August 7, 2016

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GUYANA DAILY NEWS

MONDAY, AUGUST 01, 2016

Thousands stranded as high speed internet goes down at CJIA

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lights leaving Guyana from the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) are experiencing delays and cancellations due to the collapse of the high-speed data link that serves the check-in system at the Airport. A senior airport official said the datalink, which has a much higher capacity, has been down for the past two days.

“The line that they provide the Internet connection is down so as a result of that the airline check-in system is not functional,” an official was quoted as saying. The official also noted that he has been advised that there is a problem with the Americas II Cable off the French Caribbean island of Martinique which feeds data to SITA, an international air transport communications and information technology provider.

However, GT&T is silent on the issue. The official said airlines have since been checking in outgoing passengers manually, causing tremendous delays. He said many of the delays have been due to operational problems being experienced by airlines and heavy fog.

Dynamics Airlines was forced to cancel one of its flights and Insel

Air’s outgoing flight was also cancelled. InselAir cancelled its flight because the crew time expired. Among those affected are numerous cub scouts who were in Guyana for a Caribbean Cuboree. -ByRonald Singh, Guyana Daily News.

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GUYANA DAILY NEWS Reparation: The theme of Emancipation Day 2016 PAGE 4

MONDAY, AUGUST 01, 2016

The theme of reparation was sounded out this year by the multitudes that attended and spoke at the Emancipation Celebrations in the national park. It started with the ceremonial running of the Reparation Torch around the park by a group of athletes and ended with a lively speech which enlightened those who were in attendance. In an attempt to understand what Reparation means and why it is being fought for, the Guyana Daily News conducted an interview with Walter George who is a member of the Guyana Reparation Committee who expounded on the importance of reparation and what it is the committee is trying to achieve.

“It is a movement which the CARICOM member states have all agreed to and signed onto and is being used as a trading tool with the European Union and the United States of America,” George explained. He continued saying “That the Caribbean States are being graded by their Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and it is unfair when it is, that the bigger countries with the higher GPD’s had enslaved the African Ancestors of the small CARICOM countries and made their monies by the seed of them.” “A point system needs to be set up for the repair and compensation of the countries where by the Health, Cultural and Agricultural sectors need to be aided and a method for Debt Cancellation to be considered”, George went on to say.

The committee was set up with the goal of bringing to the attention of the “ruling countries” that what they would have done pre-emancipation is morally wrong and a crime against humanity and they need to be willing to return to the “crime scene” as George referred Athletes who participated in the to it and to make amends for what their ancestors would ceremonial running, holding the Reparation Baton. have done. In conclusion, George said that it is a fight which is ongoing and will continue to be, until fairness is meted out. -By- Jarred Singh, Guyana Daily News.

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GUYANA DAILY NEWS A day of emancipation festivities in the National Park PAGE 5

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alking through the National Park today it is near impossible not to feel elated by the jovial celebrations and people around, from the salivating smell of the food to the enticing beats of the music. Thousands will ock to the National Park with their family and friends to revel together in the celebration of 178 years since the abolition of Slavery. One of the things the nationals as well as visitors always look forward to is the display of arts and crafts that dazzle the eye as well as educate the minds of the plethora of years of heritage and history.

A prominent display was the showcasing of the history of the Africans from the days of slavery to the modern day individuals who

A section of the gathering at The National Park this morning.

MONDAY, AUGUST 01, 2016

help to shape the world. Other boots showcase the history of the plantations as well as the history of the countries that slaves would have been taken from and their cultural impact on the modern day world. Other than being educated people look forward to the wide varieties of cultural food that will be on sale that tantalize the taste buds, from local cuisines such as Cook Up, Konkie, Black and White Pudding to not so traditional foods such as Bar-Be-Que and Curry.

To end the day/night activities there will be a cultural show featuring popular Reggae artist Luciano who promises to provide a show that will liven up the national park. Visiting the national park today will enlighten the mind on the struggles that individuals would have gone through in the years of slavery as well as provide for an entertaining day away from the stress of work. By- Jarred Singh, Guyana Daily News.

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GUYANA DAILY NEWS

MONDAY, AUGUST 01, 2016

Government committed to providing enabling environment for job creation Government committed to providing enabling environment for job creation –President Granger President David Granger has said that his Government is committed to working towards the provision of an enabling environment for job creation for young Guyanese and is taking an active role in ensuring sustainable gainful employment. The President, in an invited comment, earlier this evening, said that the Government’s role is vital in the creation of employment for young people.

He noted that this role is particularly based on sound education systems and this is the best possible start any government can give young people to ensure that they get to school and receive the type of education, which can ultimately prepare them for the world of work. “In some cases we have had drop outs. As far as I am concerned, too many drop outs but even so, we are putting more emphasis on more technical and vocational education and soon measures will be introduced in the National Assembly to explain our youth policy and of course, let education be the centre piece of the youth policy.

So as far as Government is concerned, in the first instance, it must pay more attention to the traditional educational system and second, to get more young people into the technical and vocational training,” the President said. But while education is a key part of getting the youth population to work, the President understands that in order for the private sector to be an engine of economic growth, government must play a role in ensuring that an environment that allows businesses to thrive is available.

He said, “The Government has to work with the private sector. There is no way that the Government could give each and every person a job.

What the Government does is create a facilitating environment and by working with civil society, by working with employers, and by introducing policies which facilitate the type of job creation that we expect…so Government is not going to sit on its hands and allow young people to remain unemployed. Government is going to be an active participant to help young people to get into the world of work.”

Questioned on the role the education can play over time as a driver for the economy, the President said that there are two main areas in which educated young people would move more easily and more smoothly into self-employment.

“One of course is in the field of Information technology. I would say that Government has started to make strides. We have created the Ministry of Public Telecommunications and we will provide the facilities for more young people to get access to the information super highway. Information is important.

The other thing is that young people have to get the opportunity to go into private enterprise and fields like agro-processing and this will be one of the areas in both the hinterland and coastland in which young people could get this new technology so that from the time they leave school, they will be able to enter into some form of private enterprise,” the President said. In fact, the Head of State believes that job seekers must look beyond Government jobs and aim to be creators of their own wealth.

The President said, “I would discourage young people from seeking state employment because it is what one person once called employee poverty. The salaries are low and the possibilities are limited but an educated person is more likely to be innovative so there are many fields educated people can go into…so young entrepreneurs who are innovative and who can access information technology and likely to move ahead and Government can become facilitators in these fields.” In addition to creating the enabling environment for the creation of jobs, President Granger said that the young people can also expect efforts on the part of his Government, in the promotion and marketing of products, especially agricultural and value added products regionally.

He noted that these efforts can be seen in one of the mandates, which has been laid out for the newly appointed Foreign Service Officers, where they have been tasked with the promotion and marketing of Guyana’s products and investment potential. “Much of our agricultural produce, fish, vegetables, fruits, preserves can be sold in the Eastern Caribbean and its Government’s job to open those doors to new marketing opportunities through CSME [CARICOM Single Market and Economy]. So we have a role to play in helping bonafide producers to get their products sold.

We need to develop not only the services but we also need to develop products. In saying that, there are many areas in which Guyana has an advantage over Caribbean countries in terms of value added products… Government must have a type of education policy, which allows young people to go into these new fields and that’s the way we can open doors to President Granger new markets,” he said. (GINA)

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GUYANA DAILY NEWS

MONDAY, AUGUST 01, 2016

Golden Jubilee year an ideal opportunity to renew commitment to Emancipation ideals On August 1, 1838, following two hundred years of abhorrent enslavement, the freedom of Africans was restored. Captured, brought to the Caribbean and the Americas and forced to work on European owned plantations, the restoration of their freedom represents the original independence in our nation’s history.

The emancipation of African slaves predates the abolition of indentureship, the struggle for universal adult suffrage and labour rights, independence from colonial rule and the attainment of republican status.

On this occasion, 178 years later, we reflect on the struggles of the indomitable, original freedom fighters – Cuffy, Quamina and Damon and their comrades with whom they organized and mobilized to effect redress to the darkest of horrors of Caribbean history. On August 1st each year, we celebrate freedom, liberation and emancipation from an inhumane and repugnant system of human enslavement even as we reflect on the pre-1838 conditions and tribulations of the foreparents of so many of our countrymen and women.

While physical enslavement is a distant memory, as a nation, we must resolve to continue to emancipate ourselves from whatever vestiges of psychological bondage that may persist. Boldly, is it declared in the preamble to our constitution that “[w]e, the Guyanese people, proud heirs of the indomitable will of our forebears, in a spirit of reconciliation and cooperation, proclaim this Constitution in order to: safeguard and build on the rich heritage, won through tireless struggle, bequeathed us by our forebears; affirm our sovereignty, our independence and our indissolubility.” We must continue to organize, mobilize and collectively lift our nation to higher heights socially, economically and culturally.

We must elevate our mindset, eschew mediocrity and believe in a culture of excellence. This year, 2016, the year of our Golden Jubilee is an ideal opportunity for us to renew our commitment to these noble ideals. There are, as well, powerful lessons following the abolition of slavery from which we must draw equal inspiration. The movement by the freed slaves to purchase land and establish independent coastal villages against challenging odds, remain one of the potent lessons of social upliftment in our history.

These villages endure to this day and were the precursors to the modern layout of our coastal plain where the vast majority of our population resides. This initiative and the struggles and efforts of our African ancestors redound to the benefit of all Guyanese. As a diverse nation of six peoples we must collectively build on these triumphs, persevere and resolutely aspire to greater heights and a deepening of the spirit of social cohesion.

His Excellency, President Brig. David Granger, First Lady Mrs. Sandra Granger, Prime Minister and First Vice President The Honourable Moses Nagamootoo, Mrs. Sita Nagamootoo and the Coalition Government of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana wish a happy, peaceful and safe celebration of this most significant occasion in our nation’s history and implore all Guyanese to inculcate in their own lives the lessons of perseverance, intolerance for unacceptable conditions and the struggle for a good life for all. (GINA) – message from the Coalition Government of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana on the occasion of Emancipation Day 2016

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GUYANA DAILY NEWS President calls on villages to return to historical pillars of success PAGE 8

MONDAY, AUGUST 01, 2016

-Emancipation message at Den Amstel President David Granger, today, called on the residents of Den Amstel Village, West Coast Demerara, to take up the mantle of continuing to build strong villages, through the upholding of the four historical pillars of success; family, religion, education and gainful means of employment, especially in the area of agriculture.

As the country prepares to celebrate Emancipation Day, tomorrow, President Granger, who was at the time speaking at the West Coast Demerara Group of Congregational Churches and the Religious Community of Den Amstel’s Inter-Denominational Independence and Emancipation Service, which was held at the Ebenezer Congregational Church in Den Amstel, earlier today, said that emancipation saw the development of new societies, which were established through village movements.

“That Emancipation movement led to other movements. It led to the village movement and last year I passed an order so that November 7 of every year is commemorated as the National Day of Villages. It is not a holiday but stamps have been issued and it is to be observed as the day when our first vil lage; Victoria was established. That of course led to hundreds of other villages and village movements and that includes, of course, Den Amstel. SoEmancipation was important because it started a trigger all of those movements. I’ve often said that these villages, which were established on the coastland, were the single most economic, social and political development in the history of our country,” he said. Homes, the President said, play an important role in every village, since these are responsible for families, for the teaching of values and the molding of mind and character. “First of all, its the home because there were no homes on the plantations.

People couldn’t marry and even if you had a partner, she could be sent to Wakenaam, your children could be sent to Bagotville. Family life was not permitted. After Emancipation, people trekked back so that they could reconnect with their wives and their children so that they could build and that is why they had to get off those plantations, so that they can build homes.

That was the first pillar on which these villages were built. Family and homes and keeping the family together and we must never forget that. Every child belongs in a home,” the President said. Places of worship, especially churches, during those days, also played a critical role in the establishment of villages since they set a foundation of strong morals, educated the young and helped to shape their future.

“The second pillar was the church and that is why I am so fond of the Congregational Church because they were on the scene, they took the licks, they took the prosecution, they stood by the freed Africans and gave them support,” he said. Education, which was in many ways linked to religious education, played a critical role in the development of villages and President Granger said that it continues to be important to the development of all communities and the country.

“Schools were the third pillar of which the villages were built and yes some people did leave the sugar cane plots to go to school and that’s why after Emancipation, so many of our teachers, our pastors, were educated people,” he said. The President, who has been pushing an ‘Every Child in School’ policy since his assumption to office, therefore called on all residents to make that policy their personal responsibility in a cooperative effort to stamp out illiteracy, truancy and delinquency, so that the villages, communities and ultimately, the country, can benefit from young, bright minds, which drive the economy forward.

“I want this church, this village, this community; I want this region to take a vow this new year’s day tomorrow that when I come back 365 days from now, you’ll be able to tell me that every child in this village goes to school… Let us look after our children. Remember those four pillars, let us keep the homes intact, let us respect and support the work of our churches, let us look after our schools and our places of work particularly our farms,” he said. The fourth pillar, he said, is the farm or investments in agriculture, which are necessary for food security, not just for the villages, but the country as a whole. Persons must be encouraged to become entrepreneurs so that farming initiatives in the villages can prosper, the President said.

“Integration started with these villages where there were homes, schools and farms and those were the four pillars on which these villages were established and when you shake those pillars, the house will fall. When you shake the home, the school, the church, the farm, the villages will collapse because you will have nothing to rest on… We have to plan, to perform and produce,” he said. Right Reverend Valeska Austin from the Den Amstel Ebenezer Congregational Church, in acknowledging the charge given by the President, gave the assurance that the church and the village will work together to ensure that this vision becomes a reality.

“The children are our future and Mr. President we will not let you down in this community. We will ensure that our children go to school,” she said.

Chairman of the Hague/Blankenburg Neighbourhood Democratic Council, Mr. Kenton Hilliman, in his brief remarks said the village movement was a tradition started by the freed slaves and is responsible for the establishment of Den Amstel. He noted that he foresees a bright future for the village since every stakeholder will be encouraged to pool their efforts, as in the past, to make the area a success story. (GINA) President David Granger is all smiles as he strikes a pose with a group of Seventh Day Adventist Pathfinders, who participated in the Inter-Denominational Independence and Emancipation Service, during his visit to the Den Amstel Ebenezer Congregational Church, earlier today.

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GUYANA DAILY NEWS

MONDAY, AUGUST 01, 2016

Gate changes for new school term A special Cabinet meeting will be held Wednesday to review the controversial task force report on the Government Assistance for Tuition Expenses Programme (Gate) and decide on the future Gate format, Education Minister Anthony Garcia has confirmed. Garcia spoke yesterday following hint of the meeting by OPM spokesman Stuart Young at last week’s post-Cabinet media briefing.

The meeting is being held a day before Prime Minister Keith Rowley proceeds on vacation. As a result of his departure date, Rowley will not be present for the weekly Cabinet meeting on Thursday. However, he’ll be present for the special August 3 Cabinet meeting to consider the Gate report. Following Young’s announcement last week, sources said Wednesday’s meeting will likely have to take a decision on the Gate system at this time since schools and the university’s vacation will end shortly and a decision will have to be in hand in time for students accessing tertiary education particularly, to be able to make their arrangements.

Gate was introduced by the Patrick Manning government in 2004. Over 190,000 people have benefitted from it so far at a cost of $5.5 billion.

Some $650m was allocated for 2016 Gate. Government made it clear in the 2016 Budget that “a revised Gate programme will be announced in time for the start of the new school term with the aim of conserving expenditure and to ensure better alignment with the country’s development means.” Government stated it was forced to evaluate the programme and hinted funding would be granted on a needs basis.

In March, Government appointed a 16-member task force headed by management consultant Errol Simms to review Gate including tuition expenditure. The task force was mandated to report in July. Two weeks ago the completed report was leaked after being presented to Cabinet three days earlier. It was revealed the task force had recommended that University of the West Indies (UWI) students—now benefitting from the free Gate tertiary education system—could have to pay a third of their fees from this term while postgraduate students may have to pay their full fees.

The report also recommended that if tertiary institutions are not accredited by the Accreditation Council of T&T, by next year, funding will halt. UWI students have spoken against cuts in the programme and funding aspects. Garcia subsequently sought to allay fears indicating that the task force recommendations were not final and still had to be considered by Cabinet.

Asked yesterday about Wednesday’s special Cabinet session, Garcia said the meeting will be to obtain a government position on Gate since so far “all that has been said are mere recommendations from the task force.”

“All Cabinet members have been studying the recommendations and everyone will be giving input at the meeting and we’re hoping to get consensus on the way forward,” Garcia said. Last week, Government sources had indicated there is a “lot of waste and mismanagement” in Gate. They pointed to “people doing four and five degrees when Gate was never intended for that.” They also said schools which are not accredited are in the programme. Those sources projected that cleaning up of the “waste and mismanagement” will get going soon, likely this year.

But prior to Wednesday’s special deliberations on the report, they were unable to say if the report’s payment recommendation would be accepted by Cabinet for this year, or if for instance, students would have to pay more for tuition from next year, rather than this year. Or if an alternative to affecting tuition costs would be worked out. Yesterday former Planning minister, now Opposition MP Bhoe Tewarie—former UWI principal—who spoke ahead of Wednesday’s meeting agreed “there’s room for addressing the quality” assurance aspect of Gate.

But he didn’t agree there was justification for an increase in tuition cost. He said Government has to be concerned about sustainable funding for the target they set for tertiary education achievements “and that target can only be set in the role they see higher education play in development.” “It’s a known fact the government alone cannot sustain the funding required for an expansion of tertiary education. So on the basis of the targets set, they must indicate what government is prepared to fund—how much—and work with key stakeholders to determine alternative sources of funding that would ensure merit is applied in the system and ensure no one who qualified for admission and who doesn’t have the money will be denied education.”

Asked if Gate in its present form was financially feasible. Tewarie agreed there are things that need to be changed. “There’s room for addressing matters like duplication and for ensuring the education funded by the state is quality education. Duplication/waste arises when people do multiple degrees—human resources as well as management at the same level—and government pays for all this.”

“We (PP) started tightening Gate and setting up committees to review it. The 2015 expenditure was significantly less than 2014’s, because there’s room to manage Gate more effectively and to avoid duplication and wastage. Between 2004 and 2011, it was much worse than what it was in 2012 and onwards.” (SportsMax)

REGIONAL

GUYANA DAILY NEWS Niherst president The admits: Drastic cuts in education funding downturn in the economy has led to big cuts in expenditure for education and PAGE 10

Past participant of the Niherst Caribbean Youth Science Forum Krystal John performs during the opening ceremony of the youth science forum at the University of the West Indies Teaching and Learning Complex, Circular Road, St Augustine yesterday. PHOTO: NICOLE DRAYTON

MONDAY, AUGUST 01, 2016

specifically for the National Institute of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology (Niherst) said Sylvia Lalla, Acting President of the institution. “Last October, with the steep downturn in T&T's economy, due to falling oil prices, the cuts in Government spending and allocations to public organisations like Niherst were very severe.

We are uncertain as to how this economic situation would have affected our planned activities for 2016, which included this forum. As a result, we had to reduce our overall costs by reducing some of our activities and other areas of expenditures. I am pleased to say that we made the Caribbean Youth Science Forum (CYSF) a priority,” she said. Lalla spoke yesterday at the formal opening of the 2016 Caribbean Youth Science Forum held at the Teaching and Learning Centre, University of the West Indies (UWI), St Augustine.

She said investing in these projects is investing in the country's future. “In this new post oil and gas era, we need to channel the creativity and the brain power of our people especially the young to develop economies that are forward looking, sustainable and globally competitive,” she said. She added that the country needs to transform older industries and to diversify the economy.

“It is precisely at times like these, in times of economic uncertainty and transition, that we must continue to cut new trails that can lead us to a more sustainable future as tra ditional routes fall away,” she said. Anna Singh, Acting Curriculum Co-ordinator in the Ministry of Education who spoke on behalf of Education Minister, Anthony Garcia, who was not able to be at the ceremony, said despite a bad economy and other social ills that exist in the world today, the youths of the country must have hope. (Trinidad Guardian)

PM heads to LA for US vacation Prime Minister Keith Rowley who leaves for the United States on vacation next week is expected to be back in time for start of screening of People’s National Movement’s (PNM) Local Government nominees which begins August 17. Rowley will leave on August 4 for Los Angeles for two weeks, PNM officials said last week. He’s said he will do a medical check while overseas and “take a few days off.” Rowley will leave soon T&T after Finance Minister Colm Imbert returns early this week from his overseas bond-raising trip. The office of the PNM general secretary recently issued an advisory on the local government nominee screening schedule recently.

The exercise will take place from August 17 to 26 to obtain nominees for the 136 positions in the 14 regional corporations. Of the 136 electoral districts, the PNM currently holds 84 areas in eight corporations. The Opposition holds 46 in six others and three areas each are held by the Congress of the People (COP) and Independent Liberal Party (ILP). Local government polls are due between October 21, 2016, and January 21, 2017. PNM chairman Franklin Khan said in June polls will “very likely” be held before year-end and “under no circumstances” will they be postponed. He said it would be kept within the three-month period, as Tobago House of Assembly elections are due January 2017. PNM sources last Saturday hinted polls will be between late November and early December. PNM screening starts at 5 pm on August 17 (at Balisier House) for nominees for Arima Borough Corporation and Diego Martin Regional Corporation. (See box) Following completion of a draft order for polls by the Election and Boundaries Commission - which made adjustments to boundaries in a few areas and cleared the way for polls to be held - PNM chairman Khan in May made it clear that the PNM was seeking high-calibre prospective nominees and no hopefuls could have any matters before the court or similar entanglements.

That will rule out at least one current councillor who has matters before the court, officials said. The Opposition UNC which started screening three weeks ago is expected to complete screening by mid-August, the party says. UNC which started screening in July has completed half of the nominees. Screening continues Wednesday at UNC’s new headquarters at Exchange Village, Couva, a stone’s throw from the previous Rienzi Complex base. The party moved into the new rented premises after being evicted by the All Trinidad General Workers Union this past weekend. Congress of the People general secretary Clive Weatherhead said the COP has to decide how it will participate in the polls and discuss the “how, where” and other questions of participation. He said so when asked particularly if the COP would be involved in any accommodation with the UNC as obtained when the Peoples’ Partnership coalition came into being in 2010. Former COP leader Prakash Ramadhar said last December the PP arrangement had ended. Weatherhead said the COP had just elected a new leader and was in discussion on many issues. Movement for Social Justice leader David Abdulah said the MSJ will contest local government polls and have meetings to finalise processes for this. Independent Liberal Party leader Rekha Ramjit said ILP hadn’t decided whether it would contest.

PNM screenings n August 18 at the South Regional office (Point Fortin Borough Corporation and San Fernando City Corporation), n August 19 at Balisier House (Tunapuna/Piarco Regional Corporation and San Juan/Laventille Regional Corporation). n August 22 at Balisier House (Chaguanas Borough Corporation and Sangre Grande Regional Corporation). n August 24 at South office (Princes Town, Mayaro/Rio Claro and Siparia Regional Corporation.) n August 25 at Balisier House (for Port of Spain City Corporation). n Prime Minister Keith Rowley August 26 at PNM’s south office (Couva/Tabaquite/Talparo & Penal/Debe Corporations).

(Trinidad Guardian)

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GUYANA DAILY NEWS

MONDAY, AUGUST 01, 2016

60 pregnant women infected with Zika There are over 200 confirmed cases of the Zika virus in T&T. Of this number, 60 have been diagnosed in women who are pregnant. Contacted yesterday, Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh said 59 cases had been recorded in Trinidad, and one in Tobago. In seeking to reassure the infected people that every possible measure was in place to ensure they received the necessary treatment, Deyalsingh has maintained his confidence in the specialist team assembled by the Ministry of Health to oversee the diagnosis and treatment of pregnant people.

Asked to explain the disparity in the figures as last Friday he said he was aware there were only two Zika cases in pregnant women locally, Deyalsingh said he only received the official statistics early yesterday. Pressed to say if the ultrasounds had revealed any of the foetuses contracting microcephaly as a result of the mother being diagnosed with Zika, Deyalsingh said, “So far, there is no risk of microcephaly in any of the cases we have seen.” This was later confirmed by Dr Karen Sohan, Medical Chief of Staff, Mt Hope Women’s Hospital.

Microcephaly is a medical condition where babies’ heads are abnormally small. Adopting a proactive stance in April, the specialist committee which is led by Sohan was set up to develop specific processes and procedures to respond to the diagnosis of the Zika virus in patients, with special attention being paid to pregnant women and developing foetuses. The committee is set to meet later this week to discuss how they can strengthen operating procedures.

Urging citizens to continue to ensure their surroundings are free of any items that could act as a possible breeding site since the virus was spread by the Aedes Aegypti mosquito, both Deyalsingh and Sohan agreed that the public’s response had been positive and had helped in keeping the number of cases down. The risk of more breeding sites increased with the rainy season at the beginning of June. However, Deyalsingh said, “While it has been a good thing, the public needs to keep up the pressure.”

He said the ministry would also continue its attack on various fronts including concentrated efforts by the Insect Vector Control Division to spray schools, homes and government buildings. Owners of vacant and abandoned lots have been asked to make an attempt to clean the premises also. Zika symptoms include a rash, fever, generalized pains and conjunctivitis.

Responding to questions yesterday, Sohan endorsed the ministry’s policy outlining the treatment of pregnant women as she explained, “There is a national policy whereby any woman who tests positive for Zika is referred for Foetal Medicine Services at the Mt Hope Women’s Hospital.”

Adding that it involved patient counseling as well as detailed ultrasounds of the baby, Sohan said, “This has been operational since the first case was diagnosed. Zika is a new pathology and therefore as the numbers increase we would need to fine tune the service.” Revealing that only one baby had so far been delivered of a mother who had been diagnosed with Zika, Sohan said, “That baby is normal so far.” She went on to confirm, “To date, no babies have been born with microcephaly secondary to Zika.” Sohan added, “The most vulnerable time for the pregnant patient appears to be the period while the brain is developing.

The functioning cells of the brain are the neurons and these appear to be most vulnerable less than ten weeks gestation. There still appears to be a risk to the foetal brain although reduced, from 10 to 16 weeks. The virus has been shown to affect the growth of the baby up to 28 weeks gestation.” Stressing that new information was emerging daily about infection rates and vulnerable populations, Sohan said it was equally as important for all healthcare providers and patients to be updated. She said, “When the patient is seen, her care is individualised depending on the period of gestation.

Some patients will require only one scan whereas others require more frequent scans. At each visit, the ultrasound findings are discussed with the patient as well as a plan of management for the pregnancy. This information, including the detection of abnormalities is confidential, and involves the patient and her healthcare providers.” Sohan said while she was aware that there was also a policy for management of the babies following delivery, she was unable to comment as this was not her area of expertise.

Cautious approach It was only in April that scientists at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the United States concluded after careful review of existing evidence that the Zika virus was a cause of microcephaly and other severe foetal brain defects. As the Caribbean continues to battle the virus, the authorities are now struggling to tackle it head on as more than 1,650 cases have been so far diagnosed throughout the US. Florida has announced aggressive mosquito-control measures, while athletes heading to the Rio Olympics, in neighbouring Brazil next week have expressed concerns about the virus.

Health officials in England have advised approximately 50,000 British citizens who are currently holidaying in Florida, to avoid having unprotected sex because of the risk of the Zika virus. In an article in The Telegraph dated July 30, the Public Health England (PHE) advised pregnant women to postpone non-essential travel to the southern US state. For those already there, the PHE advised them to refrain from unprotected sex for at least eight weeks, even if neither partner exhibited symptoms or if there is no prospect of pregnancy. On its website, the CDC advised that Zika could be spread via sex and urged people to use condoms. (Trinidad Guardian)

INTERNATIONAL PAGE 12

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

MONDAY, AUGUST 01, 2016

Syria war: Russian helicopter shot down, killing five on board

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Russian military helicopter has been shot down in Syria killing all five on board - the deadliest single incident for Russia's military since its air campaign began last September. The Mi-8 transporter was brought down by rebels, Russia says, in northern Idlib province. It was returning from delivering humanitarian aid to the besieged city of Aleppo, the defence ministry said. It is not clear which group brought the helicopter down. An alliance of forces, including hardline jihadist factions, is the dominant power in Idlib.

Jabhat Fateh al-Sham - formerly known as Jabhat al-Nusra - is among those active in the province, and socalled Islamic State has vowed to carry out jihad against Russian forces. The helicopter was carrying three crew and two officers. Pictures on social media, purportedly of the latest Russian helicopter downing, showed burning wreckage and bodies, with armed men milling around. Footage showed at least one body being dragged away.

Another is seen apparently being trampled on. This is the worst single loss of life for Russia since it launched its air offensive in Syria in support of President Assad towards the end of last year.

Moscow says the helicopter was not involved in a military mission, but was delivering humanitarian aid. Rebel sources appear to confirm this. It may not have been known to those who shot the helicopter down, as most of Russia's airpower in Syria has been used for military purposes to support

pro-government forces. But it will further inflame feelings in Russia against rebels in Syria. Moscow has repeatedly said it sees little distinction between the rebels in terms of brutality and extremism.

The graphic images of victims posted online of the aftermath of the incident will add fuel to the fire. Russia has previously, though seldom, lost aircraft since it launched operations in support of the Syrian government at the end of September 2015. In July, two Russian pilots were killed when their helicopter was shot down east of the city of Palmyra by so-called Islamic State (IS). Last November, the pilot of a Russian Su-24 fighter plane was killed when the aircraft was shot down by Turkey on its border with Syria. A Russian marine sent on a mission to rescue the pilot was also killed when his helicopter was shot down.

Russia is a key backer of Syrian

President Bashar al-Assad and is supporting pro-government forces with air strikes on rebels. Government forces cut off rebel-held eastern parts of Aleppo last month. Russia and Syria announced the opening of what they called humanitarian corridors for civilians and rebels wanting to surrender, but few people are reported to have used them, fearing they would be targeted.

The child sitcom star killed in Aleppo Opposition activists have dismissed as a lie Russian claims that 160 civilians had left rebel-held districts. The United Nations has warned that basic supplies for the around a quarter of a million people who live in besieged areas will last only three weeks. On Sunday, rebel groups south of Aleppo launched a push to try to break the siege, in what observers said was one of the biggest counter-offensives in months. (BBC)

INTERNATIONAL PAGE 13

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

MONDAY, AUGUST 01, 2016

Thailand lese majeste: Woman charged over single word used

A

woman has been charged in Thailand family. Thai police dropped the investigation over a single word used in response to a into Patnaree Chankij after an international Facebook posting critical of the royal outcry earlier this year. But the country's attorney general decided to press charges against her under Thailand's lese majeste laws.

The 40-year-old had responded to a message critical of the monarchy with "ja" ("yeah" or "I see" in Thai). Patnaree Chankij is the mother of a prominent student activist in Thailand, Sirawith Seritwat. Thailand is holding a referendum next week on whether to accept a new constitution.

Sirawith Seritwat has been among those calling for a rejection of the new document. (BBC)

Zika: Mums-to-be to get Miami warning

A

woman has been charged in Thailand over a single word used in response to a Facebook posting critical of the royal family. Thai police dropped the investigation into Patnaree Chankij after an international outcry earlier this year. But the country's attorney general decided to press charges against her

under Thailand's lese majeste laws.

The 40-year-old had responded to a message critical of the monarchy with "ja" ("yeah" or "I see" in Thai). Patnaree Chankij is the mother of a prominent student activist in Thailand, Sirawith Seritwat. Thailand is holding a referendum next week on whether to accept a new constitution.

Sirawith Seritwat has been among those calling for a rejection of the new document.

(BBC)

INTERNATIONAL PAGE 14

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

MONDAY, AUGUST 01, 2016

US launches air strikes on IS in Libya

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he United States has carried out air strikes on positions of socalled Islamic State in Libya, following a request by the UN-backed government there, the Pentagon says.

The strikes targeted positions in the port city of Sirte, an IS stronghold. Libyan PM Fayez Sarraj, in a televised address, said the strikes caused "heavy losses".

We s t e r n p o w e r s h a v e b e c o m e increasingly concerned at Islamic State's growing presence in Libya.

The air strikes are the first such US military intervention co-ordinated with the Libyan unity government. The Pentagon said Monday's strikes, authorised by President Barack Obama, were in support of government forces currently fighting IS militants. The government began an offensive against IS fighters in Sirte in May and said two

weeks ago that it had made its largest gains to date.

Western officials say the number of IS militants in Libya, previously estimated at 6,000, is declining in the face of concerted government action and pressure from other militia. "These actions and those we have taken previously will help deny ISIL a safe haven in Libya from which it could attack the United States and our allies," the Pentagon statement continued, using another term for IS. Mr Sarraj said no US ground forces would be deployed. Libya has become increasingly divided since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, with competing governments and rival militias seeking to gain territory and influence.

