July 24 2016

G U Y A N A

Sunday, J ul y24, 201 6

WeeklyEdition

I sS A R Uo nawi t c h h u n t i n gmi s s i o n ?

Page4

I sGr angermi l i t ar i z i ng Page Guyana? 2 Go v ’ t Co nt i nue st o PPPisconcerned

L o s e$2 8BA nnua l l y‘ Sur uj bal l ymustgo! ’ duet oa bs e nc eo f –PPPcontinuesprotestaction Page24 P r o c ur e me nt Ci t yH a l l mo v e si n Co mmi s s i o n o nc o n t a i n e r s ; Page 2

c l a mp sd o wno n Page o wn e r s 39

S h i p p i n gA s s o c . t a k e sM& C C Page55 t oc o u r t o v e r ‘ c o n t a i n e r f e e s ’

LOCAL

GUYANA DAILY NEWS Rohee lambaste GECOM over shared information PAGE 2

General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP), Clement Rohee has criticized the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) for its decision to share confidential information with the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Social Protection. At its weekly press conference on Monday morning at Freedom House, Rohee made reference to GEOCOM’s decision to share unsolicited, its database including confidential details of Registrants with the government ministries. The General Secretary note that this move is unprecedented in the history of the electoral process and is fraught with unimaginable implications for free and fair elections in Guyana.

“The justification provided by GECOM’s chairman, Steve Surujbally, and the representatives of the APNU+AFC are spurious and creates grounds for suspicion. Electoral skullduggery facilitated by the APNU+AFC and Mr. Surujbally is once again in the making,” Rohee told the news conference. Rohee further noted that the sharing of GECOM’s database with either of these two Ministries is unnecessary and uncalled for since both Ministries have the

MONDAY, JULY 18, 2016

institutional capacity to rectify their respective institutional deficiencies. “The Party is of the strong view that the Nation must be consulted in respect to the unsolicited release of confidential personal data of citizens captured in National Register of Registrants (NRR) to government agencies and departments, a practice that has no precedent in Guyana,” the General Secretary said. He noted that GECOM needs to validate the legality of sharing its database with government agencies.-By- Ronald Singh, Guyana Daily News.

General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP), Clement Rohee

Is Granger militarizing Guyana? PPP is concerned The People’s Progressive Party (PPP) is calling out the APNU+AFC government for what it described as the growing militarization of the State and Government apparatus in Guyana. General Secretary of the PPP, Clement Rohee told a news conference on Monday morning that “This tendency is increasingly manifesting itself under the Granger administration, coupled with this development, is the steady but rapid progression of our country in the direction of a police state. This dangerous and unwelcome development has its historical antecedents in the Burnham era of which Mr. Granger is a product.” Rohee further noted that the Granger administration has a penchant for placing retired and serving military officers in government agencies and departments and to head Commissions of Inquiry into one incident after

another. “Effectively, what the Granger promilitaristic administration has done by virtue of this practice is to demonstrate its distrust for civilians albeit qualified to perform such functions in contradistinction to military personnel.”-ByRonald Singh, Guyana Daily News.

LOCAL PAGE 3

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

MONDAY, JULY 18, 2016

‘Rio Strippers’ charged Six of the women, believed to be strippers, who were taken into police custody after the raid on Rio Inn night club located in Forshaw Street, Georgetown appeared before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan on Monday. They were all charged with overstaying their permitted time in Guyana and the forging of an extension of stay and work permit in their passports.

The women are all nationals of the Dominican Republic; they pleaded guilty to the charges and were represented by Attorney Mark Waldron who stated that the women have plane tickets which have them scheduled to leave on July 19, 2016, via the Cheddi Jagan International Airport to return to their native land. They were all fined GY$20,000 each for the charge of overstaying and GY$30,000 each for forging extension and work permit stamps. Failure to

pay the fine will result in two weeks imprisonment.

The women arrived in Guyana between April and May and were permitted to stay in the country for one month after which they attempted to forge the extension of stay by paying an unknown man US$300 to stamp their passport. The women were suspected victims of human-trafficking and were in protective care of the Ministry of Social Protection. - by- By Jarred Singh

LOCAL PAGE 4

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

MONDAY, JULY 18, 2016

Ann Greene tipped to resign as CCPA Headfollowing death of toddlers A reliable source has informed this newspaper that head of the Child Care and Protection Agency (CCPA), Ann Greene is expected to tender her resignation following the death of two toddlers who were burned alive while in custody of the state. Two weeks ago a devastating fire at Hadfield Street Drop-in Centre claimed the lives of two brothers – Joshua and Antonio George - ages 6 and 3 respectively. The boys were taken into the State’s care along with their three other siblings on July 6, following allegations of unfit conditions at their Chapel and Norton Street home.

Since the fire, their mother Sonia George, 37, and her partner, Leon George, 51, have gone back and forth in an effort to be reunited with their three surviving children. The parents were allowed to see their children briefly last week at the Child Care and Protection Agency (CCPA), Charlestown.

Following the fire, the Ministry of Social Protection which is headed by subject Minister Volda Lawrence claimed responsibility for the children’s death and committed to footing the funeral expenses for the duo. Present at the press conference where this was announced, was also head of the CCPA, Ann Greene who expressed regret and sympathy at the death of the boys.

Subsequently, President David Granger ordered a commission of inquiry into the tragedy. The announcement was made by Cabinet Secretary, Joseph Harmon, who revealed that Colonel Windee Algernon will be appointed to serve on the one-person commission. Meanwhile, calls have been

mounting for the resignation of both Greene and Lawrence following the incident. Presently, there is a petition circulating online, which has more than 200 signatures, calling for Lawrence to relinquish all responsibilities for that ministry since she is seen as “unfit”. But Lawrence is not the only one which has attracted much criticisms. Calls have also been made for Greene to step down from office, since it was said that the tragedy could have been aborted if the drop-in centres were functioning as they should – that is, with protective mechanisms for children. In light of this, a source close of Greene has said that she intends to tender her resignation, due to the mounting criticisms the tragedy has burdened on her. When contacted however, Greene said that she is not aware of who would make such a comment since she did not discuss the issue with any of her staff. When asked specifically if she was intending to resign, the CCPA head refused to comment, and stated “I wish to make no further comment on the issue.” Last year, after the APNU+AFC Government entered executive office, Greene and then junior Minister of Social Protection Simona Broomes shared a bitter exchange after which Greene was sent on leave. It was reported that Minister Broomes was not satisfied with the way in which Greene has addressed her, which was as a “junior Minister”. This reportedly resulted in an exchange between the two after which Broomes ordered that Greene be sent on leave.

Is SARU on a witch hunting mission?

The State Assets Recovery Unit (SARU) was designed by the APNU+AFC government to target, pronounce and make wild unsubstantiated accusations against members of the parliamentary opposition and leaders of the PPP/C and businesses with ties to the PPP. The Office of the Leader of the Opposition has made calls on the diplomatic and donor communities to pay close attention to the public declarations made and actions taken by the Head of the State Assets Recovery Unit (SARU), Dr. Clive Thomas, who is an undisguised hostile opponent of the PPP. The PPP has noted the politically directed interference in the operations of the Serious Organized Crime Unit (SOCU) which are primarily focused on carrying out a “witch hunt”. The claim that new legislation is required in order to bring charges against persons who are accused of criminal offences with regards to state assets is false. Statutes already exist to bring such charges. However, the new legislation that is being touted appears to relate more to entrenching the SARU as an entity in law with powers overriding the Guyana Police Force, the Audit Office of Guyana and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions. The parliamentary opposition is totally opposed to any such legislative instrument.

Public statements by Dr. Thomas are illustrative. He appears to be consumed with a personal vendetta against the PPP. In fact, his hostility is not exclusively his, the entire Unit is composed of leading APNU+AFC political operatives, some of whom were APNU and AFC Members of the 10th Parliament. The public is reminded that the SARU is housed in, and operated from, and, financed through the budget of the Ministry of the Presidency. This Unit has been created with the objective of leading the “witch hunt” of the present parliamentary opposition and leaders of the PPP. The SOCU, which was created to investigate

money laundering and the financing of terrorism under the AML/CFT Act is now the operational arm that is being used to target these same individuals. This concern of the parliamentary opposition is further bolstered by recent public statements by Cabinet Ministers which are particularly ominous. During the debate of the estimates of the 2016 Budget in the National Assembly in February, 2016, the Minister of Public Security as a result of being grilled on the operations of SOCU, promised to make the protocols that guide its operations public in a matter of a few weeks. This promise has remained unfulfilled.

Subsequently, Minister Trotman at a press conference sometime back in a response to a question stated that the protocols were not complete. Minister Harmon at a press conference on July 14, 2016 in response to a question stated that the SOCU operates within the laws of Guyana, thereby side-stepping the issue of the promised protocols. It is the same SOCU with army personnel which led a high speed chase on the car transporting the wife of PPP/C parliamentarian Charles Ramson, Jnr, resulting in 3 persons being killed. The government has stated that there will be no investigation and no body or agency has accepted responsibility for what happened. It is this incident that led to the demand in the National Assembly by the parliamentary opposition for the protocols governing the operations of the SOCU. The fact that $40 M has been allocated in the 2016 Budget of the Ministry of the Presidency for a “top up” of the SOCU staff is highly suspect and facilitates an environment for overt political interference. Exacerbating our concerns is the recent public statement by Minister Jaipaul Sharma that the Cabinet would be deciding who was going to be charged as a result of the forensic audits carried out in various Ministries and state entities. Furthermore,

the Office of the Leader of the Opposition is aware of the existence of a list containing the names of political leaders of the PPP/ C and non- PPP/C individuals who are to be targeted by the SOCU. This list originated from no other than the Ministry of the Presidency.

Contrast this manufactured “witch hunt” targeting the parliamentary opposition, with the promises made by the APNU+AFC Coalition in the electoral campaign with regards to their own leaders. The public is reminded that the APNU+AFC MPs have refused to make declarations to the Integrity Commission and voted down a motion in January 2016 by the parliamentary opposition for all MPs to make public their income tax declarations for the last 10 years. In fact, there are long serving MPs, now representing the government, who have consciously and willfully refused to comply with the Integrity Act since it came into force almost 20 years ago. The government’s silence with regard to the public call by the Leader of the Opposition to hire a specialized firm or ask Interpol to track the assets of all MPs and former Presidents is of particular interest in the context of these developments. Therefore, our concerns regarding these trends which are undermining the rule of law in Guyana are not emotive, but, based on the very actions and statements made by senior government Ministers and the SARU, coupled with actions of the SOCU. These reveal a stealthy intrusion of the executive into the independence of the prosecutorial and judicial arms of the state by the APNUAFC Coalition government. In this context, the Guyanese public, civil society bodies, the diplomatic and donor communities are being alerted to these worrying developments which are an indicator of creeping authoritarianism undermining democracy, human rights and the rule of law.

LOCAL PAGE 5

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

MONDAY, JULY 18, 2016

La Grange man beaten to death The body of 51-year-old James Stuart, also known as “Goobie”, was discovered along Unity Street, La Grange, West Bank Demerara early Sunday morning. The labourer of Lot 101 Unity Street [known as Race Dam] was allegedly beaten to death with robbery as the main motive. “It was not the first time James had been robbed”, his relatives related. His brother, Lloyd Richards explained that on Saturday night Stuart was drinking at a shop named ‘Ann Jones’, located few houses away from where the body was found. Richards was stunned when his brother’s friends asked him if he had seen him lately, and informed him that there was a rumor of a body being found by the Race Dam that resembled “Goobie”. He then contacted his sister and both headed to the police station. Unable to identify the body from a picture, they headed to the Ezekiel Funeral Home where the body was confirmed to be James. The body was discovered by market vendors who immediately contacted the police station. Stuart had no family of his own, but was really close to his siblings. Described as a jovial and peaceful person by his close ones, but with a dangerously growing drinking habit. Investigations are ongoing and no arrest has been made.-By- Rocio Perez, Guyana Daily News.

Guyana loses billions to smuggling Every year the Government of Guyana loses billions of dollars in taxes due to smuggling. Smuggling is the illegal transportation of objects, substances, information or people, such as out of a house or buildings, into a prison, or across an international border, in violation of applicable laws or other regulations. When goods are being brought into or taken out of the country by illegal means, the relevant taxes are not paid. The Government of Guyana had confirmed that a major investigation was launched into a huge gold smuggling racket that has been negatively impacting the economy.

Initial reports were that 10,000-15,000 ounces of gold were leaving Guyana on a weekly basis – the majority was destined for the US. It appears now that the Suriname route has been the one preferred by both illegal and licensed traders. Planes are alleged to be used at the Eugene F. Correia airport to take the gold to Suriname, without even declaring what was on board. According to information reaching this newspaper, some licenses dealers also prefer to fly directly to Suriname with the cargo, underdeclaring the amounts or sometimes not declaring it at all. Quite a significant amount of gold, not declared to the Guyana Gold Board and other authorities, was also being flown to neighbouring Brazil.The extent of the smuggling racket, involving several licensed traders and independent traders, is worrying because of the taxes and royalties being lost, amounting to billions of dollars annually.While it is not a new thing to Guyana, gold smuggling has seen a sharp spike over the last two years, as world market prices fall. Already for this year, the industry has recorded a 30 percent drop in declarations.The Guyana Gold Board has been reporting falling declarations

Dead: James Stuart

The US Government has reportedly revoked the visas for a number of licensed traders and other businessmen involved in the trade. It is believed that at least US$500M in gold is being smuggled annually. The smuggling involved independent traders who have been taking smaller amounts of up to 200 ounces out on direct flights to the US. On the other hand, smuggling of items such as cigarettes from Suriname into Guyana could be costing the public treasury as much as $1 billion in lost revenue. While the illegal cross-border entry of cigarettes manufactured in other countries including India, China, Vietnam and countries in South America continue to render the playing field uneven for the Demerara Tobacco company, the more serious losses were accruing to the treasury since the mark up that vendors get on cigarettes is lower than the taxes that they are required to pay to the state. The estimated losses resulting from the evasion of the various taxes could well exceed $1 billion when consider that importers are operating legally.-By- Ronald Singh, Guyana Daily News.

LOCAL PAGE 6

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

MONDAY, JULY 18, 2016

From a humble desire to a magnificent landmark – The The Nimai - Pandit & Study Centre The Nimai - Pandit and Study Centre, Located at Lot 1, First Street, University of Guyana Road, Cummings Lodge, East Coast Demerara (ECD), is the 5th institution opened by the ISKCON in the Country. The International Society for Krishna Consciousness’ (ISKCON) Hare Krishna Movement launched the project at the beginning of last year. It is a three-storey Temple which was constructed at a cost of G$126.5M. The project was funded by generous donations from well-wishers. It is a spiritual and educational land mark of Georgetown and is more than just a place of worship for Guyanese. Since the Hare Krishna movement is not a Hindu-centered association, but a movement to unite all Guyanese and promote the message of peace, unity, national wellbeing and God consciousness, the building will be a representation of that idea. “It will be one that everyone can relate with,” representative of the Hare Krishna Movement, Krishna Davenand said The structure is 140 by 140 feet, making it the largest temple in all of South America. The first floor of the building is a restaurant, multipurpose hall, a cultural Centre and a kitchen. The second floor has a temple hall, an academic library, conference rooms and a gift shop while the top floor will house four guest rooms. The temple provides free access to all Vedic literatures, free access to a wide variety of academic resources; provide facilities where religious conferences and meetings can be held, present the rich Vedic heritage of ancient India, and much more. Meanwhile, the dormitory facilities will be primarily for male students who wish to continue to be trained in or practice God consciousness while pursuing or continuing their University studies at the University of Guyana. In a nutshell, the vision is the create a complete Vedic cultural and spiritual house under one roof with workshops, philosophy lectures, chanting, yoga, meditation, art, music, cuisine, ancient spiritual traditions, personality development, character building, counseling and most of all God consciousness. On July 11, 1966, Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada officially registered his ISKCON in New York.

