Leaders of the 15-nation Caribbean Community (CARICOM) are set to discuss poor performance in mathematics by children across the region, and already President Irfaan Ali is suggesting that declining grades in that subject might be due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “The issue of mathematics has now captured the attention of every single head of state and Prime Minister in the ...

Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo on Thursday ruled out that impending amendments to the Cyber Crime Act would seek to stifle freedom of expression and freedom of the media but would be in line with the United Nations (UN) Convention against Cybercrime. “We are not for censorship on the internet.” he told his weekly press conference at Freedom House, the headquarters ...

by GHK Lall It was first US$176 million, then almost US$200 million, and now, pursuant to a CANU release has settled at 176 million euros. The euros translate to almost US$195 million, which in using the CANU number makes this GY$39 billion in one fell swoop. I am speaking of the record-breaking drug bust in the Matthews Ridge area of ...

The People’s National Congress Reform/A Partnership for National Unity (PNCR/APNU) on Thursday promised to establish intelligence networks in Guyana’s interior regions as part of several steps to combat narco-trafficking. “One of our main approaches will be to win the trust and cooperation of residents in our Hinterland communities in making them a major line of defence and source of intelligence,” ...

President Irfaan Ali on Wednesday said government has asked for international help with “assets” to deal with drug-laden planes that fly over Guyana, just days after the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) unearthed 4.4 tonnes of cocaine from several pits in Matthews Ridge, North West District. “We’ve already asked and we’re ready to work with our partners, once we’re given the ...

The National Defence Institute (NDI) of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF), which was launched on Wednesday, has been tasked with analysing the threats being posed by gangs across the Caribbean to inform an upcoming regional meeting on crime and security, President Irfaan Ali said. “I’ve challenged the Institute to do a comprehensive analysis of the gangs in the region and ...

Police Commissioner Clifton Hicken fended off questions that a senior police officer was allegedly linked to the cocaine stash that was unearthed from several pits near an illegal airstrip in Guyana’s interior. A Guyanese senior law enforcement agent said a policeman has been implicated and that his posting there might have been facilitated by others. When contacted, the officer told ...

By GHK Lall I keep it simple in this chat about democracy versus autocracy in Guyana. I agree and disagree with the erudite Dr. Bertrand Ramcharran. I mostly disagree with those who disagree with him. First, some poor man’s definitions would help. Democracy is government by those with the greater numbers, a system where high ideals once resonated. Autocracy is ...

By Dr. Randy Persaud, Professor Emeritus, SIS, American University, Washington, DC In 2016 I published a research article under the title “Neo-Gramscian Theory and Third World Violence: A Time for Broadening” in the journal Globalizations (Vol. 13, No. 5). The aim of the article was to provide an overview and critique of Neo-Gramscian political economy and international theory. This was ...

The Venezuela’s President’s plane that was seized by the United States (U.S.) in the Dominican Republic was used on several international flights including last December’s trip to St Vincent for a meeting with Guyana’s President, Irfaan Ali on the Essequibo border dispute. The U.S. Department of Justice said Mr Nicolás Maduro’s aircraft was seized in the Dominican Republic and transferred ...