TIMES INT'L

Corentyne man stabbed to death during brawl

June 21, 2019June 21, 2019 TIMES INT'L

A man who had been expecting his first child later this year was on Sunday evening stabbed to death during a brawl at a popular shop at Limlair, Corentyne Coast, East Berbice. Dead is 25-year-old Patrick Nelson, also called “Boy,” of Lot 5 Second Street, Limlair, Corentyne, Berbice. Based on reports received, the young man was stabbed once to his chest, and he collapsed and died. In a visit to the village on Monday, Guyana Times International was told that the late Patrick Nelson, with his brother and cousin, was…

Guyana Aviation Polytechnic launched to aid oil and gas sector

June 21, 2019June 21, 2019 TIMES INT'L

Senior Manager of Logistics and Local Content of the Orinduik Development Inc, Sharon Roopchand believes that education is key in transforming Guyana into a sustainable oil-producing nation. Speaking at the launch of the first event of Aviation Polytechnic on Friday at the Herdmanston Lodge, Roopchand stated that training and development are the pillars to ensure local content development. “The launch of the Aviation Polytechnic is a milestone that marks Guyana’s preparedness to meet the aviation platform and demands to support the local oil and gas sector”, she added. She further…

C’bean gov’ts acquire insurance coverage for 2019 hurricane season

June 21, 2019June 21, 2019 TIMES INT'L

GRAND CAYMAN, Cayman Islands (CMC) — The Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility (CCRIF SPC) says nine regional countries have increased their level of coverage as the Caribbean completed its insurance portfolio for the 2019-20 hurricane season. It said one unnamed Caribbean state purchased cover for an additional peril (tropical cyclone) that it did not have last year. CCRIF, which is the world’s first multi-country risk pool offering parametric insurance products, said that the regional countries are covered for another year against tropical cyclones as well as excess rainfall events, which…

Nagamootoo hoping AFC would get more power from APNU

June 21, 2019June 21, 2019 TIMES INT'L

…even after poor showing at LGE It has had a poor showing at the Local Government Elections (LGE), and criticisms abound that it has lost its independence since coalescing with the larger partner, A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), but Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo is still hoping that his party, the Alliance For Change (AFC), can get a better deal out of the Cummingsburg Accord. Nagamootoo made this statement at St. Paul’s Retreat at Vryheid Lust on Saturday, only a short while before news emerged that party leader Khemraj Ramjattan…

Liquid Love Bar owner lands in jail for human trafficking

June 21, 2019June 21, 2019 TIMES INT'L

…to pay victims G$5M in compensation The owner of Liquid Love Bar was sentenced to 15 years in prison by Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan on Wednesday at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts. Savita Persaud was found guilty of the charge of trafficking two Venezuelan women and as an additional consequence, she was also ordered to pay over G$2.5 million in compensation to the victims. The trial was held in-camera and Persaud was represented by Attorney-at-law George Thomas. The charge stated that between January 31 and March 8, 2019, at Station Street,…

Hundreds to lose jobs as Emerge BPO downsizes in Guyana

June 21, 2019June 21, 2019 TIMES INT'L

Hundreds of employees of Guyanese business processing outsourcing company, Emerge BPO, will soon be without jobs as the company on Tuesday served employees with termination letters stating that it is downsizing its operations in Guyana. According to one of the letters seen by this publication, the company stated that one of its biggest clients recently pulled its contract which will see the company losing millions. As such, Emerge stated that it will be unable to pay employees and plans to downsize its operations in July. Emerge BPO, Middle Street, Georgetown,…

A conversation about fatherhood with my father

June 21, 2019June 21, 2019 TIMES INT'L

By Leah Hernandez Millions of children worldwide are fortunate enough to have a father figure in their lives, while others can only dream of having that man we call a “father”. This contrast often times leads most of us to ask: “what is a father?” and “who is a good father?”. The simplest definition of the word father is “An important male figure in the origin and early history of something”, but, most importantly, being a good father means being an endless role model and making all the difference in…

Justice Patterson should resign following CCJ ruling

June 21, 2019June 21, 2019 TIMES INT'L

Dear Editor, The Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) has finally rendered its long-awaited ruling on the two critical constitutional matters pertaining to Guyana and these must be honoured without delay. The CCJ ruled that the No-Confidence Motion was validly passed and elections must be held within ninety days, and the unilateral appointment of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) Chair was flawed. The court asked (ordered) the lawyers for the two contending parties (really President David Granger and Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo) to meet and suggest a solution on a way…

Trade unions call on Guyana Govt to abide by CCJ rulings

June 21, 2019June 21, 2019 TIMES INT'L

Following Tuesday’s landmark ruling by the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), local trade unions have come out urging Government to respect the court’s decisions and for leaders to have consensus going forward. The regional court ruled that the No-Confidence Motion (NCM) was validly passed on December 21, 2018, and also deemed the unilateral appointment of the Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) unconstitutional. Since then, calls have been pouring in from stakeholder bodies for the CCJ decisions to be accepted and respected. Joining these calls on Wednesday were the…

Transparency body calls for investigation into SPU sale of towers

June 21, 2019June 21, 2019 TIMES INT'L

In light of reports that the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) sold and may have undervalued two transmission towers belonging to the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo), Transparency International Guyana Incorporated (TIGI) is calling for answers. TIGI President, Dr Troy Thomas noted that NICIL’s Special Purpose Unit (SPU) – which was created to oversee the divestment of GuySuCo’s assets after the industry was downsized to only three estates – must provide answers on the sale, which sources at GuySuCo allege netted a sub-par price of just G$2.1 million. “They…