At the time, he had one small storefront on New York’s Lower EastSide, and a handful of students. Today, there are nearly four hundred ISKCON centers all over the world, and thousands of ISKCON devotees. In Guyana, ISKCON centers are located on the Essequibo Coast, in Berbice, West Coast, Williamsburg and Georgetown. The ceremonial Temple opening and welcome of their Lordship (Sri Sri Parama- karuna Nitai Gaura Chandra) to their home took place on June 08 and started with Padayatra or 'Foot pilgrimages', the Sankalpa ceremony, the main Yagyas, installation of the Chakra and Dwajarohan on dome. It continued with the Maha Abhisheka and Kirtan which includes bathing the lord with milk, fresh fruit juices and rosewater and ends with the Aarti Ceremony and Pushpa Abhisheka which is showering the lord with flower petals. The Inauguration was on July 13, 2016, commemorating with the 50th Anniversary of ISKCON. Followed by a 5 days exceptional program of activities, that included a six hours Kirtan Mela on the 14th, on the 15th. This was celebrated with a tent/pandal program with 12 hours Kirtan on the Temple Hall. The Ratha-Yatra followed

the next day, with a parade that started from Vlissengen Road, going through Sheriff Street finishing on UG road where the Temple is located. The Grand finale Kirtan was held on July 17 with a 12 hour Kirtan Festival at the temple hall and a stage presentation.

The Mission: To erect for the University &College Students and for society at large and beautiful institution with modern facilities, primarily through the efficient combination of people with skills, ideas and resources.

To assist them in their spiritual training & development.

To enhance our society through the promotion of spiritual education, high moral values & strong personality development.

The Vision A Compete spiritual, cultural and educational oasis, under one roof.

Deity worship, Philosophy, Chanting, yoga, Meditation, Art, Music, Healthy Vegetarian Cuisine, Ancient Spiritual tradition, Personality development, Character build-up & counseling, Social Work and the highest Social Welfare activity- propagation of God consciousness. “We are Universal this temple is an offer to Guyana, is a ‘thank’ to Guyana. We are all one in purpose, this is the vision of the Krishna Movement. We are trying to assist all the religions making sure that everyone have the opportunity of to take part of this beautiful vision. This center of study and temple is meant to assist in filling the gaps that are missing in our lives,” his Holiness said.

“Temple means a shelter for spiritual education. People should come, they should learn what is spiritual life, what is God, what is my relationship with God. That is temple”-his Divine Grace.

A.C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.

-By- Rocio Perez, Guyana Daily News.

The newly built ISKCON Centre

LOCAL

GUYANA DAILY NEWS Guyana will not be affected by BREXIT PAGE 7

Guyana will not be affected by the decision of Great Britain to leave the European Union (EU), High Commissioner to Guyana, Greg Quinn said. During an exclusive interview with the Guyana Daily News, Mr Quinn asserted that the assistance that was promised by former Prime Minister of Britain David Cameron last year will continue. Guyana has been receiving assistance from Britain in the areas of forestry, infrastructure and security. The High Commissioner noted however that the issue of formal trading arrangement with CARICOM will have to be sorted out. Presently the trading arrangement that CARICOM has with Britain is based on the trading agreements with the EU. Mr Quinn however is optimistic that arrangements will be put in place to continue trading. Guyana is party to the “Cotonou Agreement”, which is the Partnership Agreement between the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States and the European Union. The EU-Guyana cooperation strategy for the period 2008-2013, focuses mainly on macro-economic support, support to the sugar industry and coastal management. At the regional level, the Caribbean was pioneer in signing, in October 2008, the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) between the Caribbean Forum (CARIFORUM countries) and the EU, a framework to help make trade, investment and development assistance easier for all parties, in particular promoting regional integration. Guyana is a signatory of the EPA and ratified the agreement on May 19, 2012. Meanwhile, the EU is CARIFORUM’s second largest trading partner, after the US. In 2011, trade between the two regions topped €8 billion. In 2013, CARIFORUM ran a trade deficit with the EU of some €0.8 billion. In other words, CARIFORUM countries exported €0.8 billion less in goods and services to the EU than they imported from the EU. The main exports from the Caribbean to the EU are fuel and mining products, notably petroleum gas and oils; bananas, sugar and rum; minerals, notably gold, corundum, aluminum oxide and hydroxide and iron ore products and fertilisers. The main imports into the Caribbean from the EU are boats and ships, cars, construction

MONDAY, JULY 18, 2016

vehicles and engine parts; phone equipment; milk and cream; and spirit drinks. The EU's trade and development partnership with the Caribbean stretches back over more than 30 years. In October 2008 Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Surinam, Trinidad, Tobago, and the Dominican Republic signed with the EU the CARIFORUM-EU Economic Partnership Agreement. Haiti signed the agreement in December 2009. The agreement also comes with substantial EU aid for trade. The purpose of the agreement is to make it easier for people and businesses from the two regions to invest in and trade with each other and thus to help Caribbean countries grow their economies and create jobs.-By- Ronald Singh, Guyana Daily News.

LOCAL PAGE 8

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

MONDAY, JULY 18, 2016

NCN Finance Manager resigns!

Finance Manager of the National Communications Network Inc., Shabana Singh has tendered her resignation with immediate effect on Friday, July 15, 2016. Sources close to the Guyana Daily News have indicated that Ms. Singh’s resignation was summarily, since she has benefitted from more than three million dollars’ worth of free advertising during the Mohamed ‘fuzzy’ Sattaur and Martin Goolsarran reigns for her husband’s bobcat excavator business. This newspaper also understands that Ms. Singh would have soon been asked by the board to resign due to the advertising saga and her being mentioned in major controversies at the state run institution over the years relating to same emanating out of the recent audit reports. This would also put her credibility to question. Efforts were also made to contact the newly appointed CEO of NCN, Lennox Cornette for a comment since Friday on Ms. Singh’s resignation, but proved futile. Ms. Singh would have served NCN for more than ten years in a financial capacity. In the interim, the Finance department will be managed by the Deputy Finance Manager. Over the last few months there has been significant ‘shake up’ at NCN in the senior structure.

Marketing Manager, Raymond Azeez has also resigned in a similar fashion as Ms. Singh over allegations of abusing company resources to campaign for the PPP and placing of free political advertisement

during the election campaign. Azeez was also a candidate for the PPP and has since resigned from the Party. NCN Inc. has always been the eye catcher for controversies of various kind.

Shabana Singh

LOCAL PAGE 9

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

MONDAY, JULY 18, 2016

Opposition claims SARU threatening PPP leaders, fmr. Govt officials The Opposition People’s Progressive Party (PPP), has taken note of what it described as “persistent threats” by Head of the State Assets Recovery Unit (SARU), Clive Thomas to PPP leaders and former government and State functionaries.

General Secretary, Clement Rohee told reporters on Monday morning that n that SARU has no locus standi within the meaning of the Constitution of the Republic nor the laws of Guyana. “Any attempt to use SARU to illegally harm the legitimate economic and financial interests of any PPP/C leader and/or former government functionary on the basis of wild, unsubstantiated and politically motivated allegations of corruption will be stoutly and resolutely rebuffed by the Party,” Rohee said. He further noted, “attempts by the Granger administration to harass, intimidate or resort to trumped up charges against PPP leaders merely to satisfy the Kaieteur News, the David Hinds of this world and their revenge seeking constituents will not succeed. The PPP has the resilience and the experience to ensure that this does not happen.” According to Rohee, the PPP has also take noted of the Granger

administration’s use of the socio-psychological tool of fear and deception is becoming more and more prominent with each passing day. “The fear of losing one’s job, of being watched, of being heard/overheard is mounting more and more among Guyanese. Interestingly, it is this fear that is bringing Guyanese closer and closer together in the mounting opposition to the APNU+AFC discriminatory and witch-hunting practices.”By- Ronald Singh, Guyana Daily News.

4 years jail for bus driver Sherwin Hopkinson was sentenced to four years imprisonment on Monday by Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan after being found guilty of causing the death of William Trim by dangerous driving on March 5,, 2016. The Chief Magistrate before revealing her decision said that the evidence provided by the prosecution was informative and well compiled, which proved that he is guilty of the crime. The father

of two=said that he has been a bus driver for nine years and this is the first offence of this nature he has committed. He continued by pleading with the court for leniency and by asking for forgiveness from the daughter of the deceased. It is alleged that on the day in question Hopkinson was driving minibus BBB 1307 along the Aubrey Barker Public Road when he struck Trim and killed him.-By- Jarred Singh, Guyana Daily News.

LOCAL PAGE 10

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

MONDAY, JULY 18, 2016

Ranger on bail for $1.2M gold fraud Joseph Atkinson today appeared before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan charged with six offences of fraud. His Attorney Paul Fung-a-Fat made the application for bail stating that the man is 29 -years - old and has three children with no previous offences. The bail request was not objected to and Atkinson was released on GY$500,000 bail and set to return to the Bartica Magistrate’s Court on August 10, 2016. It is alleged that on April 5, 2016, April 6, 2016 and July 4, 2016 while at Karuni Backdam, Mazaruni , Atkinson obtained from Troy James, Reon Ribero and Vladimir Oliver respectively, 20, 10 and 20 pennyweight of gold property of Alfro Alphonso and Sons enterprise which he converted to use and benefit of himself. It is further alleged that on April 18, 2016, March 24, 2016 and May 3, 2016 in the same area Atkinson obtained from Anthony Dassin, Herbert Grant and Troy James respectively, 15, 40 and 5 pennyweight of gold, property of Alfro Alphonso and Sons enterprise which he converted to use and benefit transporting it out of the area for the said company at which of himself. The total estimated cost of the 110 pennyweight time he would take a portion of the gold as payment.-Byof gold is GY$1.2M. The court heard that he is a ranger in Jarred Singh, Guyana Daily News. the area and his duty includes collecting the gold and

REGIONAL PAGE 11

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

MONDAY, JULY 18, 2016

Drug dealer’s hit executed on man Despite his mother’s heartfelt pleas to stay away from Charles Street, La Romaine, teenager Mickel Thomas’ persistence in liming with his friends there ended in tragedy when he was gunned down in a drive-by shooting on Saturday. Thomas, 19, of Nice Street, died while undergoing emergency treatment at the San Fernando General Hospital yesterday, leaving behind to mourn his pregnant girlfriend.

According to Thomas’ older brother Ryan, the teen went to watch movies at his God-brother’s home along Charles Street around 4 pm. While there, he got a phone call from someone telling him to come pick up a barbecue chicken meal. As he rode his bike out to a junction however, a white Nissan AD Wagon pulled in front him and three men with automatic arms jumped out and shot him. The men then got back into the car and left. Neighbours immediately took him to the hospital, but he died within minutes. Struggling to fight the tears yesterday, Thomas’ mother, Dionne, said for days people had been warning her that a drug dealer in the area had put out a hit on her son. She said a friend even advised her to get Thomas out of La Romaine.

But she said despite warning him, he remained adamant that he had done nothing to anyone. She admitted that his friends sold drugs for the dealer and Thomas had an exchange of “small talk” with the dealer’s stepson. “It is not now they have been threatening to kill my son, but I never had the thought they would have done such a thing like this,” Dionne said. She said neighbours told her the same car used in the murder was seen driving around Nice Street and slowing down at their house on Friday night and that there were men hiding in a track between Nice Street and Charles Street, and they were asking for Thomas. “My son was a loving son, not disrespectful to anyone and he was a hard working child. He just used to lime in Charles Street with his friends, his God-brother and that was just Mickel right through. He loved to lime all the time.”

She said Thomas had recently completed a welding

course at a Servol Life Centre and was job hunting.

Police had not held anyone for the murder up to last night. And in what police believe was a reprisal for Thomas’ killing, Gary McLaren was shot along George Street, La Romaine, around 4 pm yesterday.

He was hospitalised last night undergoing treatment for a gunshot to the chest. Police are also trying to determine whether the shooting of Stephon Gonzales on Saturday night was linked to Thomas’ murder. A report stated that around 11.30 pm Saturday, Gonzales, 39, was liming with some friends along the George Street when a Nissan AD Wagon slowed down from a distance and its occupants opened fire. He was later found lying on the ground bleeding from gunshot wounds. He was taken to the hospital where he remained warded in a stable condition yesterday. A team of officers led by Sgt Dale Ramroop responded and found several .40 calibre shells at the scene.(Trinidad Guardian)

Dionne Thomas is consoled by her son Anfernee after the murder of her son Mickel (inset) yesterday.

PHOTO: KRISTIAN DE SILVA

REGIONAL PAGE 12

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

MONDAY, JULY 18, 2016

Eighth person in Bog Walk crash turns up at police station ST CATHERINE, Jamaica — The police have reported that the eighth person in Saturday’s crash along the Bog Walk Gorge in St Catherine turned up at the Spanish Town Police Station yesterday. He is said to be in good health. The police, with military help, combed the Rio Cobre on Saturday in search of the man, after a Suzuki Grand Vitara motorcar travelling towards Bog Walk ran off the road and into the Rio Cobre about 1:00am. Relatives of the victims alleged that he was the driver of the ill-fated vehicle and said he fled the scene upon realising the gravity of the situation. Six bodies were removed from the river following the incident. Dead are: Bishop Stephen Ricketts, his two sons Shevaughnie and Sujay Ricketts, Benjamin Ellis, Crystine Morris and O’Neil Robinson. Shane Harris, 19, was the only person thought to have survived the incident. The motor vehicle was removed from the water with assistance from the Spanish Town Fire Department and the Jamaica Defence Force.(Jamaica Observer)

Members of the Jamaica Defence Force Rescue Team take a body from the Rio Cobre Saturday. (Garfield Robinson)

REGIONAL PAGE 13

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

MONDAY, JULY 18, 2016

Jamaica welcomes T&T Prime Minister KINGSTON, Jamaica (JIS) – Prime Minister of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, Dr Keith Rowley, and Mrs Sharon Rowley, arrived in Jamaica today for a four-day official visit. They were met at the Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston by a welcoming party led by Prime Minister Andrew Holness, and Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Minister, Kamina Johnson Smith. Other members of the local delegation included: Kingston’s Mayor, Senator Dr Angela Brown Burke; Permanent Secretary in the Office of the Prime Minister, Elaine Foster Allen; wife of the Prime Minister Juliet Holness; Chief Justice, Zaila McCalla; and Chief of State Protocol, Ambassador Elinor Felix. Speaking with journalists, Holness said the visit aims to strengthen the countries’ bilateral relations, noting the strong cultural, commercial, financial and trade links they share. He said discussions with Dr Rowley will focus on these areas as well as matters related to security, among others. Both leaders will also discuss the signing of a Framework Agreement and the establishment of a Joint Commission, currently under negotiation, to provide a structured medium for bilateral discussions and co-operation in areas of mutual interest. Prime Minister Holness noted that the countries’ relations facilitated visits by approximately 16,000 Jamaicans to Trinidad and Tobago last year, while 13,000 citizens of the twin island republic were granted entry into Jamaica. “I am looking forward to a successful visit and at the end of it, I am looking forward to a stronger bilateral relationship between Jamaica and our largest trading partner within CARICOM,” he said. The visit follows ongoing discussions between both Governments towards the resolution of long standing bilateral and regional issues. These include: implementation of the CARICOM Single Market Economy (CSME), and the related Free Movement of Community Nationals and Immigration matters, Trade and Energy Cooperation and Air Transportation. Dr Rowley will also meet with the Chairman of the CARICOM/CARIFORUM Review Commission, Bruce Golding; pay a courtesy calls on the Governor-General, Sir Patrick Allen, the

Leader of the Opposition, Portia Simpson Miller, and the Vice Chancellor, University of the West Indies (UWI), Professor Sir Hilary Beckles. Additionally, he will engage heads of private sector organizations and entities in discussions on trade and business development issues. Rowley is scheduled to address the 22nd Session of the General Assembly of the International Seabed Authority at the Jamaica Conference Centre. He will also meet with the Vice Chancellor and Senior Executives of the UWI, members of the Diaspora, as well as students from the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. Rowley will have a s c h e d u l e d e n g a g e m e n t w i t h Tr i n i d a d i a n entrepreneurs in Jamaica. The Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister and his delegation are expected to depart the island on Thursday, July 21. (Jamaica Observer)

Prime Minister Andrew Holness (left) greets Prime Minister of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, Dr Keith Rowley on his arrival at the Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston today (Photo: JIS)

REGIONAL PAGE 14

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

MONDAY, JULY 18, 2016

Point family homeless after arson attack A Point Fortin woman and her two babies are now homeless after their home was burnt to the ground in a suspected arson attack on Friday morning. Nacayah Jeffrey, who suffers with sickle cell disease and survives on public assistance, is now seeking any kind of help to get her life back together. Jeffrey, 25, told the T&T Guardian that she and her daughters Jahquader, five and Destiny two, were spending the night at her father’s Vance River home when the house was torched.

