News – Page 678 – Guyana Times International

Guyanese running for Office in Orlando

January 27, 2012 TIMES INT'L

A Guyanese-American, Rick Singh, is running for elective office as Property Appraiser, Orange County, in Central Florida. Rick grew up in the Bronx and served the United State, as a soldier in the U.S. Army. Rick describes himself as a leader within his community, having organized cultural events, and hosting a local radio program, for the area’s Indo-American community. Rick’s sense of civic duty is what is leading him to run for public office. A fundraiser was held in New York last Friday, to assist Rick in his endeavour, to…

Granger says drug abuse prevalent in hinterland schools

January 27, 2012 TIMES INT'L

– Manickchand says detailed review ongoing Opposition Leader Brigadier David Granger has called for an immediate, independent investigation into the administration of hinterland secondary schools, especially those with dormitories, saying that drug abuse at almost all of the institutions is prevalent. However, in a sharp response, Education Minister, Priya Manickchand said government has undertaken a full review of all hinterlands schools long before, Granger has been aroused. Granger’s call came in the wake of re cent reports of misconduct by teachers and students and of “dangerous mismanagement by the…

Environmentalist advocates water conservation in climate change adaptation

January 27, 2012 TIMES INT'L

Associate Professor from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of South Florida, Dr Maya Trotz has underscored the need for transferring experiences gained from knowledge, education and research, to the water sector to aid in the climate change fight. During her presentation to students at the University of Guyana, Turkeyen Campus, Dr Trotz stressed the importance of water conservation and consciousness in the adaptation to climate change efforts. Dr Trotz, who served as one of the facilitators at the Inter- American Development Bank (IDB) workshop on…

Crime up in “Little Guyana” in New York

January 27, 2012 TIMES INT'L

Crime has picked up in a Queens Little Guyana precinct surrounding the newly opened video gambling resort. Reports say that the 106th precinct that covers the glittering new racino (combination of races and casino gambling) at Aqueduct has seen a spike in crime but the report did not say who were the perpetrators or victims of the crime. A large number of Guyanese and other immigrants are settled in the area. Also, it’s unclear to what, if any extent the gambling operation can be tied to the spurt of crime…

Guyanese produced documentary shows impact of casino on Richmond Hill

January 27, 2012 TIMES INT'L

A Guyanese community organization, Indo-Caribbean Alliance, based in Richmond Hill has produced a video documentary on the impact of the introduction of casino gambling at Aqueduct race track. The documentary is titled “Racino: End of an American Dream” and it can be viewed on You Tube or ordered from the ICA. The ICA is a not for profit non-partisan organization dedicated to the struggle for economic justice, civil rights and empowerment. The video is a personal account of some of the 500 vendors, many of whom were Guyanese, who lost…

Cabinet green lights over Gy$180M in contracts for health sector

January 27, 2012 TIMES INT'L

Cabinet on Tuesday offered its no objections to four contracts in the health sector. Cabinet Secretary Dr Roger Luncheon at a post Cabinet briefing on Wednesday at the Office of the President announced that Gy$114.1 million has been approved for the procurement of drugs and supplies for the Health Ministry; Gy$16.9 million for the supply and delivery of vehicles to the same ministry; Gy$34.5 million for the provision of security services at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), and also Gy$21.1 million for the provision of cleaning supplies to the…

Guyana keen on whistleblower legislation

January 27, 2012January 27, 2012 TIMES INT'L

By Danielle CampBell Guyana has approached the Organisation of American States (OAS) requesting technical support in the drafting of whistle- blower legislation. Government is interested in the development of the legislation in an effort to ensure corporations adhere to principles of governance as outlined in Guyana’s legislative framework, and shareholders’ rights are adequately protected. The whistle- blower legislation offers protection from retaliatory action against persons specifically identified to report misconduct in government- run and other agencies. Presidential Advisor on Governance, Gail Teixeira told this newspaper that there are a number…

CANU urges setting up of narco court

January 27, 2012 TIMES INT'L

By Bhisham Mohamed A midst a backlog of narcotics matters still to be completed in the courts, Customs Anti Narcotics Unit (CANU) Director, James Singh said it was time a special court is established for the hearing of drug cases. Singh, in an interview with Guyana Times International last week, said over the past three years, more than 80 charges have been instituted against drug traffickers in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts, but due to constraints of the magistracy, to date about 38 of those cases are still pending. Eighteen of…

Telecoms bill is priority for opposition

January 27, 2012 TIMES INT'L

The passage of the Telecommunications Act in the National Assembly during the early sessions of the 10th Sitting of the House has been deemed priority by the opposition political parties, the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) and the Alliance for Change (AFC). The ruling People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) said that there is no prepared schedule to outline when the issue would be debated before the House. Speaking with Guyana Times International on January 20, leader of the government side of the House, Prime Minister Samuel Hinds when asked whether…

Designs drafted – Remodelling of Turkeyen Campus

January 27, 2012 TIMES INT'L

If all goes well, the University of Guyana’s Turkeyen Campus can undergo a much needed facelift with proposals for student lounge, day- care and a security headquarters. Final and third year students from the Department of Architecture, Faculty of Technology are currently engaged in a project which will provide a draft design for a remodelled look of the Turkeyen Campus, based on feedback from staff and students. The preliminary plan for Turkeyen Campus was presented before an audience of students and staff at the Centre for Information Technology, Lab 1…