Category: News

By Svetlana Marshall   The United States Department of Transportation (DOT) is standing firm on its decision not to permit direct Fly Jamaica flights between Guyana and New York, denying the airline for a second time. In July, Fly Jamaica and Caribbean Airlines (CAL) applied for an exemption under 49 U. S. C 40109 for extra-bilateral authority to conduct seventh-freedom turnaround service between Guyana and New York but their applications were rejected by the U. S. Department of Transportation on September 30. Fly Jamaica subsequently filed a petition for Review…

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– battered body found on street after party BY BHISHAM MOHAMED   The battered body of a male sex worker was on Tuesday morning discovered in a street in the vicinity of Day Clean Bar, Port Mourant, Corentyne, Berbice hours after he left a party at a friend’s house. The dead man was identified as Nandkumar Poonwassie, 33, also called “Vishal” and “Darshanie” of Lot 132 Tain Settlement, Port Mourant. At the time of his discovery, he was clad in a plaid short pants and a white t-shirt, bracing a…

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The finals of the 2013 National Drama Festival culminated at the National Cultural Centre on Friday evening with three interesting plays, which for the most part, commanded the attention of the sizable audience. The three plays were “Creative Burial Ground”, “Duplicity” and “Deep Wounds”. They were all fairly well executed by quite a young cast, who appeared eager to display their theatrical talents. The cultural centre intermittently exploded during the productions either with laugher or disgust. Nevertheless, after several hours of drama, the curtains were drawn on the junior category.…

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Global food prices declined by six per cent over the last quarter, but are still not far from their historical peaks, according to the World Bank Group’s (WBG) latest Food Price Watch report. Wheat markets remain tight; and weather-related concerns in Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina, Ukraine, and the Russian Federation may further drive up wheat prices over the next few months. Domestic prices showed typically large variations across countries, mainly attributable to seasonal trends but also due to a combination of factors including bad weather, public procurement policies, local supply shortfalls…

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BY VAHNU MANIKCHAND   President Donald Ramotar said flaws in the judicial system are contributing in a major way to the high level of interpersonal violence in the country. He made the comment on Monday while addressing a forum to commemorate International Day for Elimination of Violence against Women. The forum hosted by the Home Affairs Ministry at the Guyana International Conference Centre, Liliendaal, Greater Georgetown, sought to examine and adopt current violence prevention methodologies, develop a national plan of action towards violence prevention and establish a body to coordinate…

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The Bank of Guyana on Friday officially launched the Gy$ 5000 note, in keeping with its Currency Reform programme. The note will come into circulation on December 9.The face of the note carries the map of Guyana with its natural resources, while the reverse portrays the national bird and the rainforest. It measures 156 mm x 65mm (similar to existing notes) with the main colours being magenta and green. The Bank of Guyana’s deputy governor, Dr Gobind Ganga said leading up to the circulation date, an awareness campaign will be…

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The Guyana Energy Agency (GEA) is spearheading several energy audits on government buildings to determine their levels of electricity consumption and tailor conservation practices that can be adopted. Head of the GEA Mahender Sharma said that audits have been conducted on over 30 buildings and made reference to the agency’s strategic plan that speaks specifically to such undertakings. Meanwhile, the Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association (GMSA) will be undertaking a similar programme with support from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), targeting private businesses. Prime Minister Samuel Hinds, who spoke about…

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The Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH& PA) is spending a grand total of Gy$ 5.8 billion on the East Bank Demerara for this year, with Gy$ 3.8 billion on ongoing projects and another Gy$ 1.5 billion on projects that are at the tender stage. Housing and Water Minister Irfaan Ali, at the penultimate One Stop Shop last Friday, told the media that the ongoing projects are: Providence Phase Three, that encompasses an investment of Gy$ 731 million for 558 new lots; Farm where Gy$ 1.4 billion will be spent…

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Junior Agriculture Minister Ali Baksh is calling on Region Six residents to stop the indiscriminate dumping of garbage in waterways. Speaking at a recent project inspection tour in the region, Baksh said the dumping of solid waste has led to widespread flooding in the region, not only in agricultural communities, but also in residential areas. Six mini excavators have been sent to Region Six to assist with the clearing of community drains. Currently, the machines are deployed at Tain, Bloomfield, Rose Hall Town and Albion and work has already been…

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Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister Anil Nandlall has described the A Partnership For National Unity (APNU) and the Alliance For Change’s (AFC) opposition to Cabinet’s role in the awarding of public contracts as “incongruous and wrong both in principle and constitutionality”. The political opposition, in particular the AFC, has been calling for the establishment of a Public Procurement Commission (PPC), which will see the removal of Cabinet’s role in the procurement process. “This is heresy both administratively and constitutionally, and we are saying that this incongruous position cannot obtain,”…

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