Business

GASCI Summary of Financials Session 257 June 09, 2008Notes1 – Interim results 2 – Prospective EPS: earnings per share for 12 months period to the date the latest financials have been prepared.

Ottawa ready for Free Trade pact with CARICOM Canadian High Commissioner to Guyana Charles Court has told Stabroek Business that Canada is seeking to further strengthen its already considerable trade, business and investment ties with the Caribbean.

Twice in recent days President Bharrat Jagdeo has made a point of bemoaning the chronic indifference of CARICOM countries to the development of their respective agricultural sectors and, by extension, their neglect of the importance of national and regional food security.

-High Commissioner Canadian High Commissioner to Guyana Charles Court has said that relations between Guyana and Canada in the mining sector have benefited from the clear setting out by the Government of Guyana and the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) of the regulations within which they expect mining activity to take place.

(BUSINESS EDITORIAL) If it seems as though fingers are frequently pointed at the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) over the surfeit of harmful practices  in the gold-mining sector that continue to injure the physical health of the host communities and damage the physical environment, that is only because it is the GGMC – in the final analysis – that is responsible for enforcing the regulations that govern mining practices.

Studies reveal mercury impact on humans, environment Even as Guyana’s gold mining sector  continues  to attract criticism from environmentalists and host community lobbyists over mining practices considered harmful to the human and physical environment, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Secretariat in Guyana says that it will continue to collaborate with the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission, (GGMC), the Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners Association (GGDMA), local gold-miners, lobby groups  and mining communities to help move the industry towards more sustainable mining practices.

Prime Minister Samuel Hinds and Acting Commissioner of the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) William Woolford met recently with Brazil’s Deputy Minister of Mines and Energy Claudio Seliar to discuss the ongoing commitment of the two countries to controlling the international trade in conflict diamonds.

GASCI (www.gasci.com/telephone Nº 223-6175/6) reports that session 256’s trading results showed consideration of $3,844,192 from 234,735 shares traded in 17 transactions as compared to session 255 which showed consideration of $1,321,280 from 61,608 shares traded in 8 transactions. 

Prime Minister Samuel Hinds says Guyana is already taking steps towards a low carbon economy through the exploration of hydro-electricity and other forms of energy.

A security breach at the Roraima Airways maintenance facility at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, Timehri, has left the company with millions of dollars in losses from theft and deliberate damage to its ground handling equipment and raised wider questions about security within the fenced perimeter and restricted area at the country’s international airport.

The new multi-sectoral Guyana Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS is to pay greater attention to the policies and practices of local insurance companies in relation to providing insurance services for Persons Living With HIV/AIDS  (PLWHA’s).

A critical leadership role The current global food crisis and the need for an urgent and energetic CARICOM response that seeks to address regional food security underscores the critical importance of Guyana’s agricultural sector to the region’s capacity to feed itself.

(Rawle Lucas is a Guyanese-born Certified Public Accountant and Assistant Vice President of the Lending Services Division.

Little movement on recommendations Delays in moving ahead with some of the critical recommendations contained in the Report of the National Insurance Reform Committee could seriously affect the future viability of the Scheme, according to a source close to the Scheme.

GASCI Summary of Financials Session 255 May 28, 2008  Notes 1 – Interim results 2 – Prospective EPS: earnings per share for 12 months period to the date the latest financials have been prepared.

               GASCI (www.gasci.com/telephone Nº 223-6175/6) reports that session 255’s trading results showed consideration of $1,321,280 from 61,608 shares traded in 8 transactions as compared to session 254 which showed consideration of $1,603,325 from 85,396 shares traded in 20 transactions. 

The United States-funded Guyana HIV/AIDS Reduction and Prevention Project (USAID/GHARP) has taken a important step towards consolidating its coalition with the local private sector to respond to the HIV/AIDS crisis by announcing the launch of the new Guyana Business Coalition for HIV/AIDS.

Problems in Amerindian communities being ignored – groups Prime Minister Samuel Hinds has told a mining forum that outrages such as the illegal gold operation on the Salbora road in Region Eight earlier this year might be blamed on the “frenzy” from high gold prices.