The chaos had left Libya vulnerable

to an influx of IS fighters, many from Syria. The United States has voiced strong backing for the unity government, or Government of National Accord, which began operating from the capital, Tripoli, in April. US Secretary of State John Kerry declared in May that it was the "only way to generate the cohesion necessary to defeat Daesh [IS]". (BBC)

INTERNATIONAL PAGE 15

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

MONDAY, AUGUST 01, 2016

US launches air strikes on IS in Libya S enator John McCain and other Republican leaders have c o n d e m n e d D o n a l d Tr u m p ' s remarks about the family of a fallen US Muslim soldier. Mr McCain said Mr Trump did not have an "unfettered license to defame those who are the best among us". Mr Trump has come under fire for criticising the Muslim American parents of a US soldier killed in Iraq. Democratic lawmakers and the soldier's father have called on Republicans to disavow Mr Trump."I cannot emphasize enough how deeply I disagree with Mr. Trump's statement," Mr McCain said in a statement.

"I hope Americans understand that the remarks do not represent the views of our R e p u b l i c a n P a r t y, i t s o ffi c e r s , o r candidates." Mr McCain, a war veteran and the party's 2008 presidential nominee, thanked the Khan family for immigrating to America, adding "we're a better country because of you." Last year Mr Trump sparked a backlash after he said Mr McCain was not a war hero because he was captured in Vietnam.The latest escalation comes as Republican leaders have stepped forward to rebuke Mr Trump's fight against the Gold Star parents. In the US, parents who have lost a child in war are known as Gold Star families. Reaction to Mr Trump's comments South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, Mr Trump's former primary opponent, said: "'Unacceptable' doesn't even begin to describe it." House Speaker Paul Ryan condemned any criticism of Muslim Americans who serve their country, but avoided mentioning Mr Trump. Ohio Governor John Kasich tweeted: "There's only one way to talk about Gold Star parents: with honour and respect."Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush called Trump's remarks "incredibly disrespectful."

Veterans of Foreign Wars President Brian Duffy: "Election year or not, the VFW will not tolerate anyone berating a Gold Star family member" The couple's son, US Army Capt Humayun Khan, was killed by

a car bomb in 2004 in Iraq at the age of 27.

Pakistani-born Khizr Khan and his wife, Ghazala Khan, appeared at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia last week to speak about their son's sacrifice.In an emotional speech, Mr Khan said his son would not even have been in America if it had been up to Mr Trump, who has called for a ban on Muslims entering the US. In an interview with ABC's This Week, Mr Trump suggested Mrs Khan may have not been allowed to speak. "She had nothing to say... Maybe she wasn't allowed to have anything to say. You tell me." Mrs Khan fired back in opinion article for the Washington Post, saying she was too upset to speak at the convention.She said Mr Trump was ignorant about Islam and did not know the meaning of the word sacrifice. "Walking on to the convention stage, with a huge picture of my son behind me, I could hardly control myself. What mother could? Donald Trump has children whom he loves. Does he really need to wonder why I did not speak?" she wrote.

On Monday, family members of eleven service-members killed in action wrote to Mr Trump, expressing dismay at his treatment of the family of Humayun Khan, and demanding an apology."When you question a mother's pain, by implying that her religion, not her grief, kept her from addressing an arena of people, you are attacking us. When you say your job building buildings is akin to our sacrifice, you are attacking our sacrifice," their letter said. "This goes beyond politics. It is about a sense of decency. That kind decency you mock as 'political correctness'," it went on to say. Mr Trump's running mate,

Governor Mike Pence, released a statement on Sunday avoiding the crossfire and saying he and Mr Trump both believed Captain Khan was an American hero.However, Mr Trump took to Twitter on Monday to criticise the Khans for appearing on television, adding that the story was not about Khizr Khan, but rather "radical Islamic terrorism" and the US. Mr Trump's former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski also defended his former boss, saying Captain Khan would still be alive if the billionaire was president "because he would've never engaged in a war that didn't directly benefit this country".Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton attacked Trump's treatment of the Khans during a campaign stop at a church in Cleveland, Ohio. "Mr. Khan paid the ultimate sacrifice in his family, didn't he?" she told the African American congregation. "And what has he heard from Donald Trump?

Nothing but insults, degrading comments about Muslims, a total misunderstanding of what made our country great - religious freedom, religious liberty," she said.Grey line How many Muslims are there in the US? Pew Research Center's 2014 Religious Landscape Study found that 0.9% of US adults identify as Muslims. A 2011 survey of Muslim Americans, estimated that there were 1.8 million Muslim adults (and 2.75 million Muslims of all ages) in the country. That survey also found that a majority of US Muslims (63%) are immigrants. Demographic projections estimate that Muslims will make up 2.1% of the US population by the year 2050, surpassing people who identify as Jewish on the basis of religion as the second-largest faith group in the country (not including people who say they have no religion). A Pew Research Center report estimated that the Muslim share of immigrants granted permanent residency status (green cards) increased from about 5% in 1992 to roughly 10% in 2012, representing about 100,000 immigrants in that year. (BBC)

LOCAL PAGE 16

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

MONDAY, AUGUST 01, 2016

Thousands stranded as high speed internet goes down at CJIA

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lights leaving Guyana from the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) are experiencing delays and cancellations due to the collapse of the high-speed data link that serves the check-in system at the Airport.

A senior airport official said the data-link, which has a much higher capacity, has been down for the past two days.

“The line that they provide the Internet connection is down so as a result of that the airline check-in system is not functional,” an official was quoted as saying. The official also noted that he has been advised that there is a problem with the Americas II Cable off the French Caribbean island of Martinique which feeds data to SITA, an international air transport communications and information

technology provider.

However, GT&T is silent on the issue. The official said airlines have since been checking in outgoing p a s s e n g e r s m a n u a l l y, causing tremendous delays.

He said many of the delays have been due to operational problems being experienced by airlines and heavy fog.

Dynamics Airlines was forced to cancel one of its fl i g h t s a n d I n s e l A i r ’s cub scouts who were in Guyana for a outgoing flight was also cancelled. InselAir Caribbean Cuboree. -By- Ronald Singh, cancelled its flight because the crew time Guyana Daily News. expired. Among those affected are numerous

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

LOCAL PAGE 19

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

TUESDAY, AUGUST 2, 2016

APNU+AFC Gov’t: we cannot provide jobs A recurring theme in the American Presidential Debates has been the role of the government in the economy. There are obviously many complex issues involved and a number of tradeoffs and caveats exist with any policy, however, the assertion that the government cannot create jobs is ridiculous. It is a function of a biased definition of “job” designed to decide the question even before it has been asked. To show this, start with a relatively neutral definition of job: any routine activity for which we earn income.

This covers a wide range of pursuits, from managing a grocery store to selling financial services, in other words any other means in supporting one’s family. According to President David Granger he is adding another element to the definition, a job is any routine activity for which we earn incomepaid by an entity required to earn a profit. There is no compelling

reason for this. Why would someone embrace such a questionable characterization? Because their true goal isn’t to generate a scientific understanding of the manner in which the macro-economy operates, but to make a moral statement. Specifically, their contention is that only those routine activities financed by profit are truly of value. One year on after an election campaign promised to create thousands of jobs, President Granger said it is not government’s responsibility to do so.

He made the remarks on this week’s edition of the ‘Public Interest.’ Noting that it is difficult for the more than 4,000 youths, who drop out of school annually to find jobs, Granger stressed that ways have to be found to ensure that children qualify themselves at school to prepare for the job market.

“Once they qualify it will be easier for them to move into fields which I think could lead to self-employment.”

“Employment is not something to be provided by the government.

There is self-employment and we are working with the villages to generate more employment in those villages but it is going to be agro-based employment,” he added. The 2015 general elections campaign manifesto of the APNU+AFC states: “The aim of your new government is to create jobs, jobs and more jobs in the shortest time possible. Our young people cannot wait “five more years” for jobs for which they could be adequately trained and could get better pay and greater job satisfaction.” -ByRonald Singh, Guyana Daily News.

LOCAL PAGE 20

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

TUESDAY, AUGUST 2, 2016

Berbice triple murder trio remanded

Jairam Chetram, Carlton Chetram and Tameshwar Jagmohan who were arrested in connection to the July 21- July 22, 2016, Berbice triple murder appeared before City Magistrate Judy Latchman where they were remanded to prison on Tuesday. They were not allowed to plea to the indictable charges and will return to court on September 6, 2016 before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan.

It is alleged that between July 21 and July 22, 2016 at Mikori, Black Bush Polder, Corentyne, Jairam Chetram, 18, Carlton Chetram, 38, and Tameshwar Jagmohan, 26, shot and killed Suresh Chandradeo, Jaikarran Chandradeo and Naresh Rooplall. The three men have confessed to the murder stating that they were in the process of stealing fuel at the said location when they were caught by the men and in panic to the situation they used a shotgun and killed the men and discarded the spent shells in a nearby canal.

The three men had left their respective residents on the afternoon of July 21, 2016 with the intention of going ďŹ shing at a nearby canal. Their bodies were found during the morning hours of July 22, 2016. By- Jarred Singh, Guyana Daily News.

The Trio(Citizens Report/File Photo)

LOCAL PAGE 21

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

TUESDAY, AUGUST 2, 2016

Investigation of Laing Avenue murder continues The police are investigating a murder which occurred about 1555h. yesterday at Lot 89 Laing Avenue, West Ruimveldt, Georgetown, committed on Orin David, 32 years, of the said address by four identifiable men, armed with guns.

Investigations revealed that the Orin David had an argument with one of the suspects earlier over bail money and the suspect left and returned with the other suspects.

As the victim was approaching a vehicle in which the suspects were in, several shots were fired at the victim. Orin David was taken to the GPHC where he was pronounced dead on arrival. One empty 12 gauge shotgun cartridge and a .32 spent shell were found at the scene. One person is in custody. (2) The police in Essequibo are investigating a fatal accident which occurred about 2130h. on Sunday July 31, 2016, on Ever Green Public Road, Essequibo Coast, which resulted in the death of pedestrian Lawrence Tans, 53 years, of Charity, Essequibo Coast.

Investigations revealed that driver was proceeding along the said road when he struck down the pedestrian. Lawrence Tans was taken to the Suddie Hospital where he was admitted and succumbed about 1000h. yesterday while receiving medical treatment. The driver was tested and found to be well above the legal alcohol limit. He is presently in police custody assisting with the investigation. PRO, Guyana Police Force

Caribbean investment agency calls on Government to Investigate Service Offered By Dynamic Airways

News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Tues. Aug. 2, 2016: Invest Caribbean Now (ICN), the private sector investment agency of the Caribbean, is urging the government of Guyana to launch an investigation into the services being proffered to the Guyanese Diaspora and the Guyanese public by US-based airlines, Dynamic International Airways.

ICN Founder, Felicia J. Persaud, said Monday that the organisation has been made aware of many instances in recent months when Dynamic Airways has left Guyanese New Yorkers and returning Guyanese in the lurch at J.F. K. International Airport in New York.

The latest incident occurred on July 31, 2016, when dozens of Guyanese with pre-paid tickets and confirmation to travel were brazenly told the flight was cancelled after showing up at the J.F.K. airport in New York City to check in.

Reports reaching ICN indicate that many of the passengers were members of the Guyanese Diaspora in New York City and had shelled out hard earned money to book travel months in advance to coincide with their vacations as Dynamic promoted specials to their country of birth.

The passengers were turned away without much explanation and then told they could not be accommodated with new bookings for weeks. “As Guyana and its tourism and investment agencies strive to boost visitor arrival numbers and business investors, it is important that airlines flying to the South American nation be held to the highest standards of international service,” said Persaud. “It is unbecoming of any company financially benefiting from Guyanese to treat them this way and not be held accountable.”

ICN is calling on the Minister of Tourism and Civil Aviation to step in and launch an investigation into the shoddy service and treatment being meted out to Guyanese by this obvious ‘investor’ in the country. Dynamic Airlines has no press contact listed on its website and did not respond to NAN requests for comments on social media to the latest fiasco that has left Guyanese travellers suffering again. Invest Caribbean Now deems itself the definitive private sector investment agency of the Caribbean. It is based in America’s financial capital of the world, New York City and was founded in 2011

by Caribbean-born media entrepreneur, Felicia J. Persaud.

LOCAL PAGE 22

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

TUESDAY, AUGUST 2, 2016

‘Emancipation transformed plantations into a nation’ – President tells Plaisance, Ithaca residents Georgetown, Guyana – (August 2, 2016) President David Granger, yesterday, called on Guyanese to put their differences aside and to emulate our ancestors by pursuing education and by working together to build successful villages, communities and a better Guyana for all, as the nation joins other Caribbean countries in observing 178 years of Emancipation. “Today is a day for departure; a departure from degradation, a departure from discrimination, from domination… Today we pay homage to the founders of these villages, not as ethnic enclaves to separate and divide our people, but as settlements where people could be free.

We pay homage to the churches, which stood by the people during the dark days of enslavement, to the village fathers; those 65 pioneers who saved their money. The 1st of August reminds us of the blood, which was shed to make us free today.

Today we are proud, proud of the emancipation struggle, proud of the movement, proud of the village movement, the political movement, the cultural movement,” President David Granger said, in his address at the Plaisance Glory Light Tabernacle Emancipation Service and Breakfast and then later in the day at the Ithaca, Mahaica-Berbice Region.

The President iterated that this occasion must be used to bridge bicycles to secondary school students from the region, which were gaps and to foster freedom in every sense. He noted that it is thr donated to his “Boats, Buses, Bicycles, plus Breakfast and Books (‘Five ough Emancipation that Guyana has been blessed with a diverse populati Bs’) Programme. Mr. Divendra Jagroo, a businessman who now resides in on from different racial groups in which all members are endowed with The Bahamas and former President of the Guyana/Bahamas Association, unique talents, skills and cultural heritages, which must be unified for donated the bicycles. He said that he was inspired by the President’s nation-building. “We have a beautiful gift in Emancipation, the gift which initiative and given the fact that he, like the President, grew up in Bartica has brought our various ethnic groups together, a gift which has and knew of the struggles of getting to school, he immediately took a transformed plantations into a nation. decision to support the programme. “I came across the initiative online and It has brought people from four continents. Emancipation has to be it inspired me… so I went to my group and I advocated for us to do protected or else we will lose it. We will lose 178 years of our history if we something because it is a group for Guyanese, started by Guyanese. Our are not careful. There are dark forces, which want to divide us but these target is actually 100 but we have handed over 60. The 40 will come, if not villages united us, brought us together in harmony. Let us look after our from the group then from me personally and this is not the last time you will children and our future as our forefathers have looked after us,” President see me in this,” he said. Later, President Granger presented 125 elderly and Granger said. Later in the day, at the Ithaca Basketball Court in Mahaica- impoverished persons from the village with food hampers. He also Berbice, the President reiterated the necessity for united villages to build presented a quantity of exercise books and sport gears to the community. the nation. He also reminded the gathering that last year he declared (PRESS RELEASE MOTP) November 7 as the National Day of Villages to honour the contributions that villages have made to development. “These villages, which were established on the coastland, were the single most economic, social and political development in the history of our country,” he said. President Granger further said that the historical pillars of success: family, religion, education and gainful means of employment, particularly in the agriculture sector, must be upheld.

Education is key to realising these goals, he said, even as he encouraged the gathering to make it their personal duty to stamp out truancy and illiteracy. The President also recalled that the United Nations in 2015 designated the International Decade for People of African Descent from 2015 until December 31, 2024, and that one of the main focuses of the observation is education; one of the pillars of the Emancipation and villages movement. “Unless we work on this goal, we will not achieve full emancipation.

Emancipation is not something, which has happened, Emancipation is continuous. You have to continue working to Regional officials, guests and residents, who came ensure that you are free. Let us look after our children,” out in their numbers at the Ithaca Basketball Court for the Emancipation day celebrations.

President Granger said. The Head of State also presented 20 President David Granger along with children and other residents of Ithaca, Region Five.

LOCAL PAGE 23

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

TUESDAY, AUGUST 2, 2016

‘Let bygones be bygones’ for the good of Region 5 -President Granger initiates RDC reconciliation at Ithaca Emancipation Celebrations President David Granger, today, called on the members of the Regional for the good of the Mahaica-Berbice Region from August 1, 2016,” he said.

Democratic Council (RDC) of Mahaica-Berbice (Region 5) to end the months long impasse, which had been sparked after the Regional Chairman, Mr. Vickchand Ramphal had been absent, during several visits to the Region by the Head of State. However, President Granger called for an end to the standoff, which had seen some Council members staging protest action at Council meetings, demanding an apology from the Regional Chairman for what they believed was an act of disrespect to the President.

However, the Chairman was present at the Emancipation Day Celebrations in Ithaca, West Bank Berbice, today, where the President called on all Council members to let ‘bygones be bygones’ for the good of the Region.

“Today I want to make a special appeal so that you understand very well that this country could only work if all three levels of Government work together. The Central Government, represented here by the President and the Minister, the Regional Administration, represented here by Mr. Ramphal and the Neighbourhood and Local Government, represented by the Mayors and the Councillors and I want all three levels of Government to work together and today in Region 5; Mahaica-Berbice Region, I declare, I do declare that all the members of the RDC must work together

President David Granger and Minister of Social Cohesion, Ms. Amna Ally attended Emancipation Celebrations at Ithaca on the West Bank of Berbice. To the President's right is Regional Chairman Mr. Vickchand Ramphal. At Minister Ally's left is Member of Parliament, Ms. Jennifer Wade and Councilor, Ms Carol Joseph.

It was at this moment as the crowd cheered, Council Member, Ms. Carol Joseph approached the Regional Chairman, Mr. Ramphal and first shook his hand then they embraced as President Granger declared, “What a blessing! What a Blessing! Region 5 let us work together. This Region produces so much rice, so much sugar [and] so much fish. There must be nothing to impede or obstruct the prosperity of this Region.”

The Head of State, who was visibly thrilled by the reconciliation signaled by this moment, said that while the members of the Council will not always agree, the one thing they can all agree on is that the development of the Region and the country as a whole is a priority. President Granger also reminded residents that the proper administration of their communities and the country is in their hands. “Every one of you has power. It is called the vote. For the first time in nearly two decades, we were able to go to the polls inn March 2016 to elect your neighbourhood councils, your municipalities.

Last year we went into democratic elections and you voted. It is in your power; the power is in your hands to choose leaders, who can direct the business of your neighbourhood, of your municipality, of your region and of your country,” he said. Up to last week, President Granger had called again for cooperation rather than confrontation to be the foundation of a new political culture in Guyana, during a recording of the television show, The Public Interest. The Head of State had issued calls for a “consensual outcome so that we can work together for the good of the Region.” Mr. Ramphal, in an invited comment, said he is very happy that the President has intervened in the matter so that the work of the Council can proceed. Council member, Mr. Delon Crawford said that while work was still being done in the Region, he believes that the President’s move to end the impasse today is a good one and he is ‘excited’ for the holding of the next RDC meeting. Another Council Member, Mr. Dolston Hutson said that he was confident that the impasse would have come to an end soon. He added that while the protest action was in defence of the Head of State, his call for it to end must be respected. One resident was visibly overjoyed at the development and said, “I feel so happy about it because now we can get things going. We can put things into place and I am happy happy to know that today they can come together by hugging each other and at least forgive each other. We must forget the past and look to the future.” (PRESS RELEASE MOTP)

LOCAL PAGE 24

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

TUESDAY, AUGUST 2, 2016

SARU can use seized monies to fund itself The controversial State Asset Recovery Unit (SARU) will now have the authority to utilize monies sized to fund its operations and carry out its functions. The proposed legislation which is still in the draft stage is scheduled for a final round of consultation on August 11 and is meant to give Professor Clive Thomas, the current Director of SARU, various legitimacy to the operations of the unit which falls under the Ministry of the Presidency. Professor Thomas will have the power to utilize the seized money from its operations to paying compensation to victims who suffer losses as a result of any unlawful acts relating to the misuse of state assets. This essentially means that the Director will be able to release funds and make payments directly out of the Recovery of State Assets Fund. The legislation states that the unit will deposit into the fund 25 per cent of all monies derived from the enforcement of a recovery order; the proceeds of sale of property which is the subject of an order and any income derived from the investment of any amount standing to the credit of the fund with the remaining 75% credited to a Consolidated Fund. SARU also has the power to share information related to investigations it conducted; the legislation provides for formal requests to be made by the

Director to a number of statutory bodies, and issue official orders to assist investigations. Under the legislation, the SARU Director will have the authority to make official requests for information on persons under investigation from the Commissioner-General of the Guyana Revenue Authority; the Governor of Bank of Guyana; the Head of the Central AntiNarcotics Unit (CANU); the Chairman of the Guyana Gold Board; the Chairman of the National Procurement Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP); the Commissioner of Police; the Director of the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU); the Head of the Serious Organized Crime Unit (SOCU); the Chairman of the Integrity Commission; and Tender Administration Board and any Police officer not below the rank of an Inspector. -By- Pablo Cupido, Guyana Daily News.

LOCAL PAGE 25

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

TUESDAY, AUGUST 2, 2016

Shop owner on bail for larceny Orin Favourite was on Tuesday released on GY$75,000 bail after he appeared before Magistrate Delon Bess at the Georgetown Magistrate’s court charged with larceny which he allegedly committed on June 28, 2016. He is set to return to court on August 16, 2016. Favourite, who was unrepresented in court, pleaded not guilty to the charge. In the absence of the virtual complainant, he decided to have his matter be heard in the magistrate court rather than the High Court.

The prosecution had no objection to bail, however a request was made for the bail to be substantial based on the severity of the offence and cost of the item the defendant is accused of stealing. It is alleged that on the day in question at Croal Street, Georgetown, Favorite, 29, a Shop Owner of South Cummingsburg, robbed Charles Hatimyer of a gold chain valued at GY$135,000, property of the said Charles Hatimyer. -By- Jarred Singh, Guyana Daily News.

US Embassy, Castellani House team up to screen ‘Selma’

In observance of Emancipation day on August 01, Castellani House and the U.S Embassy in Guyana have team up to launch ‘Selma’, a 2014 British-American historical drama film, about the civil rights movement in the United States.

The film will be screened at Castellani House on August 04. The common bond that Guyana and the United States share in the struggle for freedom, is brought to life citing American History.

In Guyana, the Slavery Abolition Act 1833 ended slavery in the British Empire on August 1, 1834 and Emancipation Day is celebrated annually on August 1 in observance of the abolition of slavery. In the United States, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, as the nation approached its third year of bloody civil war. The proclamation declared "that all persons held as slaves" within the rebellious states "are, and henceforward shall be free."

As slavery is not an ‘evident’ phenomenon in the contemporary world, this two nations still struggle for equality and civil rights. Selma had four Golden Globe Award nominations, including Best Motion Picture – Drama, Best Director, and Best Actor, and won for Best Original Song. It was also nominated for Best Picture and won Best Original Song at the 87th Academy Awards. The film is set in the ‘stormy’ 1960’s, radical times for the Northern nation in the definition of civil rights.

Talks about the struggle of Dr. Matin Luther King Jr. and his movement, to put into effect the Civil Rights Act of 1964, ending this way the Segregation in America. It also chronicles the tumultuous three-month previous to the signing of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 by President Lyndon Johnson, signing that was accomplished after an epic and bloody 19 days and 54-miles march, from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama.

The march gathered an amazing quantity of 25,000 people, leaded by brave personalities, determined to bring radical changes to society. This one ended on March 25th with an inspirational speech pronounced by Dr. King named “How Long, Not Long”on the State Capitol Building saying: “"They told us we wouldn't get here. And there were those who said that we would get here only over their dead bodies, but all the world today knows that we are here and we are standing before the forces of power in the state of Alabama saying, "We ain't goin' let nobody turn us around.”

Source:http://erlc.com/resource-library/articles/5-factsabout-the-selma-to-mon...

REGIONAL PAGE 26

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

TUESDAY, AUGUST 2, 2016

Al-Rawi: Suspects to be under strict surveillance going off to join Isis...But what is Isis in our laws. “You have to look at how these statistics

As nine T&T nationals were expected to be deported late yesterday for allegedly trying to travel to Syria to join the terror group, Islamic State, also known as Isis, Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi is assuring the nation that the men, like any other deportees, will be kept under strict surveillance. He added that evidence was currently being gathered to determine what possible charges they may face. He said these could range from facing a jail term, heavy sanctions and forfeiture of assets. “At the end of the day anybody in an alleged circumstance of terrorism has to face the courts. There is due process and it must be done fairly but at the same time you have to take an intelligence-based approach to this,” the AG said in an interview yesterday. According to the Daily Sabah, the men were nabbed by Turkish officials in Adana, while travelling in a truck on July 27. The truck was stopped by police acting on a tip-off that “foreigners” were said to be en route to join the terrorist organisation active in Syria and Iraq.

The newspaper said Assem Hasseno, a Syrian suspect accused of transporting unidentified Trinidadians to Syria, was also detained.

Hasseno was remanded in custody. Adana is among the cities near the Syrian border where foreign fighters attempt to illegally cross to join Isis, otherwise known as Daesh. The report said Turkey, which shares a lengthy border with Syria, is popular among Daesh’s foreign recruits from all across the globe although this was likely the first time for citizens of T&T. Since 2011, Turkey has deported more than 3,290 foreign terrorist fighters from 95 countries and refused 38,269 individuals entry to Turkey in its fight against Daesh, which counts the Muslimmajority country among its enemies, the report said. It added that Daesh was responsible for a string of terror attacks in Ankara and Istanbul, as well as cross-border fire from Syria that has killed a number of residents since last year in Turkish border towns. Al-Rawi said yesterday Isis was listed in the local courts as an internationally recognised terror group. Hence, if this country’s citizens were found outside of T&T attempting to engage with the group the local law automatically would take effect. He said there were 74 o t h e r international terrorist groups which were currently being listed before T&T’s courts.

Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi “If we see somebody is

laws? They have to be listed as one of the steps needed to build your case to getting these people before the court and to have any attempt to apply the Anti-Terrorism Act successfully,” Al-Rawi said. He said if the evidence therefore proved there was a link between the nine deportees and Isis then the laws would be applied under the act.

Legislation, he added, was also currently before the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), the Police Commissioner and the Chief Immigration Officer, all of whom still had to report back on how to deal with returning foreign terrorist fighters. This piece of law was expected to be before the Parliament in September, Al-Rawi added. “This piece of legislation would be a combination of events that is the operationalisation of the existing law which is the Anti-Terrorism Act and the issue of how one treats with the return of foreign terrorist fighters through our country or through coordinate countries that they may pass through in transit.

“That one is near completion and just requires the feedback from those three agencies,” AlRawi said.And amid growing concerns from members of the public that more and more Trinidadians who were bent on taking up Isis’s cause were being shipped back to this country, Al-Rawi said intelligence agencies were keeping a close watch on them. He sought to alleviate the fears of citizens saying that such agencies were having discussions with international counterparts. “This is not a new phenomenon.

We have been engaged in counterpart discussions with our established partners and also with the government of Turkey itself,” AlRawi said. He said various international agencies have been “watching T&T” and monitoring its effectiveness by requesting proof that this country’s laws were actually being used.

National Security Council meeting On concerns that the deportees may form their own gangs the AG said the council met on Sunday and efforts were being made to “tighten up” the response to such issues. “We have very robust and active surveillance measures in T&T through various agencies. That means you would have to have your intelligence not only converted to information but evidence and that is the first step to ensure you have things that are actionable,” Al-Rawi said. But the current Anti-Gang and Bail Legislation is set to expire on August 15, 2016. He said the AG’s office was having ongoing discussions with the Criminal Gang and Intelligence unit and with other agencies to produce the necessary information to have public discussions regarding the future of antigang legislation. “It is more than just statistical information. We now have to look to cause and effect, not only what you have achieved but what you have avoided by way of utilisation of these

translate into the crime patterns and activities from an intelligence perspective” and that work is underway, Al-Rawi said, adding that significant advancements have already been made. He said upon landing at Piarco Airport, all deportees were met by law enforcement agencies following which an entire debriefing process took place. “If there is anything untoward, the steps are taken right then and there by the agencies tasked with the responsibilities including the police and I can assure that the persons who are deported are kept under suitable surveillance as the case may dictate,” Al-Rawi added. Muslims concerned Dr Nasser Mustapha, executive member and former president of the Trinidad Muslim League (TML), said he was concerned that T&T nationals were still joining Isis. He said he thought by now they would have had enough sense to refrain from doing so.

“They should be aware by now that what Isis is doing is not in keeping with the teachings of Islam. All forms of violence and extremism are against the teachings of Islam. “When we see the things they are doing and loss of innocent lives and the instability they are causing I am surprised that people still want to go there,” Mustapha said. MORE INFO A report from another Syrian newspaper yesterday said the T&T nationals were referred to the Adana Immigration Authority Directorate for deportation. But Immigrations officials were unable to say when they would be deported as there was no direct flight to Piarco Airport. It said the men would have to go through London or Amsterdam but neither of these cities was willing to accommodate the deportation. The Turkish authorities were liaising with National Security officials in Trinidad in an effort to resolve the matter and were asking the T&T authorities to monitor the arrival of these Trinidadians whenever they were deported, the report said. Some of these Trinidadians reportedly left Trinidad, flew to Caracas, then landed in Amsterdam where they met their contact person. The report said investigations revealed that the detained Trinidadians worshipped at mosques in central Trinidad, Rio Claro, and Sangre Grande. No weapons were seized from the Trinidadians but they were expected to be fully armed once they reached Syria, the report added. Turkey has been on high alert after being rocked by a series of suicide and car bomb attacks that have claimed many lives and wounded hundreds. The attacks were claimed by the jihadist group. On June 28, at least 44 people were killed and hundreds were wounded in a suicide bomb attack at Istanbul’s Atatürk Airport blamed on Isis. Europe has been attacked by Isis in recent months including France and Belgium. (Trinidad Guardian)

REGIONAL PAGE 27

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

TUESDAY, AUGUST 2, 2016

Dookeran: I still have political destiny Winston Dookeran, former political leader of the Congress of the People (COP) says although he no longer holds political office, he still has a political destiny. Addressing the closing ceremony of the Bharatiya Vidya Sansthaan’s (BVS) 45th annual international cultural camp in Aranguez last Thursday night, Dookeran said he was inspired by the work of the BVS and its founder Professor Hari Shankar Adesh, Chancellor of the American University of Hindu Knowledge (AUHK) to find that new political destiny.

“I have no political office but I still believe I have a political destiny. And maybe this seed you have shown today is now urging me to find that destiny, not in world of secular politics, not even in the world of spiritual development of which I could never qualify but in some other world,” said Dookeran. Applauding Adesh’s commitment to serving T&T for five decades and for his work internationally, Dookeran said, “Most people start with good intensions but when they face obstacles they tend to shy away.

But you Guruji (Adesh) have stuck to it.” Having witnessed some of the musical performances at the ceremony, Dookeran complimented the camp as “a whole science at work” that keeps people together, headed by Adesh “a citizen of the world”. He said although religion and faith were important, “The world moves best when you understand the science which keeps us together.” Dookeran said by bringing together language, music and drama, the BVS had “the most powerful action that any group can take Winston Dookeran together.”

The campers, he added, have spoken by their ‘deeds, actions, and achievements’ “I have seen the results of the science of the work of the BVS , and I look forward to more, for our citizens here and in the world have become successful people because the foundation they got in this organization allowed them to be protected from all the trials and tribulations of life.” He said in the early days, “I did not know him (Adesh), but I knew of his popularity. And many sought to claim fame from that popularity.

Yet, he never wanted to be in the glare of public adulation. Nor did he want to be in the lights that shine for a few while others were in darkness. He preferred to work in the darkness and get everyone else to light and shine”. Dookeran said: “I am happy I have come to the closing session, because I see for myself what you have done and it gives me new inspiration for the work you are doing individually and collectively, not only in Trinidad and Tobago, but internationally as well.” (Trinidad Guardian)

REGIONAL PAGE 28

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

TUESDAY, AUGUST 2, 2016

Injured municipal cop still waiting on pension, gratuity Frustrated and with seemingly nowhere to turn, Port-of-Spain City Corporation municipal police officer George Maharaj is pleading for the relevant authorities to look into his situation urgently before he and his family end up homeless and penniless. “I cry night and day in pain and to see how I served my countrymen with dignity and pride and seeing the situation that I am in now, it’s such a shame,” Maharaj said. Maharaj was stationed at the corporation for the past 15 years and was part of a team of

George Maharaj in an undated photograph.

officers who responded to 14 murders in 72 hours in 2015.

However, four years ago he was injured on the job and as a result had to undergo cervical spinal surgery at the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex (EWMSC) in Mount Hope. Last September, his dream of serving the country fell apart when he went before the Medical Board and was subsequently found unfit to continue working. His hardship didn’t just end there. In January this year, he was sent a correspondence by the relevant authorities informing him that his extended sick leave was stopped and that he was now automatically sent on pre-retirement leave, which expired in May. Speaking with the T&T Guardian, Maharaj explained how his life dramatically changed for him sending him on a roller coaster to “hell on earth.” “As a result of being a supervisor at the Central Market Police Post I was working hard and given lots of extra duty for which I was able to take out a vehicle on loan. Now my salary has stopped and I cannot afford to pay for it,” Maharaj said. Maharaj, who is now in a wheelchair, is seeking to get a hospital bed at home. He said: “Because of my injury, it is very painful for me to turn in my bed. I am diabetic, suffer from high blood pressure, contracted a coronary heart disease.”

