government and the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) turned up at the Cove and John Ashram to pay their final respects to the renowned spiritual leader Swami Vidyanandaji, where he was cremated on Wednesday. President of the Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha, Dr Vindiya Persaud, told the gathering that she was very humbled to be asked to say a few words on…

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Guyana-born New York Assemblywoman elected to State Senate

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Guyana-born Legislator Roxanne Jacqueline Persaud, was elected to the New York Senate on November 3, 2015 after defeating her two challengers in the elections for the 19th Senatorial District. Back in November 2014, she became the first female, first black, first Guyanese to hold the position of assembly member for the 59th Assembly District in Brooklyn, New York. Persaud, 49, polled 6,980 votes, or 88 per cent of the votes cast, while Jeffrey Ferretti, the Republic Party challenger, received 702 votes, or nine per cent; and Conservative Party opponent Elias…

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PPP/C slams Government’s township proposal as a ‘sham’

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Opposition People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) is asserting that Government’s move to transform Bartica, Region Seven; Mabaruma, Region One; Mahdia, Region Eight and Lethem, Region Nine into townships is just another attempt by the Government to gain control of the regions by replacing current PPP/C Regional Chairmen with pro-government Mayors and Town Clerks. On Monday, the Party said the “so called consultations” with residents on the issue of townships is a “sham and a mere window-dressing exercise.” Speaking at the Party’s weekly media conference, General Secretary Clement Rohee said the Government…

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PPP reaches out to rice farmers in Region 2

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…promises to lobby on their behalf By Indrawattie Natram As the rice industry continues to deteriorate, Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo during a special meeting with rice farmers in Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam) on Tuesday evening said that from all indications the David Granger-led Administration has nothing for them. He was at the time addressing the petrified farmers at the Rice Producers Association (RPA) Seed Paddy Complex, Anna Regina as part of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Region Two outreach programme. Jagdeo, accompanied by former Housing Minister Irfaan Ali and former Attorney…

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