She said she lost everything in the fire. “All we have is the clothes on our backs,” she said, estimating damages to be in the vicinity of $75,000. She said she is also indebted to a financial institution, having recently borrowed a loan to renovate her home and wire the house for electricity. “I lost my fridge, two beds, a television set which I am still paying for, a microwave, stove, four water tanks, several citrus trees, my daughter’s bicycle, all my groceries, toiletries, clothes, dishes, all our birth certificates. “All my children clothes, my daughter’s school clothes, books, shoes, everything gone,” she said, pointing out that Jahquader is a second-year student at Vance River Primary School.

Jeffrey believes she knows who set her house on fire, adding neighbours saw the man running from the burning building. His vehicle was also spotted parked a short distance away. She said this was a double blow for the family as the children’s father, Jerry George, drowned in January 2014, when Destiny was just two months old. At present, she and her children are staying with her father, but Jeffrey said she cannot stay there indefinitely. “I am sleeping on a bed with my brother and two children. That is not comfortable. I have nothing and if anyone can help me to rebuild or get a new home, I would be grateful,” Jeffrey said. She said she went to the office of her

member of parliament, National Security Minister Edmund Dillon, for help, but his assistant offered her a food card. Both the Point Fortin fire and police are continuing investigations. Anyone willing to assist Jeffrey can contact the T&T Guardian on 225 5551 on her behalf.(Trinidad Guardian)

Fire victim Nacayah Jeffrey at the T&T Guardian’s San Fernando offices on Saturday.

PHOTO: KRISTIAN DE SILVA

Trelawny Parish Council to receive J$29m for infrastructure work TRELAWNY, Jamaica (JIS) –The Trelawny Parish Council is to receive J$29 million from the Equalisation Fund to undertake infrastructural work throughout the parish. This was disclosed by Minister of Local Government and Community Development, Desmond McKenzie, as he addressed a special meeting of the Parish Council in Falmouth recently. He said the funds will be provided to deal with submissions made by the Council, relating to beautification, road maintenance, drain cleaning and garbage disposal. “This is about the needs of the Parish Council and service delivery to the people of Trelawny,” McKenzie said. Meanwhile, the Local Government Minister informed that all Parish Councils will be equipped with public address systems. McKenzie said the aim is to ensure that the Councils have a more effective means of communicating, especially during deliberations and special sittings.

“We will start right here in Trelawny with this commitment. I think it is important that the Council operates in a manner that speaks of a parish that may be small in terms of its economic base, but is very important in terms of its economic value. This is a parish that is rich in culture and one that contributes much by way of its tourism offerings,” he stated. The minister also urged the Trelawny Parish Council to increase its efforts in collecting outstanding municipality fees. “There is a lot of money going uncollected and which the Parish Council will have to do a better job of collecting. This is not an indictment on anybody.

It’s a matter of better enforcement and we will also be assisting in this

regard,” McKenzie said. The Equalisation Fund was created in 1997 and is financed by 10 per cent of the money collected island wide from property taxes. All 13 Parish Councils are allocated a percentage of the fund to carry out critical infrastructural work in their various divisions.(Jamaica Observer)

Minister of Local Government and Community Development, Desmond McKenzie (right), addressing a special sitting of the Trelawny Parish Council n Falmouth.

To the minister’s left is Mayor of Falmouth, Garth Wilkinson. (Photo: JIS)

REGIONAL PAGE 15

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

MONDAY, JULY 18, 2016

Robocop killed in ambush Reputed gang leader and criminal mastermind Selwyn “Robocop” Alexis was assassinated at his Enterprise, Chaguanas business yesterday. Alexis, customer Kevin Escayg, of San Juan and Escayg’s four-year-old son, Kirchard Scott, were shot several times as a group of gunmen ambushed them at Alexis’ carwash at Freedom Street around 4.30 pm. Central Division Police were bracing for reprisal killings last night, as one of the gunmen shot dead by Alexis as he returned fire before being killed himself, was identified as a member of a rival gang in the community. According to reports, Alexis, Scott and Escayg were standing in the yard of the carwash when a man came onto the compound talking to Alexis. The man was wearing a black wig and at some stage Alexis realised he knew him and said so. At this stage, however, two cars stopped near them. The occupants of the cars, who were reportedly carrying assault rifles and handguns, got out and began shooting in their direction. The man talking to Alexis also drew a gun and both men got into as tussle. Alexis, Scott and Escayg were shot several times before Alexis managed to draw a gun and shoot his initial attacker before also getting off some shots at his attackers. The other gunmen eventually shot the trio several more times before they returned to their vehicles and drove away, leaving their wounded accomplice. The T&T Guardian was told Alexis had his four-year-old granddaughter with him, but managed to put her in a vehicle when he realised they were being ambushed. Up to last night the child kept asking her mother for “papa” and kept repeating that she was scared after seeing “her papa beat the man.” Escayg was shot as he shielded his own son from the bullets, the T&T Guardian was told.

Alexis, Escayg and the gunman, who was later identified as Thomas “Hamza” Sharpe, of Walter Lane, Bhagallo Trace, Enterprise, died on the scene and were pronounced dead by a District Medical Officer (DMO). Scott, who was said to be critically injured, was taken to the Eric Williams Medical Sciences, Mt Hope, where he underwent emergency surgery, last night. The T&T Guardian could not confirm if police recovered any firearms from the scene when they arrived. The T&T Guardian was told that Alexis had had a confrontation with members of a rival gang three months ago and was beaten.

Alexis reportedly retaliated and threats had been passing between the parties since then, but before then had been attempting to make peace with the warring parties. Yesterday’s shooting was the second attempt on Alexis’ life at the location, which also houses Alexis’ supermarket at the front. In April 2009, Alexis and his three-year-old daughter, Simia, were shot at as they drove into the carwash. Alexis escaped unscathed while the toddler was wounded. Minutes after the shooting, scores of heavily armed police and Defence Force soliders responded to the scene and began combing the community for the suspects and interviewing residents as their colleagues

processed the crime scene. They continued to patrol the community up to late yesterday, in an attempt to dissuade any reprisal attacks. While dozens of residents lined the perimeter of caution tape which cordoned off the scene, most declined to comment on Alexis’ character as they only spoke on their knowledge of the incident hours earlier. There also appeared to be hostility between the dead men’s relatives and police as they were being interviewed at the scene. “I not telling you anything.

Police too corrupt. He come to you before and you did nothing,” an unidentified female relative of one of the deceased told a police officer after he asked her if she could provide a photograph of her relative. Police said the men who carried out the ambush had hours before held up a man and robbed him of his Almera car near the Super Quality supermarket in Endeavour, Chaguanas. They used the stolen vehicle to carry out the attack. Police found the stolen car abandoned at Montrose Street around 7.45 pm. Alexis, 52, became infamous nationally for his alleged criminal exploits over the past decade.

Although he had been charged for extortion and several kidnappings in the past, he had never been convicted. Most recently, Alexis, his 25-year-old son Kerron and another man were charged with participating in a riot at Crown Trace in Enterprise in April, which was said to be part of an ongoing war between rival gangs which had claimed several lives over the past year. Post mortems on the victims’ bodies will be performed at the Forensic Science Centre in St James this morning. Security measures at the centre are expected to be increased as Alexis’ family and relatives of one of his attackers could be there simultaneously. Detectives of the Region Three Homicide Bureau are continuing investigations. (Trinidad Guardian)

A DMO checks the body of one of the men shot along with Selwyn “Robocop” Alexis, inset, in Enterprise, Chaguanas, yesterday. Alexis and one of his customers were killed in an ambush by a man, who was also killed.

PHOTO: SHASTRI BOODAN

INTERNATIONAL PAGE 16

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

MONDAY, JULY 18, 2016

Attack on Nice: French PM Valls booed at commemoration Mr Sarkozy, a former president, called for any foreign nationals with links to radical Islam to be expelled from France. This was a scene that has never been seen before in France at a national act of homage: the head of government booed and called a murderer. The angry reception that Prime Minister Manuel Valls received when he observed the minute's silence in Nice is a stark warning of how the mood in the country has changed. The attacks of last year seemed too extraordinary to provoke much more than shock and horror. But Nice showed that mass terror is becoming regular and ordinary. And - as Manuel Valls saw at the ceremony - that is beginning to make people very angry indeed. The authorities say Lahouaiej-Bouhlel, a Tunisian living in Nice, became radicalised only recently. Investigators say they have not yet found evidence that he pledged allegiance to radical groups or had contact with known extremists. But Paris prosecutor Francois Molins said images found on his computer as well as recent internet searches showed he had a "clear and recent interest" in radical Islamist movements. Lahouaiej-Bouhlel rented the 19-tonne truck used in the attack on 4 July and drove to the Promenade des Anglais twice in the days before the attack, Mr Molins said. Examinations of his computer showed he had searched for details of the Bastille Day celebrations in Nice as well as videos showing "terrible" traffic accidents. This showed that his act was "premeditated and deliberate", Mr Molins said. Many of the dead and injured were children watching a Bastille Day fireworks display with their families. There are still 74 people in hospital, 28 of whom are in intensive care, Mr Molins said. Thirteen of the victims have not yet

been identified, he said. 'Rapid radicalisation' Neighbours have described Lahouaiej-Bouhlel as a violent loner who liked to drink, lift weights and go salsa dancing. Mr Valls has suggested the killer may have been radicalised too quickly to trigger the authorities' attention.

He was shot dead by police when his vehicle's path along the Promenade des Anglais was eventually halted. Tunisian security sources have told the BBC he visited Tunisia frequently, most recently eight months ago. IS said the attacker was acting in response to its calls to target civilians in countries that are part of the coalition ranged against it. Six people are being held in connection with the killings. They are people who may have been in recent contact with Lahouaiej-Bouhlel or who may have helped him get the gun he used in the attack, Mr Molins said. The latest arrests, of an Albanian couple who have not been identified, were on Sunday morning, French judicial sources say. Lahouaiej-Bouhlel's estranged wife, who was detained on Friday, was released on Sunday.(BBC)

Mr Valls and the French authorities have been accused of failing to provide security

India outrage after gang rape victim assaulted again 'by same men’ There has been outrage in India after a student was allegedly gangraped by five men who had also raped her three years ago. Police are yet to make any arrests although the 21-year-old was attacked last week in Rohtak town in the northern state of Haryana. She had been pursuing a case in court against the five men, when she was attacked on Wednesday. The woman said she was forced inside a car and the men tried to strangle her. She was seriously injured and left for dead in the bushes. A passerby saw her and took her to the hospital. 'Very afraid' The woman was first assaulted in 2013 in Bhiwani town. Her family has alleged that they had moved to Rohtak after they were threatened by the accused who have been out on bail. "I was leaving the college when I saw them. They were the same five men. I was very afraid. They forced me inside the car. They tried to strangulate me.

They said they would kill my father and brother," the woman, who is from a poor low-caste Dalit (formerly known as untouchables) family, told a television channel. "I have no idea where they took me.

My attackers were the same five men," she said. Analysis: Geeta Pandey, BBC News, Delhi Nearly four years after the brutal gang rape and murder of a 23-year-old physiotherapy student on a bus in Delhi caused global outrage and brought India much infamy, it appears the authorities have yet to treat the issue seriously. The gang rape of the student in Rohtak, allegedly by the same men who raped her three years ago, is an example of how callously the authorities treat victims of rape. Questions are being asked about how the five men, who were accused of a serious crime like rape, were free to conduct another attack. There is also the question of why the victim and her family

were not provided with any security when they said they had been threatened. Many are wondering if this barbaric attack will jolt the government into action in a country where, according to official statistics, a rape is recorded every 15 minutes. Her family has alleged that the attackers had been putting pressure on them to settle the case and were punishing the woman for pursuing it in court. A local police official Garima, who uses only one name, told reporters that they had registered a complaint and a team had been sent to Bhiwani to look for the accused men. Meanwhile, angry protests have been held in Rohtak, demanding immediate arrest of the accused men. Rape and gender crimes have been in the spotlight in India in recent years after the brutal gang rape and murder of a student in 2012 in Delhi. In response, tough new anti-rape laws were introduced in the country.

However, brutal sexual attacks against women and children continue to be reported across the country .(BBC)

Members of the Dalit community have protested against the assault on the woman

INTERNATIONAL

GUYANA DAILY NEWS Baton Rouge shootings: Gunman's videos show anger at police PAGE 17

T

he man identified as the killer of three US police officers in Baton Rouge had posted videos complaining at police treatment of African Americans and urging them to "fight back".

One of Gavin Long's videos stresses he is not linked to any group but is "affiliated with justice". The exMarine, 29, was killed by police during the attack on Sunday morning. Tension has been high since police shot dead a black man in Baton Rouge two weeks ago.

That death - and a second police shooting in Minnesota - sparked protests across the US and triggered a revenge attack by a black army veteran who shot dead five officers in the city of Dallas.

Responding to the latest killings, President Barack Obama called upon all Americans to unite and refrain from divisive language. Louisiana State Police said on Monday that they had now positively identified Long as the gunman via fingerprints and said he had been "certainly seeking out police". Col Mike Edmonson said: "His movements, his direction, his attention was on police officers." More details have emerged about Long, who was from Kansas City, Missouri, including his service history. A Marine from August 2005 until August 2010, he rose to the rank of sergeant and served in Iraq from June 2008 until January 2009, earning a number of medals and commendations. He received an honourable discharge. His video and online postings used the pseudonym Cosmo Setepenra. He railed against what he saw as injustices against black people, at one point saying "you gotta fight back". In one video, posted on YouTube, Long said that should "anything happen" to him, he was "not affiliated" with any group. One website called "convoswithcosmo" says he travelled to Dallas in the wake of the killing of the police officers there. In a 10 July video apparently posted from Dallas, he said only violence and financial pressure would bring about change: "Revenue and blood, revenue and blood, revenue and blood. Nothing else."One tweet last week said: 'Violence is not THE answer (its a answer), but at what point do you stand up so that your people dont become the Native Americans...EXTINCT?" Sunday's attack reportedly took place on Long's birthday. Police responded to

MONDAY, JULY 18, 2016

reports of a man dressed in black holding a rifle behind a store. They are investigating whether an emergency call lured the officers there. The exchange of fire lasted about eight minutes. Mayor Kip Holden said it was an "ambush-style" attack. Col Edmonson said the gunman was believed to have acted alone. The dead officers were named as Montrell Jackson, 32, and Matthew Gerald, 41, of the Baton Rouge police department, and Sheriff's Deputy Brad Garafola, 45.

All three men had families. Three other officers were wounded, one of whom was in a critical condition on Monday. It has emerged that just days before the attack Montrell Jackson posted an emotional message on Facebook about how hard it was to be a black police officer in Baton Rouge. "I swear to God I love this city but I wonder if this city loves me," he wrote. "In uniform, I get nasty hateful looks, and out of uniform some consider me a threat." President Obama said that "nothing justifies violence against law enforcement".

"Everyone right now focus on words and actions that can unite this country rather than divide it further," he added. Mayor Holden told local media the "rhetoric from some people" after the death of Alton Sterling in Baton Rouge could be connected. "Everything's been anti-police," he said, but added that the "overwhelming number of people" were "not buying into their rhetoric". US Attorney General Loretta Lynch said federal law enforcement agencies were "determined to do everything we can to bridge divides, to heal rifts, to restore trust, and to ensure that every American feels respected, supported, and safe".(BBC)

Gavin Long was a frequent user of social media( YOUTUBE)

INTERNATIONAL

GUYANA DAILY NEWS Brother confesses to killing Pakistani model over racy photos PAGE 18

MONDAY, JULY 18, 2016

Waseem Azeem, arrested by police [USA Today] - Police say the brother of a social media celebrity in Pakistan confessed to killing her after she stirred controversy by posting racy photos and posing with a prominent Muslim cleric, saying she had besmirched the family name. Waseem Azeem, who was accompanied by police, confessed in a news conference on Saturday to drugging and strangling his sister, 26-year-old Qandeel Baloch. He said that through her risque videos and social media posts "she brought dishonour to the Baloch name," the local newspaper Dawn reported. Baloch died Friday when one of her six brothers strangled her to death as she slept in the family’s home in the province of Punjab, police said.

“Apparently the lady died of suffocation, but final opinion on her death would be possible only after report of chemical examination comes,” said Mushtaq Ahmed, who was among the team that conducted Baloch’s autopsy. “She might have been given some poisonous substance before being strangled.”