Maharaj underwent a total disc transplant in the cervical spine, and in January, underwent a lumbar spinal surgery at the EWMSC. A second surgery of similar nature was done one month later. In March, he was forced to discharge himself from the hospital because he felt neglected by officials there. “Where they operated on me in my lower back, that became infected because of lack of antibiotics at the hospital (he alleged). I discharged myself and

sought medical attention privately for a while up until my finances were depleted.

I was now forced to return to the public hospital with the hope and prayer that they would take better care of me this time around cause I have nobody else to turn to,” Maharaj said. He said that his medical bills cost approximately $2,000 a week, a cost he said he cannot meet. Maharaj strongly believes that something went wrong at the corporation as he is allegedly constantly told by officials there that paperwork is yet to be organised where his pension and gratuity were concerned. “I was told it will take three to six months to process.

I am qualified for it under medical grounds, but I was told that even my increments are not up to date, so I do not know where is the delay coming from and the runarounds,” Maharaj said. “I have been researching and calling various departments and ministries seeking redress or advice, but all seem in vain I am totally fed up and frustrated,” he added. Maharaj is now unable to provide for himself proper medical treatment and by extension, unable to support his family.

He also recently received an eviction notice.

Maharaj was one of 153 municipal police officers who took the State to court for various reasons, including infringement of their constitutional rights back in 2003. The matter was heard in the Privy Council and a judgment was given in the officers’ favour against the Attorney General. However, from January 2015 to now the officers are yet to be compensated.

Maharaj again needs to have corrective surgery on the spine but is calling on the relevant authorities to intervene. “I need my pension, g r a t u i t y, N I S , m e d i c a l t r e a t m e n t a n d medications. It’s all I am asking for—help!”

Maharaj said. (Trinidad Guardian)

REGIONAL PAGE 29

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

TUESDAY, AUGUST 2, 2016

Teen drowns during joy ride Eager to test out the speed of his father’s two new boat engines, Stephano Ramkhelawan went on a joy ride off the Moruga fishing bay on Sunday, but never returned. It is believed that Ramkhelawan, 18, of Bois Jean Jean Road, Moruga, drowned in the Columbus Channel after being pitched off a pirogue named Renaldo shortly after 4 pm on Sunday. Witnesses saw him floundering in the water while the run-away boat circled around him. Up to late yesterday, Coast Guard divers, friends, relatives and fishermen were searching the southern seas and the coastline with the hope of finding his body.

In an interview at Gran Chemin beach yesterday, Ramkhelawan’s father, Vishnu, said he had no hope that his son was alive. “I am sure that he is dead because he could not swim and he was not wearing any life jackets,” Vishnu said as he gazed out at the horizon. There were two life jackets on board the Renaldo and Vishnu said he was puzzled as to why Ramkhelawan chose not to wear any. The boat was docked near the port and Vishnu said he was also uncertain why Ramkhelawan chose to go out to sea alone.

Describing his son as “harden” and stubborn, Vishnu said on Sunday Ramkhelawan told him he was going down the road. “I told him to stay home and help me to wash some clothes but as usual he did not listen,” Vishnu recalled. Whilst home, Vishnu got a call that Ramkhelawan went out to sea at La Retreat with the boat and had fallen into the sea. “Stephano’s cousin Blimp

(Sylvester Singh) said my son went to joy ride but he couldn’t handle the boat. It dived and he pitched off. He came up once and went back down.

The boat was circling in the water with nobody on board. “Blimp managed to bring the boat under control Vishnu Ramkhelawan at Gran Chemin beach yesterday but we never saw my son t o rebuild their home. Three weeks ago, again,” Vishnu added. He said Ramkhelawan Vi s h nu said, he purchased two new boat recently signed up to do a welding course at the engines and was also planning to buy a van for Moruga Composite School. “My son nearly his son in the distant future. Meanwhile, drowned twice in the past. This time, I am certain grandmother Ivy Ramkhelawan broke down in that he died,” Vishnu added. He explained that he tears when the search party returned. “I just lost tried to teach Ramkhelawan to swim on many my husband Etwaro, who died three months ago. occasions but he always panicked. He said I don’t know how I will deal with this,” Ivy said.

Ramkhelawan was very close to him having She said Ramkhelawan recently had an appendix lived with him after his marriage broke up. operation and was looking forward to starting his He added that Ramkhelawan recently opened a welding course. Moruga police are continuing joint bank account with him and was helping him investigations. (RSD) (Trinidad Guardian)

CCJ president urges greater use of technology to reduce crime

President of the Caribbean Court of Justice, Sir Dennis Byron

KINGSTON, Jamaica (JIS) — President of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), Sir Dennis Byron, has called for increased use of technology by the police, particularly in Jamaica, to reduce crime. He contends that in Jamaica’s ongoing development of justice

reform initiatives, technology must be pivotal in the interventions being considered to fight crime.

“This includes the use of wireless surveillance, global positioning systems (GPS), personal digital assistant (PDA) devices, in-car computers and vest-mounted cameras to enhance and eventually replace hand written police reports, station diaries and eye-witness testimony,” Sir Dennis explained.

He was delivering the 23rd annual Churches’ Emancipation Lecture at Webster Memorial United Church in Kingston, on Sunday, July 31.

Sir Dennis noted that criminal justice reform initiatives already undertaken in Jamaica have demonstrated that the process requires “crossdisciplinary, holistic, cultural and societal approaches”, to yield the desired outcomes. He further stated that it was also necessary to lobby dispensational change among all the major stakeholders, including the police, judiciary and legal fraternity and correctional service.

Sir Dennis cautioned, however, that investments in technology must be coupled with adequate

training of the persons who will use the inputs to ensure strategic and optimal use and outcomes that redound to the nation’s benefit. The CCJ president also emphasized that introducing Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) practices for lesser crimes and encouraging more persons committing offences to plead guilty for their indiscretions, are among the measures that can further strengthen the ongoing reforms and complement recommended strategies.

The 2016 Churches’ Emancipation Lecture was held under the theme: ‘The Lesson and the Legacy: Justice Reform and Emancipation’. It aims to provide the public with in-depth analyses about the impact of slavery and emancipation on the Jamaican and Caribbean people. The event is organized by the congregations of Bethel and Boulevard Baptist Churches; Hope, Meadowbrook and Webster Memorial United Churches; and the United Theological College of the West Indies (UTCWI). (Jamaica Observer)

INTERNATIONAL PAGE 30

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

TUESDAY, AUGUST 2, 2016

Chinese activist Zhai Yanmin found guilty of subversion Chinese rights activist Zhai Yanmin has been found guilty of subverting state power after a one-day trial in Tianjin. Zhai was among 300 lawyers and activists arrested since July last year as part of a crackdown on legal activism - about 20 are still detained. In the first trial since the crackdown, he was given a three-year suspended prison sentence. The cases have provoked international criticism and accusations they are politically motivated. A further three activists from Zhai's law firm Fengrui, which specialises in human rights cases, are also on trial in Tianjin. Hu Shigen, Zhou Shifeng and Li Heping are facing the same charge. On Monday, prominent Fengrui lawyer Wang Yu was apparently released on bail, after a video appeared in which she renounced her legal work. But it was not clear when the video was filmed, nor whether Ms Wang was now free. China calls this trial "open" and says a number of journalists have been "invited" into court to cover it. The BBC's invitation must have got lost somewhere. Very shortly after arriving outside the court in Tianjin we were stopped from filming by plain clothes policemen, had our identities checked and were then guided onto a bus and taken to a nearby hotel. In an upstairs room, projected onto a screen was a "live transcript" from the trial. Like the lawyers and family members who have been denied access to this group of defendants for over a year, there is no way to independently assess the strength of the evidence against them, or the authenticity of their professed "guilt". The thin veneer of openness is a sign that China well understands that the international community is watching these trials. But it will only add to the suspicion that they are politically motivated with the primary purpose of sending a very chilling message to anyone who dares to test the authority of the Communist Party, in or out of court. Chinese state media said the court had taken three hours to reach its verdict against Zhai, whose activism began with the Tiananmen Square protests in 1989. China Daily said he had posted comments online that harmed national security and social stability, and organised protests to disturb the public order. The Xinhua state news agency described Zhai as a paid protester and "an unemployed resident of Beijing". The suspended sentence means he will not go to jail, but will be heavily supervised and unable to be

involved in any political activities. 'Ridiculous and evil' The detained lawyers are widely known as "709" - a reference to the date the crackdown was launched on 9 July 2015. The families of some of those arrested said in a statement on Monday that the trial was "ridiculous and evil", and appealed for the trial to be given international attention. The statement also alleged that the wife of Zhai was missing, with others facing the risk of being "taken away".

The family members said they were not allowed to attend the trial. China's crackdown last year targeted the country's small human rights advocacy movement, and involved lawyers tackling cases to do with freedom of speech, religion or abuses of power. Most of the arrested activists were released but observers say China is taking a strong line against those still in detention. In a video of Wang Yu which was released on Monday, she denounced the head of Fengrui, Zhou Shifeng, as an unqualified lawyer. She added that "foreign forces" were using the firm to undermine and discredit the government. Observers said there were indications the "confession" was coerced. In recent months forced public confessions have been used in several cases in China. (BBC)

Plain-clothed police were filming journalists outside the court as they spoke to the wife of one of the detained lawyers(AP)

INTERNATIONAL

GUYANA DAILY NEWS HILLARY WOULDN’T BE THE FIRST FEMALE AMERICAN PRESIDENT If she wins, Hillary Clinton won’t be the first female American to become President of a country. Janet Rosenberg beat her by a PAGE 31

TUESDAY, AUGUST 2, 2016

generation—and against much tougher odds. Like Clinton, Rosenberg was born in Chicago—on the South Side, where Michelle Obama was raised, where Barack Obama first got into community organizing, where the Obama girls were born, and where the Obama Presidential Library will be built. Rosenberg came from a middle-class Jewish family.

She grew into a handsome young woman, with high cheekbones set in a long, elegant face. She was outspoken, for the nineteenforties. She also rode horses and learned to shoot. “Nothing much frightens me,” she once explained. Rosenberg was a student nurse at Cook County Hospital when she met Cheddi Jagan, a dashing Indo-Guyanese man with wavy black hair and a movie-idol smile. He was studying dentistry at Northwestern. Their parents didn’t approve of their multiracial, interfaith relationship. (He was Hindu.) Nevertheless, in 1943 they married and moved to British Guiana, then still a colony nestled next to Venezuela, on South America’s Caribbean coast. The Jagans opened a dental-surgery practice in Georgetown, the capital. But politics was their first love.

They were both leftists, radicals for the time. They soon joined the independence and labor movements in his home country, one of the poorest places in South America. The population was largely split between descendants of African slaves and indentured laborers from India who had worked on sugar plantations; only nine per cent were indigenous Amerindian. In the forties, Janet helped to organize domestic workers and to establish the Women’s Political and Economic Organization.

“Women must join in the struggle to bring about political and socio-economic changes so that there will be equal opportunities for all, so that we can end unemployment, poverty and hunger, so that genuine democratic institutions can flourish, so that our women can be free and equal citizens,” she once explained. In the fifties, the Jagans co-founded the leftist and multiracial People’s Progressive Party; she was its secretary-general for two decades. He was elected the colony’s chief minister, on a pro-independence platform, in 1953. When Hillary Clinton was still in elementary school, Janet Rosenberg Jagan was elected deputy speaker of parliament and became the country’s first female cabinet minister.

The Jagans’ careers were turbulent, however. In 1954, their activism against colonial rule landed them in prison for six months; after that, they were under house arrest for two years. “Jail wasn’t easy from the physical point of view,” Janet later recalled. “But, like my husband, I treasured the quiet of jail from the furor outside. I did a lot of reading after insisting that women, like men, should have a right to have books.” In 1957, she ran again for the legislature—and won.

“We led the struggle by educating the people on the ills of colonialism and the need for unity to end the exploitation of this country by the dominant clique that wanted only power and profits—profits and power,” she said, in 1962. “We attained power by the valid ballot and proved our worth by winning in three successive elections—without benefit of a daily press or foreign finances. We did not attempt to grab power by bloodshed.” But Janet Jagan was not universally admired.

In 1963, Time called her “the most controversial woman in South American politics since Evita Perón…. Not only is she a white woman in a volatile land of East Indians and Negroes; she is also a strident Marxist and believed by many to be the brains and backbone” behind her husband. “I have no religion save the religion of equality,” she countered. In 1966, the British colony gained independence, as Guyana. Janet won parliamentary races in 1973, 1980, 1985, and 1992—and became the parliament’s longestserving member, her career spanning forty-six years.

In 1992, during Guyana’s first completely free and fair elections, which were monitored by a team led by Jimmy Carter, Cheddi Jagan became President; Janet was his First Lady as well as a politician in her own right. By then, her hair had turned white, and she had cut her long locks into a functional bob. Cheddi died in 1997, from a heart attack, despite an emergency flight to Walter Reed Hospital, in Washington, D.C. Janet ran to succeed him, and won—even though she was American-born, white, and Jewish, facts the opposing campaign exploited in vicious attacks. She took office the same year that Bill Clinton began his second term in the White House.

In 1997, unesco awarded Janet Jagan the Gandhi Gold Medal for Peace, Democracy, and Women’s Rights. As President, she expanded her focus to include globalization and the environment.

Continued on next page...

In 1997, Janet Jagan became the President of Guyana, after the death of her husband, Cheddi Jagan. PHOTOGRAPH BY HARRY BENSON / EXPRESS / GETTY

INTERNATIONAL PAGE 32

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

TUESDAY, AUGUST 2, 2016

HILLARY WOULDN’T BE THE FIRST FEMALE AMERICAN PRESIDENT

CONT’D

“In our continuing efforts to develop our country and meet the needs of our people, especially those living in poverty, my country remains dedicated to the preservation of the environment and the sustainable development of our resources,” she said, at a meeting of regional foreign ministers, in 1999. She resigned due to poor health a few months later, at the age of seventy-seven. Her life was chronicled in a PBS documentary in 2003.

The first American woman to be president of a country died in 2009, the year Hillary Clinton became Secretary of State. If she wins, Hillary Clinton will not break new ground for women in politics globally, either. As Stephen Colbert joked on his show last Friday, the United States “will finally catch up with Sri Lanka.” Sirimavo Bandaranaike became the world’s first female prime minister, in a country then known as Ceylon, in 1960. She served three times, stepping down in 2000—the year Hillary first ran for the Senate.

Her daughter, Chandrika Kumaratunga, was Sri Lanka’s longest-serving President, for eleven years, beginning in the mid-nineties. In the past century, fifty-four countries on the six inhabited continents —about a quarter of the world’s nations—have had female Presidents or Prime Ministers. Bangladesh, Finland, Lithuania, Malta, New Zealand, Norway, the Philippines, Poland, São Tomé and Príncipe, and Slovakia have had more than one. Theresa May just became the United Kingdom’s second female Prime Minister. The United States has not excelled at putting women in national legislatures. It currently ranks ninety-sixth out of a hundred and ninety-three countries, according to the InterParliamentary Union. Less than twenty per cent of U.S. representatives in the Senate and House are women.

Rwanda, one of the poorest nations, comes in first; two-thirds of its parliament is female. At least ten predominantly Muslim countries (not all democracies) have higher percentages: Afghanistan, Algeria, Bangladesh, Bosnia, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Mauritania, Sudan, Tunisia, and Turkmenistan. Even Pakistan, despite being one of the most dangerous countries in the world for women, ranks higher—at eighty-third. If she wins, Hillary Clinton will be a throwback to a much earlier model of women in power. Throughout most of history, women inherited political position or prominence from their fathers or husbands.

The earliest recorded female leaders were in Egypt: Sobekneferu, some thirty-eight hundred years ago, came to power after her brother’s death, and Hatshepsut, three centuries later, after her husband’s. Hereditary monarchies were the primary route to the top, from the Biblical Queen of Sheba to Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II. The pattern of inherited power went on well into the twentieth century. In the nineteen-seventies, Isabel Perón, of Argentina, became the world’s first female president, assuming power after her husband died.

The pattern of wives and daughters acquiring power continued even when hereditary monarchies were replaced. The notables include Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, who succeeded her husband, Nestor, in Argentina, and the Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, whose father was a leading figure in achieving the independence of modern Myanmar. The pattern began to shift in the late nineteen-sixties, coinciding with the women’s-liberation movement. In 1969, Golda Meir, a Russian immigrant who grew up in Milwaukee, became Prime Minister of Israel.

Her late husband, Morris Meyerson, had been a sign painter.

Margaret Thatcher became Britain’s Prime Minister in the eighties; her husband was a businessman. The nineties witnessed the first real spurt of women acquiring power in their own right. Both of Canada’s two major parties were headed by women. Ireland had two female Presidents, Mary Robinson and Mary McAleese. Jenny Shipley and Helen Clark were both Prime Ministers in New Zealand. Hanna Cuchocka was the first woman to head a Polish government since Queen Jadwiga, in the fourteenth century. Édith Cresson was France’s Prime Minister. The economist Tansu Çiller was Turkey’s first female Prime Minister.

In an unprecedented move that still seems radical, her husband took her surname. In many countries, the transformative factor has been quotas—either through legislation or party bylaws. India has a long history of practices that oppress women, from gender-selection abortion and female infanticide to bride-burning, when a family fails to pay a dowry. Violence against women, including acid attacks and rape, is still “common,” the latest State Department Human Rights Report warns.

Yet India also carried out history’s single biggest act of female empowerment. In 1993, a constitutional amendment set aside a third of all seats in local councils for women. Nearly a million women suddenly entered politics. A pending constitutional amendment—the so-called Women’s Reservation Bill—would allocate a third of all seats to women in the lower house of Parliament, and in state assemblies. “More than half of the countries in the world have implemented some type of political quota,” Rohini Pande and Deanna Ford, of Harvard’s Kennedy School, write.

“They have led to a dramatic increase in female leaders across the globe.”

Norway’s Socialist Left Party started the trend, in 1975, with a rule that forty per cent of its candidates should be female. In 1990, the U.N. Economic and Social Council set a goal of thirty per cent female representation in decision-making bodies. “The United States is a notable exception among Western countries,” Pande and Ford note. Mexico has legislated quotas for both its parliament and local political office.

In 2014, Mexico passed a constitutional amendment that requires parties to develop “rules to ensure gender parity in the nomination of candidates in federal and local congressional elections.” By law, all parties must also allocate funds (albeit small) to train, develop, and promote female leaders. As a result, women account for forty-two per cent of seats in the lower house and a third of the Senate seats. In the United States, women hold only about twenty per cent in both the House and the Senate.

Worldwide, quotas have enabled tens of thousands of women to enter politics. Hillary Clinton has clearly earned her nomination, from years as a community organizer, as a senator, and as Secretary of State. President Obama said no candidate has ever been as qualified to hold the office.

Yet, paradoxically, she is still an example of the traditional path to power for women. She emerged on the national stage as a First Lady—as a wife. (THE NEW YORKER)

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TUESDAY, AUGUST 2, 2016

Russia anthrax outbreak affects dozens in north Siberia Ninety people are undergoing hospital checks in remote away in soil for years before entering an animal through a cut or TUESDAY, AUGUST 2, 2016

northern Russia because of an anthrax outbreak that killed a boy on Monday. Eight people are confirmed as infected with anthrax, a rare but deadly bacterial disease. It is believed to have spread from reindeer. More than 2,300 reindeer have died in the outbreak, in the Yamalo-Nenets region of Siberia. Reindeerherding families have been moved out. A heatwave has fuelled the disease. Temperatures in the danger zone - now under quarantine - have soared to 35C. Russia has sent troops trained for biological warfare to help deal with the emergency. The local governor's spokeswoman, Natalya Khlopunova, told Tass news agency that about 50 children were among the 90 people in hospital. "We decided to do checks on all the reindeer herders' children, even if they show no signs of illness," she said. Dead animal risk The families have been evacuated to a campsite about 60km (37 miles) from the infection hotspot. Officials believe that the heat melted permafrost and exposed an infected reindeer carcass in the Siberian tundra, AFP news agency reports. The last outbreak in the region was in 1941. Anthrax is caused by Bacillus anthracis and can be deadly but usually it does not spread easily. It largely survives as spores that hide

wound. Traditionally the people most at risk have been those who handle dead animals, such as abattoir workers. Anthrax can be treated with antibiotics but treatment needs to start soon after infection. (BBC)

Anthrax bacteria under a microscopelivestock are most at risk while grazing (SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY)

FBI employee admits being 'agent of China' in US court An FBI employee with top secret security clearance has pleaded guilty to acting as an "agent of the Chinese government", the US says. Kun Shan Chun, a naturalised US citizen born in China and known as Joey, admitted in court to sending sensitive information to a Chinese official. US Attorney Preet Bharara said he had threatened the country's security through a "duplicitous" betrayal. Chun "deeply regrets" what he did and loves the US, his lawyer said. While he could face a sentence of up 10 years in prison, the government and defence agreed a sentence of between 21 and 27 months "would be appropriate", the New York Times reports, citing the plea agreement. The Chinese Embassy in Washington is yet to comment, the Associated Press reports. 'Financial rewards' Chun, 46, worked for the FBI as an electronics technician from 1997 until his arrest in March. He was introduced to a Chinese government official during a trip to Italy and France in 2011, the Department of Justice says, and they continued to meet privately abroad. He is accused of having covered up his connections with at least one Chinese government official and a Chinese technology company, Zhuhai Kolion, in which he had an "indirect financial interest", according to the justice department. Court papers in New York said in 2013 he

sent an unnamed Chinese official a chart showing the FBI's organisational structure and two years later sent photos of restricted documents about surveillance technologies. Chun also provided the identity and travel schedule of an FBI agent, Assistant US Attorney Emil Bove said. He was rewarded financially and through perks such as holidays and hotel stays, according to authorities. According to the complaint, he was caught after offering to help an undercover agent transmit sensitive government information to his Chinese associates. (BBC)

Kun Shan Chun worked for the FBI for 19 years(AFP)

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GUYANA DAILY NEWS

TUESDAY, AUGUST 2, 2016

Syrian conflict: Saraqeb 'attacked with chlorine gas’ Barrels suspected to contain chlorine gas have been dropped on a town in Syria, a doctor and rescuers have said. It is not clear who was responsible. The attack took place in Saraqeb in Idlib province, near where a Russian military transport helicopter was shot down by rebels hours earlier. About 30 people, mostly women and children, have been affected. Chlorine gas can cause victims to become short of breath and to foam blood from the mouth. Both sides in Syria's civil war have been accused of, and denied, using chemical agents. A Russian military helicopter was shot down near Saraqeb on Monday, killing five crew. It is not clear who brought it down. It was the biggest single loss of life suffered by Russian troops since they entered the conflict in Syria last year, on the side of President Bashar al-Assad. Dr Abdel Aziz Bareeh, who works in Saraqeb, told the BBC that two barrels of chlorine gas were dropped on the town late on Monday. "We know it's chlorine because we were hit by it in the past and we are familiar with its odour and symptoms. "We have 28 confirmed cases, mostly women and children." Separately, a spokesman for Syria Civil Defence told Reuters that 33 people had been affected in the attack. The organisation of volunteer rescue workers said it suspected the barrels contained chlorine but was unable to confirm it. Chlorine is a common industrial chemical, but its use in weapons is banned by the Chemical

Weapons Convention. In 2013, the BBC found strong evidence suggesting residents of Saraqeb were subject to a chemical attack by government helicopters, something denied by the Syrian authorities.

Separately, clashes are continuing near Aleppo, where rebels have launched an offensive to break a government siege. (BBC)

Video released on social media purported to show the aftermath of the attack(REUTERS)

French priest funeral: Jacques Hamel mourned in Rouen Thousands have attended the funeral in Rouen cathedral in Normandy of French priest Father Jacques Hamel, who was murdered in his church by Islamist extremists last week. A public ceremony was led by the city's archbishop, after which Father Hamel was to be interred in a private burial. French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve and senior Roman Catholic clerics attended the service. Father Hamel had his throat cut when two men stormed his church during Mass. At the service his sister, Roselyne, told the congregation that her brother, who was 85, had been a man of "mercy and love". She said he had turned down an officer position when doing his military service in Algeria, as the role would have required him to give the order for his men to kill other men. "His refusal was categorical." she said. "He chose to serve God so that he can cultivate love and sharing and tolerance among people of all faiths and denominations, believers and non-believers, throughout his life." She said Father Hamel's message to everyone would be: "Let us learn to live together. Let us be the workers and artisans of peace, each one in his own way." In the homily, Rouen Archbishop Dominique Lebrun said: "As brutal and unfair and horrible as Jacques' death was, we have to look deep into our hearts to find the light." He called for forgiveness, quoting the New Testament command to love your neighbours. The citizens of Rouen came to the cathedral to mourn the priest killed at his altar. One, Nicole Popelin, said: "No-one deserves to die like he did. We knew the Father very well. It hurts us so badly." More than 1,500 members of the congregation heard tributes from the priest's family. "I love you, uncle," said his niece Jessica Deleporte. She struggled to finish her words. "I will miss you." France is a secular state. But, this afternoon, the old rituals of the church had their place. In the 15th century in Rouen, Joan of Arc was burned at the stake. This city knows how to grieve for those who died for their faith. Grey line Muslims and Jews attended the ceremony in a show of solidarity. "It was a duty," Hassan Houays, a Muslim maths teacher from Saint-Etienne, told AFP. "We are here so that we can get along together." The attackers - Abdel Malik Petitjean and Adel Kermiche - had both pledged allegiance to so-called Islamic State. The pair, both aged

19, were shot dead by police after taking hostages. A cousin of Petitjean has been arrested on suspicion of knowing he was planning the attack.

Another man has been put under formal investigation for allegedly attempting to travel to Syria with Petitjean. The attack on Father Hamel at a place of worship stunned France. It came shortly after the Bastille Day attack in Nice which left 84 people dead. As part of its fight against radicalisation, the French government has announced the closure of 20 mosques. It is also planning a new foundation to provide alternative funding for Islamic places of worship, amid concerns about the influence of Saudi Arabia's ultra-conservative Wahhabi version of Islam. A group of prominent Muslims backed the plan, writing in the Journal du Dimanche (JDD) (in French) that "we must speak up now because Islam has become a public issue and the current situation is intolerable". "A Foundation for Islam in France was set up more than 10 years ago and now it is time to reactivate it," they said. "It has never worked properly... but now it should be empowered to collect donations." (BBC)

Father Jacques Hamel was killed while celebrating Mass(CATHOLIC DIOCESE OF ROUEN HO)

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GUYANA DAILY NEWS

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 3, 2016

“Sourpusses” - Rohee says of PM Nagamootoo and Ramkarran

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supporters of the PPP. What we thought would never return to Guyana in just one short year has returned with full force, and even worse in some regards than the Burnham era,” he told the predominantly East Indian gathering.

His statement received widespread condemnation from the Prime Minister, Mr Ramkarran and other sections of society. Mr Ramkarran had said that “This is a wholly new dimension to the PPP’s agenda; namely, its formal and official transformation by Mr. Jagdeo into an ethnic party representing exclusively ethnic interests,” he said. He added that the founder of the PPP, former President Dr Cheddi Jagan, According to Rohee, they were practicing vengeance politics against must be turning in his grave. by Ronald Singh - Guyana Daily News the PPP for not securing the presidential candidacy. “Vengeance politics will get neither of them anywhere because this is exactly what they are practicing,” Rohee said. Ramkarran is former Speaker of the National Assembly, while Nagamootoo is the current Prime Minister under the APNU+AFC government. He accused the duo of being bitter because they never secured the spot to become Presidential candidates in the PPP. According to Rohee, Mr. Ramkarran may be living in a “bubble, a cocoon or a fool’s paradise”, urging the Guyanese public not take his [Ramkarran’s] column seriously. eneral Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP), Clement Rohee has lashed out at two former stalwarts of the PPP, Ralph Ramkarran and Moses Nagamootoo, who recently criticized Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo for his racist remarks. Rohee at a news conference on Wednesday at Freedom House lambasted Ramkarran’s recent column in the Stabroek News, ‘Cheddi must be turning in his grave.’ He said the article has no credence and that the two former PPP members are both “sourpusses” that lacked credibility.

Speaking at a social event in Queens, New York, Jagdeo said Guyana’s political, economic and social conditions were worse than in the 1970s and 1980s under the then People’s National Congress (PNC) Government of then President Forbes Burnham. “There is an assault on our democracy. There is an assault on people of Indian origin. There is an assault on

PPP General Secretary and Former Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee

Residents lash out at GPL for poor service

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ver the past few days the Guyana Power and Light Company (GPL) has come in for heavy criticism from sections of society following constant power outages in various communities. Complaints have been made in multitudes by persons living in different areas pointing out the need

for stability in the electrical services that GPL is providing. But the GPL in a statement recently, noted that the unpredictable and fluctuating power losses came as a result of the unforeseen weather patterns of heavy thunder storms followed by high winds which blew a portion of the roof off the Garden of Eden power plant.

The company reassured that the blackouts were a part of a necessary precaution which had to be taken in order to get the electricity back up and running. Despite the explanation given by GPL, members of the public still expounded their deep concerns about the situation. One resident told this newspaper, “I have to get up out of my bed in the middle of the

night to plug out all my appliances, from the refrigerator to the air conditioning so that the low voltage and on and off of the current does not damage them, cause GPL is not going to replace them.”

Another complainant reiterated his dissatisfaction saying “It’s like it’s Christmas and we have fairy lights, the light on and next thing they off, six times within half an hour, they gave us a complementary sauna, the place hot and we are bathing in our own sweat.” Some residents have also expressed that they are willing to overlook the issue if there is a power outage for maintenance purposes or in case there is an emergency, but want GPL to give appropriate notice of such.

by Jarred Singh- Guyana Daily News

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GUYANA DAILY NEWS

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 3, 2016

Guyana fails to capitalize on Venezuela crisis With the ongoing crisis in neighbouring Venezuela, the Jamaican government has sought to make the most of out of it by getting oil from Venezuela in exchange for food. The authorities in Jamaica had announced that the country would provide up to US$4 million in the form of goods and services to Venezuela, a country which is in very short supply of food and basic commodities, such as toiletries, soap, cooking oil, flour etc. People are queuing up in long lines at the stores and shops often with empty shelves to get these basic items for their survival, while others are dying in the hospitals due to the lack of medical supplies. Despite the shortages in these basic items, the Nicolas Maduro government has refused the help of the United States. Guyana shared a very close relationship with Venezuela, but has missed out on this opportunity to capitalize due to the ongoing border controversy. Suggestions have been made for Guyana and Venezuela to exchange food for oil, given the fact that Guyana’s manufacturing sector that can contribute significantly to the GDP of the country. -By- Ronald Singh, Guyana Daily News.

Lethem hospital to be promoted to regional status Minister within the Ministry of Public Health, Dr. Karen minster to take into consideration the issues raised and to Cummings along with a team of senior health officials, visited address them in a timely manner. -By- Pablo Cupido, Guyana the Lethem Hospital recently in Region Nine to address issues Daily News. affecting the health sector in that region. In a meeting with the staff of the Lethem hospital, the minister heard their concerns and urged for everyone to cooperate so that the protocols of heath care is observed stating that “a team is as strong as the weakest link so we want everybody on board.” Director of Regional Health Services, Dr. Kay Shako commended the staff of the hospital on the high level of heath care that they provide at the facilities. She also said that for a hospital to attain regional status a team of specialists must be available and that’s what the ministry is trying to achieve. Some of the concerns expressed by the staff includes the upgrading of the records department to ICT systems for more efficient services and referrals. Staff of the maternal and health department requested provision for transportation to assist in providing services to persons in remote parts of the region. The Regional Health Officer, along with the Regional Executive Officer were charged by the

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“Perception is reality” – Rohee says about military officers in Govt

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h e O p p o s i t i o n P e o p l e ’s Progressive Party (PPP) continues to express its concern about military personnel being recruited by the David Granger led administration to fill key spots within

government. At the party’s weekly press conference on Wednesday, General Secretary Clement Rohee said that the APNU+AFC government is shifting from a civilian government to a military one.

PPP General Secretary and Former Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee

He said the PPP is monitoring the fact that responsibility for strategic decision making in government has shifted from civilian political leadership to leadership by professional military officers. Rohee is of the view that Guyana’s democracy is under threat and Guyanese civil, political and cultural rights are being undermined and trampled upon through the façade of social cohesion.

He stated that the country’s Cabinet, the National Security Council and Defence Board are all being militarized. It was pointed out to Rohee that the former PPP government had also employed persons with military background; in response Rohee said it is the public’s perception of the whole issue.

“Perception is reality,” the PPP leader said. -BY- Ronald Singh, Guyana Daily News.

LBI workers picket GuySuCo Headquarters

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orkers attached to LBI Estate today (August 03, 2016) and belonging primarily to cane cutters rank, staged a picketing exercise outside of the Headquarters of the Guyana Sugar Corporation Inc (GuySuCo) at Ogle, East Coast Demerara to register their strong disagreement over moves by the Company to have them transferred to work at Enmore Estate. It is appropriate to recall that GuySuCo at a meeting with the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union

(GAWU) on July 26, 2016 advised that the transfer would be imminent.

The Corporation’s announcement was a complete surprise to the Union’s delegation, which included officials and shop stewards.

This announcement was not in according with what GuySuCo communicated to GAWU and NAACIE on April 12, 2016 about its intention to close several departments at LBI Estate.

