Year: 2011

Local music industry needs much attention – Jumo Primo

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By Bhisham Mohamed  Lead singer of the famous Caribbean orchestra Bryon Lee and the Dragonaires, the ever-popular X2 singer Jumo Primo, is of the opinion that local artistes are not being given the necessary support and attention they deserve in Guyana. In an exclusive interview with this publication, Primo disclosed that the local DJs in Guyana find more joy and pleasure in promoting the music of other Caribbean singers on the local airwaves and television channels, rather than assisting the locals to be recognised. With this in mind, Primo said,…

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Brazil Congress again delays vote on key forest law

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Brazil’s Chamber of Deputies has again postponed a vote on controversial changes that would ease a key law on forest protection. After a marathon 12-hour debate that saw renewed splits over the proposals, the vote was put off until next week. The Forest Code currently requires that 80 per cent of a landholding in the Amazon remain forest, 20 per cent in other areas. Proponents of change say the law impedes economic development, and Brazil must open more land for agriculture. Brazil’s Forest Code, enacted in 1934 and subsequently amended…

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St Kitts-Nevis recovering – PM

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St Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister Dr Denzil Douglas says there are signs of economic recovery in the twin-island federation. Addressing over 500 delegates, officials, representatives of the diplomatic corps and invited guests at the 79th annual conference of his governing St Kitts-Nevis Labour Party on Sunday, the National Labour Party leader and prime minister said the past few years have been very challenging. He noted, however, that his government is already seeing signs that decisive policy actions will bring substantial long-term benefits for the federation. “We have had to…

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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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