Multan police chief Akram Azhar said authorities will charge Azeem with carrying out an "honor killing." They will seek the “maximum punishment,” he added. Murder carries a potential death sentence, and the honor killing charge will make Azeem ineligible for a family pardon. Baloch, whose real name was Fauzia Azeem, shot to fame and notoriety with a series of social media postings that would be tame by Western standards but were deeply scandalous by conservative Pakistani societal norms. She cultivated an outrageous public persona, recently promising to perform a public striptease if the Pakistani cricket team won a major tournament. Baloch had a large following of more than 700,000 people on her official Facebook page. She posted recently she was “trying to change the typical orthodox mindset of people who don’t wanna come out of their shells of false beliefs and old practices.” Her Twitter account, with 41,000 followers, was active as of Friday morning, the day she was killed.

Qandeel Baloch Life has taught me lessons in a early age...My Journey from a girl to a SELF DEPENDENT WOMEN was not easy.#Qandeelpic.twitter.com/Mwyn4UC32z — Qandeel Baloch (@QandeelQuebee) July 14, 2016 Most recently, Baloch became embroiled in public scandal when she posted selfies with Mufti Adbul Qavi, a prominent cleric, in a Karachi hotel room during the holy Islamic month of Ramadan. In one picture, she is wearing the cleric’s trademark fur-lined hat. Following a string of racy video posts and controversies, Baloch started receiving death threats and requested security from the government, the English-language daily newspaper The Express Tribune reported. Qavi maintained that he only met with her to discuss the teachings of Islam. But the government suspended Qavi and removed him from the official moon-sighting committee that determines when Ramadan starts and ends in accordance with the Islamic lunar calendar. Condemnations from prominent politicians and filmmakers streamed online Saturday. Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party, said government leaders recently failed to pass legislation aimed at curbing so-called honor killings that claim the lives of hundreds of women each year.Contributing: The Associated Press -By- Rocio Perez, Guyana Daily News.

INTERNATIONAL PAGE 19

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

MONDAY, JULY 18, 2016

Microsoft to miss 'one billion' Windows 10 target Microsoft has said it will miss its target of getting its Windows 10 operating system running on more than one billion devices by 2018. In a statement, it said problems with its smartphone business would delay it hitting the milestone. The software giant has struggled to find customers for Windows phones in a market dominated by Android and Apple. Microsoft says Windows 10 is in active use on about 350 million separate devices at present. Poor sales Released in July 2015, Windows 10 has been built to act as a unifying platform across desktops, laptops, tablets, smartphones, small embedded systems and the Xbox One games console. Shortly before the main release of the operating system, Microsoft set itself the target of getting the software on to one billion devices.

However, its plans took a knock soon after when it sacked 7,800 people in its smartphone business and wrote off the entire value of the Nokia phone business it bought in 2014 for $7.2bn (£5.4bn). Earlier this month, it scrapped its Finland phone unit and laid off more staff. At the time it made the prediction about Windows 10 use, Microsoft was hoping to sell about 50 million Windows phones a year. However, global smartphone sales figures from Kantar Worldpanel suggest Windows phones now account for only 1.6% of sales in North America and 0.4% in China - the two biggest markets for smartphones. 'Aggressive' tactics Microsoft said the "focusing" of its smartphone

business would mean it would now take longer than three years to hit the one billion figure. It said it expected adoption numbers to get a boost from businesses starting to use it and because it will be used on new devices Microsoft and its partners are planning. However, as Peter Bright at Ars Technica pointed out, demand for Windows 10 looks set to slow in the near future thanks to dwindling sales of PCs and because the Microsoft programme that lets people upgrade to the OS for free will stop at the end of this month. Many people have also been reluctant to install the software on their home computers because of the "aggressive" tactics Microsoft has used to prompt them to update.(BBC)

Microsoft boss Satya Nadella wants Windows 10 to be a unifying force across many different types of devices(AP)

INTERNATIONAL PAGE 20

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

MONDAY, JULY 18, 2016

Theresa May: It would be irresponsible to scrap Trident

P

rime Minister Theresa May has told MPs it would be "an act of gross irresponsibility" for the UK to abandon its nuclear weapons. Mrs May accused critics of being "the first to defend the country's enemies". MPs will vote later on whether to renew the Trident nuclear weapons programme.

Labour is split, with Jeremy Corbyn opposing renewal, but the party's MPs will get a free vote on the issue. The SNP will oppose the government, but ministers are expected to win the vote. MPs will be asked whether to press ahead with the manufacture of the next generation of nuclear submarines, set to be built at the BAE shipyard in Barrow. Mrs May warned of the threat faced by the UK, saying: "We cannot afford to relax our guard." The nuclear

threat, she said, had "not gone away, if anything it has increased". She said it would be irresponsible to discard the "ultimate insurance policy". Green Party MP Caroline Lucas said Trident was "driving proliferation, not preventing it", prompting the PM to accuse her and other critics of defending the UK's enemies. Stopping nuclear weapons being used, the PM said, was "not achieved by giving them up unilaterally" Since 1969, according to government documents, a British submarine carrying nuclear weapons has always been on patrol, gliding silently beneath the waves, somewhere in the world's oceans.

The logic is to deter a nuclear attack on the UK because, even if the nation's conventional defence capabilities were destroyed, the silent submarine would still be able to launch a catastrophic retaliatory strike on the aggressor, a concept known as mutually assured destruction. The submarines, based at Faslane on the River Clyde, carry up to eight Trident missiles; each can be fitted with a number of warheads. Labour is split on the issue of Trident, particularly following the election of leader Jeremy Corbyn, a life-long opponent of nuclear weapons. He is at odds with many of his MPs over the future of the UK nuclear weapons system - which the government has estimated will cost £31bn to renew - and has commissioned a review led by shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry to look at its future. Shadow chancellor John McDonnell said he would be voting against the

government because he "cannot support a weapon of mass destruction", urging Labour MPs to "respect each other's views".

Labour deputy leader Tom Watson told the BBC he would vote in favour of renewal, saying he thought it was "unacceptable" for MPs to abstain. "Now the government have made us take another vote on this, you cannot absolve yourself of responsibility for making a decision," he said. He also warned that to oppose Trident would threaten security and cost jobs. But Ms Thornberry told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that she will abstain from the vote "because frankly the Tory government is playing games with us". "It will make no difference to what the government does, the government is proceeding with it in any event," she said. "This vote, in the last week of Parliament, is all about playing games with the Labour Party and trying to embarrass us." But Defence Secretary Michael Fallon denied the vote was politically-motivated, saying the government was seeking Parliament's backing so it could get on with the renewal project and give confidence to the supply chain. The estimated cost has risen in recent years, but Mr Fallon said a new delivery body would ensure the submarines were delivered "on time and on budget", saying the £31bn bill had to be against their 30-year lifespan. Labour leadership hopeful Owen Smith, a former member of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND), said he would back renewal, saying he believed the world had become "more volatile, more insecure over the last few years".

Meanwhile, SNP Westminster leader Angus Robertson said Trident "was an immoral, obscene and redundant weapons system". "The vote on Trident is one of the most important this parliament will ever take," he said. "For the Tories to commit to spend hundreds of billions of pounds on weapons of mass destruction - particularly at a time when they are making significant cuts to public services - would be both morally and economically indefensible."(BBC)

The Royal Navy's nuclear submarine HMS Vanguard is 150 metres long(PA)

INTERNATIONAL PAGE 21

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

MONDAY, JULY 18, 2016

Turkey ex-air chief Akin Ozturk 'admits' coup plot A former Turkish air force commander has confessed to planning last week's attempted military coup, the state-run Anadolu news agency reports. Gen Akin Ozturk was quoted as having told interrogators that he "acted with intention to stage a coup". Photographs of the general published by Anadolu appeared to show several injuries to his head and upper body. The general had earlier denied any involvement in the coup attempt and insisted he worked to stop it.(BBC)

Akin Ozturk, seen here in 2013, is among 70 generals and admirals under arrest(EPA)

Iraq marshlands named Unesco World Heritage Site The United Nations cultural agency Unesco has marshlands, however, remain at risk to drought, dams named Iraq's southern marshes - once decimated by and irrigation schemes.(BBC) Saddam Hussein - a World Heritage Site. Home to the Marsh Arabs, three archaeological sites and an array of species of birds and fish, the marshes are "unique", Unesco says. The area was ordered drained in the 1990s by Saddam to stop it being used for cover by rebels. The marshlands have partially revived since his overthrow in 2003. A major restoration programme has seen people and wildlife return to the area, regarded by some as the site of the Biblical Garden of Eden. Unesco said the area was "unique, as one of the world's largest inland delta systems, in an extremely hot and arid environment". It also contains The Marshlands were deliberately the ancient sites of Uruk, Tell Eridu and Ur - the devastated by Saddam Hussein(AFP) birthplace of Biblical patriarch Abraham. In the 1970s, the marshes, formally known as the Ahwar of Southern Iraq, covered some 3,500 sq miles (9,000 sq km), but were reduced by Saddam to barely 290 sq miles. The former ruler sought to punish the Marsh Arab tribes who had risen up against him after the first Gulf War and also deprive opposition forces of a base for operations. Huge tracts were drained and dams were built, causing hundreds of thousands of Marsh Arabs to flee. Over the past decade, local efforts to reflood the area and help from environmental agencies have replenished about half the wetlands. Wildlife and Marsh Arabs, native to the wetlands for about six millennia, have also since made a return. The

B r ig h t S m il e

De n t a lCl i n i c

Sm i l eWi t hCo n f i d e n c e

F r e e

c o ns ul t a t i o n & Xr a y

I fyouar ecover edbyacompanygr oup medi cali nsur ance pl easef eelf r eet ocont actus uoumayqual i f yf orcover ageand wai vedcopayment .

LOCAL PAGE 24

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

TUESDAY, JULY 19, 2016

‘Surujbally must go!’ – PPP continues protest action The Opposition People’s Progressive Party (PPP) is continuing its protest action against the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), calling for its Chairman, Dr Steve Surujbally to resign. The ousted Party maintains that the May 11, 2015 general and regional elections were rigged under the stewardship of Dr Surujbally. Central and Executive Member of the PPP/C Neil Kumar stated that the protest will continue as long as it takes for the Elections Petition to be heard in the High Court. He also noted that there are several protests of similar nature which is being held across Guyana. Kumar reiterated his Party’s view that it is illegal for GECOM to share information which is on its database with government ministries. In June 24, 2015, the PPP filed an election petition with the High Court, questioning the validity of the May 11 General and Regional Elections, while asking the court to grant a number of orders including the nullification of the elections as well as an order for new elections to be held. The petition was filed by former Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister Anil Nandlall, on behalf of the applicant, PPP/C Executive Member Ganga Persaud, under the National Assembly (Validity of Elections) Act Chapter 1:04, and names as the defendants on the petition – Chief Elections Officer (CEO) of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) Keith Lowenfield, and the representatives of the List of Candidates for all eight parties that

Two of the Protestors outside of GECOM

contested the recently concluded election. In the petition, Persaud asks the court to “determine and declare that the whole of the electoral process was so flawed, contained so many procedural errors and so many instances of fraudulent and/or suspicions actions that the results that have been derived from the process cannot be credibly deemed to represent accurately the will of the electorate.”-By- Ronald Singh, Guyana Daily News.

Protest outside of GECOM

LOCAL PAGE 25

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

TUESDAY, JULY 19, 2016

3 years jail for labourer caught with ganja Vilbert Peters on Tuesday appeared before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan, charged with having in his possession 110 grams of cannabis with the intent of trafficking. The court heard that the incident occurred on= July 17, 2016 at St. Ignatius Village Central Rupununi. Peters’ who was unrepresented, pleaded guilty to the charge and was sentenced to three years imprisonment and a fine of GY$142,000. On the day in question at St. Ignatius Village, Central Rupununi, police officers were on patrol in the area when they noticed the 28-year-old defendant appear out of the bushes pushing a bicycle with a black haversack tied to it. They stopped him and conducted a search on his person and haversack at which point they found a black plastic bag which contained leaves, seeds and stems, suspected to be cannabis. Upon his arrest, he told ranks that he “was carrying it for his friend.” In mitigation to the crime, Peters who is a labourer, said that he had done some work for a man in the area and

went to obtain his payment; however the man made him aware that he did not have enough money and proceeded to pay him in the said narcotics.-ByJarred Singh, Guyana Daily News.

Carpenter charged with conspiring to traffic cocaine Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan on Monday Singh, Guyana Daily News. remanded Shemar Boris until August 15, 2016 for the offense of conspiring with Pratima Isaacs to traffic 698 grams of cocaine out of Guyana through the Cheddi Jagan International Airport between March 1, 2016 and July 3, 2016. Boris, who was represented by Attorney Fung-a-Fat, pleaded not guilty to the charge stating that he has never seen the woman in his life; however the prosecutor said that the woman is willing to testify. The court heard that the woman gave a detail description of the defendant which indicates that she knows him. The defence lawyer applied for bail, but it was objected to by the prosecution, which pointed out that the man is a flight risk. It was noted that he travels frequently to Trinidad and Tobago where he works as a Carpenter. Pratima Isaacs was on July 6, 2916 sentenced to three years imprisonment and fined $1.8M by Magistrate Daley after she pleaded guilty to trafficking 698 grams of cocaine in the handle of a straw bag and inside sanitary pads. -By- Jarred

LOCAL PAGE 26

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

TUESDAY, JULY 19, 2016

GRA denies appointment of new Commissioner General The Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) has denied reports which appeared in some sections of the media that the Board has appointed Godfrey Statia as the new Commissioner General. The Guyana Daily News contacted officials at the GRA who stated that they are not aware of Statia’s appointment. However, Mr. Statia has been tipped for the top spot at the entity. He is a Public Accountant and Attorney-at-Law and is also the former General Manager at the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company in the late 1990s. He subsequently became a consultant there. He was a onetime Deputy Head of the Inland Revenue Department before the formation of the GRA. Mr. Statia is a Certified Public Accountant and Personal Financial More recently, he served on a Guyana governmentSpecialist specializing in individual and small appointed tax review committee. business accounting, taxation and financial planning.

EU-CARIFORUM workshop on procurement launched Minister within the Ministry of Finance Jaipaul Sharma, has declared a one day training workshop open on public procurement. The workshop is being held by the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board in collaboration with CARIFORUM. The one- day level 1 training program will focus on public awareness on areas such as public procurement and trade facilitation in the context of the implementation of the CARIFORUM-EU Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA). It will also focus on key concepts and guiding principles of public procurement, significance of public procurement to nationbuilding, traverse procurement themes, the International trade dimension of public procurement and tips for doing business with the state. The Minister in his opening remarks stressed the need to focus on procurement in Guyana, since it is a stimulus to the economy. The Minister stated that public procurement makes up a significant part of the economy, it accounts for 27% of the country’s GDP. He noted that the national budget for 2017 is expected to be passed in early January. He also opined that the Ministry is hoping to open its procurement market to international bidders; this he noted will reduce corrupt practices and improve transparency. The Minster noted that the EU procurement market is one of the most opened market in the world, while pointing out that the Procurement Bill is currently before the National Assembly, since the previous Government found it difficult to pass the Bill -By- Ronald Singh, Guyana Daily News.

The gathering at the CARIFORUM-EU Workshop held at the Hermanston Lodge today

Minister within the Ministry of Finance Jaipaul Sharma and Berkley Wickham- Head of Tender Board, Ministry of Finance

LOCAL PAGE 27

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

TUESDAY, JULY 19, 2016

PPP hosts public awareness on BREXIT The People’s Progressive Party held a public lecture on Monday about the implications of BREXIT to Guyana and the region as a whole. At the event which was held at Red House, British High Commission to Guyana Gregory Quinn noted that there will be no implications for Guyana with regards to Britain leaving the European Union (EU).

He noted that BREXIT was not a decision the Government of the day wanted; however the majority of the people of Britain voted for the Referendum. The British High Commissioner noted that Britain is here to stay, while pointing out that the issue of trading arrangement with CARICOM will have to be sorted out. Presently the trading arrangement that CARICOM has with Britain is based on the trading agreements with the EU. Mr. Quinn however is optimistic that arrangements will be put in place to continue trading. The EU-Guyana cooperation strategy for the period 2008-2013, focuses mainly on macro-economic support, support to the sugar industry and coastal management. At the regional level, the Caribbean was pioneer in signing, in October 2008, the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) between the Caribbean Forum (CARIFORUM countries) and the EU, a framework to help make trade, investment and development assistance easier for all parties, in particular

promoting regional integration. Guyana is a signatory of the EPA and ratified the agreement on May 19, 2012.