Then the Corporation unequivocally said that the cane cutters would not be transferred to Enmore Estate in response to a question from the Unions.

The workers slogans read as follows:1.GuySuCo kicking us – LBI cane cutters – like football 2. GuySuCo said on April 12, 2016 we shall remain LBI workers, on July 26, 2016, we are

told shall soon be Enmore Workers 3. We can’t trust GuySuCo words!

4. Down with GuySuCo deception!

5. GuySuCo bringing on greater hardships on workers The workers and the Union see the Corporation’s newest position as a betrayal and which can contribute to eroding the trust between the parties. GAWU strongly believes, taking into account the challenges which confront the industry the need for a relationship predicated on the values of trust and honesty qualities which are essential and necessary between GuySuCo and the workers and their Union at this time.

This latest move comes on the heels of no wage rise for 2015, a minimized API award last year, and the decision to close Wales Estate. Certainly this is adding to growing discontent and lending to rising tensions in the industry.

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GUYANA DAILY NEWS

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 3, 2016

Digital Old Age Pension System by 2017

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he Ministry of Social Protection plans to introduce an automated distribution system to ensure greater transparency, efficiency and accountability by January 2017 for old age pension. A release from the Ministry noted pensioners will need a new national Identification Card to receive their pension in 2017. As such, subject Minister, Volda Lawrence is encouraging pensioners who do not have the nine digit identification cards issued in the last Registration Cycle by the Guyana Elections Commission to upgrade their National Identification Cards in order to start benefiting from this new system.

“The new system will only use the nine digit National Identification Cards. Pensioners are advised to capitalize on the ongoing

registration process at the Guyana Elections Commission offices in their areas to have the new National Identification Cards if they have not done so already,” the release noted. The new measure by the Ministry aims to rid the old age pension system of any fraud. Minister Lawrence recently announced a plan towards digitizing the pension system to make it more efficient in identifying redundancies in the system.

It was revealed that overseas based Guyanese will no longer receive pension and measures will be put in place to prevent "doubledipping" where persons would draw twice under false pretences. The Minister had noted that this issue was brought to ministry's attention last year and the staff was told that

they would be held responsible if books were issued with them knowing that the persons are not residents of Guyana. Persons desirous of accessing old age pension will have to be living in Guyana for a minimum of two years.

-By- Pablo Cupido, Guyana Daily News.

The Minister of Social Protection,Volda Lawrence

200 new recruits added to Police Force

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he Guyana Police Force on Tuesday saw the induction of about 200 officers into the Officer Training Program which is set to begin soon in an attempt to increase the man power. The ranks were recruited from across Guyana and will undergo an intense period of training which will encompass all aspects of theoretical policing along with stringent physical evaluations and is expected to last approximately four months.

Training will take place at the Felix Austin Police College, Eve Leary, Georgetown;

Officers of The Guyana Police Force (New Source/ File Photo)

Richard Faikall Training school, Essequibo and Felix Austin Police College (Berbice) where recruits from various Regions will be placed in foreign environments in an effort to acclimatize them with the different aspects of policing diverse communities across Guyana.

Recruitment will continue throughout the year.

This process is important since the new officers would have the opportunity to be in different locations which will help them understand and become comfortable with the administrative running and duties of the different locations. The G u y a n a Defense Force and Guyana Police Force over the past few years have lamented the importance of the security sector in the country and pointed out the

benefits of being part of it.

There has however been a slight favouring of the Army by young individuals since the Defence Force is yet to fight a war, as against the officers of the Police Force who are on active duty daily. In addition to the schedule not being as hectic, the army in most cases offer better benefits and retirement packages to their officers and ex-officers.-By- Jarred Singh, Guyana Daily News.

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GUYANA DAILY NEWS

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 3, 2016

Guyanese teenager missing in New York (NBC News) - Ashley Bissal, a 16-year-old teenager this are vital to carry on not only with Ashley’s has been reported missing after attending a graduation investigation, but with the 35 other cases remaining in party for her boyfriend at the Bronx Botanical Gardens the bureau. “There are still so many missing in our on June 23. The Bissal family moved to the United community and we need to find a way to bring them Sates two years ago from Guyana, looking for a home,” Council Member King told Dateline. “At the brighter future for their family especially for her end of the day, we want her to come home. I’m urging blooming Ashley. “We’re facing a disaster, a real anyone who has seen her to step forward and become disaster,” Ravi Bissal, Ashley’s father, told Dateline. an active participant in finding her.” Ashley’s family is “She has a lot of future ahead of her and was doing so devastated for the lack of clues about her daughter’s well. How could this happen? We didn’t know about disappearance, and calls for any help available to solve some of the things going on in her life, but we love her the case. Ashley Bissal is described as 5’1″ tall, no matter what. We don’t care, all is forgiven. We’re weighing 110 lbs. with black hair and brown eyes. just so worried. I need my daughter home.” It is Anyone with any information is urged to call the New reported that Ashley’s family was unaware of the girl York City Police Department at (212) 694-7781. -Bybeing in a relationship or being notified about the Rocio Perez, Guyana Daily News. graduation party. That afternoon the teenager was expected to pick up her small sister from school, something she used to do on a daily basis, but this didn’t happened. Calls to her cellphone were unanswered, and the phone have since died or been turned off. The family members of the teen believe that the boy she was seeing, holds more information than the one provided to the authorities. Ashley’s father Ravi spoke to reporters at a press conference o u t s i d e t h e N e w Yo r k C i t y P o l i c e Department’s 41st precinct in the Bronx, alongside to New York City Council Member Andy King, last week. Accordingly to Mr. King, spreading awareness about cases like Ashley Bissal(NBC News)

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GUYANA DAILY NEWS

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 3, 2016

Commuters complain about traffic woes at Harbour Bridge

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s the number of motor vehicles in Guyana continue to increase, the traffic situation at the Demerara Harbour Bridge in the morning and afternoon hours continue to worsen with a constant build-up of traffic. This results in commuters having to leave ridiculously early to get to work and reaching home late if they want to ‘beat the traffic’. This has been an ongoing problem and there is no solution in sight; however attempts have been by implementing methods such as the closure of the two way traffic along the bridge, the implementation of a third lane which opens one way of traffic on the roadways and even the presence of police officers directing traffic, who commuters say “are retarding the traffic rather than direct it”.

The Guyana Daily News spoke to

some of the commuters who cross the bridge daily and they expressed dissatisfaction in their daily commute.

One gentleman took the time to thoroughly explain why he is dissatisfied saying “ I have to leave my home early in the morning to get to work and then even then sometimes I am still stuck in traffic cause all the other people think like me and leave early”.

The amount of money I spend on gas alone is depressing, I spend almost two times the amount of gas waiting in traffic than I actually need to go to work and back,” the frustrated man continued. Other commuters feel disrespected when The Demerara Harbour Bridge

some drivers are given the privilege to drive pass the long line of traffic and get to cross the bridge without the hassle. As the woes continue commuters are asking for the relevant authorities to step up to the plate and try new methods of approach to heal the sick at the Demerara Harbour Bridge. -By- Jarred Singh, Guyana Daily News

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GUYANA DAILY NEWS

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 3, 2016

Corentyne man killed in hit and run Twenty – six – year old David Charles Murray, Resident of Number 51 Village in Corentyne, Berbice died on Sunday evening after he was hit by a speeding vehicle. It is alleged that the car fled the scene after the accident. The Guyana Daily News understands that the incident occurred five houses away from David’s residence. Reports indicate that he had just stepped out from a prayer session at a sick resident’s house, when the vehicle crashed into him. Relatives described David as a devoted churchgoer. He leaves to mourn his parents, three brothers and five sisters. The authorities have so far taken an overseasbased Guyanese into custody. -By- Rocio Perez, Guyana Daily Dead: David Charles Murray News.

Government needs better direction The people of Guyana elected a new government on May 15, 2015. They voted for a change, new blood in the economy, vision to take the country into the age of new technology, provide jobs and opportunities for the young people among others. When a government is elected, the people essentially elect a money manager, the government must be able to manage the money and financial resources of the country. The inability to provide sound economic policies would create an economic calamity for Guyana. We have had a series of failed policies over the past year, and the trend has been toward frequent and more severe crises.

This was culminated in the booms and busts of the real estate market, the securitized products market, the commodities market and other derivatives. With little foresight or supervision of financial institutions in Guyana their asset class values can be ruined by the lack of poor vision and simply the knowhow. Many financial institutions, non-performing loans or loans where the borrower failed to pay instalment for over three months, have increased by 69.7 per cent in 2015 and continues to skyrocket, according to a source at one of the leading commercial banks in Guyana. Meanwhile, the IMF warned that the increasing current expenditure of the government will crowd out space for public investment, despite significant donor support. Guyana’s economy is in serious crisis. Traditional industries and other sectors of Guyana are in deep financial strain and banks are refusing to lend monies to these sectors, which will face financial difficulties in surviving. Banks make their monies by lending people monies and by investments. Since each subsequent bust only wipes out a portion of the managed money, a new boom can inevitably rise like a phoenix out of the ashes with proper money managers in government. However, this current crisis is destroying a considerable part of the economy. One cannot overstate the need for security both domestic and external for its citizens. The purpose of government is to protect the individual rights of its citizens. Since rights can be assaulted both within a country and outside of it, the government must deal with either threat. This requires an army for defense of the country. In other words citizens must feel safe in and out of their home, going about their daily lives. To ensure that rights are upheld properly,

the judgment of the use of force must be objective. Since individuals involved in an incident are not likely to be objective, it is the government's job to judge the individual use of force by its citizens. For this reason, the government must provide a functional court system. Laws are the tools by which the court decides if a use of force is warranted, also the wheels of justice should not be grinding slower and slower. The final expectation from a government is to lead the country in a forward direction.

Without proper and qualified leadership at the helm in government, there cannot be positive economic growth.

Guyana’s economy performed sluggishly for the first half of 2016. A large percentage of skilled people is migrating and it does not only speak about Guyana’s future but it means that the country is getting less for its investment in human development; training people can be a very costly exercise. Guyana’s economy has been gradually sliding downhill in recent times and those with business establishments are rapidly leaving the country in search of alternative opportunities. In other words, this combination is a definitive receipt for failure. No one can dispute the fact that the economic policy formation and implementation rate has been no more than mediocre. Such an environment of consistent policy paralysis actively contributes to a sluggish economy. The new norm in Georgetown is economic stalemate, with very little or no way forward. In 2015, the economy grew at its slowest pace in seven years.

LOCAL

GUYANA DAILY NEWS Shariff never communicated any fraud to Minister Harmon - sent on leave to facilitate police investigation PAGE 44

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eorgetown, Guyana – (August 3, 2016) Minister of State, Mr. Joseph Harmon, has reiterated that the reason Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Presidency, Mr. Omar Shariff was sent on leave, was to facilitate the ongoing police investigation into the acquisition of his personal assets and accounts. “The fact that Mr. Shariff has been sent on leave is because of an investigation by the SOCU [Special Organised Crime Unit] and he was sent on leave after he advised me that he was being investigated and that the Police ranks from the SOCU were at his office and that they were taking him down for an investigation into what he said to me were matters of a private nature and involving

Mr. Omar Shariff

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 3, 2016

tax liabilities.

So it would not have been proper practice for him to remain on the job while he was being the subject of such an important investigation.” Minister Harmon said in an invited comment. Responding directly to a statement attributed to an unnamed source in the August 2, 2016 edition of the Stabroek News, which stated, “Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of the Presidency Omar Shariff, who is now the subject of a financial crimes probe, believes he was sent on leave as a smokescreen because he had begun unearthing massive corruption, including the alleged misuse of international donor funds”, Minister Harmon said no such report or discovery was brought to his attention by the Permanent Secretary at any time. Even if this was the case, the Minister said, it is the duty of the chief accounting officer of the Ministry, to make a police report. “I can categorically state that Mr. Shariff never reported to me any matter involving any sums of money that were the subject of a fraud investigation. In any event, if that were so, then it is his responsibility, even if he had informed me, it is his responsibility as the accounting officer of the Ministry, to report that matter to the police,” the Minister of State said. Minister Harmon noted that even though Mr. Shariff was an executive of the People’s Progressive

Party (PPP), the current Parliamentary Opposition, when the new administration took office, he was given the opportunity to continue to serve in his professional capacity.

He received, Minister Harmon said, the benefit of the doubt from the administration. “When we took office, it was clear that Mr. Shariff had been a member of the PYO [Progressive Youth Organisation]. He was a very senior person in the PPP and in spite of all of that, when we took office, we said that we were going to rely on his professionalism to conduct what he had to do. There was clearly an opportunity at that time for him to make a separation between his service to his party and service to the Government.

We gave Mr. Shariff the benefit of the doubt and requested that he remain professional in the work that he was doing,” he said. Minister Harmon refused to comment on the recent revelations in the media citing the fact that the investigation is still active. However, he said that the exorbitant accumulation of property and wealth, which cannot be justified by income, by any public servant, regardless of their position in the administration, would raise questions.

Meanwhile, Mr. Shariff will remain on leave, as the investigation continues.

MOTP Press Release

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GUYANA DAILY NEWS

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 3, 2016

Key suspect in custody for Laing Avenue murder A man, who is believed to have a direct connection to the fatal shooting at Laing Avenue on Monday, has been arrested by the police. Former murder accused, 33-year-old Orin David known as “Malik, was gunned down on August 01 at his Lot 89 Laing Avenue, Georgetown home in the presence of his wife and relatives. Reports indicate that four men carried out the attack and they have been identified as ‘close associates’ of the now dead man. Reports indicate that the gang operates out of Agricola, East Bank Demerara. This newspaper understands that the key suspect in custody is the owner of the vehicle which was used in the commission of the crime. Police have revealed that one empty 12 gauge shotgun cartridge and a 32 spent shell, have been recovered from the crime scene by investigators. Investigations revealed that David had an argument with one of the suspects

earlier over bail money and the suspect left and returned with the other suspects. As the victim was approaching a vehicle in which the suspects were in, several shots were fired at the victim. He was pronounced dead on arrival at the Georgetown Public Hospital.

Demerara Cricket Club opens annual summer camp National Coach Garvin Nedd will bowl off the annual Cricket Summer Camp from August 10- 22 at the Demerara Cricket Club Ground (DCC) from 9:00h. The two-week long camp specifically targets the younger group; the first week will cater for roughly 60 students under-13, while the second week will target the older kid’s, U15 and U19 .

Matches will be played on the weekends so as to ensure the children get hands-on experience of a cricket match. Current and former players are expected to participate in the event, and share their experiences with the youngsters. The Demerara Cricket Club (DCC) was established in 1912 by Portuguese businessmen of British Guiana including M. Gonsalves, E.C. Buck and Joseph Gonsalves, who were not allowed to be members of the British-dominated Georgetown Cricket Club in its early years. The DCC also restricted its membership in its early years to only Portuguese.

After the First World War, the membership was opened to anyone interested, allowing the ground to create some of the most famous players in the

West Indies, such as Clive Lloyd, Lance Gibbs and others. The DCC is the only cricket club in Georgetown that is located in a residential area.

The club’s prosperity and survival over the year is the direct reflection of its integration into its social settings.

REGIONAL PAGE 46

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 3, 2016

Govt building profile on those going to Syria Intelligence agencies are building profiles—based on geographical areas—of people who may be going to Syria to join the Islamic State (ISIS) terror network and who might be behind it locally, says National Security Minister Edmund Dillon Dillon fielded questions on the issue at a media briefing at his Portof- Spain ministry yesterday, where he also spoke about the crime situation. The briefing followed a meeting of law enforcement top brass and US officials who were seen leaving the ministry.

Dillon said Government was concerned about the overall national security environment which he said was “very dynamic and evolving.” Among the landscape, he noted the issue of the “recent emergence of T&T nationals interested in participating in conflict overseas,” a reference to recent reports of nine suspected nationals held in Turkey en route to Syria to join ISIS. He was also asked about an article in ISIS’ Dabiq July publication featuring a T&T terrorist fighter Abu Sa’d al-Trinidadi. The latter, as well as FTFs from other countries, called on sympathisers to launch home turf attacks on Christians. Dillon said there had not yet been confirmation on the nine detained in Turkey but noted he had asked the Foreign Affairs Minister to follow up the matter through diplomatic channels in Turkey to ascertain if those detained were nationals. Other sources said they were still in Turkey.

He said Government was also probing the Dabiq article, adding efforts will be made to clear up all of the issues and confirm the accuracy and authenticity (of the article). He said Government was looking into the instances of nationals who have gone to ISIS, as well as those who intended to go, and resources were being put into intelligence- gathering capacity to deal with this speedily.

While saying profiles were being built on those who may have gone to join ISIS, he declined to answer whether a local network was behind the situation. He conceded the various developments could damage T&T’s reputation, especially if the nine held in Turkey and those in the article were indeed T&T nationals. However, he said the necessary action would be taken to show T&T did not stand for its nationals doing what was described in the Dabiq article, for instance. But Dillon admitted it was not easy to say if people were going to Syria to access ISIS, since there were no direct flights there and they may be taking certain routes and heading for different locations. He noted statements by the Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi yesterday on how Government proposed to deal with returning foreign fighters (FTFs) Protest outside embassy Islamic Front leader Umar Abdullah yesterday staged a brief demonstration in front of the Venezuelan Embassy with several relatives of the five T&T nationals detained in Venezuela since March 2014. A female member of the group protested the reports of nine suspected T&T nationals held in Turkey en route to ISIS. Relatives of the five T&T nationals They questioned proof of that and dismissed Attorney General Faris Aldetained in Venezuela protest outside Rawi’s statements “due process” would be used in matters on returning the Venezuelan Embassy on Victory Avenue, foreign terrorist fighters. Abdullah said they were still awaiting word from Port-of-Spain, yesterday, calling for their release.

Government on the detained men who were held in 2014 on terrorism PHOTO: SHIRLEY BAHADUR charges which were recently changed to intent to commit espionage.

(Trinidad Guardian)

REGIONAL PAGE 47

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 3, 2016

Gov’t spends $100m treating Acute Flaccid Paralysis including Guillain Barre KINGSTON, Jamaica — The Government yesterday said it has experience from other countries so we have been preparing for spent more than $100 million so far to treat patients with Acute that,” Tufton explained. (Jamaica Observer) Flaccid Paralysis (AFP) under which the Guillain Barre Syndrome (GBS) falls. GBS is a disorder in which a person’s immune system attacks the nervous system. Minister of Health, Dr Christopher Tufton yesterday said it costs the Government $1.5 million to treat each case of Acute Flaccid Paralysis and so far there have been 81 notifications, ten of which have been considered suspected cases of GBS. A press release from the health ministry said two have been confirmed as zika positive.

Tufton reiterated that the medication to treat AFP including GBS is not at a cost to patients at public facilities. “We recognize that our public sector patients would not be able to afford the cost for treating GBS and so we have been purchasing the medication and supplies to ensure that we are in a position to provide what is needed as best as possible. At the onset of the zika outbreak we Health Minister Dr Christopher Tufton expected to see increased GBS cases especially given the

REGIONAL PAGE 48

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 3, 2016

Houses crumbling around C3 Centre As the C3 Centre shopping and entertainment complex rises from the ground in Ste Madeleine, houses surrounding the complex are slowly crumbling.

Residents of Merchiston Castle Street, Corinth, on the periphery of the $500 million complex say their lives have been in turmoil since the construction project started in 2013. One resident, Kamla Ramkissoon, said a shed behind her home has collapsed while the walls and concrete fence around her property have been damaged. Showing a ruptured sewer line behind her home, Ramkissoon said she had a proper backyard before the project was started by the Mack family, founders of JT Allum and Company. The complex houses a super JTA Supermarket, MovieTowne and several USbased outlets, including Chuck E. Cheese’s. “Every day we smell the sewer.

They fixed it and built a wooden step for us but the entire house is cracking and we cannot take this anymore,” Ramkissoon said. She added that the contractors agreed to restore her home for her but that was done verbally. “I asked them to give it to me in black and white. I want an official agreement that they will compensate me but this has never happened and it is unfair because I can no longer enjoy my home,” Ramkissoon added. She said her son, Mark Ramkissoon, and daughter-in-law, Ayanna Jackson, who gave birth to a baby girl over the weekend, has to vacate the house. “The place is dusty and it is not safe for the baby. Why should we have to leave our home,” Ramkissoon added. She also said another son. Joel Ramkissoon, and his wife, Mechelle Khan, have been renting in Princes Town. Joel said he was not comfortable with living near the construction site. “During the day the house rocks. All the louvre panes have fallen off and any time now the house could fall. We just cannot stay in here,” Joel added. “They put steel in my land and everywhere there is dust. It is dangerous living so close to a construction zone and even though engineers have come and viewed the damage, nobody is helping us,” he added. The residents said they planned to go to San Fernando

mayor Kazim Hosein to get assistance. Company responds Contacted yesterday, C3’s property manager, Terrence Ramsamooj, assured that all affected residents would be properly compensated once evidence of damage was seen. He said at the start of construction JTA consultants did investigations and took photographs of surrounding properties. “We have informed the residents that if they have damage to their properties it will be handled by our brokers, Ibwil. If they have estimates, they could forward it to us and we will have the insurance do their investigations, reporting and assessment and they will be compensated,” Ramsamooj said. Saying JTA wanted to maintain a good relationship with the residents, Ramsamooj said once the project was completed, all claims would be addressed. (Trinidad Guardian)

The C3 Centre in Corinth, San Fernando, that is under construction which residents are claiming is causing damage to their homes. Photo: TONY HOWELL

Daylight killing over illegal gun A brazen daylight shooting took place in Tunapuna yesterday mere hours before the top national security officials gave the nation the assurance that increased patrols were in effect to stem the rising murder toll. The killing was one of two more murders recorded over the past 24 hours, pushing the murder toll to 268 for the year. Investigators said gunmen ambushed Chevaughn Bramble, 25, outside his home at El Dorado Road, located close to the district’s health centre, shortly after noon. He was shot in the back in what police said was a dispute over an illegal gun. The gunman escaped by running up a nearby mountain at the top of El Dorado Road. The father of two, who was expecting the birth of a third child, was taken the Eric Williams Medical Science Complex, Mt Hope, where he was pronounced dead. Bramble’s mother Volouris Maynard gave a different account to the police report. Maynard said around 12.15 pm she was dressing to get ready to go out and her son was outside his home which is off the El Dorado Road when a white Nissan Tiida pulled up and opened fire. She said the gunmen began shooting Bramble just as he turned to walk into his yard. Maynard told the T&T Guardian her son was a labourer attached to the San Juan/Laventille Regional Corporation. She added that her son, who celebrated his birthday two Saturdays ago, was a quiet man who kept to himself and she had no idea why anyone would want him dead. Police on the other hand say he was killed for his involvement in a recent shooting in the Tunapuna area over a gun. The shooting, police said, was the motive behind the killing of Dillon Douglas, 22, who was shot dead near his home at Balthazar Street, Tunapuna, on July 27. Police said both men were responsible for shooting up the home of another gangster’s mother in the area and their deaths were linked to that shooting. Other relatives who were at the scene of the shooting recalled that Bramble earned the nickname “Beast”, at the age of two when he fell out of a moving car and came out unscathed. Relatives said Bramble loved to sing but was a horrible singer. He was also a football player with WASA FC. A friend of Bramble’s posted on Facebook the labourer wanted to “change his life around and live for his children.” In an unrelated murder, police are searching for a motive behind the shooting death of 52-year-old Wintley Manswell who was killed as he slept at his home at Superville, Morvant, on Monday night. Police reports stated that around 9 pm gunmen stormed the man’s home and opened fire, killing him in his bed. The execution style killing was reminiscent of a double murder in the St Joseph area on Saturday morning where two men—Idi Farrell and Anthony Lalla—were killed on a double decker bed as they slept. Region Two homicide officers are continuing investigations into both Chevaughn Bramble murders. (Trinidad Guardian)

REGIONAL PAGE 49

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 3, 2016

Pathologist walks off job The already sluggish criminal justice system now has another hurdle to climb after the lone pathologist on duty downed his scalpel yesterday, saying he will not be working until there was an improvement in the operations of the Forensic Science Centre (FSC), St James. Speaking with the media outside the FSC yesterday, Dr Valery Alexandrov said for the year he has already performed 310 autopsies, 156 of them being homicides and by international standards a pathologist that crosses 350 autopsies a year can be stripped of his ability to do his job through deficiency phase one. Alexandrov said he was the only working pathologist for six weeks as his colleague, Dr Eslyn McDonald-Burris, was on vacation and Dr Hughvon des Vignes had not signed a renewal contract. He complained that he was understaffed based on international standards which required one mortuary assistant for every 100 cases and so far there had been 1,200 cases done at the FSC for the year. To date there are five attendants with three of them being women. “This is a tough job lifting dead bodies and what not. There is a need for a legal mortuary attendant to handle all the legal documents, instead what we have is a radiologist and on the job trainees,” Alexandrov said. The pathologist who has been working in T&T and by extension the Caribbean for the last seven years said that the leadership of the FSC was to be blamed for the “national catastrophe.” He added that he has been clamouring for more staff, better equipment and round-the-clock availability of the refrigerators at FSC to store bodies, particularly homicides, to preserve evidence but those cries have fallen on deaf ears. Yesterday Alexandrov told the relatives of seven men murdered over the weekend and other people who turned up for their autopsies that he was not performing any post mortems until further notice. Relatives, he said, were sympathetic to his plight and agreed with him. Three women who spoke to the media after speaking with Alexandrov said the pathologist was right for demanding better working conditions and called on authorities to do something about it. Other relatives were overheard saying that for an oil rich country such conditions should not be happening. One man who came to support a friend who lost a loved one, asked about the Muslim rites of a swift burial, a sentiment also expressed by Alexandrov, a Jew. Alexandrov said he was not being malicious towards the grieving relatives as having lost a son

years ago during the US invasion of Iraq he could understand their plight. “This is not a spontaneous revolt. Even in slavery a good slave master knows to give his slaves the tools needed to do the job,” Alexandrov said, adding that he had spoken to two former national security ministers but nothing has changed. Alexandrov added that he was also owed gratuity for contracts long expired but have been given the run-around. He added that for the 142 working days of the year, there were 648 autopsies done at an average of five a day. Asked about the Alexandrov’s concerns at a press conference yesterday at the National Security Ministry, Minister of National Security Edmund Dillon said the Government was in the process of recruiting more staff at the FSC. He admitted that the field of forensic science was not an attractive one but scholarships would be provided and in the shortterm there were plans to extend existing contracts and hire new skilled labour. (Trinidad Guardian)

Pathologist Dr Valery Alexandrov outside the Forensic Science Centre, St james, yesterday.

PHOTO: ABRAHAM DIAZ

INTERNATIONAL

GUYANA DAILY NEWS China's elevated bus: Futuristic 'straddling bus' hits the road PAGE 50

It may look like something from the future, but China's longawaited "straddling bus" ran its inaugural test in Hebei province this week. The 2m-high Transit Elevated Bus (TEB) straddles the cars below, allowing them to pass through. Powered by electricity, the bus is able to carry up to 300 passengers in its 72ft (21m) long and 25ft wide body. A video of a mini-model of the vehicle caused great excitement when it was released in May. The trial run was conducted on a 300m-long controlled track in the north-eastern city of Qinhuangdao. The vehicle is expected to reach speeds of up to 60km per hour, running on rails laid along ordinary roads. Up to four TEBs can be linked together.

"The biggest advantage is that the bus will save lots of road space," the project's chief engineer, Song Youzhou, told statemedia agency Xinhua earlier this year. "The TEB has the same functions as the subway, while its cost of construction is less than one fifth of the subway," another engineer Bai Zhiming told news outlet CCTV. One TEB could replace 40 conventional buses, according to the firm. However, it is unclear when the vehicle will be widely used in Chinese cities. It is not a new idea, but it was not seriously considered until a mini-model of it was launched at the 19th China Beijing International High-Tech Expo in May. A month later, developers announced that the TEB

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 3, 2016

would be ready for a test-run in August. Thousands took to micro-blogging site Weibo to express their amazement and incredulity. "I saw images of this not long ago and now it's actually happening?" asked one user. "This is truly build at 'Chinese speed'". "I swear I just saw ideas of this in pictures.

Now it's appeared in real life," said another. (BBC)

Your eyes are not playing tricks on you, this 2m-high 'straddling bus' is exactly what it looks like(AP)

Washington transport officer charged with aiding Islamic State A police officer working for the Washington transport Wiedefeld, the general manager of the transport system has been charged with aiding militants of so- system. (BBC) called Islamic State (IS). Federal officials said Nicholas Young, 36, sent an FBI informant about $250 worth of credits for mobile messaging accounts used

by IS fighters. Mr Young's arrest marks the first time a US police officer has been charged with helping IS militants. Authorities said there was no threat to the Washington transport system. Mr Young had been under investigation since 2010, the FBI said. The FBI said that Mr Young had travelled in 2011 to Libya to fight with rebels trying to overthrow President Muammar Gaddafi. He packed body armour and other Mr Young worked for the Washington military gear, authorities said. Authorities said Mr transport system since 2003(GETTY IMAGES) Young was an acquaintance of Amine El Khalifi, who later pleaded guilty to plotting a suicide bombing at the US Capitol Building in 2012. Mr Young, who has worked for the Washington transport system since 2003, was fired after he was arrested. "Obviously, the allegations in this case are profoundly disturbing.

They're disturbing to me, and they're disturbing to everyone who wears the uniform," said Paul

INTERNATIONAL PAGE 51

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 3, 2016

Emirates plane crash-lands at Dubai airport An Emirates plane has crash-landed at Dubai International Airport. All 300 people on board were able to escape from the burning aircraft, but a firefighter was killed. The plane appeared to have landed on its belly, and images showed thick black smoke rising into the sky. Emirates chairman Ahmed bin Saeed paid tribute to the firefighter who lost his life fighting the blaze. The Boeing 777 was flying to Dubai from the southern Indian state of Kerala. Flights to and from the airport were suspended for several hours but have now resumed. The chairman told a press conference that evacuation procedures were executed professionally and the cabin crew were the last to leave the plane. A passenger on board the plane told Reuters that the experience was terrifying. "As we were landing there was smoke coming out in the cabin," said Sharon Maryam Sharji. "People were screaming and we had a very hard landing. "We left by going down the emergency slides and as we were leaving on the runway we could see the whole plane catch fire."

Emirates airline said there were 282 passengers and 18 crew on board from 20 nationalities, most of them Indian, with 24 Britons and 11 people from the United Arab Emirates. As is usual following a big accident, there are lots of unconfirmed reports out there speculating about what happened. The aircraft is sitting on the ground without its landing gear, but it is not clear why the wheels are not down. Some reports suggest the crew were making a normal, rather than an emergency approach, when air traffic controllers told them to abandon the landing and start climbing again, for

unknown reasons. The answers should come out in the next few days. Whatever the cause, it is a testament to the crew that they got everyone off the plane safely.

Richard Westcott: Why air travel is safer than ever Flight EK521, direct from Thiruvananthapuram to Dubai, is popular with hundreds of thousands of Kerala residents who work in the Gulf countries. The live air traffic monitor Flightradar24 posted more details of the aircraft involved in the incident: Emirates is the Middle East's biggest airline, and has an excellent safety record. It ranked seventh in a survey of the world's safest airlines by AirlineRatings.com, an independent plane safety website. Dubai International Airport is a major transport hub, one of the world's busiest for international passengers, operating with only two runways. (BBC)

The inflatable emergency exit slides can be seen next to the remains of the aircraft(EPA)

INTERNATIONAL PAGE 52

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 3, 2016

North Korea fires ballistic missile into Japanese waters North Korea has test-fired a ballistic missile which landed in Japanese waters, South Korea and Japan say. The missile was launched off the North's east coast early on Wednesday and travelled about 1,000km (620 miles), one of the North's longest launches to date. Japanese PM Shinzo Abe said it was a "grave threat" to his country. The North is barred from developing nuclear and ballistic missile technology by UN resolution. But it had vowed a "physical response" after the US and South Korea agreed plans to deploy an advanced US missile defence system in South Korea. The North has carried out repeated missile tests in recent months. 'Ambition to attack' The US Strategic Command said two missiles had been fired simultaneously on Wednesday from Hwanghae province at about 07:50 Seoul time (22:50 GMT Tuesday), but one exploded immediately after launch. The Japanese defence ministry said the other missile landed inside its exclusive economic zone (EEZ) - the 200 nautical miles of ocean around a country over which it has jurisdiction. An official at South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said it appeared to have been a medium-range Rodong. The launch showed the North's "ambition to attack neighbouring countries", he said. There were no reports of any damage. Mr Abe said it posed a grave threat to Japan's security, calling it an "unforgiveable act of violence". He said Tokyo had protested strongly against it. The US similarly condemned the launch.

