Category: News

By Bhisham Mohamed Members of an extended family of 15 are now seeking refuge at their neighbours after a fire of unknown origin on June 14 destroyed their two-storey wooden-and-concrete house at 169 Eleazar Street, Lodge Housing Scheme, Georgetown. The fire started at around 12:30h. The ceiling of the house was where the fire was first noticed, and fanned by the wind, it quickly engulfed the upper flat. When Guyana Times International arrived on the scene, dazed, incredulous family members were questioning the cause of the fire, since no one…

Regional low-cost airline REDjet says it will be looking at alternative routes after it failed to break into the Trinidadian and Jamaican markets. REDjet Business Development Director Robbie Burns said that the non-approval of the airline’s request to operate in Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago seems to be more “political” in nature rather than “technical”. He said that the decision by the governments of the two countries not to fully approve the airline’s commercial operations also has significant implications for Caricom, as it borders on a breach of several international…

By Bhisham Mohamed Antonio “Bucky” De Santos perished in a hit-and-run accident early on Monday morning in the vicinity of Swan Turn, Soesdyke/Linden Highway, East Bank Demerara. His badly-crushed body was discovered at about 05:30h by a woman who was returning home from Georgetown. Reports reaching Guyana Times International revealed that the 25-year-old man was suspected to have been hit by a speeding vehicle just after 01:30h while on his way home from a birthday party. Relatives identified him by the clothes he was wearing at the time, as well…

– as airline struggles to fly in the Caribbean REDjet’s Chief Executive Officer Ian Burns said the obstruction that the airline is facing in getting its licence to operate in Trinidad and Jamaica is a contravention of the Chicago Convention under Caricom, and ‘no matter what length of time it takes, the airline will get the relevant licence to operate.’ He added that the airline has fulfilled all the relevant requirements and is awaiting word from the civil aviation authorities in the respective countries. Persons in the Caribbean have long…

Agriculture Minister Robert Persaud on Friday, June 03, signed an agreement with the Republic of Congo to increase cooperation between the two countries in the field of forestry and wood industries. The MOU, which was signed by Persaud and Congolese Minister of Forestry and Sustainable Development Henri Djombo, will pave the way for the strengthening of South-South cooperation between the two countries. According to a release from the Government Information Agency (GINA), the agreement will see the two countries establishing and developing cooperation to address sustainable forest management, REDD+ initiatives…

Guyana Elections Commission Chairman Dr Steve Surujbally, while debunking claims that GECOM is spending too much money, has stressed the need for society and politicians to have confidence in the body’s credibility. He lamented, among other unnecessary activities in elections preparations, the presence of scrutineers, who he said are costing a lot of money. “I do not ask for scrutineers and that hundreds of millions of dollars that we pay for scrutineers. To have people look over my back, that should not be,” Dr Surujbally said on Thursday, June02 in…

The long-awaited Freedom of Information Bill will be tabled in the National Assembly within the next two weeks, as it has successfully passed through Cabinet, where it has been reviewed and revised for any misrepresentations. Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr Roger Luncheon, at a post- Cabinet media briefing on Wednesday, June 01, stated that access to information is the most significant aspect of the bill, since it paves the way for hassle-free access to information. The bill will, however, have some conventions with regards to what information is available…

Twenty communities across five regions have signed on with the Local Government and Regional Development Ministry to set up safe houses and houses of justice to further social cohesion and tackle social illnesses. The initiative, launched last week at the Pegasus Hotel, is part of the United Nations Community Development Programme (CDP) and government’s Enhanced Public Trust, Security and Inclusion (EPTSI) project. EPTSI’s main focus is youth empowerment and promoting social cohesion. The community development will see the creation of safe houses and “houses of justice,” which will be housed…