Meanwhile, the EU is CARIFORUM’s second largest trading partner, after the US. In 2011, trade between the two regions topped €8 billion. In 2013, CARIFORUM ran a trade deficit with the EU of some €0.8 billion. In other words, CARIFORUM countries exported €0.8 billion less in goods and services to the EU than they imported from the EU.-By- Ronald Singh, Guyana Daily News.

PPP General secretary, Clement Rohee flanked by British High Commissioner, Greg Quinn and Robeson Benn

Contractor charged for making false declaration Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan on Tuesday released Claymont Reid on GY$100,000 bail after he was charged with willingly making a false declaration whilst leaving Guyana on June 6, 2016. It was explained that on the said date Reid answered “no” to

question five on the declaration form saying that he was not carrying any amount of currency equal or equivalent to US$10,000. It is alleged that the 37-yearold contractor and father of three was in possession of $137,135 Trinidadian currency which converts to US$20,498.69. Attorney Paul Fung-a-Fat represented the man who pleaded not guilty to the charge. Reid will return to court on September 8, 2016 for the commencement of trial. -By- Jarred Singh, Guyana Daily News.

REGIONAL PAGE 28

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

TUESDAY, JULY 19, 2016

Guyanese woman dies in St Lucia car crash [St Lucia News Online] - Tanza Campell of Corinth was the fatal victim identified by the police, of a tragic accident taken place at La Toc roundabout in Castries, Saint Lucia on Monday. The victim was driving a Suzuki swift vehicle, registration PK1031 when this one started spinning and finally crashed into the Castries Harbour. The victim was driving with a female passenger. Witnesses of the sinister declared that after the crash a women scream was heard and two males run to the rescue, pulling out the screaming lady, when returning for Ms. Campel was unresponsive.

When the medical help reached she was reportedly pronounced dead. Ms. Campel was a Guyanese National, a mother of one and a worker of KMZ Solutions Saint Lucia.

Workers of the company shared an emotive post on Facebook saying: “Today, tragically, we lost a true friend, a close colleague and a wonderful leader. Our thoughts and prayers are with her family and relatives and of course, the entire KM2 family. We lost a great soul in Tanza Campbell.

We will miss her. Sail on in peace!”

Tanza Campbell (St Lucia New Online photo)

No decision taken yet Government has not made any final decision regarding the Government Assistance for Tuition Expenses (GATE) programme. Advising that final recommendations will be made public within the next week- and-a-half, Education Minister Anthony Garcia is again urging potential university entrants to move ahead with plans to apply as normal. Contacted for an update following yesterday’s meeting of the Finance and General Purposes Committee (FNGP), Garcia confirmed that GATE was “among the issues discussed.” Pressed to speak about the meeting, Garcia added: “Cabinet is reviewing the recommendations with a view to deciding whether we are going to accept them or if we are going to reject the recommendations or vary or modify any of them.”Last Thursday, Garcia presented a copy of the 70-page task force report to all members of the Cabinet, following which it was leaked to the media. Adding he was pursuing an investigation into the leak, Garcia said: “I have now returned from the sub-committee meeting where it was looked at. Again, there are somethings we have to have further discussions on. It is not yet ready to be released to the general public, probably in the next week-and-a-half.” In a release yesterday, Garcia stressed that they were awaiting Cabinet’s decision on the recommendations put forward by the GATE Task Force. Concerned and vexed over the leak, Garcia said the report was presented in two parts to Cabinet on July 14 but despite that, he has sought to reassure the student population that the recommendations put forward by the task force were not yet final. He added: “It is common knowledge that there are

inefficiencies in the GATE programme and the ministry saw it fit to embark on an exercise to review the process.

“We needed to be presented with feasible solutions, hence, the production of a report was commissioned. The report has been submitted and is yet to be considered by the ministry’s higher authority. “As it stands at present, any views on the issue are solely those of the report makers and not the ministry as no final decision has been made.”(Trinidad Guardian)

Anthony Garcia

REGIONAL PAGE 29

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

TUESDAY, JULY 19, 2016

Occah plans to sue PM Rowley Former House Speaker Occah Seapaul is contemplating legal action against Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley for allegations made by him that she was placed under house arrest in 1995 because she had publicly declared she was going to suspend other government members of Parliament following the suspension of Diego Martin Central MP Ken Valley, thereby reducing the government’s majority in the Parliament.

Rowley told the media last Thursday “we were not going to allow Speaker Seapaul to remove the mandate of a government that we earned from an election.” He explained that “she took it on herself to reduce the government majority so that the Government would fall. She suspended Ken Valley and said the next time the Parliament reopens, she would suspend, me (Rowley), (Wendell) Motley and (Keith) Sobion. “We took action as a government to protect ourselves from being suspended from Parliament by a Speaker who had gone rogue,” he added.

But Seapaul is denying she ever indicated to anyone she had planned further suspensions following the suspension of Valley. She told the GML Enterprise Desk: “Dr Rowley is going to be very hard pressed to find any evidence of such an indication or declaration because I never made any such declaration and I never intended to put anybody out of the House.” She said it was only when Dr Rowley spoke last week that “I realised what motivated then, this untruth that I was going to move these men out.” She laughed heartily when she reflected on Rowley saying she planned to remove Wendell Mottley. She asked: “How his name come up here? I can’t imagine how Dr Rowley came up with these names. I don’t know... somebody, somewhere concocted a story. I had absolutely no quarrel with these four people. Why would I have put them out of the House?” Seapaul recalled that prior to the state of emergency and her house arrest Sobion and then education Minister Augustus Ramrekersingh had come to her and told her the Prime Minister wanted her to vacate the chair. She said: “I had very good relationships with both of them. I told them I am sorry I am not stepping down because I did nothing wrong.” Seapaul is of the view that the then prime minister Patrick Manning who went to the acting President Emmanuel Carter to declare a limited state of emergency

acted on the basis of hearsay. She said: “You don’t willy-nilly put people out of the House.

It is now abundantly clear to me that whatever they went and presented to the President for the issue of the warrant were false allegations based on false premises.” She said she had never been able to defend herself because everything that was said about her back then was under the cloak of parliamentary privilege “but 20 years later he is still perpetuating these falsehoods against me again. These are lies. A complete fabrication by person or persons for whatever means.”

Seapaul said she was now weighing her legal options because “20 years ago I could not have taken action because everything was said in Parliament and there was parliamentary privilege but 20 years later they still perpetuating these falsehoods against me. I now have to determine what to do. So I ask for legal redress or leave it to the higher universe for redress?” Seapaul said she had been left to wonder why the then President did not ask the relevant questions before agreeing to impose a limited state or emergency. She believes if the substantive president Noor Hassanali was there he would have informed the Prime Minister that one could not act on hearsay evidence. “As a former judge he would have asked if there was sworn testimony. Is there any affidavit sworn by people saying yes I heard her say she is going to remove them by virtue of this,” she added. The moves to have her removed, she believed, also stemmed from a court matter involving Victor Jattan. She said if the then government “had lost confidence in me because of what the magistrate said then they could have moved a motion of no confidence against me. That would have been in order and appropriate,” she added.

AUGUST 11, 1995 REVISITED (HANSARD) In August 1995 days after the state of emergency the Parliament met to debate the President’s statement on the state of emergency. Hansard quotes then AG Keith Sobion as saying “the member for St Joseph (Ramrekersingh) and the member for Ortoire/Mayaro (Sobion) were both warned, in no uncertain terms, that the question of their contempt of the Chair was deferred for further consideration. That was on the occasion when prepared scripts and extensive

notes were used in relation to the speaker’s particular problem. What is clear is that there was a course of action taking place in this Parliament over a period of weeks which led one to the reasonable conclusion that action was being contemplated by the presiding officer against Members of this House and particularly against members sitting on the Government benches. Sobion said he had no doubt that the President was concerned by what was taking place in the Parliament and had by Section 8(2)© of the Constitution, analysed the facts and circumstances which existed and had come to a reasonable conclusion and expressed his view in clear and unambiguous language saying: “As a consequence of these events I was satisfied that the public safety was endangered to an extent that warranted the declaration of a state of public emergency.” But there was no indication from the Prime Minister or the then AG as to what evidence would have been put to the President to proclaim the state of emergency. Then opposition leader Basdeo Panday took issue with this, telling the Parliament: “The President accepts that he is going to act on a possible aberration of the Prime Minister; something that he had a dream about, not evidence. “Where is the hard, cold evidence that the Speaker intended similarly to apply contempt charges against other Government ministers? Not a shred of evidence has come out in this Parliament today.“(Trinidad Guardian)

Occah Seapaul

REGIONAL PAGE 30

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

TUESDAY, JULY 19, 2016

Robo was silenced Selwyn “Robocop” Alexis, 51, was murdered because he had pledged to expose the operations of the Unruly Isis gang, their affiliation and close networking with some members of two of the country’s major law enforcement agencies, the T&T Police Service and the T&T Defence Force.

Speaking with the T&T Guardian yesterday, near to where Alexis and two others were killed at Freedom Street, Chaguanas, on Sunday, a close affiliate of Alexis said that just before he was ambushed and killed, he had told a few people of his frustration with the threats and senseless criminal acts carried out by members of the gang. “‘Robo’ (as Alexis was called) tried many times to promote peace again in the community but he was fed up with the constant disrespect he got from those unruly youths, the associate claimed.

“Them show up to be real characters and Robo was ready to put his foot down and talk,” the affiliate said. Alexis, a father of nine, and Kevin Escayg were killed after a group of men, believed to be Unruly Isis members, ambushed them outside Alexis’ carwash. Escayg was killed as he shielded his son, Kirchard Scott, from the bullets.

But Alexis managed to kill one of his attackers, Thomas “Hamza” Sharpe, a known Unruly Isis member who had initially attempted to distract Alexis before the other gang members launched their attack out of a vehicle they had earlier stolen.

Unruly Isis Yesterday, the affiliate said Alexis had firsthand information on how the Unruly Isis operated, who were the “influencers” in the gang and which law enforcement officers for whom they allegedly conducted “petty crimes”. “Alexis had strongly believed that even some members of the media were being manipulated when they only ran what was given to them from some police officers. He found that they weren’t coming into the area to conduct unbiased and independent investigations to get to the bottom of what really was happening here in Enterprise,” the affiliate said. The affiliate was speaking about the spate of murders which occurred in the community earlier this year, forcing police and soldiers to lock down the area for weeks.

It is alleged that the influence of some members of the gang was so far-reaching, that one of Alexis’ close male relatives allegedly

abandoned his care and guidance to join the Unruly Isis. “Robo felt sorry for the youths and how they were being led astray but they were being encouraged by some police officers and soldiers when they were only (allegedly) receiving high-powered assault rifles, high-tech hand guns and ammunition,” the affiliate said. “Robo’s heart went out to them, especially knowing that most of them came from single parent homes also and that was the kind of person that Robo had become.” The T&T Guardian was told that just recently was the first time in all his years of being a Muslim that Alexis observed i’tikaaf during the last ten days of Ramadan, where he stayed in the Enterprise Community Masjid keeping the fast and offering fervent prayers for his family, community and peace in the community. A member of the mosque, who wished not to be identified, said that for some strange reason, Alexis knew that after Eid things were going to get worse in the community. “I feel he knew that he was going to die but I know that he would not have gone down without a fight,” the mosque member said.

Cops detain Imam Helen Lynch, the wife of Alexis’ close friend, Imam Morland Muakyil Abdullah, said yesterday that she knew Alexis was working along with her husband to attempt to restore peace in the community. Ironically, Imam Abdullah, of the Enterprise Mosque in Crown Trace, was taken into police custody at 6 am yesterday. Asked for what reason, Lynch said she was mostly in the dark about it.

“Firstly, the police did not come in any hostile way. They came and spoke to him quietly and nicely and he left with them. I was told that he was needed by Intelligence but then I got a call saying that another set of police officers wanted to talk to him because they think that his life may be in danger somehow as well, following Robo’s murder,” Lynch said.

She and her husband were in the process of planning a one-year anniversary prayer event for her son, Ackmal Lynch, 22, who was also gunned down. Ackmal and his brother were at a construction site in Charlieville last July 22 when gunmen entered and shot them. Aqyil was shot in the leg. “Robo’s killing in this time and my husband’s detention in police custody for the next 72 hours is a setback for us. I am satisfied though, how both of them

worked together to try to bring back peace in the community. It’s a cause both of them fought for and I am sure, willing to die for,” Lynch said. Asked if she was scared for her life and that of her husband, Lynch said she was not. “I used to be very much afraid but after my son got killed I got the strength and I realised that we have to do something to protect others. Brothers are being killed and getting hurt and we need to do something because what they are doing is not right,” she said.

Plea for peace In a tribute to his father yesterday, Alexis’ son, Kerron, said he learned a lot from his father over the years and saw him do everything to try to bring the youths together and for peace.

Alexis’ wife, Bernadette, said to comment on her husband would show her bias and dared the T&T Guardian to go to the older heads in the community to hear their views and opinions about Alexis. “He was the kind of person that helped people in need, especially those who could not have afforded milk and pampers for their babies,” Bernadette said.

Alexis had had several brushes with the law in the past and was reputed to be the leader of a criminal gang himself. But Freedom Street resident, Assraph Ali, 74, described Alexis as a good man. “I knew him for the past 15 years when I moved into the area and I have never known him to be a bad man. I never asked him to do anything for me but he showed me the respect and I knew of people who he helped in one way or the other. It is sad he had to go that way but we need someone now to take over his legacy,” he added.(Trinidad Guardian)

Enterprise resident Assraph Ali remembers the life of Selwyn “Robocop” Alexis yesterday.

PHOTO: DION ROACH

REGIONAL PAGE 31

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

TUESDAY, JULY 19, 2016

UNC ignored us since 2010 over use of Rienzi, says union Since 2010 the All Trinidad General Workers’ Trade Union (ATGWTU ) was trying to negotiate with the UNC over rent issues of the Rienzi Complex in Couva but the party had ignored the union over the years.

So said the union's president, Nirvan Maharaj, to members of the media during a protest at the Ministry of Agriculture, St Clair, yesterday. Saying there was “a lot of misconception” taking place Maharaj added: “Since 2010 the union would have been writing to the UNC to engage with us for a lease arrangement. “The party so far has failed to so do. In fact the party has treated the union with utter disdain and contempt and has never once sat down or responded to any correspondence the union would have sent them concerning a lease arrangement.” Since 2010 the party has been on a month-to-month contract with the union.

“The party had never corresponded with us officially by documentation. I could provide all the documentation to the media that the union would have written to the UNC since 2010. I don’t think the UNC could provide any documentation to the media concerning that issue,” Maharaj said. He added he was shocked when the UNC’s chairman, David Lee, said he had approached the union to negotiate a lease arrangement. The party is now looking for a new headquarters after being served notice to leave the place it has called home for the past 27 years. The UNC had said the monthly rental fee of $25,000 as proposed was too much.

However, Maharaj said he was baffled by that.

“I don’t understand why they could be saying this at all. As an incumbent political party in Government, at the end of the day people fail to understand that before 2010 the UNC enjoyed the use of Rienzi Complex free of charge. “They were actually paying a stipend of $2,500. When we raised the rent to $12,000 they refused to negotiate with us but they paid the rent and out of the historical dynamics of the past we allowed a certain leeway because we hoped that the matter would come to some sort of resolution,” Maharaj added. He said he attended a meeting last month which lasted 15 minutes with Lee. Maharaj said the party said it was not prepared to pay the increase and that it

would be looking for another place. “Having no correspondence from them I had no choice but to issue that eviction notice,” Maharaj added. Rienzi Complex was named after former labour leader Adrian Cola Rienzi. He was the founder of the Oilfields Workers’ Trade Union and the then All Trinidad Sugar Estates and Factory Workers Union. Lee, in a release, had said the union was reluctant to provide the UNC with a long-term lease and subsequently indicated its wish for the party to leave the premises without cause.(Trinidad Guardian)

INTERNATIONAL PAGE 32

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

TUESDAY, JULY 19, 2016

Axe attacker terrifies German train [BBC] - A 17 -year -old Afghan refugee unleashed a bloody attack on a train in southern Germany. Armed with an axe, the young man violently charged at the passengers for no apparent reason. The incident happened at about 21:15 (19:15 GMT) on the train which runs between Treuchlingen and Wurzburg.

Three persons were severely hurt and one suffered minor injuries, police said. Final reports indicate that at least 14 persons were treated for shock “The attacker was a 17-year-old refugee who have been living in the nearby town of Ochsenfurt and appeared to have travelled to Germany as an unaccompanied minor”, Bavarian Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann said. Witnesses mentioned in German media, that the perpetrator during the attack yelled what was identified as "Allahu akbar" or "God Is Great". After an attempt to escape the scene, the boy was shot dead by the authorities.