"We remain prepared to work to respond to further DPRK [Democratic People's Republic of Korea] provocations, as well

as to defend ourselves and our allies from any attack or provocation," said State Department spokeswoman Anna Richey-Allen. In June, after what appeared to be several failed launches, North Korea sent a mid-range missile more than 1,400km into the atmosphere, indicating it had made progress in its abilities to strike US targets in the region, according to analysts. In July, North Korea fired three ballistic missiles into the sea, saying it was a simulated strike on the South. Local media reports say South Korean officials believe the North is preparing to conduct a fifth test of a nuclear weapon. But North Korea is not yet believed to have the ability to mount a nuclear warhead on a missile to make a deliverable weapon. (BBC)

North Korea has carried out repeated rocket launches in recent months(AP)

INTERNATIONAL PAGE 53

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 3, 2016

US election 2016: Republican divisions grow over Trump Fresh divisions are emerging within the US Republican Party over its presidential candidate Donald Trump. Republican donor Meg Whitman has endorsed his rival Hillary Clinton, saying Mr Trump's "demagoguery" had undermined the national fabric. Senior party activist Jan Halper-Hayes told the BBC she thought Mr Trump was "psychologically unbalanced". In the latest controversy, Mr Trump has refused to support two senior figures in his own party. In an interview for the Washington Post, he said he was "just not quite there yet" when asked if he would endorse House Speaker Paul Ryan and Senator John McCain. Both men, among the most senior elected Republicans in the country, face primary votes after challenges from within their own party ahead of their reelection bids in November. The two had both criticised Mr Trump's attacks on the bereaved parents of a US Muslim soldier killed in Iraq, but have both endorsed him for the presidency. The Republican presidential nominee's ongoing war of words with the parents of Capt Humayun Khan has intensified rifts within the party. US media report that Mr Trump has ignored pleas from his own advisers and senior Republican figures to end the feud with the Khan family.

President Barack Obama has questioned why the Republicans have not disowned Mr Trump, saying the billionaire does not have the judgement or temperament to occupy the White House. Ms Whitman, writing on Facebook, said that to vote Republican out of party loyalty alone "would be to endorse a candidacy that I believe has exploited anger, grievance, xenophobia and racial division".

"Trump's unsteady hand would endanger our prosperity and national security. His authoritarian character could threaten much more," the Hewlett-Packard executive said.

D r H a l p e r- H a y e s , v i c e - p r e s i d e n t o f Republicans Overseas Worldwide, told the BBC's Today programme that she was "very concerned" about Mr Trump's behaviour, although she would not go so far as to endorse Mrs Clinton. "I think there is an element of him that truly is psychologically unbalanced, and I feel very guilty for saying this because I'm a Republican and I want the Republican ticket to win," she said. "But Donald is out of control right now and he's not listening to anyone." The Donald Trump roller-coaster is picking up speed. Thanks to a week with enough controversies for an entire election season, Republicans are flooding the media

with reports of campaign chaos and an impending mass defection from their nominee if things don't turn around quickly. Behind all these stories of political discord, however, is the simple fact that while insider establishment operatives may be looking for the exits, Republican officeholders who must eventually answer to the 13 million Trump primary voters have yet to break ranks. Things will have to get very bad - much worse than they are now - to result in the sort of doomsday scenarios currently being pondered. It is a simple political calculus. The key, as always, is in the polls and public sentiment. If Mr Trump appears to have a reasonable chance to win in November, he will persevere, as he has all year. If his poll numbers crash, and Republican politicians start worrying more about losing their own races in November than alienating their party's base, the Trumpcoaster could career off the rails at last. Going against Mr Trump is still a risky bet. And when it comes to preserving their jobs, politicians are all about minimising risk. Dozens of senior Republican Party figures have already said they would not vote for Mr Trump, including the party's 2012 nominee Mitt Romney and former Florida Governor Jeb Bush. New York Representative Richard Hanna became the first Republican member of Congress to publicly say he would vote for Mrs Clinton. He described Mr Trump as "deeply flawed in endless ways". On Monday, Sally Bradshaw, a top adviser to Jeb Bush, said that Mr Trump's candidacy had convinced her to leave the Republican Party.

Many Republicans opposed to Mr Trump have stopped short of supporting Mrs Clinton, saying they would vote for a third candidate instead. However, former Republican congressman John LeBoutillier told the BBC's Newsday programme he believed many Republican politicians would back Mrs Clinton. "Now I think in private a lot of Republican congressmen are going to vote for Hillary, they can't stand Trump," he said.

Despite the criticism, Mr Trump tweeted on Wednesday that there was "great unity in my campaign, perhaps greater than ever before".

Mr Trump's son Eric defended his father's comments about the Khans, telling CBS News that they had been been "blown hugely out of proportion". In response to Mr Obama's criticism, Mr Trump dismissed the president's time in the White House as a "disaster". "He's been weak, he's been ineffective... the worst president, maybe, in the history of our

country", he said in a Fox News interview. Mr Trump's spokeswoman Katrina Pierson later caused a social media storm by blaming both President Obama and Mrs Clinton for the death of Capt Humayun Khan, citing their policies on Iraq. Capt Khan died in 2004 when Mrs Clinton was in the US Senate and five years before Mr Obama became president. Mr Trump drew further ire from veterans' groups on Tuesday for his response when he was handed a Purple Heart - a medal given to wounded members of the US military - at campaign rally in Virginia. "I always wanted to get the Purple Heart," he said. "This was much easier." Mr Trump, 70, avoided being drafted to fight in Vietnam as he received five deferments - four for study, and one for heel spurs. Mrs Clinton has been actively courting moderate Republicans. A Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll suggested she had extended her lead over Mr Trump to eight percentage points, from six points on Friday. Republicans not voting for Mr Trump Barbara Bush, former first lady Jeb Bush, former Florida governor, 2016 presidential candidate William Cohen, former secretary of defence Jeff Flake, Arizona senator Lindsey Graham, South Carolina senator, 2016 presidential candidate Larry Hogan, Maryland governor J o h n K a s i c h , O h i o g o v e r n o r, 2 0 1 6 presidential candidate Mark Kirk, Illinois senator Mitt Romney, former Massachusetts governor, 2012 Republican presidential nominee Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Florida congresswoman Ben Sasse, Nebraska senator Republicans voting for Mrs Clinton Richard Armitage, former deputy secretary of state Hank Paulson, former treasury secretary Brent Scowcroft, former national security a d v i s e r R i c h a r d H a n n a , N e w Yo r k congressman Meg Whitman, party donor and fundraiser (BBC)

Dr Halper-Hayes of Republicans Overseas says Donald Trump is "out of control”

LOCAL PAGE 56

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

THURSDAY, AUGUST 4, 2016

Teen charged with murder of La Grange man

A 17-year-old teenager was charged on Wednesday with the murder of James Stewart, at Unity Street, La Grange, West Bank Demerara (WBD), on July 17. The Guyana Daily News understands that the teen appeared before Magistrate Chrystal Lambert, at the Vreed-En-Hoop Magistrate’s Court and was not required to plead to the charges.

His lawyer, Melvin Duke bemoaned the length of time the young man was kept in police custody without the benefit of a legal representative. The court heard that it is ready for the commencement of the Preliminary Inquiry and some 20 witnesses are set to testify. Stewart’s body was discovered by market vendors along Unity S t r e e t , L a G r a n g e , We s t B a n k Demerara, on July 17. He was allegedly beaten to death.

The teenager allegedly confessed to the crime during interrogation and told the police that Steward had knocked him off his bike. It is alleged that shortly after, the teen went to a friend’s house borrowed a hammer and fatally attacked Stewart. The case was transferred to the Wales Magistrate’s Court where the teen will make his next appearance on September 9. -ByRocio Perez, Guyana Daily News. iNEWS Guyana (File Photo)

Gov't to enforce emergeGov’t to establish National Border Institutency evacuation warnings Cabinet has accepted the proposal by Minister of Foreign Affairs, Carl Greenidge for the establishment of a National Border Institute in Guyana.

This is according to Minister of State, Joseph Harmon who told a post cabinet media briefing on Thursday that the proposal will be taken to the National Assembly for debate and possible passage after which funds will be allocated.

According to Minister Harmon, the Institute will be tasked with research to ensure the maintenance of territorial integrity as well as to address issues relating to Guyana’s air space and continental shelf. The Minister also noted that the services of former Ambassador Dr. Odeen Ishmael and former Minister of Foreign Affairs under the PPP, Dr. Rudy Insanally will be sought, along with other Guyanese who have the relevant knowledge.

He also noted that the Institute will be semi-autonomous under the management of a Board of Directors, headed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs. According to the State Minister, the Board will comprise of representatives from the Attorney General's Chambers, the Guyana Defense Force, MARAD, National Archives of Guyana, University of Guyana, Guyana Civil Aviation Authority, and the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission. -BY- Ronald Singh, Guyana Daily News.

LOCAL PAGE 57

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

THURSDAY, AUGUST 4, 2016

Businessman loses millions in midday fire A brazen midday fire engulfed the third story of the Raj Wholesale and Retail Building on Avenue of the Republic and America Street on Thursday leaving the business owner counting the millions of dollars in lost goods. An eyewitness at the scene of the fire indicated that smoke was seen emanating from the northern side of the third story of the building. The Guyana Fire Service was immediately informed and responded promptly. At the scene of the fire, workers and public spirited citizens were seen attempting to save as much of the goods from the stores housed in the building. Commander of “A” Division, Clifton Hicken told the Guyana Daily News that the police force was informed of the fire at around 11:38h. “Our main priority was to ensure security so that the five fire tenders that are present at the scene, would be able to maneuver effectively. The Guyana Police Force ranks are out in their numbers so as to prevent any possible thought of looting and therefore you might see for the remainder of the day the roads will be remained closed so as to ensure the proprietors of the

building are comfortable,” the Commander said. He commended the firefighters for responding in an effective manner and for containing the fire to the single story of the building. At the moment, the owner of the building is unable to give details into a possible cause of the fire. -BYJarred Singh, Guyana Daily News.

Fire Fighters on the scene of the fire

Parking Meter contract not illegal – Gov’t finds Minister of State Joseph Harmon has revealed that the controversial Parking Meter contract, which was signed by the Georgetown Mayor and City Council (M&CC) and Smart City Solution, was not illegal and that the conditions in the contract were in favor of the concessionaire. The APNU+AFC government had mandated the Ministry of Legal Affairs to review the contract after it was shrouded with much controversy and secrecy. The government had warned that if there is any illegality arising from the review of the contract, then the city’s administration would become subject to the actions of the State’s authorities. At a post cabinet media briefing on Thursday, Minister Harmon noted that it was suggested that an Accountant be engaged by the M&CC to review the contract in connection with the rates and fees. When asked why an Accountant should be hired instead of having the Ministry of Finance engaged in the setting of the fee structure, the Minister noted that it will be a conflict of interest because it is the Ministry of Finance who made the recommendation. It was further noted that Minister of Communities Ronald Bulkan has already written the M&CC informing them of the suggestion. City Mayor Patricia Chase-Green had said that the Council is currently reviewing the rate to be charged to citizens and initially, $500 per hour to park was touted. Parking meters

are to be installed on every street between South Road and Church Street, Water Street and Camp Street. Deputy Mayor Sherod Duncan has publicly declared that the parking meter project is a shady one. He said the mere fact that the City Mayor has refused to reveal the details of the contract to city councillors and make the contract public, suggests that something sinister is taking place. -ByRonald Singh, Guyana Daily News.

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EITI wants Gov’t to release names of owners of oil, gas & mining companies

The Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) promotes public awareness on how countries manage their oil, gas and mineral resources and exposes the beneficial owners of these companies to the public given the fact that oil, gas and mineral companies are prone to corruption. Guyana had shown its interest in joining the international organization in 2010 and plans to submit its application by November of this year.

The current government aims to make transparency and accountability apart of the plans for a political overhaul of Guyana’s politics. Currently, Guyana has met the initial requirements for EITI candidacy and has consulted the World Bank for support to complete the next step in the process. The World Bank has agreed to make the services of a consultant available to provide guidance towards EITI compliance and will also make available to Guyana additional assistance once it assumes membership.

Although the recommendations by the EITI is all about transparency, Minster of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman had noted that “Transparency cannot be looked at in isolation…It has to be balanced between confidentiality agreements and so forth, so you just can’t say that ‘yes we will do it or not’. It will have to depend on a number of factors.”

The EITI standard requires that implementing countries maintain a publicly available register of the beneficial owners of the corporate entity (ies) that bid for, operate or invest in extractive assets, including the identity (ies) of their beneficial owner(s), the level of ownership and details about how ownership or control is exerted. Where possible, the 2016 standard sets out that beneficial ownership information should be incorporated in existing filings by companies to corporate regulators, stock exchanges or agencies regulating extractive industry licensing accountable management of natural resources, which currently has 51 member countries and more countries are seeking to join. -BY- Pablo Cupido, Guyana Daily News.

Teixeira wants Govt to grant work permits to foreign students

Chief Whip and Parliamentarian, Gail Teixeira has asked Minister of Citizenship, Winston Felix to consider the possibility of granting foreigners who are studying in Guyana work permits which will allow them to secure employment. During a meeting of the Parliamentary Sectorial Committee on Foreign Relations of which Teixeira is the Chairperson, she said a number of foreign students in Guyana has been complaining about the length of time it takes to process their extensions.

She said this has been a concern for the large batch of Nigerian students studying at the Texila American University. In response, Minister Felix said that while the current laws of Guyana does not allow for the granting of work permits to foreign students he sees no problems in considering the possibility to so. Additionally, Teixeira also asked the Minister to consider extending the current three year visa period to four years, explaining that most degree programs in Guyana is a four year program.

The Minister responded that he cannot account for any delays in request for extensions since it does not languish on his desk. Minister Felix reiterated that foreign students are now required to pay US$140 for a student visa for three years. When that three years period expires, they will be required to apply for another three year extension. The Minister disclosed that persons seeking business and employment visas will also have to pay a fee of US$140 while a fee of US$25 is charged for visitor Opposition Chief Whip and Parliamentarian, Gail Teixeira visas. -By- Pablo Cupido, Guyana Daily News.

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UG prospective loan students unsure about future

Current and past students of the University of Guyana are still awaiting the final decision by government as it relates to the conditions that will surround the distribution and repayment terms of their student loans. The standstill however comes as the deadline for registration for the new academic year is approaching and prospective students who are unable to pay their tuition are awaiting the final terms before signing the agreement.

At the recent opening of the new student loans building at the University of Guyana, Turkeyen, Campus Minister of Finance, Winston Jordon said that methods such as the barring of individuals from leaving the country will be put in place in an attempt to obtain the billions of dollars that were loaned to previous students of the University of Guyana. He also placed emphasis on the repayment of loans by students who have been taking out multiple loans since they have been constantly switching their major fields of study.

However Minister of Citizenship, Winston Felix, while addressing the Parliamentary Sectoral Committee said that no documentation of the proposed ‘barring of students’ from leaving the country has been brought before him or his Ministry.

He explained however that cabinet and the National Assembly are yet to make a decision on the ‘stamping of passports’ of new loan receivers while the information pertaining to reluctant debtors will be lodged at immigration to prevent them from permanently leaving the country while being in debt. -By- Jarred Singh, Guyana Daily News.

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Amerindian Act likely to be reviewed Minister of Indigenous People’s Affair, Sydney Allicock at meeting of the Parliamentary Sectorial Committee on Wednesday announced that the Amerindian Act of 2006 is likely to be reviewed.

When questioned by Former Minister of Amerindian Affairs and Member of the Committee, Pauline Sukhai on why the review is necessary, Minister Allicock said that there was a call from the National Toshaos Council (NTC) and various Amerindian villages across the country for the Act to be reviewed, and that he is currently in the process of gathering information.

According to the Minister, NTC has stated that they wish to have discussions on this particular matter during the upcoming NTC General Meeting/Conference which is expected to begin next Monday. Legal Advisor to the Minister of Indigenous Peoples Affairs, David James explained that the Ministry had received the call during its outreach programmes in last year. “In almost every village that we have visited, there have been calls for revision if not to the entire Act to certain aspects,” James said.

He continued “For example, for the mining areas, there has been concerted requests, that certain provisions relating to mining such as Section 50, which deals with large scale mining should also be reviewed, revised and reformed to ensure that the full consent from indigenous peoples is obtained before large scale mining can proceed.” When asked by Sukhai how many large scale mining is being done on Amerindian titled land, James said “none” but noted that several villages express the desire for their inclusion to give consent to large scale mining operations. -By- Pablo Cupido, Guyana Daily News.

LOCAL

GUYANA DAILY NEWS Ms. Marcia Shury hands over a copy of the book to President David Granger, earlier today at the Ministry of the Presidency.

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Georgetown, Guyana – (August 4, 2016) President David Granger, today, received a copy of the 'Silent Hearer' from author Ms. Marcia Shury, at the Ministry of the Presidency. The book speaks to the story of how her happy childhood was turned upside down due to the onset of a sudden partial hearing loss and how she rose above the many obstacles and frustrations in school, her career and relationships as she resolved to live a normal life.

Police Officers shoot armed, wanted man About 11:15h. today police ranks acting on information that a suspect who was wanted, was seen at Access Road, ‘C’ Field, Sophia. As the ranks approached the location, the suspect whipped out a handgun and discharged several rounds in their direction. The ranks returned fire, hitting the suspect in the upper left region of his body. He was rushed to the GPHC and is presently undergoing surgery. A snub-nosed .38 revolver, four (4) live rounds and two spent shells were recovered by the police. An investigation is in progress.

Ms. Marcia Shury hands over a copy of the book to President David Granger, earlier today at the Ministry of the Presidency.

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President receives portrait from 14 years old student Georgetown, Guyana – (August 4, 2016) President David Granger, today, received a portrait of himself, drawn with charcoal, from fourteen years old Hannah Monroe, a student of the Phoenix Elementary School, located on the Soesdyke Highway. The budding artist made the presentation during a visit to the Ministry of the Presidency today with her parents, Mrs. Carol Monroe and Mr. Bruce Monroe and several other students from the school.

President David Granger is anked by Ms. Carol Monroe (right) and Mr. Bruce Monroe (left) and students of the Phoenix Elementary School, during their visit to the Ministry of the Presidency earlier today.

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Between 2004-2014 $7b spent on Gate: Only $100m recovered from ‘bad pay’ students

While there have been reports of wastage and corruption in the Government Assistance for Tuition Expenses (Gate) programme, close to $100 million has been recovered for the period 2007 to 2014 from students who failed to adhere to the contractual agreement. Since the programme was introduced in 2004, taxpayers have spent approximately $7 billion to fund students' tertiary and vocational education. Roughly $35 million in reimbursements by students were due to failures to complete courses, low GPAs, programme-hopping, institution-hopping and funding of non-nationals by the T&T Government, which resulted in millions of dollars in wastage.

Nothing was recovered for student reimbursement for the fiscal years 2004 to 2007. Monies were also recovered from audits conducted on the programme — $35 million and $28 million from tertiary level institutions based on reconciliation. The money recovered from institutions was derived from a disparity in the reconciliation statements which they are expected to submit monthly and at the end of the programme. There were students who were being financed but not attending classes. Gate liaison officers monitored and evaluated the performance of institutions who received funding.

The total Gate funding recovered was $100,305,694 million. In 2013, the agreement between students and Gate and Gate and institutions were revised. When the Government entered office last September with a shaky economic environment given the decline in oil and gas prices, it signalled changes to the programme. Last month, Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley said his Cabinet would proceed with “a caring eye” on the matter. While on his trip to Jamaica, he said: “We are committed to cutting out the waste, the abuse and the corruption and to ensure the sacrifice we make to pay for your education is the best we can afford.”

T&T Guardian examines how monies were expended in the last ten years on different institutions and areas of the programme.

Yesterday, Education Minister Anthony Garcia announced Cabinet’s decision on task force recommendations for the programme. The stipulations: In 2013, new clauses in the Gate agreement were created to eliminate wastage. Clause 5.2 (j) and (k) states that tertiary level institutions were required to inform the ministry promptly in writing of each student who failed to meet a minimum standard of performance in his or her course.

Clause 5.2 (p) provided for a 100 per cent refund of all monies paid by the ministry on behalf of a student who at the time of payment was not a citizen of T&T with three years continuous residence immediately prior to submission of the said application. $230 million to St George’s University For the fiscal years 2010/2011 to 2013/2014, Gate approved $229,534,312 to 322 students studying at St George’s University in Grenada (SGU). The enrollment of new students for September 2014 was 16.

In 2014, the total claims for SGU were $61,241,442.73. The total payment was $60,370,487.05. In 2015, the total claims were $58,842,673.15 while the total payment was $58,159,730.11.

From next year all funding for medical students at that institution will cease. Expenses jumped from $100 million to $700 million annually For the past two years, the Government spent just over $1.3 billion on tuition fees on the programme. Last year, 57 institutions were paid $699,884,393.83 for claims, with the University of the West Indies, St Augustine Campus, receiving the lion’s share of $178,474,155.48. In 2014, 52 institutions were paid $638,353,296.78.

UWI, St Augustine, also topped the list for highest payment — $133,163,432. This is in comparison to 2004, under the Dollar-forDollar Programme, when the amount expended by Government was $102,193,273 million. The following year, the amount increased to $179,699,121. $331 million in Help loans In addition to Gate funding, the T&T Government has been guarantor for the Higher Education Loan Programme (Help.) Since its inception in 2006, the programme has granted loans to 17,408 students at a cost of $331,117,068 million.

The loans are administered by First Citizens Bank, RBC Royal Bank, Republic Bank and Scotiabank. The loans are used to cover tuition fees, accommodation expenses, transportation costs, living expenses and study material. The loans were granted to students pursuing all levels of tertiary education, including certificates, diplomas, professional qualifications and doctoral degrees. In 2006, the number of loans granted was 481 at a total of $8,203,649.

That figure jumped to 2,529 loans to a tune of close to $41 million in its second year.

By 2013, the number of loans was 1,600 valued at $35 million. $105 million to UWI Cave Hill For the period 2009 to 2014, the total expenditure on Gate to UWI, Cave Hill campus, Barbados, was $105,159,347. The total number of students who received Gate funding for the fiscal years 2011/2012 to 2013/2014 was 1,163. The number of students attending UWI, Mona, Jamaica, who received funding for the same period was 1,304 while the number at UWI, St Augustine, for the same period was 43,503.

For the period 2013/2014, 378 students at Cave Hill were pursuing undergraduate and postgraduate degrees. Many of these degrees are offered at St Augustine. Of that number, 103 were enrolled in medicine. For the fiscal years 2010/2011 to 2013/2014, Gate approved $229,534,312 for 322 students attending the St George’s University. These students receive 100 per cent funding. (Trinidad Guardian)

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Mother of Trini terror fighter: Don’t fear my son, he’s not coming back

The mother of Isis fighter, Abu Sa’d al Trinidadi (Shane Crawford), says there is nothing to fear as her son was never coming back to T&T. The mother, who was not named, was speaking during an exclusive interview with CNC3’s anchor Golda Lee Bruce. The interview aired during last night’s 7 pm newscast. She expressed disappointment that her son’s was identified by local media as Crawford and thought the article should have referred to him as al Trinidadi.

“The people there have families here and we don’t know if there could be any repercussions,” she said. Asked if she knew where her son was and if they were in contact, she replied: “He is in Syria. We send voice messages to each other.

He never said what he is doing there. He is in contact with his sister.” Asked how she feels that her son has joined Isis given the photographs that were printed in the article, the mother replied: “I can see it can be that way. I don’t know.

Allah is the judge.

I don’t know if it is right or wrong. I don’t know if he is doing an honourable thing.” Asked if she believes that those were all his words in the article, she said: “Some of it were his words but some of it I’m still pondering but knowing my son, his belief is his belief and if he has something to say he would.” Crawford’s mother described him as a kind and loving child, who was best from birth. “He is a very brilliant child. When he sat his SEA exams he got five trophies. He got five or six subjects.

“He went to university where he did extra mural classes in foundation and drainage and he got an A. He is brilliant, loving, caring and family-oriented. Everybody portraying him as a big criminal but they don’t know anything about him,” she added. Months after Crawford left T&T to join Isis, he asked Muslim brothers from the mosque that he attended in central Trinidad if they wanted to go with him. The response he got was a positive one but only because the brothers in the mosque thought that he (Crawford) was joking.

According to a Muslim brother from the mosque that Crawford attended, who wished not to be identified, it was only until Crawford went missing from mosque attendance, it was later disclosed to them that he had really left T&T for the Middle East for training and enrolment in the Islamic radical group. Crawford grew up at Charles Street, Cunupia, and during a visit there yesterday, the T&T Guardian was informed that his family moved out of the area after they sold the plot of land and wooden structure they lived in.

One of the neighbours, who wished not to be identified, said the family was well known in the area. “They were very poor but lived a humble life and troubled no one.” The neighbour said she admired Crawford, adding: “I remembered him perfectly going to school, neatly attired and well-mannered. He is a very handsome guy and I never knew him to be involved in any alcohol or liming on the block or even with girls. He seemed always focused on the positive side.” Asked if she was shocked to hear he had left T&T to join Isis, the neighbour replied: “It is a shock. yes.” A close childhood friend of Crawford, who also wished not to be identified, said he knew the family to be going to the Baptist Church.

“We all went to church together and I remembered playing with Shane in the yard, marble pitch and other games we used to play back then. He was always a cool fella,” he added. Asked if he was shocked to hear that his childhood friend was now an Isis fighter, Crawford’s friend replied: “Yes, but I believe that maybe he was influenced by an older close relative because he had converted to Islam way before Shane and he was always out of the country in Iraq and Dubai following Islam. “Presently, I am hearing that the relative is in Egypt. Everyone has their T&T national Shane Crawford, choices at the end of the day and if this is his, well let’s all respect that.” (Trinidad who now fights for Isis under the name Abu Sa’d al Trinidadi.

Guardian)

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Kids consuming ganja cookies and brownies

Cookies and brownies baked with marijuana seem to be the latest illegal drug trend in T&T and remained the most popular when compared to other illicit narcotics. So said ASP Vernly Gift, of the Organised Crime, Narcotics and Firearms Bureau (OCNFB), at yesterday’s weekly police press briefing at the Police Administration Building, Port-of-Spain. He said the notable increase in people consuming marijuana baked in cookies and brownies did not exempt them from the traditional effects of the drug, adding that could be more dangerous as the user could ingest more tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) than by smoking.

THC is the active chemical in cannabis and is considered one of the oldest hallucinogenic drugs. “Because the THC levels in marijuana are difficult to measure, so too are the amounts in these food products,” Gift added. Asked what has led to people using marijuana-laced snacks Gift said that was just a new form of camouflaging the drug. “Marijuana comes in different forms and cookies and brownies are other methods used. It is a serious matter because though T&T is a trans-shipment point for marijuana to a lesser extent as opposed to cocaine T&T has a high consumer market for marijuana,” Gift said.

He said the OCNFB has also seen the current use of another illegal drug in T&T, commonly referred as “mushrooms” also known as “magic mushrooms” and “shrooms.” Those mushrooms, Gift said, were wild plants which were dried and then smoked or orally ingested. They contain “psilocybin” which has hallucinogenic effects. “Users have been noted to possess difficulty in discerning fantasy from reality. The dealers traditionally target parties where young people congregate,” Gift said, adding there was a retail price of $300 an ounce, about 30 grammes. Saying illegal drugs were normally accompanied by illegal arms and ammunition, Gift added the proliferation of such weapons continued to be a challenge for the Police Service.

“Firearms continue to be a weapon of choice among those who carry out violent acts again people,” Gift said. He said for the period January 2016 to date there were 269 murders of which 78 per cent or 209 were committed with the use of illegal guns For the same period in 2015, there were 240 reported murders, of which 197 or 82 per cent were gun related. On whether anyone has been identified as being responsible for bringing large shipments of illegal drugs and ammunition into the country, Gift said, the police continued to carry out investigations and gather intelligence.

“Firearms usually accompany narcotics but based on our intelligence over the years we have seen that there are persons who have engaged in the niche market... they separate themselves from the drug trafficking and treat only with firearms,” Gift said. On specific ports used to bring the illegal narcotics and firearms into the country, Gift said that was difficult to identify as T&T’s coastline was “very lengthy” rendering it easy for such items to enter. Drug trend not surprising—Drug Council When contacted an official of the National Drug Council (NDC) said he was not surprised by the latest drug trend as the primary drug used in T&T was marijuana, with cocaine, being the second most frequently used drug “In fact, this is not the first time we have heard of people consuming cookies laced with marijuana and it seems to be growing in popularity among the teenaged and young adult age group,” the official added. Rehabilitation providers, he added, were particularly concerned by the increasingly younger age of initiation into drug usage from as early as 13. Ganja cookies not new Secretary of the Psychiatric Association, Dr Varma Deyalsingh, said marijuana-laced cookies and brownies have been around as far back as eight years ago but it was used primarily among the adult population. He said within recent times, however, this was being used by teenagers and even children as young as 12. “It looks like a normal cookie or brownie and what we are finding is that a few of these children are carrying it into the schools to introduce it to their friends,” Deyalsingh said. He described the Caura drug rehabilitation centre as an excellent facility but said that catered only for adults. “As more and more young teenagers are getting hooked on this drug we need facilities specifically catered for them,” Deyalsingh said. He said some of the long-term effects of marijuana use include: • Reduced resistance to common illnesses, such as colds. • Suppression of the immune system. • Growth disorders. • Increase of abnormally structured cells in the body. • Reduction of male sex hormones. • Rapid destruction of lung fibres and lesions (injuries) to the brain could be permanent. • Reduced sexual capacity. • Reduced ability to learn and retain information. • Personality and mood changes. • Inability to understand things clearly.

SEIZURES Police Service has seized 842.62 kilogrammes of marijuana and 195.46 kilogrammes of cocaine for this year thus far resulting in a street value of $11,122,584 for marijuana and $78, 184,000 for the cocaine seized. For the said period, 1,012.9 kilogrammes of cocaine were seized at a street value of $405,164,000. So far, for 2016, the Police Service seized 461 guns of which 113 were revolvers, 217 pistols, 56 shotguns, 39 homemade shotguns, 17 rifles, eight sub-machine guns, eight other forms of firearms, such as trap guns and three air rifles. Between the period 2011 to 2015, 2,586 guns were seized which included 643 revolvers, 1,169 pistols, 270 shotguns, 230 homemade shotguns, 102 rifles, 66 sub-machine guns, 22 air rifles and 80 other types. (Trinidad Guardian) Vernly Gift from the Organised Crime Narcotics & Firearms Bureau address members of the media during the police briefing at the Police Administration Building, Port-of-Spain, yesterday. PHOTO: SHIRLEY BAHADUR

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Gov't to enforce emergency evacuation warnings

KINGSTON, Jamaica (JIS) – The Government is moving to implement aspects of the Disaster Risk Management Act that seek to prosecute persons who refuse to heed evacuation warnings during periods of emergency. Speaking during a press conference at the Office of the Prime Minister in Kingston today, Minister of Local Government and Community Development, Desmond McKenzie said there are certain regulations that will come into effect shortly. “We have reached a stage where we can’t continue any longer to put the lives of our first responders at risk because persons continue to disobey the call for evacuation,” he said.

The Disaster Risk Management Act was passed in Parliament several months ago, signed by the Governor-General and gazetted.

The Act seeks to strengthen the country’s overall national disaster preparedness, emergency management and response processes and mechanisms through a range of measures. These measures include giving recognition to existing organisational structures, such as the National Disaster Committee, Parish Disaster Committees and Zonal Committees with their roles and functions clearly established; provisions to legally evacuate persons identified as being at risk, based on their location; identifying and earmarking high-risk areas as especially vulnerable areas; and financing the National Disaster Fund (NDF).

In the meantime, McKenzie said although there have been criticisms from “some quarters” regarding the announcement of the inclement weather, the Government will remain proactive in informing the public. “The country was placed on alert because it is the opinion of this administration that we are not going to take (any) chance. We’d rather do all the things… necessary instead of trying to play catch-up after the event has passed,” he said.

“We have a responsibility to ensure that whenever the experts provide us with the information, we take the necessary steps to ensure that we protect lives and property and that is what we did by activating the National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC),” added the minister.

The NEOC was deactivated today following the lifting of the Tropical Storm Warning that was in effect for the island.

In the meantime, Director of the Meteorological Service Division in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Evan Thompson said the decision to issue the tropical storm watch and warning was as a result of the conditions associated with the system. He said the Meteorological Service issues warnings on behalf of the Government. (Jamaica Observer)

Brown Burke working to retain PNP VP post

KINGSTON, Jamaica – Incumbent Vice-President of the People’s National Party (PNP) Angela Brown Burke, who is vying to remain the position, says she is touching base and having discussions with other leaders and delegates across the island. “What I’m doing now as you would expect, I am going across the island constituency by constituency, region by region, touching base with individuals who are there who are leaders and delegates and we are having discussions.”

Brown Burke said that the discussions are centred on the leadership of the PNP, her role in the past and how she may assist going forward in terms of being a part of the leadership. “When you are in Opposition you have to do both, especially after a defeat like this, you have to look internally to see what it is you have been doing right, that you need to continue, what it is that you did not do right that need some changes and adjustment,” Brown Burke said. She added: “You can’t take your eyes off what is happening in the country because individuals are looking to you, a political party, for leadership and for advice and keeping the government true to its promises and to the ideals of government in making sure that the more vulnerable are protected.

