Category: News

BY DEVI SEITARAM The death toll of the horrific early Monday evening accident on Homestretch Avenue rose from four to five by Tuesday morning, but the other patients who were listed as critical are now stable and are presently hospitalised at the Georgetown Public Hospital. GPH officials said fifteen persons were rushed to the hospital to receive medical attention following the accident. Dead are Coretta Benjamin, 39, headmistress of JE Burnham Nursery School, her daughter Crazel Paul, 8, Erica La Cruz, Peter Mc Clennon 29, and Junior Duncan. They are…

The arrival of the Argentine Navy’s training ship to Guyana’s shores is the first step to fostering better relationship with the Spanish-speaking country and Guyana. While on a tour of the Libertad on July 16, charge d’ affaires of the Embassy of Argentina, Luis Martino told the media that the ship’s arrival signals appreciation for Guyana, and Argentina plans to launch better relationship henceforth. The Republic of Argentina, he said, is currently looking for a location in Georgetown to set up an embassy, which will become operable in a short…

Tourism, Industry and Commerce Minister Manniram Prashad, on July 18, said that the new Transport Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, Devant Maharaj, is considering setting up an in-transit lounge for Guyanese. Minister Prashad remarked that he recently met with the minister and addressed concerns about the hassle Guyanese face when in transit in Trinidad and Tobago. He said the new minister is considering setting up an in-transit lounge so that Guyanese passengers will not have to face the harassment. Recently, at a media conference, President Bharrat Jagdeo argued the case…

BY ARIANA GORDON The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) on July 18, announced that it was reopening the Claims and Objections(C&O) Period for 13 days, starting July 25, to accommodate those persons who were not in receipt of their source documents during the initial C&O Period. The decision was not unanimously taken, and saw two of the five commissioners voting against the reopening process at a special meeting held on July 18. GECOM Chairman Dr Steve Surujbally told the media after the two- hour-long meeting that the decision by the commission…

A two-day Guyana consultation series on the CARIFORUM/EU Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) on July 19 concluded with enhanced focus being placed on trade services, with reference to cross border supply of services and other issues. The forum, held at the Foreign Service Institute at Shiv Chanderpaul Drive in Georgetown, focused on positioning the region’s goods and services to tap into commercial and other opportunities within the EU market, the Government Information Agency (GINA) said. Foreign Affairs Minister Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, while addressing stakeholders at the consultation, said that Heads of Government,…

Partnership for National Unity presidential candidate David Granger has promised Guyana Public Service Union members that, should his party win the national election, he will modernise the public service and offer better opportunities for its members. Speaking at the union’s general council meeting on July 15, Granger said he is disappointed that information technology is not an integral part of the functioning of the public service. He has promised to offer better remuneration, education opportunities, and fewer burdens on public servants. Among the main issues raised by members attending the…

Guyana’s Foreign Affairs Minister Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett has acknowledged that the free movement of skills in the region may be the weak point in Caricom’s integration movement. She made this observation even as the National Assembly amended legislation to widen the categories of persons who can qualify for the Caricom skills certificate. The Caribbean Community (Free Entry of Skilled Nationals) (Amendment) Bill was unanimously passed in the House on July 14. And Rodrigues-Birkett described the legislation as an important step Guyana has made under its obligations to the Treaty of Chaguaramas…

BY SAMUEL SUKHNANDAN A midst a shortage of staff at the Cyril Potter College of Education, in-service student Villon Parris was adjudged the “best graduating student” at that college’s convocation, on July 14 at the National Cultural Centre. Parris graduated from the secondary academic programme majoring in Mathematics. He gained the only distinction among 50 other male students and 465 females all together. While there is still a need for more males to be trained and placed into the school system, only ten per cent of the graduating class of…