Archives for September 23, 2016
Areas on Essequibo Coast in dire need of street lights − conditions at Hampton Court Airstrip a major concern
September 23, 2016 By
Several Councillors attached to the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) of Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam) are calling for the installation of street lights at strategic areas on the Essequibo Coast especially at the Hampton Court Airstrip. The Councillors made this call during the last RDC statutory meeting for the month of September.
Regional Vice Chairman Nandranie Coonjah explained that the area is currently dark and porters are finding it difficult to transport patients from the ambulance to the aircraft during cases of emergency evacuation.
Alluding to the gravity of the situation, she revealed that at on one occasion, the fire tender’s lights had to be used to assist while evacuating an accident patient.
The Vice Chairman is therefore calling for the immediate installation of lights at the airstrip.
People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Councillor, Brian Basil, informed the RDC that many of the street lights along the Essequibo Coast are non functional and urged Public Infrastructure Minister David Patterson to send a maintenance crew to the Essequibo Coast.
Basil added that taxi drivers and other road users are finding it difficult at nights to traverse the roadways due to darkness.
Another PPP/C Councillor, Arnold Adams, who resides in the Supenaam area, also described a similar situation which exists around the Good Hope Stelling, which is also in need of street lighting.
Adams said the area can be compared to that of a little “ghost” town during the night, adding that the lives of persons who travel late at night are at risk.
He pointed to the recent robbery where the accused tried to flee the area by boarding the ferry.
He said the installation of the street lights will ensure better security as well as assist the Police in their work. The Councillor urged the RDC members to write the subject Minister in relation to recommendations made.
Guyana among 60 countries to have ratified Paris Agreement on climate change
September 23, 2016 By
President David Granger was the first Head of State to be congratulated on Thursday by United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon at a special “High-Level Event on Entry into Force of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change”.
The event was convened to specially recognise the deposit of the instruments of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession to the Paris Agreement on climate change by those countries that have already completed that process, a release from the Government Information Agency (GINA) stated.
Sixty of the 197 parties to the Convention have ratified that Agreement, which was signed on April 22 this year. With more than 55 countries having formally joined the Paris Agreement, the first of the two required thresholds to bring it into effect has now been crossed. The second threshold will be met when countries representing a total of 55 per cent of global emissions officially sign on. So far, that percentage stands at 47.5 per cent.
President Granger has indicated that Guyana’s ‘green agenda’ is consistent with the Paris Agreement and the country has demonstrated that it was a reliable partner in the fight against the effects of climate change. “Our forests actually help the Earth to breathe and in that regard, Guyana is an asset to Mother Earth,” he said.
Secretary General Ban Ki-moon urged countries that have not yet ratified the Agreement to accelerate their domestic processes. He said, “I am confident that by the time I leave office, the Paris Agreement will have entered into force.”
At COP 21 in Paris, held from November 30 to December 11, 2015, a landmark agreement to combat climate change and to accelerate and intensify the actions and investments needed for a sustainable low- carbon future was reached. One hundred and seventy five countries signed on to that Agreement on April 22 at a signing ceremony in New York.
UG setting the stage for programmes in energy sector – in talks with Natural Resources, Agriculture Ministries
September 23, 2016 By
The University of Guyana (UG) is still to commence programmes that could supplement Guyana’s newfound oil and gas sector, but Vice Chancellor, Dr Ivelaw Griffith said the institution was still in the process of making the platform available.
Following an announcement by Education Minister, Dr Rupert Roopnaraine earlier this year that a Petroleum Engineer Programme was to be introduced to the University by the new school year, officials at the country’s premier tertiary institution disclosed that the University was nowhere close to offering such programme.
Asked about the progress thus far, Dr Griffith told Guyana Times recently that the University was still in talks with the Ministries with responsibility for the oil and gas sector. He informed that a few weeks ago he had met with the Registrar and UG’s Chemistry Department Head to look at what was currently offered on energy at the University.
“We are not comfortable that we do not have the whole package yet. I’d like to know what we have, not only offering as classes, but what we have by way of research, because the enterprise of energy has to be researched and so we had a second effort to put one package together to understand where we are,” the VC told Guyana Times.
He said the University held talks with the Natural Resources and Agriculture Ministries on a “lot of energy aspects on what is it Government anticipates needing, what it is we have and what gaps need to be filled”. He said the conversation with the respective Ministries was ongoing.
“We agreed that there is a game plan and before we sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the University and the Ministry, we want to be comfortable to know what we have and what gaps are to be filled. That is where we are at the moment. I expect to have a meeting with the Minister in November with the Natural Resources Ministry and to discuss the crossovers and commonalities are,” he informed.
The recent discovery of oil in Guyana’s waters by US oil and gas giant ExxonMobil has evoked a new level of hope for Guyana’s ailing economy. And while questions have been raised about whether the country’s top tertiary institution would be able to galvanise itself to help realise the promised profits to the economy, critics say the response was a far cry from what was really needed to take hold of the emerging industry.
University Chancellor, Dr Nigel Harris had said earlier that the institution had better be prepared for the oil and gas sector, which promised economic growth for Guyana.
“We had better be able to address that area,” the Chancellor told Guyana Times when asked on Wednesday. He was at the time addressing Journalists at a forum where he disclosed the plans the fairly new administration had for the institution.
He said the US oil company has already approached the University and has been making inquiries about its current arrangement for an industry that is likely to place the country’s economy on another level.
While the University is already offering programmes related to the industry, others are in the pipeline, the Professor said. However, much more needs to be done, he noted, stating that he will be arranging with the University of the West Indies (UWI), where he recently served as Vice Chancellor and international agencies, assistance for the institution.