So we have to whistle and ride.” The run-off for the Vice presidency positions is slated to take place at the party’s annual September conference. BrownBurke will go up against two other sitting VPs, Dr Fenton Ferguson and Noel Arscott, and Lisa Hanna and Dr Wykeham McNeill. (Jamaica observer) Angela Brown Burke

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GUYANA DAILY NEWS

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Iran hangs 20 over 'armed attacks’

Iran has hanged up to 20 Sunni Muslim prisoners it says were involved in armed attacks. State media said the group was executed on Tuesday, and was responsible for killing women and children between 2009 and 2011. Iran, which is predominantly Shia, executed at least 977 people last year, according to Amnesty International. Rights groups have criticised the latest executions, saying the trials were unfair.

The US-based group, International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, said one of the men hanged, Shahram Ahmadi, claimed that the entire case against him was built on a forced confession. None of the men's families were allowed to visit them before they were hanged, the organisation said. Prosecutor-general Mohammad Javad Montazeri told Iranian television the men came from Kurdish areas and belonged to the extremist Tawhid and Jihad group.

Last year, Amnesty International said there had been a huge spike in the number of people executed in Iran, adding that courts were often "completely lacking in independence and impartiality". The organisation said Iran was the second most prolific executioner in the world last year, after China, which executed more than 1,000 people. After Iran, Pakistan executed 326 people, and Saudi Arabia 158 Close to 1,000 people were reportedly executed in Iran last year (file picture)(AFP) people, Amnesty International said. (BBC)

Gay Syrian man beheaded and mutilated in Turkey The headless, mutilated body of a gay Syrian man has been identified by gay housemates in Istanbul who say he had been gang-raped previously. The friends of Muhammad Wisam Sankari told a Turkish gay rights group, kaosgl.org, that they had been threatened by violent male gangs. "I am so scared," one of them said. Mr Sankari, a refugee, arrived in Istanbul a year ago. His body was found in Yenikapi, a central district, on 25 July. No arrests have been made. Kaosgl.org reported that Mr Sankari had been trying to get to another country as a refugee because his life was in danger.

One of his housemates, called Rayan, said a male group had kidnapped Mr Sankari about five months ago, beaten him up and raped him. "We complained to the police headquarters but nothing happened," he said. Another of Mr Sankari's friends, Diya, said the United Nations was also failing to protect the gay community in Turkey. "I get threats over the phone... It does not matter if you are Syrian or Turkish, if you are gay you are everyone's target. They want sex from you and when you don't they just tag along... Who is next?" Diya said.

In June, Turkish police fired rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse gay activists who tried to hold an LGBT rally in Istanbul, despite a ban on the Gay Pride parade. Unlike in many Arab countries, homosexuality is not illegal in Turkey but analysts say homophobia remains widespread. Hate crimes Cagil Kasapoglu of the BBC Turkish Service says hate crimes against LGBT individuals in Turkey mostly go unreported. According to kaosgl, there has been a rise in human rights violations based on sexual orientation in recent years. Under the heading "hate crimes" the organisation recorded five murders, 32 attacks and three suicides in Turkey last year.

It believes the number of such murders over the past six years is more than 50. Syrian gay refugees in Turkey suffer even more, as their legal status is precarious - they are usually undocumented and most are reluctant to report assaults to police, our reporter says. The Turkish authorities cited "safeguarding security and public order" as the reason for banning Gay Pride in Istanbul this year. The parade was also banned last year.

Assaults on LGBT people in Turkey have mostly been blamed on ultra-conservative Muslims and an ultra-nationalist youth group, the Alperen Hearths. The harassment is also related to a rise in homophobic rhetoric in conservative media and social media, Cagil Kasapoglu says. Such rhetoric was used by Turkish ultra-conservative media when reporting the murder of 49 people in June by a gunman in a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, she says. Gunman Omar Mateen, a US citizen, appeared to have an interest in Islamist Mr Sankari's body was horribly mutilated, friends told a gay rights group(KAOSGL.ORG) extremism. (BBC)

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Russell Square stabbings: Man arrested on suspicion of murder A man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a US citizen was killed and five other people were injured in a knife attack in central London. Police believe the attack in Russell Square on Wednesday was "spontaneous", with victims "selected at random". The woman who died was thought to be in her 60s. The injured people were from Britain, America, Israel and Australia. Police arrested a 19-year-old Norwegian national of Somali origin. They say there is no evidence of radicalisation.

The Met Police's assistant commissioner for specialist operations, Mark Rowley, said the investigation was increasingly pointing to the attack being "triggered by mental health issues". He had earlier said the force was considering terrorism as a line of inquiry. Mr Rowley, Britain's most senior counter-terrorism officer, told a press conference it had been necessary to consider "all possibilities" following recent terror attacks across Europe. Armed police were called to the square shortly after 22:30 BST on Wednesday after receiving reports of a man attacking people with a knife. They arrived within six minutes and chased the suspect, who eyewitnesses said had blood on his hands. They said police ordered him to stand still but he kept running.

He was then Tasered by officers. 'Heartbreaking news' Two other women and three men received various injuries in the attack, which happened near the Imperial Hotel. One person from the group remains in hospital while the others have since been discharged. None of the injuries were life-threatening. The US ambassador to the UK, Matthew Barzun, said of the woman who died: "Heartbreaking news that a US citizen was killed in #RussellSquare attack. My prayers are with all the victims and their loved ones." After receiving treatment in hospital, the arrested man, who was detained in Bedford Place, is now in police custody in south London.

Norwegian police said in a statement the man had emigrated from Norway in 2002 and they were assisting London police. The Met said they had searched an address in north London on Thursday morning and another will be searched in south London. Jodie Parry, who witnessed the events unfold from her hotel window, said she saw a man running down the street. "I could hear the policeman screaming 'stop, don't move, don't go any further, just stay where you are', and he turned round and continued running," she said.

'Body on the street' She added that the man was carrying a knife and had blood on his hands. Paul Ó Geibheannaigh, who lives near to the square, said he had seen the body of the woman "on the pavement" and the area was surrounded by a "heavy armed police presence". Mr Rowley said there would be an increased police presence on the streets in the wake of the attack - including armed officers - to "provide reassurance and safety".

Met commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe said the force's "swift response undoubtedly helped to prevent more people from getting injured". Russell Square is bustling with local workers and tourists exploring the area. It's hard to believe that just a few hours ago it was an active crime scene. Along Southampton Row, police tape had cordoned off a wide section of road, and a white and yellow forensics tent marked the point where the fatal stabbing took place. Now the pavement has been scrubbed clean and officers have gathered up the discarded first aid bags left scattered on the roadside by the emergency teams.

While a few TV cameras remain, the street is beginning to look like normal again, with only a small but growing number of floral have been left along the park railings. Shyam Sanghani, who runs Imperial News and Gifts opposite the scene of the attack, said: "It's scary. "We had the Russell Square bombing just close by and now this. We've been here a long time and to have two incidents is awful. This is our home." Emma and Mark Pigdon, from County Durham, who were staying in the President hotel, had been to the theatre when they came back and saw a woman lying in the street. Mrs Pigdon said: "She was a small lady, really slight, which made me think she was a teenager.

We were shocked when we later heard she was in her 60s. "She had what looked like a pattern on her clothes but I think it was blood." London Mayor Sadiq Khan cut short his holiday following the attack and will hold a briefing at City Hall at 15:30 BST. He said police were doing an "incredibly difficult job" and the safety of Londoners was his "number one priority". The Met said the attack was not linked to a separate stabbing in Wandsworth, south-west London, on Wednesday, in which one man was killed and two others injured.

Earlier on Wednesday, Sir Bernard and Mr Khan had said that there would be more armed police seen on patrol in London. Sir Bernard announced the move to reassure the public and deter attackers following terror attacks in Europe. Knife crime statistics The Met Police says it was called to more than 9,000 crimes in London in which a knife or sharp instrument was used in the 12 months to April 2016. The numbers are down from a high of more than 14,000 offences recorded in 2007-08 - although the figures began rising again in the 2014-15 period.

Overall, across England and Wales there has been a 12% decrease in knife crime offences in the last five years. But, like the trend seen in the capital, the latest data from the Office for National Statistics shows offences were up last year - there were 28,664 incidents across the country in 2015-16, a 10% rise on the previous 12 months. There were 214 suspected homicides in England and Wales where a knife or sharp instrument was used in 2015-2016 - the total number of deaths has varied between 187 and 237 in the past Mr Rowley said Londoners would see an five years. (BBC) increased police presence on the streets(AFP)

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GUYANA DAILY NEWS

THURSDAY, AUGUST 4, 2016

Afghanistan's Taliban attack foreign tourist convoy Militants have attacked a convoy of foreign tourists in west Afghanistan, injuring six and their Afghan driver. The group of a dozen travellers was being escorted by Afghan army personnel to Herat city when it was ambushed, Afghan officials told the BBC. The tourists comprised eight Britons, three US citizens and one German. Some reportedly had light injuries and were being treated in hospital. A spokesman for the Taliban said it had carried out the attack. Afghanistan's main roads are notoriously dangerous, with militant attacks and kidnappings frequent, many of them carried out by the Taliban. Jailani Farhad, a spokesman for Herat's governor, said the attackers had used small arms fire and an improvised explosives device. He said it was not yet clear who had been injured, although the German foreign ministry said its citizen was unharmed. The tourists are being held at an Italian military hospital in Herat city and are set to be evacuated to Kabul. Afghan interior ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqqi told Afghanistan's Tolo news channel the tourists had been on their way from Bamiyan to Herat, via Ghor. The ambush took place in the Chesht-e-Sharif district. Security reinforcements have been sent to the area. Despite the ongoing insurgency, Afghanistan does see a small number of tourists

every year, organised by several foreign adventure tourism companies. Bamiyan province is especially popular with adventure tourists, attracted by its ancient culture and natural beauty. Many Western nations advise against all but essential travel to the country. (BBC)

The group of tourists was being escorted by Afghan army personnel who repelled the attack

South Africa local elections: ANC set for worst result South Africa's governing African National Congress (ANC) party looks to be facing its biggest electoral setback since the end of apartheid with most votes now counted in local elections. The party is trailing its main rival, the Democratic Alliance, in Port Elizabeth, Johannesburg and Pretoria. The ANC is in the lead nationally and many results have yet to come in. Unemployment and corruption scandals surrounding President Jacob Zuma have tarnished the ANC's image. "We have shown some incredible growth," Democratic Alliance leader Mmusi Maimane told 702 radio. "We call this the change election because we felt that it was a referendum on Jacob Zuma as a national figure, but we also had a referendum about the future of South Africa." Final results are expected on Friday. The ANC has won more than 60% of the vote at every election since the end of apartheid more than two decades ago. With two-thirds of the votes counted on Thursday, the ANC had 53%, followed by 28% for the Democratic Alliance and 7% for the radical left-wing Economic Freedom Fighters. The local elections are being seen as an indication of the mid-term popularity of President Zuma. Correspondents say a poor ANC performance could embolden Mr Zuma's rivals within the party to challenge him. The next presidential elections are

due in 2019 but Mr Zuma cannot stand for a third term.

South Africa's economy has also been one of the main issues for voters, with growth expected to be zero this year, and unemployment standing at 27%. Protests demanding better housing and amenities have sprung up across South Africa. Mr Zuma has also had to weather a corruption scandal, after being ordered to repay taxpayers' money spent on his private home. Security was tight for the elections and the electoral commission said voting had passed off smoothly. (BBC)

The election passed off peacefully, the electoral commission reported(AP)

INTERNATIONAL PAGE 70

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

THURSDAY, AUGUST 4, 2016

'Burkini-only day' at French waterpark criticised demonstrates that, outside of the comforting words of Muslim

A waterpark in France is to be booked out for one day to Muslim women wanting to wear "burkinis" - but the decision has led to criticism by politicians on the right. A community group in Marseille arranged the day, giving access only to women wearing the all-over swimming garment. The group was set up to "encourage women to join in with the community". Some leading political figures said the move was contrary to France's legally enshrined secular values. "Accepting this so-called fashion means we accept communalism in our country," said Valerie Boyer, a mayor of two Marseille districts from the centreright group Les Republicains group, led by ex-president Nicolas Sarkozy. "However, it's also a question of the woman's dignity, a question of our most fundamental principles." A note by the event organisers, Smile 13, said that women attending "must be covered from the chest to the knees". France was the first European country to ban the full-face Islamic veil in public places, but it is legal to wear Islamic dress. France has about five million Muslims, the largest Muslim minority in Western Europe, but it is thought only about 2,000 women wear full veils.

Islamic headscarves were also banned in French schools in 2004.

Boys under the age of 10, but no men, will also be allowed to attend the burkini day, which will take place at the Speedwater Park near Marseille on 17 September. The decision was also attacked by Stephane Ravier, a mayor of two other Marseille districts with the far-right Front National. "This Islamist day

authorities, a certain number of Muslims are deciding among themselves to break away from our Republican model and put themselves outside our society," he said. Neither Speedwater Park nor Smile 13 has commented on the criticism. But Smile 13 has received some messages of support, as well as attacks, on its Facebook page. "Good luck, ladies, I hope this takes place" wrote one woman, who said: "And I don't even wear the veil."

(BBC)

Women who attend "must be covered from the chest to the knees", organisers say (AFP/GETTY IMAGES)

INTERNATIONAL PAGE 71

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

THURSDAY, AUGUST 4, 2016

UK interest rates cut to 0.25%

UK interest rates have been cut from 0.5% to 0.25% and the Bank of England has signalled that they could go lower if the economy worsens.

The Bank announced a range of measures to stimulate the UK economy, including a £100bn scheme to force banks to pass on the low interest rate to households and businesses. It will also buy £60bn of UK government bonds and £10bn of corporate bonds. Governor Mark Carney said there was scope to cut the interest rate further. He said that a majority of the nine-member Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) backed another cut if subsequent data showed the economy was deteriorating. Mr Carney also took a tough stance on banks and the introduction of its Term Funding Scheme. This will lend directly to banks at rates close to the new 0.25% base rate to encourage them to pass on the lower interest rates to businesses and households. The governor said that banks have "no excuse" not to pass on the lower borrowing costs to customers and will be charged a penalty if they fail to do so. He said: "The MPC is determined that the stimulus the economy needs does not get diluted as it passes through the financial system."

The Bank also announced the biggest cut to its growth forecasts since it started making them in 1993. It has reduced its growth prediction for 2017 from the 2.3% it was expecting in May to 0.8%. Mr Carney that the decision to leave the EU marked a "regime change" in which the UK would "redefine its openness to the movements of goods, services, people and capital".

He said: "We took these steps because the economic outlook has changed markedly, with the largest revision to our GDP forecast since the MPC was formed almost two decades ago." Mr Carney added: "By acting early and comprehensively, the MPC can reduce uncertainty, bolster confidence, blunt the slowdown, and support the necessary adjustments in the UK economy." The decision to cut interest rates to 0.25% was approved unanimously by all nine members of the MPC and is the first change in interest rates since March 2009. The £60bn bond-buying programme, which increases quantitative easing to £435bn, was approved by a vote of 6-3, with Kristin Forbes, Ian McCafferty and Martin Weale preferring to wait until more concrete data is available rather than relying on surveys. The corporate bond-buying scheme was opposed by one member: Kristin Forbes. Pound falls The corporate bond-buying scheme will purchase up to £10bn of bonds issued by companies outside the financial sector. Only companies considered to be contributing to the UK economy will be eligible. More details of the scheme will be released in September. The extensive series of measures was revealed the central bank predicting that inflation would rise above its 2% target as a result of the falling value of the pound. The Bank of England is not very confident about the future of the economy.

It says growth will fall dramatically, announcing the biggest downgrade to its growth forecast since it started inflation reports in 1993. The economy, it says, will be 2.5% smaller in three years' time than it believed it would be when the Bank last opined on these matters in May. Unemployment will rise (although only marginally), inflation will rise, real income growth will slow and house prices will decline. Growth, the Bank believes, will fall perilously close to zero over the final six months of this year. It predicts that the amount of money lent through the scheme could reach about £100bn. A weaker pound makes imported goods more expensive, which boosts inflation. The pound fell by 1% against the dollar following the Bank's announcement. Daniel Mahoney, head of economic research at Centre for Policy Studies, said: "The Bank's further loosening of monetary policy could prove problematic for the UK economy. The falling pound means that inflationary pressures are already building up, and today's decision will exacerbate them." A weaker outlook The Bank has warned that there will be "little growth in GDP in the second half of the year", although the forecast for 2016 growth has been left unchanged at 2% as a result of stronger-thanexpected growth in the first half. The forecast for 2018 has been cut from 2.3% to 1.8%. It also expects the unemployment rate to rise to 5.4% next year and 5.6% in 2018. The MPC meeting was the last one before it moves to only meeting eight times a year, meaning that it is not scheduled to meet again until 3 November, although it can call an extra meeting before then if it wants to. A majority of MPC members said that if the economy performed as they expected in the coming months, they would support cutting interest rates again before the end of the year to their lowest possible level of "close to, but a little above, zero". Fighting off recession Before the referendum, there were warnings of a recession if there was a vote to leave the EU. The Bank of England's quarterly inflation report does not foresee a recession, although all of its forecasts take into account the stimulus measures. Even with those measures, the Bank still predicts little growth in the second half of the year, suggesting there could have been a recession if the Bank had not acted. However, Scott Corfe, director of the Centre for Economics and Business Research, said: "Even with this stimulus, CEBR expects economic growth to slow from about 1.5% this year to less than 0.5% in 2017.

"A recession - at least a couple of quarters of negative growth - will be difficult to avoid and unemployment is likely to rise from current levels." Business organisations the CBI and the British Chambers of Commerce both called on the government to do its bit to help. Mr Carney has written to Chancellor Philip Hammond to outline the measures taken by the MPC as well as explaining why inflation remains, for now, significantly below its target rate.

In response, Mr Hammond wrote: "Alongside the actions that the Bank is taking, I am prepared to take any necessary steps to support the economy and promote confidence." He said that those plans would be set out in the Autumn Statement. Lucy O'Carroll, chief economist at Aberdeen Asset Management, said: "The Bank really needed to announce this kind of combination of measures. What will really count is whether the Governor Mark Carney says chancellor provides a fiscal boost in the autumn. Monetary policy can't do the Bank of England will do what is required for "monetary and much more on its own." (BBC) financial stability”

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LOCAL PAGE 74

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

FRIDAY, AUGUST 5, 2016

Suicide in Guyana linked to unemployment, other factors – Opposition MP says From the beginning of 2016 Guyana has had more suicide cases than the average third world country would like to admit. The first thing that a family usually does after a loved one commits suicide is try to find a reason in an attempt to heal the scar that is left, and similarly people who read the stories in newspapers try to do the same, leading to some of the most popular revelations such as depression, a irreparable mistake and a broken love life.

However at Thursday’s 41st sitting of the National Assembly, Opposition Member of Parliament, Dr. Vidhya Persaud, led the opposition’s speech on the number of suicide cases in Guyana.

Dr. Persaud in her speech laid out reasons such as the stagnant economy, unemployment rate, poor condition of the rice industry, “shameful and indiscriminate” firing of individuals whose livelihood depend on it. In addition to those mentioned above Dr. Persaud went as far to say that the plan to impose the parking meters as a way of merciless taxation is also a reason for the current suicide rate. After sitting through the presentation, Minister of Social Protection, Volda Lawrence refuted the claims, noting that the opposition’s presentation lacked evidence to support the points they had set forth. She went on to say that the current administration of Government is taking the

social problem of the rising suicide rate very seriously and has several programs to deal with the issue. If it was a competition Guyana would be winning as it sits at the top of the table with the leading number of suicides, with the figures being 44 per 100,000 people annually, according to worldatlas.com.

-BY- Jarred Singh, Guyana Daily News.

FEATURE PAGE 75

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

FRIDAY, AUGUST 5, 2016

The Unruly Horse Job crea on: A duty of Government

By: Mohabir Anil Nandlall, MP.Attorney-at-Law is jobs and we have a strategy for providing young people with jobs.

Now in Government, the President sings a completely different tune. This is but one of dozens of promises made to the electorate during the 2015 general elections campaign which the Coalition Government has abrogated. I doubt that in the post -Independent Caribbean a greater fraud has ever been perpetrated against the electorate than that upon the Guyana electorate at the 2015 elections by the APNU-AFC. The Coalition Government Speaking on last week's edition of the TV has not only failed to deliver on multiple areas that will provide jobs in the programme “Public Interest”, President promises but in many instances they have engineering and construction sectors”. In David Granger, made some startling done or are doing the opposite of what they recent times, no other head of state on the global stage has spoken more disclosures. He said, “Employment is not p r o m i s e d . I t i s t h e u n d o u b t e d comprehensively about a government's something to be provided by the responsibility of a government to create duty to create jobs for its people than government. There is self employment and jobs, directly, as well as, indirectly. President Barack Obama. At every we are working with villages to generate Governments create jobs, directly, through convenient forum, President Obama, has more employment in those villages, but it the pursuit of policies and projects emphasized the uncompromising duty of a is going to be agro- based employment”. specifically designed to create jobs; government to create jobs. Indeed, These statements must have shocked the through the expansion of the public sector; President Obama, often cites the millions most ardent supporter of the Coalition through the expansion of state institutions; of jobs created during his two terms after Government. After all, the creation of jobs, through the expansion of state-offered the great economic decline of 2008, as one especially, for young people, was one of services; through capital/infrastructural of his most signal achievements. During p r o j e c t s a n d v i a v a r i o u s o t h e r his final State of the Union address, the major planks of the APNU-AFC government-driven initiatives. For President Obama, boasts “We are in the platform promises. In their 2015 Election's example, the PPPC government's middle of the longest streak of job creation Manifesto, the APNU-AFC promised, Infrastructure and Housing policy alone “The aim of your new government is to g e n e r a t e d s e v e r a l t h o u s a n d j o b s . in history; more than 14 Million new jobs; create jobs, jobs and more jobs in the Indirectly, it is the government's duty to the strongest two years of job growth since shortest time possible. Our young people create the type of environment that will the 1990's”. To kick-start job creation in the U.S., President Obama presented to cannot wait “five more years” for jobs for conduce to the growth and expansion of Congress, the American Jobs Act. This which they could be adequately trained the private sector and the attraction of local initiative was designed by the Obama and get better pay and greater job and foreign investments that will administration, specifically, to create jobs satisfaction”. In fact, many of their ineluctably lead to the creation of jobs and for Americans both directly and indirectly. billboards around the country promised p r o l i f e r a t i o n o f j o b - c r e a t i n g . In his speech proposing the Act, he said jobs. Some are still standing at various opportunities. President Granger is “The purpose of the American Jobs Act is points in Georgetown. During the 2015 perhaps the first head of state who does not simple: to put more people back to work E l e c t i o n s c a m p a i g n , s p e a k i n g a s view job creation as an obligation of and more money in the pockets of those Opposition Leader to students of the g o v e r n m e n t . S p e a k i n g o n h e r who are working.

University of Guyana, Mr. Granger said government's 2011-2012 National “This government [PPPC] has no strategy Budget, Prime Minister Kamla PersadBissessar said, “The budget will increase to deal with jobs for young people. One of infrastructural development specifically in the biggest problems facing young people continued to next page...

FEATURE PAGE 76

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

FRIDAY, AUGUST 5, 2016

The Unruly Horse...con’t...

It will create more jobs for construction economy is contracting; that the private sugar industries and the imposition of VAT workers, more jobs for teachers, more jobs sector is recording declining level of on capital agricultural equipment are just a for veterans, and more jobs for long-term business activities and, consequently, few. The truth is that Guyana's agricultural unemployed. It will provide a tax break profits; that the private sector is shedding sector will never move beyond its current for companies who hire new workers, and staff to survive; that new investments are stagnant state unless there is a shift to it will cut payroll taxes in half for every non- existent; that the new regime of agro-processing. This shift will only take working American and every small increased taxation and anti- business place with the availability of affordable business. It will provide a jolt to an policies of the government have had a energy. When the APNU-AFC voted economy that has stalled, and give debilitating factor on commercial down the Amaila Falls Hydro project in companies confidence that if they invest activities; that SOCU and SARA are the tenth Parliament, they killed this and if they hire, there will be customers for driving fear in private sector - are all potential. The same can be said of the their products and services.” Indeed, factors of which the President seems G o v e r n m e n t ' s p o s t u r e o n s e l f undoubtedly, job creation is one of the unaware but which have rendered the employment which the President now most critical issues in the ongoing U.S. private sector incapable of creating jobs touts. For example, when the government Presidential campaign. Quite apart from and have killed the self-employment hounded Bai Shan Lin out of the forestry the President Granger's flawed view that it opportunities which the President sector, they devastated dozens of small is not the government's obligation to anticipates will proliferate. Ironically, the self-employed loggers who depended c r e a t e j o b s , h i s s h o v i n g o ff t h a t President cites agriculture to be the upon the company for market for their responsibility to the citizens (self- greatest generator of these jobs. Yet, his logs. The President, in attempting to employment) and the private sector, is yet government has implemented policies and abdicate his government's responsibility another indicia of how far removed from taken positions that spell doom for the to create jobs, has certainly become a reality the President actually is. That the agro-sector. The refusal to aid the rice and victim of his own political artifice.

M&CC employees still to be paid lacking the means to get to back home among other

As some of the officials at the Mayor and City Council continue to find and introduce newer methods such as the container tax and parking meters as a means of obtaining more money from the Guyanese people in an attempt to make Georgetown and its environs a better place, the officials might have forgotten about their employees who are still awaiting their salaries. This has not been the first time this year something of this nature has happened as earlier in the year, there were indications out of the M&CC that they were unable to pay garbage companies who they were in debt to in excess of $150M, together with being unable to pay their staff. Officials said that this situation persists due to the exorbitant amounts of outstanding rates and tax payments by property owners. Deputy Mayor Sherod Duncan in one of his Facebook posts today did in fact confirm the reports stating “I am now beyond disappointed that nine (9) days after the official pay date our hard working employees are yet to be paid.” He continued to vent his anger at the current ruling administration of the M&CC saying, “Today I listened to stories of bills that are to be paid which are now beyond late; of children who are depending on their parents to bring home a meal; and others

narratives. Our workers are demoralized and this reward for their labour is untenable! We MUST do better!!!”

Deputy Mayor Duncan over the past few months has found himself in a controversial position as it relates to the management of the M&CC by Mayor Patricia ChaseGreen.

Deputy Mayor Sherod Duncan

LOCAL

GUYANA DAILY NEWS Forestry Commission ends “Illegal” joint ventures with BaiShanLin PAGE 77

The new board of the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC) on Thursday voted to end its joint ventures with the highly controversial logging company BaiShanLin on the grounds that the ventures were illegal. It was reported that the only known venture between BaishanLin and the GFC were the logging operations since all other lands previously under the control of the company have been returned to the State. The joint ventures were highlighted in the report of the forensic audit, which was conducted by Anand Goolsarran. In his report, Goolsarran noted that BaiShanLin gained control of five major companies in the forestry sector – Sherwood Forrest Inc, Haimorakabra Logging Co., Wood Associated Industries Co. Ltd., Puruni Woods Inc. and Kwebanna Wood Products Inc. Goolsarran found this move was illegal stating that the Forests Act prohibits the transfer of ownership/control of a forest concession without the specific approval of the GFC and that he found no evidence of any such

FRIDAY, AUGUST 5, 2016

approval by the GFC. He argued that the companies who are the holders of the Timber Sales Agreements (TSAs) should have surrendered their agreements to the Commission for reallocation to other potential concessionaires. In response to the reports, GFC Commissioner James Singh maintained that the ventures were legal, a stance he has maintained over the years dating back to 2014, when questions were originally raised. Regardless of the Commissioner’s stance the new board members found otherwise, although the specific details on how the decision was made is sparse. The vote to end the joint ventures between the commission and the company will be an end to the existing operations of BaishanLin in Guyana. By- Pablo Cupido, Guyana Daily News.

LOCAL PAGE 78

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

FRIDAY, AUGUST 5, 2016

Draft Cybercrime Bill sent to Special Select Committee The draft Cybercrime Bill was presented and read for the first time yesterday ibn the National Assembly. The Bill was presented by Minister of Legal Affairs Basil Williams, who referred the Bill to a special select committee for more scrutiny and review. The Bill seeks to upgrade the criminal laws of Guyana to the information technology age and gives authority to law enforcement to investigate, prosecute, and provide penalties done on the Internet also referred to as “Cyberspace”. The Bill makes it illegal for persons to access a computer without permission, intercept transmitted data, and interfere with data and unauthorized receiving or granting of access to computer data. The Bill also deals with Computer-related forgery and fraud, identity-related offences, violation of privacy and the more serious, child luring and child pornography. Penalties for offense under the legislation range from fines up to ten millions dollars to prison sentences up to ten years. The opposition PPP related that it is pleased to see that after 15 months that the government is actually unitizing the option of sending important bills to the a special select committee. The draft legislation will be moved to a special select Committee, where its content will be mulled over by both sides of the House and then forwarded back to the National Assembly for a second and third reading, Minister of Legal Affairs, Basil Williams before it is becomes an actual law. -By- Pablo Cupido, Guyana Daily News.

The diminishing state of Guyana’s roads Over the past few years the Ministry of Public Works, which is now known as the Ministry of Public Infrastructure has seen the beginning of some major road projects such as the East Bank and East Coast of Demerara Highway extension project, the OgleTimheri access road and recently the Mocha Scheme Road Rehabilitation. However, the Ministry has come under criticism for not completing the roads on time. It has been noted thought that some roadways have deteriorated even before the construction is complete. One such instance is the East Bank Demerara Highway extension project which started in 2011 and was slated to be completed by the end of 2015; however the construction is still ongoing. Despite the road project not being completed there are parts where initial construction would have begun that are beginning to deteriorate. This has been affecting drivers so much so that one commuter told the Guyana Daily News “I am seriously thinking about switching back and taking public transportation to work because the cracks and bumps are damaging my car and sending up my expenses.” Something that was pointed out in an impromptu interview with a commuter was the “improper engineering of the roadways”, something that the commuter said has been lacking in Guyana over the past few years. “The engineers of the country need to get back to the drawing board and fix the formula because at the moment it

makes no sense to build multi-million dollar roadways that are going to break-up after a few mornings,” the commuter said. The Government by way of the Mayor and City Council over the past few months has been trying to combat the excessive breaking up of the roadways by the heavier vehicle by way of the introduction of a “Container Tax Fee” which they have said will be used to fix damages made to roadways by the heavier motor vehicles. Though a possible step in the right direction, the proper rehabilitation of roadways over the years is not a cheap process and the M&CC may look to explore the cheaper option towards the fixture as a means of saving. -By- Jarred Singh, Guyana Daily News.

REGIONAL PAGE 79

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

FRIDAY, AUGUST 5, 2016

Tough time rebuilding life Deomatee Rajballysingh turned up in the San Fernando First Assizes yesterday to support her son, Ajai, in the prisoners’ dock where she, along with his brother, Ganesh, just four months ago stood for killing her other son. It was in April that Justice Carla Brown-Antoine ordered Rajballysingh, 56, and her other son, Ganesh Rajballysingh, 25, to serve four more months in prison after she deducted from their sentence the eight years they spent in custody awaiting trial and their guilty plea.

However, the judge felt Ajai needed to be assessed further before he could be reintegrated into society and deferred sentence to research what steps the court could take to assist him in rehabilitation. Ajai will return to court today when the judge is expected to give her decision. All three were charged with murder but the State accepted a plea to manslaughter in the death of Vicky, 25, who was tied to a coconut tree near their home at Avocat Village, Fyzabad, and beaten by Ajai, then 16, and Ganesh, then 17, who were acting on instructions from their mother. Vicky, who was being punished by his mother for verbally abusing her, died from a fatal heart attack.

Rajballysingh’s eldest son, Rajesh, was not at home at the time of the incident. Speaking with reporters afterwards, Rajballysingh said she was happy to be released but she was scared as she has to start from scatch.

Rajballysingh recalled how she broke down in tears when she went to visit her former home which has since crumbled and the area is overgrown with bush. “I cry when I see the place. My big son did not take out nothing from the house. I lost everything. I left the prison with just my clothes.

The officer give me a few pieces of cloth and $200.” And through her three sisters organised an apartment for her at Dow Village, South Oropouche, the rent was too much for them to pay. She said the Government, through its rental programme, gave a committal to pay the first three months but they have to wait a long time to get the payment. Ganesh lives with her but he has been unable to secure a job as he has no identification card or birth paper. “I really need a place to live for me and my children. That is my biggest issue now.”

Deomatee Rajballysingh

Although people still look down on her as the woman who killed her son, Rajballysingh said she was just trying to discipline him. Saying she had a tough life, Rajballysingh, who cannot read, recalled she got married at age 18 to a man five years older than her through an arranged marriage. And for 17 years, she said, her life was a nightmare as she was abused physically, verbally and financially by her husband who was an alcoholic. “He use to beat me and run me out of the house. Sometimes all he give me is $200 for two or three months.

Sometimes we have no food or nothing. “The neighbours use to help us. My mother use to say he will change, go back to him.”

She said her husband left her when her children were very small and never came back. “I never see him again up to this day,” she said. Saying it was difficult trying to grow up four children on her own as she had no family support, Rajballysingh, who worked then as a domestic worker, said Vicky was a heavy drinker. “They (children) grow up seeing their father beating me. My second son (Vicky) was worse then his father.

