Year: 2011

Caricom to press international community on Haiti pledges

TIMES INT'L

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…

Read More

NAREI developing weather-resistant vegetable plants

TIMES INT'L

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…

Read More

Guyana moves to review child labour laws, regulations

TIMES INT'L

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…

Read More

Strike balance between religion and gay rights – British high commissioner

TIMES INT'L

The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans-gender (LGBT) community in Guyana May 17, marked International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHO) with British High Commissioner to Guyana, Simon Bond, urging that it is important to strike a balance between religious freedoms and the rights of LGBT people not to be discriminated against. Bond said homosexuality remains illegal in about 80 countries, noting that it is punishable by death in seven countries: Iran, Mauritania, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, United Arab Emirates, Yemen and Nigeria. He said, too, that some 43 Commonwealth countries still…

Read More

Work on LCDS projects to be accelerated

TIMES INT'L

The Guyana government said on Tuesday, May 17 that, as its Low Carbon Development Strategy moves beyond the start-up phase, work on the six priority investments for this year is being advanced. The six investments will accelerate Guyana’s transition to a low carbon economy by deploying the US$70 million earned by Guyana for the provision of forestry climate services under the Guyana/Norway Agreement, the Office of Climate Change said. The six 2011 investments are: (1) Amerindian land titling, which will cost US$3.9 million. The objective of this investment is to…

Read More

OLPF orientation commences for trainers

TIMES INT'L

Government said its One Laptop Per Family (OLPF) project is picking up pace with application forms dispatched to Regions Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven and 10 for persons to uplift from their Neighbourhood Democratic Councils, Regional Democratic Councils and the OLPF head office located on Lamaha Street, Georgetown. The trainers, from Region Three, were engaged is an orientation session Wednesday at the OLPF’s Duke and Barrack Streets office, Kingston, Georgetown location. Training is scheduled to last from May 18 to June 10, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and is…

Read More

Govt releasing funds for polls preparations – AFC seeking audience with GECOM on several matters

TIMES INT'L

The Bharrat Jagdeo administration has said that funds have been allocated to the Guyana Elections Commission for the registration of officials nationwide, to ensure that the claims and objections exercise is run smoothly. This announcement was made on Wednesday, but the Alliance For Change said it is upset that GECOM had to reduce the number of days for the claims and objections period due to no fault of the political parties. Head of the Presidential Secretariat (HPS), Dr Roger Luncheon, told reporters on Wednesday that Cabinet has noted that it…

Read More

Almond Beach community exploring prospect of bottling coconut water

TIMES INT'L

Along the 90-mile-long stretch of beach in the North West District of Region One in Guyana, popularly known as Shell Beach, is the nesting ground for several species of endangered sea turtles, including the Leatherback, Hawksbill, Green and Olive Ridley. These turtles are protected by residents of Almond Beach, who engage in patrols with the aim of monitoring their activities. Apart from taking part in the turtle conservation efforts, the community’s leaders also strive to drive development, which is progressing alongside turtle conservation efforts, since the staffers are all residents…

Read More

Another event on to celebrate Indian Arrival Day in NY

TIMES INT'L

Dear Editor, Guyanese will celebrate Indian Arrival Day this Sunday (May 22) at Smokey Park, 127 Street and Atlantic Avenue in Richmond Hill, New York. The celebrations are sponsored by the Indo-Caribbean Federation. This will be the organisation’s 26th annual celebration to mark the 173rd anniversary since Indians set foot in the Guyana. The Indo-Caribbean Federation was founded by activists like Rudra Nath, Bhanu Dwarika, Vishnu Bisram, Ramesh Kalicharran, Baytoram Ramharack and others. It is being led by Guyanese Ralph Tamesh whose team has planned and organised the commemoration of…

Read More