Month: May 2011

St Lucia puts freeze on fuel prices

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The price of gasoline and diesel in St Lucia has been temporarily frozen, as the government tries to cushion consumers from the escalating price of oil. Prime Minister Stephenson King said the excise tax on gasoline has been reduced by 36.7 per cent, while the duty on gasoline has been cut by 15.67per cent. This will result in a reduction in the revenue earned by government from the tax, but it means that the prices of gasoline and diesel remain unchanged at $15.38 and $15.57 a gallon respectively. He pointed…

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Barbados economy on the rebound, says PM

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By Cathy Lashley Bridgetown, Barbados: (BGIS) — Figures for 2010 show the Barbados economy has stopped contracting, and there was evidence of modest advancement, reinforced by a 2.8 per cent growth in the first three months of this fiscal year. Now is the time for all citizens and businesses to be recommitted to the sustainable development of Barbados, “as a just and thriving society”, emphasised Prime Minister Freundel Stuart on Wednesday, May 11, as he delivered the feature address at the 51st Annual General Meeting and Luncheon of the Barbados…

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Explore Guyana’s rainforest

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Far from South America’s trodden tourist trail is an undiscovered gem. Guyana is home to some of the world’s most pristine rainforests: almost 80 per cent of the country is covered by tropical jungle. A visit to Guyana’s interior requires planning, but travellers find a luxuriant landscape teeming with life. Boat rides along rivers reveal monkeys, giant river otters, parrots, toucans, capybara and black caiman. Lucky travellers will spot jaguar. More than 850 species of birds fill the forest with colour and the haunting melodies, screeches and hoots of the…

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Into the wild in lush Guyana

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Wearing both hiking boots and nightclothes, blearily rubbing the sleep from our eyes, we jerked and bumped our way by jeep across the Rupununi savannah of southwestern Guyana. As the sun rose over the Kanuku Mountains, we passed sinewy cattle, plump black vultures and giant Jabiru storks hunched like skinny old men. Suddenly, a cloud of dust and sounds of hollering men: we were nearing our goal. Jolting to a halt, we staggered out onto the scrubby plain to see a large, furry, absurdly proportioned and clearly disgruntled giant anteater…

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A life of lights, camera, action

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US-based Guyanese Marc Gomes finds himself being actor, director, writer in the world of Hollywood Born and raised in Guyana until the age of eleven, Marc Gomes migrated to Canada and attended high school and university in Toronto. In an interview with the writer, director and actor, Gomes stated that he grew up in Subryanville, Georgetown and did not know the life he is living now was imminent. “I was 11 when I left Guyana with my parents in 1971. I wasn’t in any kind of artistic field. I was…

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Road deaths becoming costly to countries – IDB

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With Guyana recording 40 road deaths already for the year, the Inter American Development Bank (IDB) announced that it will work with a variety of stakeholders to mobilise resources and carry out measures required to cut numbers of deaths from accidents in the region by 50 per cent. On Wednesday, May 11th, stakeholders here launched the ‘Decade of Action for Road Safety’, aimed at saving 10 million lives globally. Meanwhile, the bank said the economic cost of these road accidents and injuries is estimated at between one per cent and…

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Locals participate in US–sponsored oil exploration workshop

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Guyanese officials have been sharpening their skills in the management of oil and gas resources at the United States Embassy-sponsored two-day workshop to this effect. The workshop, led by the U. S. Department of Interior, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation, and Enforcement (BOEMRE), was held at the Pegasus Hotel from May 10 to May12. Titled “Managing Offshore Oil and Gas Resources”, it attracted approximately thirty officials from a wide cross-section of government agencies, according to a joint statement released on May13. The United States has partnered with the government…

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Caricom to press international community on Haiti pledges

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Caricom Chairman Tillman Thomas, Prime Minister of Grenada, has reiterated the Community’s support for Haiti, as the French speaking member state inaugurated its new President, Michel Martelly, on Saturday, May 14. Thomas led the Caricom delegation to the inauguration, and encouraged Haiti to continue its drive to participate in the Caricom Single Market and Economy (CSME). He welcomed the fact that the first consignment of goods from Haiti had recently arrived in Grenada under a temporary non-reciprocal preferential trade arrangement with the other member states of Caricom. Prime Minister Thomas…

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NAREI developing weather-resistant vegetable plants

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Researchers and agricultural scientists at the newly-restructured National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI) are currently working to develop new weather-resistant plants for crops such as peppers, boulangers, tomatoes, and others. The ongoing work fits into the country’s overall efforts to help the agricultural sector adapt to climate change. According to researchers, they are looking at plants that could tolerate extreme heat and heavy rains, as these have been the recent weather patterns experienced in Guyana. The institute, in recent years, introduced various farming technologies, such as ‘drip-irrigation’ and tropical…

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Guyana moves to review child labour laws, regulations

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The Guyana government is currently moving to review national legislation and policy framework regarding child labour in the country with the view to making possible adjustments to strengthen enforcement mechanisms related to the issue. At present, the Labour Ministry, assisted by the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the European Union (EU), is seeking a qualified consultant to conduct the review of legislation and policies. The review would look at the existing legal/ regulatory framework to analyse the gaps between the ILO Standard Conventions numbers 138 and 182, and the national…

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