He always cursing me and threatening to burn down the house and fighting. Is years I talking with my child.” Rajballysingh, who did sewing and assisted in the kitchen while in prison, said she wished Ajai would be released but she agreed with what the judge was trying to do for him. “I really want Ajai to come home but I feel what the judge is doing is a good thing. She want to see him improve himself and be better to come out in society.” Rajballysingh advised parents who were having problems with their children not to take the law into their hands but try to seek help. “Go to the police or someone else who could help you,” she said. (Trinidad Guardian)

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Boot out UNC leaders or PNM stays in power As the United National Congress (UNC) moved its headquarters out of Rienzi Complex on Wednesday, party founder Basdeo Panday says the current leadership must be booted out or else the People’s National Movement (PNM) will remain in power for the next 15 to 20 years. In an interview, Panday said there must be a reinvention of the party as the current leadership had lost its way and no longer commanded respect from supporters. Saying party loyalists must band together to make this a reality, Panday said it was important to have free and fair internal elections.

“The supporters of the UNC can only succeed in restoring the party to its pristine glory if they have the confidence, belief and trust in the leadership. That kind of leadership can only be found in free and fair elections and that is not what they have there,” he added.

Saying supporters must demand free and fair elections, Panday added: “if we don’t change the leadership, the PNM will retain power for 15 to 20 years.” He also condemned Kamla Persad-Bissessar “for squandering $400 billion over five years” during the People’s Partnership’s term in office between 2010-1015. “People are still living in mud traces.

Many remain without houses, water, electricity,” he added. He also said Persad-Bissessar had lost several elections, adding: “A party usually changes its leadership under those circumstances.” Meanwhile, businessman Bindra Maharaj, who replied to Panday’s comments on Facebook, questioned who would form part of the new UNC leadership. Maharaj, who was the former deputy political leader of the Citizens Alliance, which was headed by former finance minister Wendell Mottley, said: “Who is going to take the bull by the horns and go up for leadership?” He added: “Mr Panday said yesterday that everybody is afraid of victimisation.

Why do people like Panday and Ramesh (Lawrence Maharaj) who are the fathers of the party not come out if there is a problem of leadership. “Why don’t they start to train people in politics to take leadership so that the rank-and-file of the party can have direction?” Maharaj asked. Maharaj, who said he was not aligned to any political party and described himself as a student of politics, said new think tanks should be involved so as to get innovative ideas on the party’s direction.

Former agriculture minister Vasant Bharath, who launched a social media campaign to get back into the executive of the party, has also called for new leadership. Bharath, who challenged Kamla Persad-Bissessar’s for leadership of the party last year and lost, said the party was now dysfunctional because there was no attempt to build any organisational structure or proper party institutions. He also said the UNC was weak and Basdeo Panday ineffective due to dysfunction in the party’s leadership structure. (Trinidad Guardian)

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Burnt bodies found in van

Determined not to let 14 years of marriage go down the drain, Ardia Yearwood-Marchan and Peter Marchan were trying to make life work. But those efforts ended when the Fyzabad couple’s burnt bodies were found inside their Isuzu D-Max pickup at Petrotrin Forest Reserve on Wednesday night. Marchan-Yearwood, 38, was a dance teacher at the La Romain High School while Marchan was a civilian mechanic at the Southern Division Fire Headquarters, Mon Repos, San Fernando.

Police said an anonymous caller reported a fire off Sudamah Trace, Fyzabad, and when officers responded they found the burning pickup along the No 42 Road and contacted the Siparia Fire Station. When the blaze was extinguished, firefighters found the remains seated in the pickup burnt beyond recognition. Although investigators linked the bodies to the couple, DNA analysis and comparison of dental records will have to be used to confirm their identities. Investigators, spearheaded by Snr Supt Nazrool Hosein, are yet to determine whether the deaths were a double murder or murder/suicide.

However, they learned the couple had at argument at Marchan-Yearwood’s home along the Guapo Main Road, Fyzabad, hours before their bodies were found. They are working with the theory that she could have been killed and placed in the pickup before being taken to Forest Reserve. Speaking at Marchan’s Robert Hill home yesterday, a relative said the couple separated last November and Yearwood-Marchan had moved back to her mother’s home.

However, he said they were trying to rekindle their marriage and they would both spend time at each other’s home. He said up to when he saw Marchan on Sunday and spoke to him on Tuesday, everything appeared to be going well. Relatives said they spent Wednesday together and when they left that afternoon, they sped off in the vehicle and it appeared that they had an argument but no one knew what it was about. The next time they heard of the couple was when police reported that their pickup was found burnt with two charred remains inside. At Yearwood-Marchan’s home, relatives said they were not ready to comment on her death.

However, students, past and present, described her as a loving teacher. Former student, Shyienn Millette, 19, said Yearwood was a mother figure to those she interacted with at the school.

“Miss Yearwood was an outgoing and a very straightforward person. If she didn’t like what you were doing, she would come and talk to you about it. “She was a respectable person and students never really gave her trouble because they were comfortable with her. She was a mother figure and a friend to us so to hear that she died is really heartbreaking,” Millette said.

Several people also posted condolences and tributes to Yearwood-Marchan on her Facebook page after news of her death spread. Bar owner shot dead Police believe that the assassination of a 52-year-old Cocorite man may be linked to his past brushes with the law for narcotic offences, as robbery was clearly not a motive. After a night’s sales Wednesday, Earl Douglas, of Harding Place, Cocorite, owner of Bonafide bar along the Western Main Road, St James, was closing up when a gunman walked into the bar and shot him. Police reports indicate that Douglas, commonly referred to as “Dougie,” had criminal cases for narcotics thrown out for various reasons in the past and was on their radar for drug trafficking.

This, police say, is their only motive for his death. The gunman reportedly went into the bar around 12.30 am shot Douglas and left without touching anything in the bar. Douglas was taken to the nearby St James Health Facility but was pronounced dead on arrival. Police are asking for anyone with information on the Peter Marchan and his wife Ardia Yearwood-Marchan, whose burnt killing and that of the other 270 murders committed for the year bodies were found at Forest Reserve, Fyzabad, on Wednesday. so far to provide the information to them. (Trinidad Guardian)

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Bedridden woman, 73, killed in fire

Despite attempts to save his bedridden wife, a raging fire proved too much for a Moruga pensioner who was forced to jump through a window, leaving his wife in their burning house. After the Fire Services extinguished the blaze, the charred remains of great grandmother Jean Mc Leod, who celebrated her 73rd birthday on July 24, were found close to the front door of their Sixth Company Village home. Her husband, Hector Mc Leod, 82, is currently warded at the San Fernando General Hospital, where he is being treated for second degree burns to about 30 per cent of the body. The elderly couple lived with their son, Melville, the last of their 12 children (two deceased) but he was at work at the time the fire occurred around 4.10 pm on Wednesday.

The family also lost their four-bedroom home, valued at over $200,000 and over $100,000 worth of equipment for their welding and mechanic company. Police reports said after Mc Leod jumped through the window from an eight-foot height and alerted neighbours, they formed a bucket brigade. However, they could not extinguish the blaze. The cause of the fire has not yet been determined. In a telephone interview yesterday, Melville said his father received burns to his back, hands and face. “My father was trying to pull her out of the house but because of the blaze he could not. He ended up having to dive through the window to save his life,” he added.

He said they lost everything in the fire. “We do need a lot of assistance because we lost a lot here. We have a company and all the tools we lost,” he said. Melville said there was a lot of speculation but he could not say what caused the fire. He thanked the Fire Service sand the Princes Town Regional Corporation for their swift response and assistance. Corporation chairman, Aiknath Singh, who visited the family along with councillors Natalia Mendez and Haniff Salamat, described the incident as sad.

“The family also had a motorcar repair business. I saw at least three vehicles burnt, the welding plant, brand new compressor. They indicated to me that the current went and when it came back they heard an explosion,” he said. Singh said the corporation’s ODPM Unit responded quickly and assisted with mattresses and food. He said they were also liaising with the relevant agencies to find temporary lodging for the family until clearance was given to demolish the ruins. They will also be monitoring the situation and assisting in whatever way they could to help the family rebuild their home, he added. (Trinidad Guardian) Princes Town Regional Corporation chairman, Aiknath Singh, right, speaks to brothers, Melvin, left, and Alfred Mc Leod, whose mother, Jean Mc Leod (INSET), died in a fire which destroyed their home and business place at Sixth Company Village, Moruga, on Wednesday.

PHOTO: TONY HOWELL

PNM clueless about terrorism

As law enforcement officials await the return of nine Trinis who were deported from Turkey after they were caught trying to join terrorist fighters in Syria, Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar says she is not satisfied with how the Government is tackling terrorism threats in T&T. Persad-Bissessar, who called a state of emergency in 2011 after an alleged plot to kill her and her Cabinet was exposed, said she was not happy with how Isis threats were being handled by the Dr Keith Rowley administration.

Saying under her tenure there was political will to tackle terrorism, she said that was one of the reasons her government decided to co-sponsor in September 2014 the UN Security Council resolution on foreign terrorist fighters. Admitting she got a lot of “flak” for her decision, Persad-Bissessar said they were well aware of the grave threat posed by foreign terrorist fighters to peace, law and order and the need to combat the scourge of terrorism. Asked whether she had seen results from the signing of the UN agreement, Persad-Bissessar said: “It was the right thing to do then and it remains totally correct now.

“I am not of the view that the present government is doing sufficient. We have heard absolutely nothing about their plans. Every time a noise arises they say more police on the streets, more security. It is just more and more talk without any action.” She said crime was also at an all-time high. “I am of the view that they are not doing enough on the international or national front. We need leadership that is permitted with devising a proper plan,” she said. During her address to party supporters at the formal opening of the new UNC headquarters on Wednesday, Persad-Bissessar said under the Rowley Government crime had become worse.

“This Government has no clue how to defeat criminals, gangsters and international terrorists. While blood is flowing across the land with an ever growing terrorist threat, instead of developing a plan to fight crime, the PM is taking off on a holiday again,” Persad-Bissessar said. Saying T&T is in crisis, Persad-Bissessar said in “one year the PNM has brought a booming, productive and happy country to a state of hopelessness and fear.” (Trinidad Guardian) Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar, centre, shares a light moment with MPs on Wednesday during the opening ceremony of the new UNC head office in Couva. Front row, from left: Rodney Charles, Ganga Singh, Bhoe Tewarie, Ramona Ramdial. Back row, from left: Fazal Karim, David Lee and Devant Maharaj. PHOTO: RISHI RAGOONATH

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Donald Trump backtracks on 'video of Iran payment’ US Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has backtracked on a claim that he saw video footage of a US cash payment to Iran. He made the claim at a rally.

His team admitted it was incorrect, only for Mr Trump to repeat it at another rally. The money was paid at the same time US hostages were freed, but the president said it was a payment linked to the landmark Iranian nuclear agreement. Mr Trump said the video he saw was of the hostage transfer, not the payment. The White House announced in January it was making payments to Iran - a total of $1.7bn (£1.3bn) to settle a decadesold dispute over a failed military equipment deal - as part of the nuclear accord. A newspaper this week revealed that $400m of that was delivered in cash, flown to Iran at roughly the same time as four Americans were released in a prisoner exchange. The timing of the transfer brought attacks from Republicans, including Mr Trump. President Barack Obama denied any connection between the cash and the prisoner swap, saying: "We do not pay ransom for hostages." He said the payment had to be in cash because strict financial sanctions precluded other methods. However, the BBC's Barbara Plett Usher in Washington says it did not help that Iranian defence officials had described the money as a ransom payment. Mr Trump insisted on Wednesday he had seen video showing the money being delivered. His team on Thursday acknowledged this was not the case, saying Mr Trump was referring to cable news file footage of hostages being released. But Mr Trump repeated his claim at another rally later on Thursday.

On Friday, his tweet was echoing the campaign team, saying: "The plane I saw on television was the hostage plane in Geneva, Switzerland, not the plane carrying $400 million in cash going to Iran!" 'Blank cheque' Donald Trump has had a difficult week. His rival, Hillary Clinton, has seen a significant opinion poll boost since the Democratic convention. He has also run into trouble by rowing with the parents of a Muslim US army captain who was killed in Iraq and was criticised for calling Mrs Clinton "the devil". A number of highprofile figures, including Republicans, have come out against him. Republican Congressman Mike Coffman

was one to air an anti-Trump advertisement. Former director of the CIA, Michael Morell, not affiliated to either party, said in the New York Times that he would "do everything I can to ensure [Mrs Clinton] is elected our 45th president". Citing Mr Trump's positions on Russia, Mr Morell called the New York billionaire an "unwitting agent" of Vladimir Putin. Key national security figure endorsements Endorsed Mrs Clinton Gen John Allen, retired Richard Armitage, former deputy secretary of state (Republican) Gen Wesley Clark, retired, former head of Nato Michael Morell, former CIA director Leon Panetta, former defence secretary Adm James Stavridis, retired, former head of Nato Brent Scowcroft, former national security adviser (Republican) Not voting for Mr Trump William Cohen, former defence secretary (Republican) Michael Hayden, former CIA director (Republican) On Thursday, Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan told fundraisers the party had to protect its majority in Congress or "we could be handing President Hillary Clinton a blank cheque". It echoed the "Let's not give Clinton a blank cheque" phrase used by Republicans in 1996 when it became clear Bob Dole would not defeat Bill Clinton. However, Mr Trump's running mate, Mike Pence, stood firmly behind him on Friday, telling NBC: "Donald Trump and I are standing shoulder to shoulder to say to the American people, 'we can be strong again'." (BBC)

Donald Trump claims the Iranian military has a tape of the US transferring $400m (£305m) to Iran

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Nearly 200 Mexicans stuck at Madrid airport for days Nearly 200 Mexicans have been stranded at Madrid-Barajas airport for days - some for as long as two weeks - waiting to fly home from Spain. They have Aeromexico budget tickets, issued to airline staff and their relatives, which enable them to fly only if seats become available. The airline says it advised ticket-holders not to fly during the peak holiday season. Most are sleeping rough at Barajas, lacking funds to stay at Madrid hotels. The cheap tickets they bought are not available to the general public.

Aeromexico rejected a plea from the 183 stranded Mexicans to send an extra plane to pick them up, Spain's Efe news agency reported. Public charity A Facebook group called Mexicanas en Madrid issued a public appeal for help. "It would be good to supply them with food, drinks, damp towels, spare bottles for water, fruit," their post said, adding that offers of temporary accommodation would be welcome too. El Pais newspaper said some Madrid residents had offered to put Mexicans up for a few nights. A 67-year-old Spaniard called Rafael said "I have a big house and I sympathised with these people. My wife and I decided to come here with our empty car to pick up a family or six needy people". Mexican doctor Dulce Olveda, 65, told El Pais that there had been up to four Aeromexico flights but none of the stranded passengers had been given a seat. "People no

longer have the funds to survive in the airport," she said. Several passengers sent a group letter to the Mexican consul in Madrid requesting help, but embassy sources said they could not resolve "a recurring problem with this company [Aeromexico]".

However, Consul Bernardo Cordova told the Mexicans at the airport's Terminal One that he was in contact with Aeromexico and was assessing the passengers' individual needs. (BBC)

Many of the stranded Mexicans now lack the cash to afford airport prices(EPA)

Six Indonesians arrested for 'plan to fire rocket at Singapore', police say Indonesian police have arrested six people they say were planning to attack Singapore. The men, aged between 19 and 46, were arrested at several locations in nearby Batam island on Friday. The plot allegedly involved firing a rocket from Batam, just south of Singapore, at Marina Bay - an upmarket, waterfront area. Singapore officials said they were aware of the plot and security had been stepped up. Indonesian police spokesman Boy Rafli told BBC Indonesian that the suspects were now being questioned. It is not clear whether the men had the ability to carry out such an attack. Police said they were investigating whether the suspects had links to Indonesian militant Bahrun Naim, one of the alleged masterminds of the 2016 Jakarta attacks. Singapore's Marina Bay is one of the country's most popular tourist destinations and the Marina Bay Sands hotel is an iconic structure on Singapore's skyline. "What we understand so far is that they were planning to attack vital objects, busy areas including police offices," police spokesman Agus Rianto told Reuters news agency. Singapore's Ministry of Home

Affairs (MHA) said in a statement: "Our security agencies have been coordinating closely with the Indonesian authorities since the discovery of this attack plot, to monitor the activities of the group and to apprehend those involved." (BBC)

Marina Bay Sands, located at the heart of the bay, is one of Singapore's biggest tourist attractions(GETTY IMAGES)

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Pokemon Go banned by Iranian authorities over 'security’ Authorities in Iran have banned the Pokemon Go app because of scholar's territory, and is not necessarily applicable to the whole unspecified "security concerns". The decision was taken by the High Council of Virtual Spaces, the official body overseeing online activity. Iran follows a number of other countries in expressing its worries over security related to the game. But it becomes the first country to issue a ban of Pokemon Go, that challenges players to visit real-world locations to catch cartoon monsters. Despite restrictions on internet usage Iranians on social media have discussed playing Pokemon Go in recent weeks. Reports last month said Iranian authorities were waiting to see to what extent the game's creators would co-operate with them before making a decision on banning it. Pokemon Go: A global safety risk? Saudi cleric issues Pokemon Go fatwa Indonesia has banned police officers from playing the game while on duty, and a French player was arrested last month after straying on to a military base while trying to catch Pokemon. A leading Saudi cleric said a fatwa (religious ruling) issued against an earlier Pokemon card game also applied to the new mixedreality app. The 16-year-old edict said the game contained "forbidden images" and violated an Islamic ban on gambling.

But a fatwa's influence might not carry beyond that particular

country. Earlier this week, authorities in New York state said they would ban some 3,000 registered sex offenders from playing Pokemon Go while they are on parole. The ban is aimed at safeguarding the children who play the game. (BBC)

Pokemon Go players catch cartoon monsters in real locations using the app (AFP/GETTY IMAGES)

India market attack: Suspected rebels kill 13 in Assam Gunmen have opened fire on a busy market place in India's north-eastern state of Assam, killing at least 13 people, officials say. Police blamed the attacks on suspected rebels from a faction of the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB). Reports say one suspected rebel was killed in the gun battle with security forces in Kokrajhar district. The NDFB wants an independent homeland for the Bodo ethnic group to be carved out of Assam. Assam police chief Mukesh Sahay told the BBC that the attack took place in a market in Balajan, an area just outside the town of Kokrajhar.

"Many civilians sustained injuries when militants opened indiscriminate fire. They also lobbed grenades," he said. The banned National Democratic Front of Bodoland is one of many such tribally-based factions in India's remote north-east. The area where the attack happened already enjoys a degree of autonomy. But the insurgents want Bodoland to be given full statehood.

There have been years of sectarian and ethnic clashes there and hundreds of thousands remain displaced from their homes. Grey line One gunman was killed by the security forces and troops were pursuing five others who had fled. Several homes and shops were damaged in the

attack. In 2014, NDFB rebels killed at least 62 people in Sonitpur and Kokrajhar. The Bodos now have an autonomous territorial council which one of their parties, the Bodoland People's Front (BPF), controls. The council offers considerable local autonomy to more than 3,000 villages that are home to Bodo tribesmen. (BBC)

Security forces are searching the blast area in Kokrajhar(INDIAN ARMY)

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South Africa local elections: ANC suffers major setback South Africa's governing African National Congress (ANC) has suffered its worst electoral setback since apartheid ended in 1994. With 96% of the votes counted after Wednesday's municipal elections, the party has lost the key battleground of Nelson Mandela Bay to the opposition Democratic Alliance (DA). The two parties are in a close fight for Johannesburg and Pretoria. But the ANC is still in the lead nationally, with 54% of the vote.

The ANC has won more than 60% of the vote at every national election since the end of apartheid more than two decades ago. Unemployment and corruption scandals surrounding President Jacob Zuma have tarnished the ANC's image. Named after ANC liberation hero and South Africa's first democratically elected president, the loss of Nelson Mandela Bay is a big blow to the party. Many of the leaders of the struggle against apartheid come from the area. The DA, which took 46.5% compared to the ANC's 41% in Nelson Mandela Bay, says it is in talks with other parties to form a coalition in the municipality on South Africa's southern coast. Its leader Mmusi Maimane said Nelson Mandela Bay had voted for change. "I think that to me says that our message got through - it says our people heard us and South Africans still believe in a dream of a non-racial South Africa, South Africans still want our country to prosper," he said. The ANC has conceded defeat in Nelson Mandela Bay after initially saying it was going to challenge the result. Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa promised the party would learn from the experience: "They think that we are arrogant, they think that we are self-centred, they think that we are self-serving, and I'd like to dispute all of that and say we are a listening organisation." It looks like no party will win an outright majority in the economic hubs of Johannesburg or Tshwane, which includes the capital, Pretoria, and coalition negotiations are already underway. BBC South Africa analyst Farouk Chothia says the ANC's urban vote has collapsed with both black middle and working classes switching to DA. It is a historic moment as even in the Eastern Cape province working class people rooted in the trade union movement have voted for the DA, he says. The municipal election result is probably the biggest wake-up call the governing ANC has received since it ushered in democracy in South Africa in 1994. Clearly the ANC still commands huge support

across the country but that support is waning. It can no longer take it for granted that the black majority will blindly follow it. The best example is in the Nelson Mandela Bay municipality, won by the DA, which has a rich history of anti-apartheid struggle. Its new DA mayor is Athol Trollip, who is white. Twenty-two years after the end of apartheid, black people are now voting on issues and not on race. Mr Trollip, who speaks fluent Xhosa, would not be where he is if the vast majority of black people had not voted for him. Grey line Final results are expected later on Friday. By Friday mid-morning, the ANC had 54%, followed by 26% for the DA and 8% for the radical Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF). The local elections are being seen as an indication of the mid-term popularity of President Zuma. Correspondents say a poor ANC performance could embolden Mr Zuma's rivals within the party to challenge him. The next general elections are due in 2019 but Mr Zuma cannot stand for a third term as president. South Africa's economy has also been one of the main issues for voters, with growth expected to be zero this year, and unemployment standing at 27%. Protests demanding better housing and amenities have sprung up across South Africa. Mr Zuma has also had to weather a corruption scandal, after being ordered to repay taxpayers' money spent on his private home. Security was tight for the elections and the electoral commission said voting had passed off smoothly. (BBC)

DA leader Mmusi Maimane says his party has given voters a viable alternative to the ANC(AFP)

INTERNATIONAL

GUYANA DAILY NEWS US First Daughter Sasha Obama serves seafood in summer job PAGE 87

Sasha Obama, daughter of US President Barack Obama, has swapped the comforts of the White House for the counter of a seafood restaurant, US media report. The 15-year-old has taken a summer job serving food at the business in Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts. Sasha, using her full name, Natasha, has been accompanied to the restaurant by a contingent of six secret service agents, the Boston Herald reports.

The town has been a favourite location for the Obamas on their summer breaks. Photographs show the president's youngest daughter wearing the restaurant's uniform of blue T-shirt and cap and working at a till. A co-worker told the Herald: "She's been working downstairs at takeout. We were wondering why there were six people helping this girl, but then we found out who it was." The White House has not commented on the report but First Lady Michelle Obama has spoken about trying to bring her two daughters up as normally as possible. As well as working on the takeaway

FRIDAY, AUGUST 5, 2016

counter, Sasha Obama's other duties reportedly include waiting on tables and helping to prepare the restaurant for its lunchtime opening. Her security team has been seen waiting nearby in a large car or sitting on benches while the First Daughter deals with tourists' meals.

(BBC)

Sasha Obama was driven away by secret service agents after ďŹ nishing her shift(AP)

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A dull future for youths In Guyana International Youth Day will be observed On August 12, 2016, under the theme ‘The Road to 2030: Eradicating Poverty and Achieving Sustainable Consumption and Production.’ According to a release from the United Nations (UN), this year’s observance is about achieving the 2030 agenda for sustainable development. It focuses on the leading role of young people in ensuring poverty eradication and achieving sustainable development through sustainable consumption and production. The release further stated that sustainable consumption entails the use of products and services that meet the basic needs of communities while safeguarding the needs of future generations. The development and promotion of individual choices and actions that increase the ecoefficiency of consumption of all and minimize waste and pollution is critical to achieving equitable socioeconomic development. In Guyana, youths have a plethora of problems facing them, such as drugs, unemployment, suicide, peer pressure, school dropout, teenage pregnancy, alcohol, and crime. Guyana has a youthful population with 486,142 persons between the ages of 15-65 but there is no policy in place by the government to tackle major issues facing a youthful Guyana. Head of State David Granger had recently made it known that it is difficult for the more than 4,000 youths, who drop out of school annually to find jobs.

Granger stressed that ways have to be found to ensure that children qualify themselves at school to prepare for the job market. “Once they qualify it will be easier for them to move into fields which I think could lead to self-employment.” Employment is not something to be provided by the government. There is self-employment and we are working with the villages to generate more employment in those villages but it is going to be agrobased employment,” he added. The 2015 general elections campaign manifesto of the APNU+AFC states: “The aim of your new government is to create jobs, jobs and more jobs in the shortest time possible.

Our young people cannot wait “five more years” for jobs for which they could be adequately trained and could get better pay and greater job satisfaction. At Thursday’s 41st sitting of the National Assembly,

Opposition Member of Parliament, Dr. Vidhya Persaud, led the opposition’s speech on the number of suicide cases in Guyana. Dr. Persaud in her speech laid out reasons such as the stagnant economy, unemployment rate, poor condition of the rice industry, “shameful and indiscriminate” firing of individuals whose livelihood depend on it. In addition to those mentioned above Dr. Persaud went as far to say that the plan to impose the parking meters as a way of merciless taxation is also a reason for the current suicide rate.

After sitting through the presentation, Minister of Social Protection, Volda Lawrence refuted the claims, noting that the opposition’s presentation lacked evidence to support the points they had set forth, her motion was denied. According to Wikipedia, suicide in Guyana is a serious social problem, as Guyana is ranked first in suicides per capita worldwide. About 40% of people who commit suicide in Guyana poison themselves by consuming agricultural pesticides.

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GUYANA DAILY NEWS

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New State Prosecutor appointed to Westford & Cummings case A new State Prosecutor attached to the Chambers of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has been assign to take the lead in the case against former Public Service Minister, Dr. Jennifer Westford, and her personal secretary Margaret Cummings. The women are jointly facing 24 simple larceny charges. The charges allege that between August 2011 and April 2015, while being employed in the Public Service of the Government of Guyana, they stole the sum of $639.4M belonging to the state.

Prosecutor Tashanna Lake was assigned to be the new Prosecutor on the case. In the last court appearance, Attorney at law, Neil Boston who is part of Westford's defense, informed the court that outstanding statements from a witness were not made available to the team and this would affect the team’s capacity to properly defend Westford and Cummings.

He then made an application for continuance in order for the statements to be made available to them which was supported by the then police prosecutor, Neville Jeffers after which it was granted by Magistrate Latchman. The change in lead comes at a time when some attorneys raised concern about how well a police prosecutor can prosecute persons in cases relating to the State since these prosecutors lack training and experience in comparison to well-trained attorneys. -By- Pablo Cupido, Dr. Jennifer Westford (File Photo) Guyana Daily News.

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GUYANA DAILY NEWS

SATURDAY, AUGUST 6, 2016

Guyana, a failing State During the recent sitting of the National Assembly, Junior Minister of Public Infrastructure, Annette Furgerson, made it categorically clear that her government will not accept the findings of the Walter Rodney Commission of Inquiry. She stated that the Rodney inquiry will discredit the “longstanding political organization” of the People’s National Congress (PNC) and will “foster disunity” in Guyana. In her statements, the Minister pushed her Party’s agenda to bamboozle the Guyanese public into believing that in order to foster national unity in Guyana, the people must forget the horrific past of the PNC Burnham’s era. The struggle of the past leaders like Dr. Rodney and Dr. Jagan who fought relentlessly to stop the dictatorship of Burnham must be forgotten. She also noted that the Guyanese people must forget that President David Granger was once at the helm of the Military under President Burnham’s leadership, where human rights were trampled upon and disregarded, where free speech was curtailed by the regime. The Honorable Minister is also telling the Guyanese people to forget that current Foreign Affairs Minister, Carl Greenidge was once Finance Minister under the PNC regime led by President Burnham, where the country became the most indebted in the hemisphere.

She is also saying that the country must forget that the judicial system also became synonymous with PNC sympathizers and members and as early as 1968, persons who were not in favor of Burnham had to leave the country and practice their profession in other countries, One such person was J.A. Luckhoo Jr. (the first Guyanese to hold the post of Chief Justice, 1960). It was also necessary for the head of the judicial system, or attorney general, to favor Burnham’s opinions and ideology. The PNC presence in the judicial system was marked by the flying of the PNC flag on the Court of Appeals building. According to Guyana under siege- (The Guyana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) and the Daily Chronicle, Guyana’s primary newspaper, fell under the direct governance of the PNC. Newsprint for other papers, primarily for the PPP, was seized, especially at elections.

Two Trade Orders (no. 86 of 1971 and no. 86 of 1972) infringed the freedom of expression once guaranteed under the Article 12(1) of the constitution. Although cost for damages was awarded to the New Guyana Company (publisher or the Mirror), in 1998-79, the court found that the fundamental right to import newsprint was not an essential part of the right to free expression). The Minister would also like Guyanese to forget how the Military raided houses, confiscated food items, like flour, sardines, dhall; how the Military harassed innocent people especially those in the rive rain areas like Karawab in the Upper Pomeroon River. One resident who is still alive and remember those days related to the Guyana Daily News that, “during the Burnham era, soldiers would come up in our village and rape our daughters and eat our food out, we would have to hide far in the Backdam when we hear soldiers coming, because our village

was PPP”. The APNU+AFC Coalition has failed miserably to foster social cohesion; the main reason being the PNC which controls the government continues to foster cultural and political violence, which started in 1992, where Guyana had its first free and fair elections. The PPP/C failed miserably to conduct the Walter Rodney COI when they assented to power in 1992. Justice would have been secured for all the victims who suffered racial and political discrimination at the hands of the PNC dictatorship. The PNC is adamant in erasing the political history of Guyana. The Minister must not expect that a country that was engulfed in racial and political discrimination to accept and forget the remains of the past, which still dictates the pace of development. The PNC must accept and admit its crime against humanity during the 28 years of rigged elections and criminal past, its racial and political discrimination and sucking of the economy and treasury dry. Guyana cannot move on. This smoke screen of National Unity will remain a myth. The People of Guyana must forgive the PNC of its crimes, this country will continue to be divided and until Furgerson understands and acknowledges this, the call for national unity will lack essence and it will be words in the wind. History is about to repeat itself.

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GUYANA DAILY NEWS

SATURDAY, AUGUST 6, 2016

Indigenous Affairs Month 2016 launched

This year’s heritage month celebrations was launched on Friday at the Umana Yana in Kingston under the theme “Our culture, Earth’s Future-save the environment, live the indigenous way.” This is in keeping with the government’s green economy initiative and this year’s heritage village is at Mainstay/Whyaka, Region Two, PomeroonSupenaam.

The celebration was launched by Minister of Indigenous People’s Affairs Sydney Allicock, who commended the outstanding Amerindian people who have made significant contributions to the history and culture of Guyana. In his address at the launching, the Minster underscored the reason for land titling for the country’s first people, stating that while many question the reason Amerindians are given land, it is important to note that, “giving indigenous rights, to lands were a guarantee that the forest which stores carbon and contributes to food security would continue to exist.”

Allicock added that the country’s first people preserve and protect the forest; they contribute to Guyana’s position among the top countries in the fight against global warming. The Minister further noted that during the month-long celebrations, it is important for Amerindians to remember their roots, struggles and achievements.

“We must always be proud of who we are, where we came from and all the significant contributions of our people to Guyana,” Minister Allicock said. The celebrations will commence with an inter-faith service on Thursday, September 1, 2016 at the Umana Yana and will continue with the traditional, games, art exhibition, school lectures, educational school tours, Heritage village, sports, and food and craft exhibition, cultural extravaganza, and heritage dinner among other annual events. -By- Pablo Cupido, Guyana Daily News.

A Day Like Today A day like today would make the name of Hiroshima be remembered as one of the saddest reference in history.

On August 6, 1945, the American B-29 bomber, named the ‘Enola Gay’ would drop ‘Little Boy’, one of the two atomic bombs that were available to be used against Japan by the United States.

The bombing was the result of tensions between the Empire of Japan and the United Stated as World War II Allies, tension that would unravel the ‘Pacific War’. After Japan denied its surrender, the United States government took extreme measures to end the war which caused numerous casualties to the northern nation. President Harry. S Truman wasn’t going allow any other soldier to fall, due to the conflict.

The bomb was dropped at early hours in the morning. The detonation killed approximately 80,000 people, 35,000 were injured and 60,000 more will be dead by the end of the year as effect of the radioactive residue in their system. The second bomb, named ‘Fat Man’ was dropped over Nagasaki, on August 09, killing between 60,000 to 80,000 persons. Japan had no option but surrender, and so it did. One of the most radical measures used in history to end a conflict, up to this day. http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history

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GUYANA DAILY NEWS

SATURDAY, AUGUST 6, 2016

City cleanup campaign neglected It all started with a big bang, after the APNU+AFC coalition took office on May 15, 2016, Georgetown underwent operation “clean up" and saw the local and international business community getting on board to assist in the beautification of the city. From the cutting down of the tall grasses and bushes in the Le Repentir cemetery, to the cleaning of every drain and canal in the city, it was a sight to see.

