News

The APNU has proposed some $33.7B in cuts from the $208.8B budget estimates put forward by the government. Tuesday’s proposal had many overlaps with the $35.5B in cuts proposed by the AFC with the largest being the inclusion of some $19B in the estimates for the Low Carbon Development Strategy.

The National Assembly has unanimously passed the budget allocations for the education, justice and agriculture sectors without amendments. Consideration of the estimates began on Tuesday following the ruling of Speaker of the House Raphael Trotman that the Assembly did have the power to reduce allocations as the opposition parties had signalled they would do.

President Donald Ramotar and First Lady, Deolatchmie Ramotar. The opposition A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) proposes to cut the Office of the First Lady’s budget because it does not know what the office does.

Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Leslie Ramsammy responding to opposition questions during consideration of the estimates of Guyana’s 2013 National Budget. In the face of repeated criticism about the state of the loss-making Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuco), government on Tuesday announced plans to hold broad-based consultations on how to revive the industry.

Marlon Harriram (New York Daily News) A birdbrained smuggler nabbed at Kennedy Airport with nine singing finches from Guyana hidden up his sleeve was sentenced Tuesday to six months in prison. Marlon Hariram intended to sell the birds — worth more than $5,000 — in Queens, where they compete in high-stakes singing contests.

(L-R) Attorney General Anil Nandlall; Junior Finance Minister Juan Edghill; Prime Minister Samuel Hinds; Finance Minister Dr. Ashni Singh; and Works Minister Robeson Benn. The government says the decision by the Speaker of the National Assembly to allow cuts to the budget estimates despite the Chief Justice’s preliminary ruling to the contrary has left it in a precarious position. At ...

Residents of East Bank Berbice on Tuesday picketed outside Parliament Building, threatening to prevent an Indian Arrival Day motorcade from passing if government does not fix the deplorable New Amsterdam to Mara Road.

Speaker of the National Assembly Raphael Trotman on Tuesday ruled that the opposition could amend the budget. Handing down his ruling the Speaker said though it was not expressly stated in the constitution it would be absurd to think the people’s representatives could not amend the budget.

A businessman was shot and robbed outside the High Court shortly after leaving a city commercial bank, reports say. A woman, who was passing by at the same time, was also shot when one of the bandits opened fire.

Speaker of the National Assembly Raphael Trotman is to rule on Tuesday whether some GUY$35.5B in budget cuts proposed by the Alliance For Change (AFC) could be entertained in the House. A motion in the name of AFC’s Khemraj Ramjattan is before the House proposing an amendment to the government’s GUY$208.8B budget estimates.