Opposition slams use of tax dollars for fetes
State funding of private entertainment shows and tax waivers for some promoters have drawn criticism from opposition leaders who argue about government responsibility and the effective use of public dollars, among other concerns. Specifically, the state’s involvement in the recent ‘Jamzone Summer Break Weekend’ has come under heavy scrutiny, and questions have been raised as [...]
Corriverton boy soaking up male top model adulation
Most people audition for Guyana Model Search in person then there are the Steven Bagots; people who look good enough to submit a few photographs and trust they will get in it. Guess what; they usually do. Some of us have looks, some of us rightly believe we do, and some of us don’t really [...]
The air up there and other discoveries in Vienna
Maybe nothing was in the air yet for some reason I kept thinking that Vienna’s air was different; it was certainly fresh. The crisp air was the first thing I drew in as I stepped outside of the terminal and into a city I knew existed but had no impressions of. If any first impressions [...]
Brazil tables proposal on paved Lethem road funding
With financing being a critical component of the project to pave the Lethem-Linden road, Brazil yesterday submitted a proposal to President Bharat Jagdeo for “his consideration” which outlines how some of the funding could be secured. Brazil’s Undersecretary-General for South and Central America and the Caribbean, Ambassador Antonio Jose Ferreira Simoes said yesterday that the [...]
Ne-Yo unplugged: R&B star talks about his music, his life and upcoming album
For about twenty minutes the air-conditioning inside the Princess Hotel had been turned on, but you couldn’t tell from how hot the room was, and the reason was the same all around: people were working up a sweat over Ne-Yo! It was pretty obvious that he was going to show because word that he had [...]
‘Ne-yooooo-ing’ all the way
-crooner seduces, enchants Sunday morning Jamzone crowd For too long we have imported performers that come over as pedestrian on stage and/or too lyrically weak to offer the kind of surreal entertainment this country hungers for, until Ne-Yo that is, and if anything the R&B crooner is incredibly gifted. Who said the entertainment-starved among us [...]
Skeldon sugar strike still on
Ongoing industrial action at the Skeldon factory is a blow to the sugar industry which is struggling with production, but Chief Executive Officer at GuySuCo Paul Bhim said yesterday that the second crop is in no immediate danger. Bhim’s statement is seemingly based on the assumption that the current strike will not persist resulting in [...]
Death penalty ‘spectacular failure’ in crime fight
-civic forum hears call for abolition, justice system review The death penalty as a deterrent has been a spectacular failure according to Dr. Arif Bulkan, who said yesterday that government needs to abolish it as well as examine social conditions in the country that give rise to many of the murders perpetrated. The state of [...]
House passes ‘big stick’ bill to clamp down on power theft
-opposition urges action on root causes The National Assembly yesterday voted to update laws to curb the widespread theft in the electricity sector and opposition speakers called on the administration to tackle poverty and other social issues which they say are fuelling the problem. The Electricity Sector Reform (Amendment) Bill empowers the Guyana Power and [...]
Condom use in Caribbean unacceptably low, fuelling HIV – epidemiologist
Condom use during sex in the Caribbean remains unacceptably low in an environment where HIV transmissions are still high, epidemiologist Professor Peter Figueroa says, and he also points out that the sexual habit of multiple partners is fuelling the epidemic in many countries. Some progress is visible across the region but prevalence remains high, according [...]
Guyana has HIV target in sights – Singh
– more work to be done among youth; on condom use The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) represent a global partnership to reduce extreme poverty by setting out a series of time-bound targets, with a deadline of 2015. In 2000, world leaders made a historic commitment: at the United Nations Headquarters in New York to eradicate [...]
TB not getting the attention it deserves
-Vienna workshop hears By Iana Seales In Vienna, Austria Tuberculosis is the forgotten disease says Peg Willingham, Senior Director for External Affairs at Aeras Global and she also points out that funding is not enough at the global level to effectively tackle the illness in many countries. Willingham was speaking at one of a series [...]
Bhim focusing on ramped up cane growth
-independent opinion needed on exploded boiler Chief Executive Officer (ag) of GuySuCo Paul Bhim has set cane cultivation high on his agenda, saying an adequate supply is what the industry needs to bounce back from a tough period, but he also pointed to other critical strategies as the corporation pushes to increase output. The focus [...]
The children who didn’t make it to the top schools also have dreams
Michael Baksh of Smith Memorial Primary School felt like scrapping his examination results this year because he performed “not so good”, but he was the top performer at his school and also represents a large batch of students across the country who gave it all they had and came up a bit short. Outside of [...]
Regional industries need to be more competitive – Wheeler
Regional industries need to be more competitive to drive economic growth, former British High Commissioner Fraser Wheeler has said, noting that tourism for instance has to stay abreast of changes. Tourism is enormously important to the region, Wheeler said, but he questioned whether the product is evolving in keeping with global trends. “… It doesn’t [...]