– Guyana to host International Rice Conference The Minister of Industry, Investment and Commerce of Jamaica,Cheap NFL Jerseys, Mr Karl Samuda, will be in Guyana along with rice importers from Jamaica to have a round-table discussion on rice importation, President Bharrat Jagdeo has said.The Jamaican Minister will be in the country for the upcoming International Rice Conference, which will be hosted at the International Conference Center on November 7.President Bharrat JagdeoDuring a press conference at State House on Saturday, the Head of State said that, following much reported controversy on whether or not Jamaica will be purchasing the full quota of rice from Guyana, he called the minister and suggested that he visits Guyana.“I asked him to bring in some of the people who import our rice, so that we can sit around the table and try to resolve all the outstanding issues…So I am pleased that he will be coming here shortly,” President Jagdeo said.The upcoming conference will be attended by both local and overseas experts, who will be speaking on various aspects of the rice industry,Nike NFL Jerseys China, including historical and global issues affecting the industry, as well as the future of the sector, among other issues.Some of the participants at this conference will be from Colombia and the United States. They would be addressing technology in the sector.Scientists from North America, India and Europe will make presentations, one of which would be on parboiling of rice.During the conference,Cheap Jerseys China, a magazine would be launched to mark the 100th anniversary of rice exportation.A rice recipe book showcasing 101 ways to cook rice will also be launched during the conference.Meanwhile, on Saturday, a ‘Rice Fest’ will be hosted at the Guyana National Stadium.This event would be an annual feature to ‘celebrate the contribution of rice to the economy’.Just over a month ago, Jamaica had announced that it will not be purchasing the full quota of rice from Guyana this year, as it was given two waivers of the Common External Tariff.Jamaica does not have any legal obligation to purchase rice from Guyana.During bilateral discourses with Jamaica on the rice issue earlier in the year, it was decided that a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) should be signed to concretise that country’s rice purchase commitment.However,China Jerseys, that agreement is yet to be concluded,Jerseys NFL Cheap, since Minister Samuda does not have the legal jurisdiction to give such a guarantee.The Attorney General of Jamaica has indicated that the rice importation issue is a ‘private sector matter’ and that Samuda has no authority whatsoever to guarantee anything.As such, Samuda has since presented Guyana with a ‘Best Endeavour’ agreement, which states that he will do all in his power to ensure that the committed quota is imported.Guyana,Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys, however, is yet to sign on to that agreement.

Parliament’s largest opposition body, A Partnership For National Unity (APNU), has called for the immediate suspension of Channel 27/Cable 78, which is dedicated to China Central Television (CCTV).APNU,Cheap NFL Jerseys, which is a coalition of 10 parties, and which commands 26 seats in the National Assembly, said that it is convinced that the allocation of “channels 27/78 to CCTV is not above board and is in violation of the Broadcast Act”.CCTV started broadcasting two weeks ago,Wholesale China Jerseys, immediately sparking questions over what procedures were used to grant it the authority to operate, in the first place.After several conflicting statements from officials,Cheap NFL Jerseys China, Government took the stance that CCTV needed no licence to operate as it was broadcasting on a channel dedicated to the state-owned National Communications Network (NCN).The issue of TV and radio licences has been a burning one with accusations that government was only issuing the licences in a partisan manner to its friends.Weeks before he finished his constitutional term in office back in November 2011, the administration of former President Bharrat Jagdeo, issued several radio licences. Both Kaieteur News and Stabroek News, two independent dailies,Nike NFL Jerseys China, were ignored in the granting of those licences.The newly established regulatory body, Guyana National Broadcast Authority (GNBA) has since said; it will not be recognizing any old applications and that new ones will have to be submitted.Chairperson of GNBA, Bibi Shadick, a Member of Parliament for the ruling People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C), had initially, said that there was no record of CCTV’s application for licences on file. She later backed Prime Minister Sam Hinds who said that no licence is necessary for CCTV as it was only transmitting on NCN’s channel.However, both APNU and Alliance For Change (AFC), have been demanding answers how NCN was allocated that channel, in the first instance.According to APNU, yesterday, it is aware that the broadcast authority on Tuesday made a number of decisions,NFL Jerseys Cheap, at its meeting.One of these decisions included GNBA awaiting an application from NCN (with accompanying plans etc.) before it can address the propriety of the CCTV arrangement. A March deadline for submission was set.APNU also said that it is aware that the Advisory Committee on Broadcasting (ACB) will no longer communicate with stations during the transition period to absorb it within the GNBA.GNBA also reportedly decided that it can only proceed with the Linden TV matter when an application is received from the Regional Democratic Council.APNU said that it is important that the GNBA is taking steps to assert its authority since,Cheap Jerseys Wholesale, even in the midst of “some imperfections in the Broadcast Act” of 2011, “it still represents a positive step in the direction of regulating, supervising and developing the national broadcast system”.APNU pointed to a recent statement of the Office of the Prime Minister on Monday where it was said that the assigning of channels 27/78 to CCTV is a business arrangement with NCN.“We are aware that NCN, as a company, has been plagued by incidents of irregularities which are still to be addressed by the Minister of Communication, His Excellency the President.We have written to the Office of the President requesting a complete copy of the report of the investigation of NCN and have had no positive response which addresses the recommendations contained in that report.”APNU questioned how NCN could have entered into a business agreement with a foreign entity when its “agreement with local personnel has been tinged with illegality?”Government spokesman, Dr. Roger Luncheon, initially said that CCTV’s appearance in Guyana dated back to nearly a decade when Guyana and China signed a bilateral agreement.In addition to the political parties and broadcasters, criticisms of CCTV’s sudden appearance have also come from the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry, a powerful grouping of businesses in the capital city.The CCTV facilities are housed in the NCN’s compound.