The government also implemented the ban on Styrofoam to aid with the cleanup exercise and the question was raised as to whether the ban on Styrofoam products is in effect because the drains are still clogged and all the restaurant are still using Styrofoam boxes.

It was also reported that at the recent ministerial visit to the mining town of Linden, food was served in these boxes. The Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) should be refusing and not processing the declaration of any product which are found to be Styrofoam based, however, this product is currently being smuggled into Guyana from Suriname.

Penalties for crimes committed against the ban include a fine of no less than GY$50,000 for importation and manufacture and if businesses are found prepackaging food in said ‘Styro’ products, they can be issued a warning or a fine of no less than GY$100,000. The EPA believes that the banning of Styrofoam products will see a decrease in litter over a period of time since the alternatives will biodegrade but this is not the case, it is evident that Styrofoam boxes are being used in majority of the restaurants in Guyana, and the relevant authorities pay no mind to this lawlessness.

Was this a façade? The drains are beginning to clog with Styrofoam boxes and cups, the bushes have grown taller than they were, the staff who worked for this exercise have not been paid by the embattled City Council. “I have listened to stories of bills that are to be paid which are now beyond late; of children who are depending on their parents to bring home a meal; and others lacking the means to get to back home among other narratives.

Our workers are demoralized and this reward for their labor is untenable! We MUST do better!!!” Deputy Mayor Duncan was quoted as saying. Some of the officials at the Mayor and City Council continue to find and introduce newer methods such as the container tax and parking meters as a means of obtaining more money from the Guyanese people in an attempt to make Georgetown and its environs a better place, the officials might have forgotten about their employees who are still awaiting their salaries.

This has not been the first time this year something of this nature has happened as earlier in the year, there were indications out of the M&CC that they were unable to pay garbage companies who they were in debt to in excess of $150M, together with being unable to pay their staff. Will they go back to the “Green” days? Will the efforts to make the capital city great again sustained? Was it all in vain? Will the City Council sustain this venture amidst rampant corruption? -By- Ronald Singh, Guyana Dialy News.

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GUYANA DAILY NEWS

SATURDAY, AUGUST 6, 2016

Forbes Burnham was the author of social cohesion, architect of national unity -President Granger pays tribute on the late President’s 31st death anniversary

To us, the Amerindians are important. To us, the Chinese are important. To us, the Portuguese are important. To us, the Europeans are important. To us, the mixed races are important. To us, the Africans are important. To us, the Indians are important. In short, all Guianese are important and valued members of our community and we cherish them and consider that, as a Government, it is our duty and privilege to guard, protect and further the real interests of all.” President Granger said that the sentiments and precepts adumbrated in this statement by Mr. Burnham over 50 years ago are permanent and paramount today as his Administration proceeds along the path of national unity and social integration.

“It is our Government’s duty today, as it was fifty years ago, to protect the interests of all and not of some. The people cannot be imprisoned in ethnic enclaves. The people are not the property of one or other political party. Forbes Burnham’s ideas were for all time and for all Guyanese… We recall Forbes Burnham’s wise counsel of cohesion today, whenever the voices of divisiveness are raised; wherever the hand of hostility tries to hit and hurt our vulnerable citizens and by whosoever peddles the propaganda of separateness among our people,” the President said.

President David Granger delivering remarks at the memorial ceremony to mark the 31st death anniversary of Guyana's first Executive President, Linden Forbes Sampson Burnham He said that Mr. Burnham was devoted to the task of rebuilding a society that was free of discrimination, distrust and disorder, determined to destroy the bastions of prejudice, social injustice and inequality, vices, which sustained a stagnant colony and dedicated to p r o v i d i n g equal opportunities to all citizens to enable them to develop their talents. Similar sentiments were expressed by Minister of Social Cohesion, Amna Ally, who, in a brief comment said Forbes Burnham always advanced the concepts of working together and of national unity. She said that a good example of Burnham’s policy on inclusivity is the coalition he forged between the PNC and the United Force. Minister Ally indicated that there is greater awareness across the country, with regard to the need for social cohesion and credited this to the administration’s policy and the work of her Ministry, which has embarked on a sensitisation campaign.

“They [Guyanese] have begun to see the importance of us working together.

They have begun to see the importance of bridging the gaps so that we can foster social cohesion in our communities. They are seeing the benefits...” the Minister said. She informed that her Ministry is currently engaged in a number of projects such as training programmes in the various regions. The Ministry is also working closely with religious organisations, youths and nongovernmental organisations all with the aim of fostering a more cohesive Guyanese society. Meanwhile, Alistair Sonaram, who was one of those who attended the wreath laying ceremony described the late President as a visionary, a fighter and a true leader. He said that he believes strongly that if Mr. Burnham was alive today, Guyanese would have been living in a more cohesive society rather than being segregated on the basis of ethnicity. He said that citizens need to stop looking at the colour of each other’s skin and see themselves as one. “Colour should not matter in our nation, we have lost our way in that sense and if we are to live together, we have to accept each other for who we are.” Dakarai Griffith a member of the Guyana Youth and Student Movement said that growing up he heard a lot about Forbes Burnham’s ideologies and strict method of leadership. “He the foundation for Guyana and made Guyana what it is today and I believe that this Government will make Guyana the breadbasket of the Caribbean, which was Burnham’s vision,” he said. Speaking about Mr. Burnham’s contribution to racial harmony in Guyana, Griffith said that the in a country with so many different ethnic groups, Guyana cannot afford to be divided. He said that he is currently in the process of setting up a non-governmental organisation to educate the young generation on Forbes Burnham’s ideologies and legacy. Linden Forbes Sampson Burnham served Prime Minister of Guyana from 1964 and as President from 1980 until the time of his death in 1985 at the age of 62. He was a lawyer, a politician, a fierce freedom fighter and a father of six children.

From right: General Secretary of the PNC, Mr. Oscar Clarke, President David Granger, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Carl Greenidge, Minister of Indigenous People's Affairs, Mr. Sydney Allicock, and Minister of Social Cohesion, Ms. Amna Ally at the memorial ceremony for the late Linden Forbes Sampson Burnham

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GUYANA DAILY NEWS

SATURDAY, AUGUST 6, 2016

Guyanese artist, Marlon Forrest: “Flow, Rhythm, Space�

Guyanese talents are spread all over the globe. With the constant migration of nationals towards other latitudes, it is common to walk around foreign cities and collide with someone who happened to be from your mother land, or even your neighborhood. This was the motive that triggered the idea for an exhibition that could bring together artists with a common origin, initiative that organizer, and Guest Curator, Grace Aneiza Ali, put into motion. The Un Fixed Homeland exhibition, took place at the Aljira Centre for Contemporary Art, in New Jersey and it was the gunpowder needed for these collaborations to happen. Guyanese artist of the diaspora met at the on-going show.

continued on next page...

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GUYANA DAILY NEWS

SATURDAY, AUGUST 6, 2016

Guyanese artist, Marlon Forrest...con’t...

Vitualament Sculpture, Archival Pieces that mirrored the artist views of the reality lived were and are still on display. As a virtual visitor of the exhibition, one in particular caught my attention – the “Vitualamen Sculpture” – which is an archival print from Marlon Forrest.

To the eye of the spectator, the piece expresses the abstract union between sports and the black male body, a simple context that enhances the piece. The artist, Mr. Forrester is a Guyanese born, raised in Boston. His career as an artist was solidified after graduating from School of the Museum of Fine Arts Boston in 2008 and Yale School of Art in 2010.

These two prestigious institutions contributed to the foundation for Forrester’s career. Currently he practices as a lecturer in the School of the Museum of Fine Arts Boston. The black male body is the direct reflection of centuries of fights, and adaptation. The body as a form of expression is what captivates Forrester’s vision, which he reflects in his paintings, geometrical collages, and sculptures. Art submerged in a unique bond, his passion for basketball, gives the spicy twist to Forrester’s work. Basketball not merely treated as a scoring activity of two teams, but as the mirror of a direct connection between human and object.

The manifestation of motion is fundamental. Not only capturing a contemporary momentum, but used as an historical timeline. The Race as a voice, a mute and powerful voice is utilized, not as a tool or an asset, but as a path of communication. His more recent work has been focused in public integration. The easy stimulation by play, of social behavior, in today’s dominating individual culture; a social experiment with an artistic angle. The exhibition named ‘Work with Me’ took place at Montreal College of Arts, using geometry as the main character, and a basketball court as the topic.

Tape and vinyl were the main tools used to give ‘shape’ to the project.

Drawing paths, and untold ‘rules’ on the surface of the gallery, passively inciting the audience’s participation. What started as a blank salon, became a net of lines that connected ideas that in the beginning looked scattered. A reflection of the accomplishment that can be reached through a single spark, to ignite social motivation. Marlon Forrest’s work is a call for equality, stimulating the creative side of darken times, were identity and future are yet to be defined.

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GUYANA DAILY NEWS

SATURDAY, AUGUST 6, 2016

Three more towns to be established in Guyana President David Granger has announced plans to create three more towns in the coming years in Guyana. The President made the announcement on Friday at the unveiling of a support and oil spill cleanup vessel owned by GAICO Construction and General Services. President Granger stated that these plans are part of an effort to promote economic activity in the country and to target Caribbean and South American markets while still sustaining the local demand. “With the revitalization of local democracy we expect these hubs to reinforce links to new markets within the country and beyond into the Caribbean,” he said. The Head of State said he expects that manufacturers and service providers will extend their reach to markets in South America and the Caribbean with the help of the CARICOM Single Market and Economy. “These towns in turn will trigger economic activity, the development of a single economy and the perfecting of the Single Market within CARICOM, CSME, will provide an enlarged market for local goods, local services and investments.” The President noted that the government is planning to rectify this the over the next three years and that every single region will have a regional capital. He also said regional capitals would be established in the three major coastal regions; Region Three (West Demerara-Essequibo Islands), Region Four (Demerara- Mahaica) and Region Five (MahaicaBerbice). Prior the Local government elections, the government of Guyana established four new towns; Bartica, Mabaruma, Lethem and Mahdia although Mahdia is not currently functioning as a municipality as intended. Meanwhile, the President mentioned the need for Guyana to have a diversified economy in order to reduce its dependence on primary products such as rice, sugar, gold etc. President Granger has previously proposed the need for capital towns to operate as self-sufficient municipalities that generate its own revenue and services to their citizens.

President David Granger

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GUYANA DAILY NEWS

SATURDAY, AUGUST 6, 2016

7 cases confirmed As T&T remains on heightened alert against Zika, it has been discovered that the virus can also present itself as the Guillain–Barré syndrome (GBS), a rapid-onset muscle weakness caused by the immune system damaging the peripheral nervous system. Dr Clive Tilluckdharry, acting chief medical officer, said yesterday that annually there were about two cases of GBS reported, but since January this year to date this figure has tripled, as there were now seven cases of people being infected, the majority of which were admitted to the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex, Mt Hope. Tilluckdharry made the statement at a press conference at the Ministry of Health’s Park Street, Port-of-Spain, headquarters yesterday. To date there have been some 215 confirmed Zika cases, but the number of suspected cases is much higher. He said feedback from the National Surveillance Unit also showed there were 176 suspected Zika cases, but this figure was most definitely much higher. Saying that GBS could happen after any acute infection, Tilluckdharry added, “I have seen it years ago where one or two dengue cases present with Guillain–Barré syndrome. It also presented with seizures, epilepsy.” He said Zika could be a mild disease but it could present in many ways, the majority of it being without any symptoms. “There are cases of high fever, muscle and joint pains and rash, but we have to take all precautionary measures against the transmission of diseases by mosquitoes,” Tilluckdharry said. It was also revealed that 78 women had been diagnosed with Zika and that two women had given birth to babies while they had the virus. However, Medical Chief of Staff at Mt Hope Women's Hospital (MHWH), Dr Karen Sohan, said the babies were reported to be normal. She said brain scans performed on the two babies born in March and last week respectively had not revealed any abnormalities. It was also announced that there were five confirmed cases of chikungunya while dengue cases to date stood at 25. And like Zika, Tilluckdharry said the suspected cases of these viruses were also higher, as there were 93 suspected cases of ChikV. He said when ChikV first surfaced in this country in 2014 there were 340 confirmed cases, but now there were some sporadic cases. In 2014 there were just over 5,000 dengue cases and in 2015, 1,600 reported cases. What was even more frightening, Tilluckdharry said, was that in Brazil, the Zika virus was detected in the salivary glands of the Culex mosquito and in T&T over 90 per cent of the mosquitoes belong to that group. Dr Roshan Parsaram, specialist medical officer in the Insect Vector Control, said there have been increased intersectoral collaborations specifically with the 14 regional corporations through the establishment of a technical committee. He said technical guidance was also provided regarding pesticide use and vector control activities. Parsaram said a “state-of-the art geographical system” for the Insect Vector Control Division was expected to be finalised within the next quarter and would

assist the division to examine, in real time, disease trends as well as vector habitats and potential breeding sites so as to improve operational efficiency. Symptoms of GBS GBS symptoms include weakness of the arms and legs and, in severe cases, can affect the muscles that control breathing. These symptoms can last a few weeks or several months. Most people fully recover from GBS, though some people have permanent damage. Very few people die from GBS. Source—Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, US Private testing poor Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh, who had been recently diagnosed with dengue, said yesterday that people should be wary of going to private facilities to test for Zika. He said this was especially so for pregnant women, as some of these institutions may not be properly equipped to do such testing. He said the public hospitals had the requisite tests with the requisite sensitivity to detect the Zika virus. “So these false negative tests...you want to avoid that and the Caribbean Public Health Agency is the only institution in Trinidad that has the PCR test (Polymerase Chain Reaction),” Deyalsingh added.

PCR is used to reproduce (amplify) selected sections of DNA or RNA for analysis. Deyalsingh said as countries around the world continued to grapple with lack of resources, it was improbable to test this country’s entire population for Zika as focus continued on the most vulnerable. On global reports that Zika may be sexually transmitted, Deyalsingh said in larger countries with a much larger population this was detected in a few instances, not in smaller countries like T&T. (Trinidad Guardian)

Medical Entomologist in Insect Vector Control Division, Dr Mario Raul, left, shows Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh a container filled with Aedes Aegypti mosquitoes during yesterday's weekly health press conference in Port-of-Spain. PHOTO: NICOLE DRAYTON

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GUYANA DAILY NEWS

SATURDAY, AUGUST 6, 2016

Cheaper spectacles for library users In order to read you need good vision. And the National Library and Locations are in Port-of-Spain, West Mall, Price Plaza, Valsayn, Information System (Nalis) has partnered with eye care specialists, Arima, Trincity, Chaguanas and San Fernando. (Trinidad Guardian) Optometrists Today, to help library card holders get corrective vision.

Elizabeth Mahadeo, executive director of Nalis, said yesterday it was a historic event that no other library system has entered a partnership with an optical company to promote library services. Yesterday, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between Nalis and Optometrists Today at Nalis, Hart and Abercromby Streets, Port-ofSpain. “Libraries have existed in T&T since 1851. “They continue to play a key role in impacting literacy levels, influencing national development, bridging the digital divide and levelling the playing field between the rich and the poor,” she said. Mahadeo said that Nalis was mindful that with reduced incomes many families had to make adjustments and decide on spending only on food and shelter. The partnership allows library card holders to get a 20 per cent discount.

Acting executive director of the Optometrists Today general manager Theresa Alexis said we were all National Library and Information System Authority, Elizabeth Mahadeo, left, and Theresa Alexis, living in an age where we were exposed to electronic devices all day Optometrists Today’s general manger, long. Alexis said that the relationship between eye health and the during yesterday’s signing of the MOU neurological processes with reading were obvious. Optometrists at the National Library in Port-of-Spain.

Today is offering services such as retinal photography, health and PHOTO: SHIRLEY BAHADUR safety presentations, vision screening and contact lens examinations.

Man accused of killing cop walks free As a senior magistrate freed the man charged with the murder of Police Constable Anil Persad who was shot in the forest during a police exercise, she heavily criticised the police evidence in the matter. Rio Claro resident Manickchand Rajaram who was also charged with other offences arising from the May 2011 murder walked out of the Rio Claro Magistrates Court a free man on Thursday after Magistrate Armina Deonarinesingh upheld a nocase submission made by defence attorney Ashton Diananth. In giving her decision, Deonarinesigh said there were too many holes in the police evidence and too many questions were left unanswered. Rajaram was arrested and charged two years after Persad was shot and after his mother, Radica Maharaj-Persad, led a public campaign demanding justice for her son’s death. She had questioned whether her son was accidentally shot by one of his own colleagues and they were afraid to tell the truth. Ruling that a prima facie case had not been made out against Rajaram, the magistrate said she was not satisfied with the evidence as too many questions were left unanswered. While she thanked state prosecutor Sarah de Silva for her comprehensive and eloquent submissions, the magistrate said the evidence was discredited and unreliable.The magistrate added it was clear from the police complainant ASP Hendron Moses’ demeanour that the case was just handed to him and he did what he did. She added that it was not the court’s duty to connect the dots. Moses was among 12 police witnesses and a scientific officer who gave evidence in the preliminary inquiry, which began last year. Rajaram was charged in 2013 with Persad’s murder, six counts of shooting with intent, possession of arms and ammunition and possession

of 39 kilogrammes of marijuana for the purpose of trafficking.

Persad was killed during a marijuana eradication exercise in the Cushe/Charuma forest on May 12, 2011. The state’s case was that Persad, who had nine years experience, was among a party of police officers who was fired upon by one of five men who were tending marijuana plants in the forest. The police alleged the shooter was Rajaram. Persad turned to run and was shot in the back. Police returned fire killing two of the men identified as Teeleckchand Arjoon, 46, and Jagdeo Seecharan, 47. The other two men ran off. Persad, who was attached to the Rio Claro Police Station, was airlifted some two hours later to the San Fernando General Hospital where he subsequently died. An autopsy found he bled to death. Three guns, five buckets of marijuana and several marijuana trees were tendered into evidence during the inquiry at the end of which Diananth made the no-case submission. (Trinidad Guardian)

ASP Hendron Moses

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GUYANA DAILY NEWS

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Jeers for Brazil president dampen Olympic joy RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (AFP) - The Maracana stadium erupted in jeers as Brazil's unpopular interim president Michel Temer opened the Rio Olympics on Friday -- and the hostility spread far beyond the sports venue. The colourful opening ceremony in the famous football stadium was meant to be Brazil's moment of coming together as first host of the Olympics in South America. The booing in response to Temer's less than 15 second statement put an end to that. Temer, who took over in May when impeachment proceedings started against elected leftist president Dilma Rousseff, said: "After this marvelous spectacle, I declare the Rio Olympic Games open." For opponents, who believe the impeachment process is a centre right coup, this was their cue. Jeering spread around the stadium -- until a loud barrage of fireworks went off, drowning protesters out. But if the show went on inside, there was no way to disguise the downbeat, even angry mood among Rio residents outside the stadium. After a day in which anti-Temer protesters blocked traffic along iconic Copacabana beach and clashed with riot police outside the Maracana, the live coverage of the ceremony did little to raise the many Brazilians' spirits. At the Smelly Goat Bar, just outside the Maracana, there were bitter yells every time the television showed Temer in the stadium. "Son of a bitch!" yelled a woman when he spoke. Few people in the crowded bar even paid much attention to the televised extravaganza happening a block from their homes. Only the fireworks, which shot above the roofs of the neighbourhood sparked real excitement. "I couldn't care at all about the ceremony," said office administrator Patricia Palma, 43. "It's always the same things they show and it's just a lot of money taken out if our pockets." "I prefer to come here to have a beer and be with my family." The downbeat reaction mirrored a generally depressed mood in Rio, despite it being a city known for music, sport and joyous carnivals. Many Cariocas, as residents are called, say that their city faces crushing economic problems, poor infrastructure and crime -- and that the Olympics have benefited mostly the rich. Palma criticized the city's failure to keep its promise when bidding for the Olympics

to control horrific pollution in the Bay of Guanabara, where sailing events will take place. "They failed and that tells me that this was all just a way for corrupt politicians to steal more," said Palma, who was sharing a pork sandwich and a beer with her 20-year-old daughter. Even the most enthusiastic spectators in the bar -- two friends who'd come up from Sao Paulo for the Games -- had mixed feelings. "I wish I was in there, I wish I could have got a ticket!" said Amelia Didier, 43, suddenly rushing out into the street to look at fireworks that she'd just seen on the live television coverage.

"It's a sports feast for all the countries of the world, a great mix of cultures," Didier, an economist, said. But when asked if the euphoria would mean lasting change for Brazil, her face fell. "No, no," she said. "Because to put on these Games they robbed more than they put in. Very sadly, it will all come at a high cost for Brazil." (Jamaica Observer)

Brazil's interim president Michel Temer (centre)

First shipment of natural gas arrives in Jamaica KINGSTON, Jamaica – The Jamaica Public Service (JPS) has announced the arrival of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to be used for electricity generation at the Bogue plant in Montego Bay. In a statement this evening the company said that the introduction of gas represents a historic milestone for Jamaica, as the nation pursues energy diversification and the expansion of its energy sector. “JPS is proud to be partnering with New Fortress Energy to lead the introduction of natural gas to Jamaica,” JPS President Kelly Tomblin said. “The country has been trying to achieve fuel diversity for a long time, and 2016 represents the year that it has really happened, with the introduction of gas, grid-scale solar, and the addition of significant wind capacity to the grid.

Natural gas will play a key role in transforming the energy sector, while supporting industrial development and economic growth. We are definitely on the threshold of great things for Jamaica and the region,” she added.

Just a year ago, New Fortress Energy signed an

agreement with JPS to supply LNG for Jamaica’s 120megawatt power plant at Bogue. Earlier this year, the power plant was converted to run on gas as well as Automotive Diesel Oil (ADO). (Jamaica Observer)

The first shipment of Natural Gas to Jamaica

INTERNATIONAL

GUYANA DAILY NEWS Russell Square stabbings: Man remanded in custody over tourist murder PAGE 102

SATURDAY, AUGUST 6, 2016

A 19-year-old man charged with the murder of a US tourist in a knife attack in London's Russell Square has been remanded in custody. Zakaria Bulhan, of south-west London, has been charged with the murder of Darlene Horton, 64, and the attempted murder of five other people. Two women and three men were injured in the attack on Wednesday.

Mr Bulhan - a Norwegian national of Somali origin - appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court. He appeared without legal representation and sat hunched throughout the short hearing with his hand over his mouth. As the names of the victims were read out in court he held his face in his hands. When asked if he understood the charges, he nodded giving the judge a thumbs-up gesture.

Mrs Horton had been visiting London with her husband Richard Wagner, who was teaching summer classes.

Florida State University said the couple had planned to return to their home in Tallahassee on Thursday - the day after the attack. The university's president, John Thrasher, said "there are no words to express our heartache". A British man who suffered a stab wound to his stomach in the attack remains in hospital in a "serious but stable" condition. An American man, an Australian man, an Australian woman and an Israeli woman were all discharged from hospital on Thursday, following treatment for their injuries. Mr Bulhan was remanded in custody until 9 August. (BBC) Zakaria Bulhan (right) appeared at at Westminster Magistrates' Court in London(ELIZABETH COOK/PA WIRE)

Chinese fleet sails near Japanese Senkaku islands

Japan says China has sailed a fleet of 230 vessels near Japanese-controlled waters in the East China Sea. The fleet included fishing boats and coastguard ships, Japan says, and three vessels appeared to be armed. Officials have protested to Chinese diplomats. The reported incident occurred near the Senkaku Islands. They are administered by Japan but also claimed by China, which calls them the Diaoyu Islands. Beijing has been increasingly assertive about waters it believes are Chinese. In a separate incident on Saturday, Chinese state media said fighter jets and bombers had completed a patrol of airspace above islands in the South China Sea, as part of combat training. These islands are also disputed, but last month an international tribunal ruled dismissed most of Beijing's claims in that sea. China said it would ignore the decision.

Testing Japan's resolve A Japanese foreign ministry spokesman said the fleet's despatch to the East China Sea islands was a unilateral escalation of tension in the area. How uninhabited islands soured China-Japan ties Less than a decade ago, Tokyo and Beijing talked of jointly exploiting the resources of the East China Sea, the waterway that separates the two countries. But since then tension has increased, particularly over the disputed Senkakus, which are uninhabited. Over recent years, China has sent an increasing number of ships towards the islands, in what appears to be an attempt to test Japan's resolve to defend them. (BBC) Japan says China sent coastguard vessels to escort the fishing boats(AFP)

Belgian police attacked with machete in Charleroi Two police officers have been injured by a machete-wielding assailant in the Belgian city of Charleroi. The attacker was shot and wounded, Charleroi police said on Twitter. The assailant is said to have shouted "Allahu Akbar" ("God is great" in Arabic) during the assault outside the city's main police station. Charleroi was used as a base by some of the jihadists involved in the attacks on Paris in November 2015 and Brussels last March.

Both of the injured police officers are said to be women, with one more seriously injured than the other. The attacker is reported to be in a serious condition after being shot. The area around the police station has been sealed off. Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel condemned the attack. "My thoughts are with the victims, their loved ones, and the police. We are following the situation closely," he added. (BBC)

INTERNATIONAL

GUYANA DAILY NEWS South Africa local elections: ANC loses in capital Pretoria PAGE 103

South Africa's governing African National Congress has been defeated by the opposition Democratic Alliance in local polls in the capital Pretoria. The DA took 43% of the vote compared with the ANC's 41% in Tshwane, the municipality that includes Pretoria. The DA will need to form a coalition in order to secure control there. The two major parties are also locked in a tight race to control the country's largest city, Johannesburg. The ANC has also lost Nelson Mandela Bay metropolitan area in the Eastern Cape, which includes Port Elizabeth, to the DA. End of racial politics? It is the ANC's worst electoral performance since it was elected to power at the end of apartheid and the replacement of white minority rule by democracy in 1994, and the first time since then that it has lost control of the capital.

The DA has won 93 seats in Tshwane while the ANC is second with 89 seats in the 214-seat municipal council. Observers say a host of corruption scandals and internal party squabbles are to blame for the ANC's decline. The South African economy has stagnated since 2008's global financial crisis, and the country has one of the highest rates of economic inequality in the world. Revelations that upgrades to President Jacob Zuma's private home were funded with $20m of public money caused an outcry. The Constitutional Court recently instructed Mr Zuma to reimburse the state $507,000. The municipal election result is probably the biggest wake-up call the governing ANC has received since it ushered in democracy in South Africa in 1994. Clearly the ANC still commands huge support across the country but that support is waning. It can no longer take it for granted that the black majority will blindly follow it. A good example is in the Nelson Mandela Bay municipality, won by the DA, which has a rich history of anti-apartheid struggle. Its new DA mayor is Athol Trollip, who is white. Twenty-two years after the end of apartheid, black

SATURDAY, AUGUST 6, 2016

people are now voting on issues and not on race. Mr Trollip, who speaks fluent Xhosa, would not be where he is if the vast majority of black people had not voted for him. Grey line The party of late President Mandela, the icon of the struggle against apartheid, still commands strong support with about 54% of the national vote. The DA has received about 27%, while the radical Economic Freedom Fighters party - contesting local elections for the first time - has taken about 8%. The DA's leader, 36-year-old Mmusi Maimane, told reporters: "For far too long, the ANC has governed South Africa with absolute impunity." He added that the idea that his party - which has its roots in the non-ANC opposition to apartheid - was a white one had been "completely shattered". The ANC said it would "reflect and introspect where our support has dropped". (BBC)

DA leader Mmusi Maimane: "For far too long, the ANC has governed South Africa with absolute impunity"(AP)

France Rouen: Fire kills 13 at birthday party in bar A fire that killed 13 people at a bar in the French city of Rouen was caused by someone carrying a birthday cake with lighted candles, police say. Officials believe the person tripped on stairs leading to the basement. They say soundproofing material on the ceiling of the basement at the Cuba Libre bar burned and emitted toxic gas in the early hours of Saturday. Most of the young people who died were killed by this gas. Six others were hurt.

One is in a critical condition. Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said more than 50 firefighters were called to the fire.

An inquiry is now under way. A witness told French TV that there was panic in the bar: "Everybody wanted to get out.

"Unfortunately those who were in the basement didn't have the time to get upstairs." The victims were mostly young people aged between 18 and 25, the Paris-Normandie news website reports (in French). Prime Minister Manuel Valls said in a tweet (in French): "Deep sadness with regard to the tragedy which mowed down 13 young lives. Compassion and support for the afflicted families." The authorities praised firefighters for the speed of their response. The fire is the deadliest to hit France since a series of blazes in 2005, according to French media. The country has been on edge after the Nice attack on Bastille Day (14 July), which killed 85 people, and the stabbing of a priest in a

church outside Rouen by Islamist extremists on 26 July. The use of polystyrene insulators is prohibited in public venues in France. Insulation materials including polystyrene have been blamed for previous deadly blazes, including a nightclub fire in Bucharest last year which killed 27, and a fire in a club in Brazil in 2013 which killed 241. Most of the victims in that blaze, in the city of Santa Maria, died after inhaling toxic smoke produced when ceiling insulation foam caught fire. (BBC)

Birthday candles on a cake are thought to have caused the fire(AFP)

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GUYANA DAILY NEWS

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Syrian rebels 'seize key town Manbij from IS'

A US-backed alliance of Kurdish and Arab fighters has seized most of a key Syrian city from so-called Islamic State (IS), activists and commanders say. Manbij is situated at an intersection of roads just south of the Turkish border. It has been under IS control for more than two years. Small numbers of IS militants are still resisting, using civilians as human shields, the alliance says.

The Syria Democratic Forces (SDF), a coalition of US-backed fighters including the powerful Kurdish YPG militia, launched a campaign to retake the northern city two months ago. They were backed by US-led air strikes on IS positions. After some heavy fighting, Manbij was encircled and completely cut off in June. Dozens of civilians, including 11 children, were reportedly killed in US-led air strikes in July as they fled a village near the city.

Road links Now, says a report from the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based group that relies on updates from people inside Syria, IS is being pushed out. An SDF commander, Adnan Abu-Amjad, said his forces were "advancing cautiously" into the city and had taken over 80% of the town. The main obstacle was that IS was using civilians as human shields. He said the "small groups" of militants that remained had been surrounded by SDF soldiers. Mr Abu-Amjad said that between 10,000 and 15,000 civilians were left in areas under IS control, and his forces were working to avoid any harm to civilians.

The roads in Manbij link the IS stronghold of Raqqa to some parts of the Turkish border and other areas under its control in Aleppo province. The routes have become key to the group's ability to move fighters, weapons and supplies in and out of Syria.

Neighbouring Aleppo, meanwhile, is currently the site of a major battle as rebel groups try to break a

By July when this photograph was taken, the US-backed alliance already had partial government siege. (BBC) control of Manbij(REUTERS)

Donald Trump relents over Paul Ryan re-election

US presidential candidate Donald Trump has publicly backed House Speaker Paul Ryan days after snubbing him in a spat at the top of the Republican Party. Mr Trump shocked party members on Tuesday when he refused to endorse Mr Ryan and Senator John McCain in their campaigns for re-election in November. Mr Ryan, the party's highest-ranking elected official, had himself long delayed endorsing Mr Trump.

"I support and endorse our Speaker... Paul Ryan," Mr Trump said on Friday. "We need unity - we have to win this election," Mr Trump said during a campaign stop in Green Bay, Wisconsin - Mr Ryan's home state. While they might "disagree on a couple of things", they agreed on a lot as well, he added. He also endorsed Sen McCain and New Hampshire Sen Kelly Ayotte. In his earlier interview for the Washington Post, Mr Trump had said he was "just not quite there yet" when asked if he would endorse Mr Ryan and Arizona Sen McCain. It was the same phrase used by Mr Ryan before he finally endorsed the Republican presidential candidate. Mr Ryan and Sen McCain had both criticised Mr Trump's attacks on the bereaved parents of a US Muslim soldier killed in Iraq. The soldier, Humayun Khan, was killed by a car bomb in 2004 in Iraq at the age of 27. Donald Trump is drawing tens of thousands to his rallies. While this may be irrelevant in a national electorate that numbers in the hundreds of millions, the adulation of crowds is catnip to even the most jaded of candidates. Then there's the torrent of money that Mr Trump has unleashed - more than $80m (£61m) in July, thanks to a flood of small-donor contributions. Presidential hopefuls with enthusiastic audiences and campaign coffers full of cash aren't prone to humble exits. Ever since Mr Trump descended that golden escalator to announce his candidacy last July, his campaign has been a roller-coaster ride for the Republican establishment, alternating between reluctant acceptance and sky-is-falling hysteria. This week has marked one of the more pronounced troughs in this journey, but the general election sprint is only just beginning. There may still be peaks of resigned accommodation ahead. If Mr Trump can get back on message with a few carefully modulated speeches and at least a handful of news cycles without outrageous statements, the polls could again narrow to within a more typical partisan split. There's nothing the media like more than a good candidate comeback story. (BBC) Donald Trump: "I support and endorse Paul Ryan"