The reason of the attack is not yet conclusive.

There is tension in the German population after the attacks across the border with France, and the similar attack occurred in May, when an armed man after screaming "Allahu akbar", killed one person and wounded three more in a knife strike, on a

train station near Munich. The perpetrator was later sent to a mental institution, with no links of being part of any Islamic extremist group, as said by the authorities.

The investigation on the possible motive of the attack is ongoing.

The IS-linked Amaq news agency said the teenager was an IS "fighter"(EPA)

IOC studies 'legal options' on Russia ban from Rio Games LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AFP) — The International Olympic Committee said Tuesday it will study "legal options" on banning all Russian athletes from the Rio Games and also ordered a disciplinary commission to look into the role of Russian officials in a state-run doping system. The IOC executive held emergency telephone talks after a World AntiDoping Agency commissioned report said there had been statesanctioned doping at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics and other major events. The IOC "will explore the legal options with regard to a collective ban of all Russian athletes for the Olympic Games 2016 versus the right to individual justice," said a statement. "In this respect, the IOC will have to take the CAS decision on 21 July 2016 concerning the IAAF rules into consideration, as well as the World Anti-Doping Code and the Olympic Charter."(Jamaica Observer) This combination of pictures created on July 19, 2016 shows some of the top Russian athletes that may miss the upcoming 2016 summer Olympics in Rio. Top row, from left: Sergey Shubenkov (men's 110 metres hurdles), Yelena Isinbayeva (women's pole vault), Vladimir Morozov (men's 50-metre freestyle swim), and Yuliya Efimova (women's 100m breaststroke swim). Second row, from left: Sofya Velikaya (Women's sabre), Aliya Mustafina (Artistic Gymnastics), Dmitriy Muserskiy (L) and Dmitriy Ilinykh (men's volleyball), and Evgenia Kanaeva (Rhythmic Gymnastics). (Photo: AFP)

One witness said the train carriage "looked like a slaughterhouse"(EPA)

INTERNATIONAL PAGE 33

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

TUESDAY, JULY 19, 2016

Brexit throws 'spanner in the works' of global growth

T

he International Monetary Fund (IMF) has said the UK's decision to leave the European Union has "thrown a spanner in the works" of its global growth forecast. Instead of predicting 3.2% growth in 2016, the IMF's World Economic Outlook (WEO) now expects only 3.1%. It says the UK will be the worst affected of all the advanced economies. Its 2017 UK growth forecast has been slashed from 2.2% to 1.3% and this year's has been cut from 1.9% to 1.7%. The IMF's global growth forecast for 2017 has also been revised down from 3.5% to 3.4%. Before the referendum vote on 23 June, the IMF says that the global economy had been showing promising signs of growth.

The IMF does not believe that fears over an economic downturn have passed.

But, now the vote has been taken, now the Bank of England has made it clear it stands ready to loosen monetary policy further to support growth, now the government has signalled it could be willing to borrow more at ultra-low interest rates to invest, the hit to confidence (that essential economic driver) may not be as severe as some believed. "The first half of 2016 revealed some promising signs, for example, stronger than expected growth in the euro area and Japan, as well as a partial recovery in commodity prices that helped several emerging and developing economies," Maury Obstfeld, IMF Economic Counsellor and Director of the

Research Department said in a statement. "As of June 22, we were therefore prepared to upgrade our 2016-17 global growth projections slightly.

"But Brexit has thrown a spanner in the works."

The IMF says that while the effects of Brexit are greatest in the UK, there is not enough information available to make a full assessment of its impact. A UK Treasury spokeswoman said: "The decision to leave the European Union marks a new phase for the British economy, but the message we take to the world is this: our country remains open for business. We are the same outwardlooking, globally-minded, big-thinking country we have always been." The IMF also highlights the stresses that Brexit may cause within the European banking system, particularly in Italy and Portugal. It says: "The Brexit vote implies a substantial increase in economic, political, and institutional uncertainty, which is projected to have negative macroeconomic consequences, especially in advanced European economies." However Mr Obstfeld added: "The real effects of Brexit will play out gradually over time, adding elements of economic and political uncertainty that could be resolved only after many months. “This overlay of extra uncertainty, in turn, may open the door to an amplified response of financial markets to negative shocks." The IMF has produced two other set of predictions, a "moderately worse" one, and another that is "much worse", depending on how hard the UK finds it to reestablish trading relations with the EU and the rest of the world.

The "much worse" scenario would see global growth slow to 2.8% this year and next. But Mr Obstfeld said: "The main reason we place less weight on these alternative scenarios, especially the more severe one, is that financial markets have proven resilient in the weeks after the referendum, re-pricing in an orderly fashion to absorb the news."(BBC)

INTERNATIONAL

GUYANA DAILY NEWS Man knifes mother and three daughters at French holiday park PAGE 34

TUESDAY, JULY 19, 2016

A woman and her three daughters have been attacked by a knifewielding man at a holiday camp in the south of France, French media report. All four were wounded, and the youngest of the victims was given emergency surgery because of her wounds. A man, 37, was arrested trying to leave the scene in a vehicle after the attack, which happened around 09:30 local time (07:30 GMT) near Sisteron. Local prosecutor Raphael Balland said the motive was still "very vague". The mother, 46, and her daughters aged eight, 12 and 14 were regular visitors to the holiday camp at Garde-Colombe and had been having breakfast when they came under attack. All four were taken to hospital and the youngest suffered a punctured lung, reports said.

According to authorities, the suspect in custody was of Moroccan origin and had been staying on the site with his own family next door to the victims. Although he had been in trouble with police many years ago, reports said there was no indication of a religious link to the case. Unconfirmed reports suggested he had objected to the light clothing worn by his victims but Mr Balland said "it's all rumour, the man's not said anything".(BBC)

Chinese tourists die in Taiwan bus fire At least 26 people have died after a tour bus caught fire in Taiwan's Taoyuan city, according to local officials. The bus smashed into a roadside barrier on a national highway and caught fire, Taiwan's Central News Agency (CNA) reported. It had been bringing the group of Chinese tourists to Taoyuan Airport to catch a flight back to Dalian. Officials said there were 24 tourists on board plus a local guide and driver. "The fire moved very fast. All 26 The tour bus had been bringing the group died," Lu Jui-yao, an official with the National of Chinese tourists to Taoyuan Airport to Highway Police Bureau told Reuters. Pictures catch a flight back to Dalian(EPA) from the scene showed thick black smoke and flames engulfing the bus.The cause of the crash, shortly before 13:00 (05:00 GMT), was not immediately known. Taiwan authorities are still investigating. Taiwanese cabinet spokesman Tung Chen-yuan said tourism government officials had reached out to their mainland counterparts and would arrange for relatives of the victims to come to Taiwan.(BBC) Officials said there were 24 tourists on board plus a local guide and driver

INTERNATIONAL

GUYANA DAILY NEWS South Sudan conflict: African Union approves regional force PAGE 35

African leaders have backed plans to deploy regional troops to South Sudan after recent fighting between rival forces left hundreds of people dead. Soldiers for the African Union (AU) force are to come from Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Sudan and Uganda. A 12,000-strong UN peacekeeping force is already in the country, but the AU force would have a stronger mandate, officials say. South Sudan's government says it is opposed the deployment of the force. "We are not ready for a deployment of even a single additional soldier," South Sudan's Information Minister, Michael Makuei Lueth, told the BBC's Focus on Africa radio programme. "That does not solve the problem." President Salva Kiir and his rival, Vice-President Riek Machar, announced a ceasefire last week. Clashes over several days between troops loyal to the two men had threatened a recent peace deal. "The UN doesn't have the mandate to impose peace," the AFP news agency quoted AU Peace and Security Commissioner Smail Chergui as saying at the AU summit in Rwanda's capital, Kigali. "They are there where there is peace to keep. African troops are ready to engage in very difficult situations." He explained that the mission would be similar to the deployment of a 3,000-strong special force that took on the M23 rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2013.

Over the weekend, UN chief Ban Ki-moon expressed his support for the AU deployment. But Mr Lueth blamed the recent fighting on the peace deal which, he said, was imposed on the country by regional mediators. "As a sovereign state… this thing cannot be imposed on us without our consent," he said, adding that it would not "serve the interests of the people of South Sudan". A new challenge for the AU: Analysis by Tomi Oladipo, BBC Monitoring Africa security correspondent President Kiir will be hoping that the

AU troops will have a more robust mandate than the 12,000-strong UN force(AFP)

TUESDAY, JULY 19, 2016

African Union shelves its plan to deploy troops in South Sudan as it did in the case of Burundi. So far the continental body has only sent forces in at the request of the state in need.

Theoretically it can intervene against a nation's wishes, which is part of the remit of the new rapid-response African Standby Force. The AU has a history of talking tough but so far has been unable to rein in problematic African leaders. It is also struggling to fund its operations - so taking on a new intervention force, reliant on external support, will only add to its challenges. The AU wants to model this new force on the Force Intervention Brigade sent to eastern DR Congo to battle rebel groups. That was a collaboration involving the AU, the UN and the Southern African Development Community. The force defeated the M23 rebels after some 800,000 people had fled their homes during their insurgency.

Mr Kiir's troops make up the majority in and around the capital, Juba, contrary to the terms of the peace agreement with the opposition. So it would be a huge challenge for the AU force to attempt to call them to order, but it would provide a buffer to the outnumbered troops on Mr Machar's side, whose whereabouts following the recent fighting remains unclear. It seems a disagreement at a checkpoint between rival soldiers led to a shootout on the evening of 7 July in which five soldiers died. This quickly escalated into serious fighting the next day and over the following weekend. Tensions have been high since April, when Mr Machar returned to Juba under a peace deal following a twoyear civil war. He took a 1,300-strong protection force with him and they were supposed to start joint patrols with forces loyal to President Kiir. But a lack of trust between the two sides meant the patrols had not begun. A ceasefire agreed last week is holding. But the two-year civil war started after clashes between rival soldiers in Juba and degenerated into nationwide conflict in which tens of thousands died. The war was fought broadly between South Sudan's biggest ethnic groups - the Dinka, led by Mr Kiir, and the Nuer, under Mr Machar. The international community played a major role in the creation of South Sudan and has tried to exercise some influence since independence in 2011. The East African regional group, which brokered the peace deal, is behind the plans for a robust regional force to be deployed. Many foreign nationals have been evacuated because of the most recent unrest.(BBC)

INTERNATIONAL PAGE 36

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

TUESDAY, JULY 19, 2016

Syria conflict: Rebels filmed 'beheading boy' in Aleppo Videos have emerged online that appear to show Syrian rebels taunting and then beheading a boy they say is a captured Palestinian pro-government fighter. One video shows five men posing with the frightened child, who could be as young as 10, in the back of a truck. One of the men grips him by the hair. The same man is later filmed apparently cutting the boy's head off.

The incident is reported to have taken place in Handarat, north of Aleppo, where there has been heavy fighting. The area is the location of the unofficial Palestinian refugee camp of Ein El Tal, which was home to some 7,000 people before they were displaced by armed groups in 2013. Pro-government forces have been attempting to capture Handarat in recent weeks, as part of an offensive that has seen the last remaining road out of rebel-held eastern half of Aleppo cut, trapping an estimated 300,000 people living there. The footage of the boy, who some on social media identified as "Abdullah Issa", first appeared online on Tuesday morning. The men in the first video say he is a fighter from Liwa al-Quds (the Jerusalem Brigade), a Palestinian pro-government militia operating in the Aleppo area. Enab Baladi, a pro-opposition news website, said the boy was captured in Handarat by members of a local rebel group, the Nour al-Din al-Zinki Movement. It quoted Yasser Ibrahim Youssef, a member of the group's political bureau, as saying on Facebook that an independent judicial commission had been appointed to investigate the incident. Anyone proven to have been involved in any violations would be referred to military

justice, he added. A legal adviser for the Western-backed Free Syrian Army was also cited by Enab Baladi as saying it would hold to account those responsible for such a violation. A report published by the human rights group Amnesty International earlier this month detailed a series of violations allegedly committed by Nour al-Din al-Zinki Movement fighters, including abductions and torture. The group is reported to have benefited from financial and military support from the US, UK, France, Turkey, Qatar and other Gulf Arab states in the past.(BBC)

The boy was reportedly captured during fighting on Tuesday in Handarat, north of Aleppo(REUTERS)

DELI SH

DELI SH

CHI CKEN+ TOMATO FLAVOR

VEGETABLEFLAVOR

DELI SH

DELI SH

TOMATOFLAVOR

GARLI CONI ON WI THTHYM

CUBES

CUBES

CUBES

CUBES

L OT8RUI MVE L DT , I NDUST RI A LE ST A T EGE ORGE T OWN| T E L #: 2 2 31 034 / 2 2 31 035E MA I L : SUP E RF OODSGY .

COM

LOCAL PAGE 39

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

WEDNESDAY, JULY 20, 2016

City Hall moves in on containers; clamps down on owners City Hall yesterday barred container trucks from exiting onto roadways by means of barricades from the John Fernandes Limited wharf and Muneshwers wharf Georgetown, unless they agreed to pay the $25,000 container tax which was introduced by Mayor and City Council. The continuous enforcement of the fees comes as a surprise to businesses as only last week a Magistrate dismissed several cases which were levied against businessmen for refusal to pay the stated amount.

Businessmen continue to lament the fees saying that by enforcing its, the Mayor along with her council are causing businesses to be at a lost and as such they are driving away business from the country especially in a time where the economy is not seeing the greatest profits. Along with the businessmen whose containers are being held, the owners of the wharves are also bemoaning the actions of the City Council saying that they are unable to do anything about the barricades that are lodged outside of their compounds which is causing a major buildup of traffic and causing storage spaces to become limited since there are multiple boats of containers coming into the country on a daily basis. Town Clerk, Royston King reported that the move is aimed at commencing repair works to the roads. At the scene yesterday, Assistant Town Clerk, Sherry Jerrick noted that the council was invoking Sections 273/74 of

the city by-laws “with respect to the use of roads by vehicles of a certain weight”. City Constables proceeded to place barricades outside the entrances of Muneshwers and John Fernandes Limited on Water Street, leaving company officials baffled at the move by the council. “We have the right and authority to charge fees and this is what we are doing in this particular point of time”, he said. “It’s not getting the containers really, it’s really getting to do maintenance works, critical works to our roadways in the city,” the Town Clerk told reporters. -ByJarred Singh, Guyana Daily News.

LOCAL PAGE 40

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

WEDNESDAY, JULY 20, 2016

Fire breaks out at Woodlands Hospital A fire threatened the Woodlands Hospital building By- Jarred Singh, Guyana Daily News. located at Carmichael Street, Georgetown this morning, sending staff in panic mode. This newspaper understands that the fire reportedly started in the Generator Room which is located to the rear of the building at approximately 10:45h. Reports indicate that the staff however managed to contain the fire to the single room, while firefighters were on the way. When the Guyana Fire Service arrived on the scene there was minimal work to be done. Patients at the hospital were not required to be evacuated as the day to day running The Guyana Fire Service of the hospital continued without much hesitation. - outside of the Woodlands Hospital

Minister Ally receives 60 more bicycles for ‘Five Bs’ programme Georgetown, Guyana – (July 20, 2016) Minister of Social Cohesion, Ms. Amna Ally, this morning, received a gift of 60 bicycles from the Guyana Bahamas Association that will be distributed under President David Granger’s Boats, Buses, Bicycles plus Breakfast and Books (‘Five Bs’) programme. Mr. Deavindra Jagroo, who is based in The Bahamas and is the immediate past president of the Guyana Bahamas Association, said when he heard of the programme he felt compelled to assist and took the idea to his group. “I know it will take the President’s initiative

Mr. Deavindra Jagroo points out a particular feature on one of the bicycles to Minister of Social Cohesion, Ms. Amna Ally, this morning, at the Ministry of the Presidency.

forward,” said Mr. Jagroo, who was accompanied by his wife Ms. Devi Jagroo. Minister Ally thanked Mr. Jagroo and the Association for their public-spiritedness. “I trust that we can have more people like you coming forward to support the programme,” she said. In an invited comment, Mr. Jagroo said that under his tenure the Association purchased 60 bicycles, with a view of providing 100 to the programme. The first batch of 20 bicycles will be handed over to the Ministry on Tuesday, July 26, 2016.