According to Harris, UWI has been training petroleum engineers and other persons in the industry for the past four decades.
“It may be that the UG may not be able to provide all the staff they need. So, we are planning to link the University of Guyana with international institutions. I will be pushing for links with UWI…. It does not make sense that we have the next-door neighbours and not take advantage of the programmes,” he told Guyana Times.
Police arrest prime suspect in Tucville mechanic’s murder
September 23, 2016 By
Almost four months after 29-year-old Orrette West was stabbed to death at Plaisance, East Coast Demerara, over an old grievance, Police ranks arrested the main suspect on Thursday.
West, a mechanic of Tucville Terrace, East La Penitence, was stabbed once to his chest and once to his abdomen on the morning of June 4, while hanging out at the Plaisance Railway Embankment.
His attacker, who hails from Guyhoc Park, Greater Georgetown, had fled the scene immediately after injuring the mechanic and had been in hiding since.
However, Guyana Times was informed by sources that on Thursday morning the Police received information about his whereabouts and went to Albouystown, Georgetown, where they arrested the suspect.
The Police source further indicated the suspect was interrogated about the incident and subsequently confessed to killing the 29-year-old mechanic. He is expected to be charged and brought before the courts as early as today.
Eyewitnesses had told this publication that West was dancing with a woman when the suspect walked towards him, hugged him and inflicted the wounds.
West collapsed and was picked up and rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
Relatives of the dead man had revealed that the post-mortem confirmed that he died as a result of a single stab wound to his chest.
Guyana Times was told that the stabbing might have stemmed from a December 2015 incident involving the two men.
However, on the day of the stabbing, the dead man’s mother told this newspaper, her son did not have any issue with anyone, and refuted the claims that he was involved in a fight with the suspect.
Golden Jaguars hungry for success says Coach Dover
September 23, 2016 By
BY AKEEM GREENE
Guyana’s National Football team, the Golden Jaguars are attempting to create history by qualifying for the Gold Cup but their first two hurdles will be overcoming nemesis Suriname and the formidable Jamaica Reggae Boyz in round three of the 2016 Scotia Bank Men’s Caribbean Cup.
Though it seems a daunting task, Assistant Head Coach Wayne Dover in speaking to Guyana Times Sport on Thursday at the Georgetown Football Club (GFC) revealed that the team is hungry to succeed.
“We see a level of seriousness from the guys over time; we see a really hungry group in search of victory, who will go out there fight to the bitterly to the end, do or die and try to get this result that is needed to qualify Guyana for the Gold Cup” , Dover disclosed.
Though for the venue for the matches which are slated on October 8 (Suriname) and October 11 (Jamaica) are uncertain since the Track and Field Facility at Leonora is seeking to pass fitness from the Caribbean Football Union (CFU), the coach said that the team is focused on doing their job by inputting the necessary training.
Dover explained that “The early ground work has been good, most of the players are in pre-season with their respective the Elite League teams so there is a base they came at and we are trying to build; it’s a collective effort needed to improve, and once we get that we will be at full strength”
In round two of the tournament, the Jaguars would have lost 5-2 to Curacao but rebounded by scolding US Virgin Islands 7-0. Commenting on how the players plan to deal with the pressure of playing their formidable opponents, Dover said that they need to remain focus on the mission at hand.
“In playing against Jamaica, once we focus as a group, and play discipline throughout the game, we can hold them probably to draw or win; we know Jamaica and those teams who are noted to be top teams in the region they could become cocky at times and think Guyana is a simple push over and we can ketch them a little bit over confident and complacent just like we did with Trinidad a few years ago and came out on top of that game” the Assistant Coach disclosed.
He went unto say, “With regards to Suriname they are our old nemesis and we have played them a few times over the years and we have been on the winning side most times and we want to continue that trend.”
The local contingent over the next few days are expected to be engaged in rigorous fitness drills while they await the arrival of the overseas based players before the final squad is announced.
Guyana Provisional Squad; Guyana based players – Andrew Murray (Alpha United FC), King Solomon Austin (Alpha United FC), Richie Richards (Alpha United FC), Kester Jacobs (Slingerz FC), Eon Alleyne (Fruta Conquerors FC), Vernon Mills (Slingerz FC), Gregory Richardson (Pele FC), Devon Millington (Slingerz FC), Daniel Wilson (Alpha United FC), Dwight Peters (Alpha United FC), Quincy Adams (Slingerz FC), Trayon Bobb (Slingerz FC), Dellon Lanferman (Alpha United FC), Colin Nelson (Alpha United FC), Dwain Jacobs (Alpha United FC), Tichard Joseph (Slingerz FC), Pernell Schultz (Alpha United FC) and Hubert Pedro (GFC).
Overseas based players – Akel Clarke (Central Couva FC), Walter Moore (FF Jaro FC), Samuel Cox (Wealdstone FC), Christopher Nurse (Puerto Rico FC), Sheldon Hiolder (Caledonia AIA FC), Neil Danns (Bury FC), Brandon Beresford (Rhoster Rhinos), Anthony Whyte (Sigma FC), Kadel Daniels (Dulwich Hamlet), Marcel Barrington (Margate FC), Jake Newton (Walton and Hersham FC), Shaquille Agard (Durham United FC), Julien Edwards, Adrian Butters (York Region Shooters), Amos Ramsay (Caledonia AIA FC), Kai Mc Kenzie-Lyle (Barnet FC), Warren Creavalle (Philadelphia Union FC), Sherif El-Masri and Corey Thomas.