LOCAL PAGE 41

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

WEDNESDAY, JULY 20, 2016

Mother of 13 charged with neglect The 35-year-old mother of the three sisters who were found abandoned last week, has been charged with three counts of neglect. She appeared before Magistrate Alex Moore at the Sisters Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday, where she pleaded not guilty to the charge and was released on $150,000 bail. It is alleged that on July 19, at Edinburgh Village, East Bank Berbice, she willfully contributed to her children, aged 7, 5 and 10 respectively, being in need of protective intervention and omitted to do so, thereby causing harm to the respective children. It was reported that the three sisters were found sleeping on the seawalls by welfare officials last week after they were reportedly beaten and thrown out of the house by their step-father. The sisters also claimed that they were raped multiple times by the step-father. The mother told the court that she is currently a domestic employee and a mother of 13 children, four of whom live with her including a three-month-old infant.

Police Inspector Phillip Sherrif, prosecuting, objected to pre-trial liberty, accentuating the gravity of the felony. The Magistrate however overruled his objection pointing that he did not find grounds for an objection to granting bail. -By- Rocio Perez, Guyana Daily News.

GTT optimistic about Telecoms Bill; wants level playing field Chief Executive Officer of telecommunications giant, GTT, Justin Nedd says that the company welcomes the passage of the Telecommunications Bill in the National Assembly on Monday last. At a press conference on Wednesday morning, the CEO noted that the passage of the Bill will bring positive economic benefits for the citizens of Guyana. He also stated that this new law will bring better service to the people of Guyana after some 25 years of GTT monopoly in the sector. He noted that with the passage of the Bill, citizens can now have accelerated learning with faster internet speed and also cheaper rates for overseas calls. The CEO also stated that with the liberalization, it will provide clarity on how GTT operates.

GTT is looking forward to immediate negotiations with the Government on adjustments of the rates and development of new regulations for the entire sector. The CEO wants a level playing field. The Telecommunications Bill has journeyed through years of intense deliberations and consultations, particularly with the two main mobile service providers in the country -– the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GTT) and Digicel Guyana. The bill seeks to create a competitive regime in the telecommunications sector by providing for an open,

liberalised and competitive sector that would be attractive to new market entrants and investors while preserving the activities of the current participants. As it is, the bill is expected to result in greater choice, better quality of service, and lower prices to consumers. It also specifically addresses the expansion of telecommunication networks and services into unserved and under-served areas through the institution of new universal access/universal service programmes in an effort to further national, regional, social and economic development. -BY- Ronald Singh, Guyana Daily News.

LOCAL PAGE 42

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

WEDNESDAY, JULY 20, 2016

Guyana and Denmark to further strengthen relationsnew Danish Ambassador to Guyana accredited Denmark in addressing common global challenges. Guyana is committed to continuing to be actively engaged on global issues, such as the mitigation of the adverse effects of climate change, with the aim of finding sustainable solutions. Guyana ratified the Paris Agreement on May 20, this year. Guyana is committed, also, to realising, through international cooperation and national developmental initiatives, the ambitious objectives which we have set ourselves as part of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development,” President Granger said.The President said that Denmark is an international bellwether in the development of sustainable energy and as Guyana pushes ahead in its drive for a ‘green’ economy, the country looks forward to working closely with Denmark to advance cooperation for the development of the renewable energy sector. “Guyana, like Denmark, is a small, low-lying, coastal state. We are keen to learn from Denmark’s experience with community energy models, which can guide our own path towards the implementation of our own national ‘green’ agenda… We are committed, unreservedly, to the principles and purposes enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, especially those with regard to the settlement of all international disputes by peaceful means and for the avoidance of the threat, or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any State,” he said. Mr. Christensen will be based in Brasilia, Brazil and replaces Ambassador Svend Roed Nielsen. The Cooperative Republic of Guyana and the Newly accredited Danish Ambassador to Guyana, Kingdom of Denmark established diplomatic relations on Mr. Kim Højlund Christensen November 16, 1979. Mr. Robin Mark Sievewright Stoby is the Honorary Consul of Denmark in Guyana. share a long-standing relationship marked by mutual respect and friendship. He added that he will work to ensure that the relationship continues to bloom. “It is my fervent hope that I would succeed in my endeavours to promote further, the good relations between our two countries. Denmark and Guyana have both continued to show that they can come together on important global decisions. This was demonstrated by the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals in New York last September and by the Climate Change Agreement in December. Our countries show an interest in ensuring strong and multilateral organisational frameworks for dealing with the challenges of globalisation. We also share a common interest in the achievement of a green economy,” he said. Welcoming the Ambassador to Guyana, President Granger said that the relations between the two countries have been characterised by the principles of mutual respect, mutual non-interference in each other’s internal affairs and cooperation for mutual benefit.

Ambassador Christensen stands at attention Guyana, he said, recalls with appreciation, the agreement as members of the Guyana Defence Force hoist signed in 2004 cancelling Guyana’s commercial debt to the National Flags of the two countries Denmark. “We look forward to continued cooperation with Georgetown, Guyana – (July 20, 2016) President David Granger, this morning, at the Ministry of the Presidency, accepted Letters of Credence from Ambassador Kim Højlund Christensen, accrediting him as Non-resident Ambassador of the Kingdom of Denmark to Guyana. During the ceremony, President Granger and Ambassador Christensen committed to ensuring that the existing friendly relations between the two countries are further strengthened for the benefit of both nations. Ambassador Christensen said that Guyana and Denmark share common areas of interest. The two nations also

LOCAL PAGE 43

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

WEDNESDAY, JULY 20, 2016

Styrofoam based products will not be processed by GRA The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has noted that the ban on Styrofoam products, which is enforced by law, will see the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) refusing to process any product which are found to be Styrofoam based. This is being done in collaboration with the GRA, Bureau of Standards, the Institute of Applied Science and Technology and the Private Sector Commission.

Penalities 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. It was reported to this newspaper that at the recent Ministerial visit to the mining Town of Linden which was organized by the Ministry of the Presidency, it was evident that Styrofoam boxes was

used to serve food to participants by the Ministry. It is also alleged that this product is being smuggled across the border from Suriname. -By- Ronald Singh, Guyana Daily News.

LOCAL PAGE 44

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

WEDNESDAY, JULY 20, 2016

Region 2 residents lambaste GTT for poor service Residents on the Essequibo Coast have complained bitterly about the sloppy services provided by GTT. Residents who are using the broadband and telephone services are seriously affected by sudden and long disruption. The frequent disruptions of telephone and internet services means that there is no reliable means to communicate with friends and family in the outside world. After two decades and a half the telecommunication industry in Guyana, region 2 in particular is facing a full range of challenges and are fed up of the excuses from the management of GTT. When asked if GTT will up their game with the passage of the Telecommunications Bill, CEO of GTT Justin Nedd told a news conference on Wednesday that the company will provide improved services to the residents on the Essequibo Coast. He also noted that GTT’s competitor will have to see if it is feasible to do business on the Essequibo Coast. The CEO is asking for an additional couple of months along with the 25 years that has passed to sort things out for the residents there. -By- Ronald Singh, Guyana Daily News.

Woman arrested for allegedly trafficking teenage daughter, friend A woman was arrested earlier today at the Eugene F. Correira Airport at Ogle, after returning from Baramita, Massive corruption Region 1. The woman whose only name was given as ‘Koreen’ was arrested after she is suspected of trafficking discovered at GPL of her 15-year-old daughter and her 17-year-old friend.

Information reaching the Guyana Daily News has revealed that the woman resides in South Ruimveldt, Georgetown where she owns a shop. The arrest comes after the Guyana Police Force together with the Ministry of Social Protection conducted a raid in Baramita. The woman is in police custody at the CID headquarters where she is giving statements and aiding in investigations. -By- Jarred Singh, Guyana Daily News.

Reports reaching the Guyana Daily News has revealed that a massive corruption ring has been unearthed at the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) Inc. A customer of the entity reported to this newspaper that she made a part payment on her June bill last week but when she went to make her final payment, she was told that she had not paid any money.

Upon further investigation, it was alleged that the cashiers had placed the money in her own account. A source close to the issue revealed that there is a massive corruption ring ongoing in that section of GPL, whereby the cashiers would put monies of unsuspecting victims into the accounts of their friends and families. Chairman of the Board of Directors of GPL, Robert Badal, upon assuming the post recently, had committed to tackling corruption within the entity. Badal, who is also the owner of Pegaus Hotel, had emphasised that stringent steps must be taken to increase the company’s efficiency. -By- Ronald Singh, Guyana Daily News.

REGIONAL PAGE 45

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

WEDNESDAY, JULY 20, 2016

43 firms bid to build Tobago’s desal plant A total of 43 local and foreign companies have expressed an interest to build and operate Tobago’s first million-dollar desalination plant at the Cove Industrial Estate. So said Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA) chairman, Romney Thomas, yesterday. Of the 43, Thomas added, many were local firms while several came from North America and Europe. Earlier this year, WASA invited expressions of interest to build and operate the plant at the mushrooming Cove Industrial Estate at Canoe Bay. WASA chose the cove since it has a power plant, was near to the sea and close to its water mains so that the essential element could be easily pumped into its mains for distribution. Refusing to identify the companies that expressed an interest, Thomas said WASA would now move full speed ahead to get the plant up and running. In March, Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley agreed that WASA, as a matter of urgency, would build a desalination facility to provide a sustained water supply for Tobago. For a decade Tobagonians have been hearing about plans in the pipeline for a desalination plant but nothing came to fruition. Trinidad has two desalination plants at Pt Lisas and Pt Fortin which are operated by Desalcott on the basis of build, own and operate. The Point Lisas plant produces just about 50 million gallons of water a day. It transforms sea water into potable water. “We will definitely follow through with that policy set out by the Government and the Prime Minister,” Thomas assured in a telephone interview. With a growing demand for water in Tobago, Thomas said WASA between February and March sent out an invitation for the expressions of interest for the plant to be constructed and operated. Thomas said the next stage was for WASA to send out tenders so companies could submit bids for the project. He said the company that was awarded the contract must have a proven track record and experience in building and operating a desalination plant. “We are hoping that the award will be finalised before the end of the year and construction of the plant, from start to finish, would take 18 months.” Thomas said the successful company would only be paid for the water it produced. “The higher the

volume of water it produces WASA would pay less water rates and vice versa,” he added. He could not say what would be the cost to build the plant. “When the tenders go out we would know the price range,” he explained. WASA currently produces 9.5 million gallons of water daily in Tobago. Construction of the plant will ramp up production to an additional five million gallons to WASA’s system. Though WASA has faced some challenges with its water distribution, Thomas said it has improved its service this year, compared to its acute shortages last year. “This year, while there were some challenges, we have brought three new wells on line for our drilling programme.

The shortages have not been so acute. We have also stepped up delivery of water trucking,” he added. In addition to that, Thomas said WASA would undertake a desilting exercise at the Hillsborough Dam which would increase water capacity. With a population of 60,000, WASA serves 22,177 customers in Tobago.

(Trinidad Guardian)

Romney Thomas

REGIONAL PAGE 46

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

WEDNESDAY, JULY 20, 2016

‘He was our oppressor’ A member of the Unruly ISIS Gang attempted to stop the burial of reputed gang leader Selwyn “Robocop” Alexis yesterday when he stormed into the Muslim cemetery at Monroe Road and pulled a gun on the gravediggers and ordered them to cover back the grave. Gravediggers Imtiaz Mohammed, 58, and Omar Douglas, 54, described their experience as “horrifying.” “We were digging the grave and the man just came up on us and pulled out a gun and pointed to us. He also knew where one of us lived and asked us if we wanted to live. He then told us to cover back up the grave which we did,” Mohammed said. Mohammed said the gunman waited until the grave was covered and then left. A vehicle was waiting for him at the cemetery’s entrance.

Mohammed said as soon as the car drove off he called the police and told them what had just happened. “The police came and stood guard while we dig back up the grave. The police stayed with us right through. We were real frightened but then okay when the police came with their guns,” Mohammed said.

Alexis’ body was subsequently brought to the Enterprise Community Masjid at Boodram Street, Chaguanas, under heavily-guarded police escort. As the hearse pulled up near the gate of the mosque, members of the Unruly ISIS gang, simultaneously, were reportedly shooting up the air, ringing out “joy fire” in celebration of Alexis’ demise. Back at the mosque there was a heavy police presence, including officers from the T&T Police Service’s Riot Squad, Special Branch and Guard and Emergency Branch. Also, keeping a watchful eye on the evening’s proceedings were members of the T&T Defence Force. Hovering overhead was a helicopter attached to the Ministry of National Security. Several minutes after Alexis’ body was carried onto the compound of the mosque, Jamaat-alMuslimeen leader, Imam Yasin Abu Bakr, and his entourage of security walked in for the viewing of Alexis’ body. When Abu Bakr reached up to the coffin he placed his hands together up to the chest and whispered a Dua (Islamic prayer) for his dear friend, Alexis. Alexis, 51, was killed on Sunday while at his business place at Freedom Street, Enterprise. His hit was ordered by the Unruly ISIS gang and carried out by a senior member, Thomas “Hamza” Sharpe, who was himself killed by Alexis during the attack. The T&T Guardian was told yesterday that after Alexis was killed, a senior member of the rival gang wrote on his Facebook wall: “Dead or alive mission accomplished.” Speaking with the T&T Guardian, an unidentified member of the Unruly ISIS gang claimed that Alexis was an “oppressor” and they were left with no choice but to get rid of him. “Robo served us injustice and oppressed us.

Also, Abu Bakr and his men. All of them are oppressors that we intend to get rid of. It’s our goal. We, the youths, are being oppressed for too long,” the Unruly ISIS gang member said.

When asked about the claims of the gang later during Alexis’ funeral, Abu Bakr told the T&T Guardian that those claims were unheard of. “We are not oppressors. My men in the red hats and

boots are not oppressing you (directing to the T&T Guardian).

No one is afraid of us,” Abu Bakr said. Speaking with members of the media just before he left, Abu Bakr, referring to calls made to lock down the Enterprise community, said there was no need for the police to do so. “Why would they want to cause discomfort to the residents in the area? It is grossly unfair,” Abu Bakr said. A member close to Alexis told the T&T Guardian on Monday that he was killed because he was about to expose the gang and its links with members of the protective services in criminal enterprise. Imam Taulib Searles, who officiated the funeral service, called on the community to understand the reality of what had happened and strive to do better for themselves and the community. (Trinidad Guardian)

Police officers stand guard during the burial of reputed gang leader, Selwyn “Robocop” Alexis, at the Munroe Road Muslim cemetery yesterday.

PHOTO: ABRAHAM DIAZ

REGIONAL PAGE 47

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

WEDNESDAY, JULY 20, 2016

Suspended Petrotrin five to know fate next month The five Human Resources heads at State-owned Petrotrin who were suspended last week will know their fate next month. This was outlined in Ryerson Bagoo, Fareeda Mohammed, Gillian Cherotiere, Franka Mohammed and Bianca Attong’s suspension letters, signed by Petrotrin’s acting senior manager of Human Resources, Alvin Stephenson. Under the headline “Notice of Suspension Pending Investigation of Complaint”, Stephenson wrote in one letter: “You are hereby suspended from work with effect from July 12, pending investigation of a complaint which has been received regarding your work and/or conduct in respect of the following matters. The suspension will be without loss of pay and is not to be regarded as disciplinary action.” During the company’s investigation, the workers were advised that they would also be interviewed on the matter of complaint. “You are urged to give your fullest co-operation in this regard. You may, if you so desire, furnish a written statement to the officer instead of or in addition to the interview,” Stephenson penned in another letter. The five would know their fate by Petrotrin, following an investigation, which will be concluded before mid-August. Last Wednesday, the T&T Guardian published exclusively the suspension of the five workers who have since sought legal advice on the matter. In defence of the move, Petrotrin stated it conducted an internal audit of its recruitment processes for four years to review the company’s control processes and as a result of its findings and recommendations, further investigations involving key employees were being conducted. Hours after the workers’ suspension, president general of the Oilfields Workers’ Trade Union (OWTU), Ancel Roget, called on Petrotrin to fire the HR heads.

Some of the transgressions outlined in the suspension letters Petrotrin claimed the workers allegedly committed were: • Failed to adhere to the company’s human resources policies/procedures and practices. • Recruiting individuals without first advertising the jobs. • Giving offer letters to employees before having received the results of preemployment medical tests. • Recruitment of people who failed to meet the minimum qualifications and experience requirements. • Conduct interviews without first determining the availability of suitably qualified internal company employees. But a source told the T&T Guardian that none of the five suspended employees had final decision-making authority to hire anyone so if any unqualified person was hired they would not be to blame.

The source explained that hiring personnel outside of the

existing organisation structure outlined in Petrotrin’s documents, entitled HR Authorities, dated February 2011, item 11, gives full authority to the vice-presidents and president to re-organise and restructure the company.

“Therefore any hiring that was outside of a pre-existing organisation structure would have been appropriately approved by the relevant vice-president or president,” the source said. With regards to giving offer letters to employees before having received the results of preemployment medical tests, the source explained that (Petrotrin’s) medical testing policy did not require that a pre-employment medical be done before every hire.

“Additionally, every offer letter contains a clause that indicates the offer is contingent on the results of a medical test if one was done. Therefore it is not necessary to wait for the results before an offer is made. “There are numerous examples of this being done over the years and is actually something that the OWTU has pushed for to minimise delays in the recruiting of employees,” the source added. Touching on the recruiting personnel without first advertising the jobs, the source said Petrotrin’s policy indicated that advertising would “normally” be done. “It does not require advertising. In practice, all executive positions are advertised. The company is also allowed to promote from within, without advertising for a job opening. “This is standard business practice. What these employees have in common is that they were all promoted by the former vice-president of Human Resources and Corporate Services,” the source added. (Trinidad Guardian)

REGIONAL PAGE 48

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

WEDNESDAY, JULY 20, 2016

Tourism Ministry commits $1b to fighting crime ST CATHERINE, Jamaica — Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett has committed one billion dollars over the next four years to fund security initiatives as part of his ministry’s efforts to support the Ministry of National Security’s drive to tackle crime. He made the announcement as he addressed the closing ceremony for the first batch of 89 graduates under the new District Constables Training Programme, at the National Police College of Jamaica in Twickenham Park, St Catherine on Tuesday.v Bartlett underscored the importance of the partnership between the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), the Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCo) and the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF) in boosting safety and security in the island’s resort areas. He explained that “an emphasis on intelligence gathering and the better use of technology as a critical tool to drive greater detection and monitoring is critical in all of this and we will be partial in terms of our allocation to the acquisition of intelligence gathering equipment and boosting our ability to track the criminals, because they are not many”. Bartlett also noted that the new District Constables Training Programme will add an entirely new layer of security that will strengthen the formal security arrangements in resort communities and help to effectively

tackle the issue of visitor harassment. The 89 district constables are to be deployed across prescribed areas and resort towns islandwide. Another 11 officers will be added to bring the initial complement to 100 by the end of the year and a total of 250 officers will be trained by 2018. (Trinidad Guardian)

Members of the first batch of graduates from the new District Constables Training Programme beam with pride during their closing ceremony, held at the National Police College of Jamaica on Tuesday.

Noel Hylton to head Vernamfield Enterprise Team KINGSTON, Jamaica — Nearly three years after retiring as the chairman of the Port Authority of Jamaica (PAJ), Noel Hylton, is to take up the chairmanship of the Vernamfield Enterprise Team. The 85-year-old Hylton, was chairman of the PAJ for 40 years until he retired in November, 2013. He was also one of the “founding fathers” of the Caribbean Shipping Association.

However, the Vernamfield Project is aimed primarily at air transportation, having been conceptualized with the aim of expanding and strengthening Jamaica’s international aviation industry, in tandem with positioning Jamaica as an international cargo transshipment hub. The enterprise team will be responsible for: soliciting investors and developers for the project; facilitating a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the Government and the investor, detailing the intended common line of action; and project design and implementation. The Vernamfield Project is an important aspect of Transport and Mining Minister Mike Henry’s ambition to create a multi-modal transport system across Jamaica, with Vernamfield responsible for leveraging the existing and future cargo networks at the Port of Kingston.

However, while Henry’s obsession with Vernamfield may have led many Jamaicans to believe that it is in his Central Clarendon constituency, the fact is that it is really in Clarendon South West, which is probably the safest seat for the Opposition People’s National Party (PNP) in Clarendon. The Member of Parliament

for Clarendon South West is PNP vice president, Noel Arscott.

Meanwhile the rest of the Enterprise team is Wilfred Bagaloo, Dr Meredith Derby, and the representative of: ministries of Transport and Mining and Economic Growth and Job Creation; the Development Bank of Jamaica; the Airports Authority of Jamaica; and the Attorney General’s department (Jamaica Observer)

Portia Simpson Miller (right) in conversation with Noel Hylton (FILE PHOTO)

INTERNATIONAL PAGE 49

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

WEDNESDAY, JULY 20, 2016

Brussels alert due to radiation student A large police operation in the Belgian capital which lasted all Brussels earlier this year. Last month, a man was arrested amid an afternoon was a false alarm, officials say. Police were called anti-terror operation at a shopping centre in the city. Prosecutors said following reports that a man was acting suspiciously and wearing a he was wearing a fake suicide belt containing salt and biscuits. (BBC) coat with wires protruding. The operation has ended and the man was apparently a student of nuclear radiation at a university in Brussels.

The city was on high alert ahead of Belgium's National Day on Thursday. An attack in Nice on France's Bastille Day last week left 84 people dead. Christian De Coninck of Brussels police said officers could not take any risks: "This person was covered in plates, metal plates, or something that could be explosives. "In the end it turned out to be a student. He was researching radiation and radioactivity in the city. "The way he reacted was totally abnormal, which is why we had to use all these means," Mr De Coninck said. The bomb squad was called, shops evacuated and several streets closed. The BBC's Gavin This was the scene at the corner of Lee in Brussels says police negotiated with the man for an hour before Rue de L'Ecuyer(FATIMA ZIBOUH) he was arrested. Thirty-two people were killed in bomb attacks in

Turkey coup attempt: Charges laid against 99 generals and admirals Turkey has formally charged 99 generals and admirals in connection with the weekend's thwarted coup attempt - just under a third of the country's 356 top military officers. President Erdogan is meeting with loyal commanders and his cabinet in Ankara. Authorities have banned all academics from travelling abroad, as the purge of state employees suspected of being connected to the failed coup continues. More than 50,000 people have been rounded up, sacked or suspended. So far about 1,577 university deans (faculty heads) have been asked to resign in addition to 21,000 teachers and 15,000 education ministry officials. They are suspected of having links to the alleged mastermind of the coup, USbased cleric Fethullah Gulen - who denies any involvement. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is chairing an emergency meeting of the National Security Council and is expected to make further announcements later on Wednesday. As soon as it became clear that the coup had failed, the purges began - first with the security forces, then s p r e a d i n g t o Tu r k e y ' s e n t i r e c i v i l i a n infrastructure. Human rights group Amnesty International has warned the purges are being extended to censor media outlets and journalists, including those critical of government policy.

"We are witnessing a crackdown of exceptional proportions in Turkey at the moment. "While it is understandable, and legitimate, that the government wishes to investigate and punish those responsible for this bloody coup attempt, they must abide by the rule of law and respect freedom of expression," Amnesty's Turkey researcher Andrew Gardner said. The WikiLeaks website has been blocked in Turkey after it released thousands of emails purportedly showing exchanges between ruling AKP officials. The documents - ranging from this month back to 2010

- were obtained a week before the attempted coup and the source has no connection to that event, WikiLeaks says. Turkish daily Cumhuriyet said that one of the emails contained a letter sent to President Erdogan. "My family and I suffered in our own country because of your actions. Aren't we as precious as Egyptian Esma?" it says, in a reference to Mr Erdogan's tears on TV after the daughter of a Muslim Brotherhood politician was killed in Egypt. Other emails contain media reports on Fethullah Gulen and his movement.

Turkey has now extended the clear-out to the education sector in its desire to root out Gulen supporters. The Higher Education Council has asked university rectors to "urgently examine the situation of all academic and administrative personnel" linked to what it calls the Fethullah Terrorist Organisation (Feto) and report back by 5 August. It has also told universities that academics who are already abroad on work or study missions should return home "within the shortest possible time".

A government official told the Reuters news agency that the ban on academics travelling abroad was a temporary measure implemented to stop alleged coup plotters in universities from fleeing abroad. Turkey is pressing the US to extradite Mr Gulen and the issue was raised during a phone call between US President Barack Obama and President Erdogan on Tuesday, the White House said. Spokesman Josh Earnest said a decision on whether or not to extradite would be made under a treaty between the two countries. In a separate development Turkey has barred access to the WikiLeaks website soon after it posted about 300,000 emails sent by President Erdogan's AK Party dating from 2000 to early July 2016.

Wikileaks said that although the documents were obtained before the attempted coup, the date of

their publication was brought forward "in response to the government's post-coup purges".

The source of the emails was not linked to the coup plotters or to a rival political party or country, WikiLeaks said. Turkey's military also announced on Wednesday that it had resumed cross-border strikes against Kurdish rebel targets in northern Iraq, killing about 20 alleged militants.

They were the first since the attempted coup. F-16 jets were reported to have targeted positions of the banned Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in Iraq's Hakurk region, Anadolu Agency reported. The Turkish military has regularly targeted suspected PKK bases in Iraq since last year. (BBC)

President Erdogan, seen here outside his Istanbul home, is now back in Ankara for meetings(REUTERS)

INTERNATIONAL

GUYANA DAILY NEWS Libya attack: French soldiers killed in Benghazi helicopter crash PAGE 50

T

hree French soldiers have died in Libya after their helicopter was shot down, President Francois Hollande says. The soldiers were killed while carrying out "dangerous intelligence operations", Mr Hollande said. Earlier on Wednesday, French defence ministry spokesman Stephane Le Foll confirmed for the first time that its special forces were in Libya. On Tuesday, Associated Press quoted Libyan officials as saying an Islamist militia shot down a French helicopter. The attack on Sunday happened near the city of Benghazi, and left no survivors, AP reported. Libya has fragmented since the 2011 uprising when Col Muammar Gaddafi was ousted from office with the help of Nato air strikes. It now has rival administrations, backed by various militias and brigades spawned by the revolution - and the chaos has allowed fighters from so-called Islamic State (IS) to gain a foothold. Mr Le Foll, in an interview with France Info radio on Wednesday, said French special forces were in Libya to "ensure that France is present everywhere in the fight against terrorism". While France had previously said its warplanes were carrying out reconnaissance flights over Libya, this is the first formal confirmation that France has special forces inside the country. Their presence was first reported by Le Monde newspaper in February (in French) but later denied by Libyan officials. Le Monde also said that French intelligence officials were stationed inside Libya to help the fight against IS. Benghazi, the birthplace of the 2011 revolution, has been at war for two years. During this time Gen Khalifa Haftar, head of the armed forces backed by Libya's eastern administration, has sought to oust a mix of mainly Islamist militias, including those with IS affiliations, from the city. In recent months, his fighters have made significant gains, which analysts suspect are largely thanks to logistical support from the French special forces operating there. Some members of the various militias they are fighting have recently regrouped, now calling themselves the Benghazi Defence Brigades (BDB). A social media news account affiliated to the BDB has reported that the group was responsible for shooting down the

WEDNESDAY, JULY 20, 2016

French helicopter. Whatever their affiliations, they show the conflict is a long way from being resolved.

Foreign special forces from a number of countries have been operating in or over Libya for quite some time now, but the nature and extent of these operations have largely been secret. The death of the French soldiers is likely to trigger hard questions for Western nations getting entangled in a war with multiple and complex dimension. While the fighting continues on the ground in parts of the country, political deadlock continues despite a UN-brokered deal in December to form a unity government. This is now based in the capital, Tripoli, but with little real power in the city or over the whole country as rival administrations operate in both the east and west. The oil-rich country once had one of the highest standards of living in Africa with free healthcare and free education, but five years on from the uprising it is facing a financial crisis.

At the same time, militias, who hold considerable power across Libya, are split along regional, ethnic and local lines, creating a combustible mix. But in a new report to be presented to the UN Security Council, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said IS was facing the "distinct possibility" of defeat in its last Libyan stronghold of Sirte. (BBC)

INTERNATIONAL PAGE 51

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

WEDNESDAY, JULY 20, 2016

Pakistani man dismembered in honor killing [CNN] - Allah Ditta, 24-year-old Pakistani citizen was stabbed multiple times by five men Tuesday in the district of Dera Ghazi Khan, Pakistan's. He was mutilated in a so called honor killing, police said. Mr. Dittta was married and is believed he was having an affair with a married lady, this leading to the chain of events. “On Tuesday he was attacked on his way visit the woman. The attackers allegedly cut off both of Ditta's arms, lips and nose and took the parts with them, leaving the man in a pool of blood, in an apparent honor killing ”, Officer Ali Muhammad said.

The victim was rushed to Ghazi Medical College, where he died a few hours later. Police are searching for the five suspects, Muhammad said. Honor killing or Karo-kari is an act of murder, in which a person is killed for his or her actual or perceived immoral behavior. Such "immoral behavior" may take the form

of alleged marital infidelity, refusal to submit to an arranged marriage, demanding a divorce, perceived flirtatious behaviour and being raped. Suspicion and accusations alone are many times enough to defile a family’s honour and therefore enough to warrant the killing of the person.

INTERNATIONAL

GUYANA DAILY NEWS Melania Trump plagiarism row: Staffer admits role in speech PAGE 52

An employee of the Trump Organisation, Meredith McIver, has admitted her role in writing Melania Trump's speech at the Republican National Convention. Mrs Trump, the third wife of Republican candidate Donald Trump, faced accusations that parts of her speech had plagiarised Michelle Obama. Ms McIver said her offer to resign was rejected by the Trumps.

"This was my mistake, and I feel terrible for the chaos I have caused," she said in a statement. Why the Melania plagiarism row matters Republicans react to Melania 'distraction' Teachers are thanking Melania Trump The Trump staffer said Mrs Trump had read out passages from Mrs Obama's 2008 speech in a phone conversation as they discussed people who inspired her. "A person she has always liked is Michelle Obama," she wrote. Ms McIver later included the phrases in a draft of the speech without checking Mrs Obama's speeches, she added. "I am honoured to work for such a great family," she said. Mr Trump was formally adopted as the Republican candidate for November's presidential election on Tuesday. In the aftermath of the controversy over his wife's speech, he tweeted that the publicity was good news as the speech "got more publicity than any in the history of politics". The BBC's North America editor, Jon Sopel, at the convention in Cleveland, says this statement represents both a U-turn and an apology from the Trump campaign. Mr Trump's campaign manager had toured the TV studios for 36 hours emphatically denying plagiarism, he says. Republican

WEDNESDAY, JULY 20, 2016

strategist Sean Spicer even invoked My Little Pony in an interview with CNN - citing similarities between the words of Twilight Sparkle (a purple unicorn from the children's franchise) and Mrs Trump's speech to show that the lines were "common phrases". (BBC)

German train stabbing: De Maiziere warns of lone attacks Germans should be prepared for further attacks carried out by small groups and radicalised "lone wolves", Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere has warned. Five people were wounded, two critically, by a 17-year-old who went on the rampage on a train in the southern state of Bavaria on Monday.

The attacker, who arrived in Germany in 2015 as an unaccompanied migrant, was shot dead holding an axe and a knife. A video emerged in which he said he was a soldier of so-called Islamic State. Was it really an IS attack?

Mr de Maiziere said the teenager had been "incited" by IS propaganda but there was no evidence that he was following the militant group's orders.

Witnesses said the attacker, Muhammad Riyadh, screamed "Allahu Akbar" (God is great) three times, and IS has claimed the teenager as a follower through its news agency. A hand-painted IS flag was found in his room.

However, he was unknown to German intelligence and no concrete link has yet been established with IS. The government was doing all it could to prevent such attacks, the minister said, but there could be no guarantee. The interior minister described Monday night's axe attack in Wuerzburg as "perhaps half-way between running amok and terror". "In Germany we must also expect attacks by small groups or radicalised 'lone-wolf' attackers," he said. Who was attacked? Of the five people wounded, four were a family from Hong Kong and German officials said on Wednesday that two remained in a critical condition. A man of 62 and his daughter's boyfriend suffered severe head wounds and are being treated in intensive care. "The assailant started attacking my sister's boyfriend and when my mother and father saw they tried to get in the way and got hurt," Silvia Yau told Hong Kong's Apple Daily. The mother and daughter were also wounded but their 17-year-old son escaped unhurt. There was no indication that the family had been targeted specifically because they were Chinese. Was the teenage attacker really from Afghanistan? Muhammad Riyadh had only just moved to a foster family in Wuerzburg from a refugee centre at Ochsenfurt south of Frankfurt. He was described as a quiet boy who had had a work placement in a bakery and had not displayed any radical behaviour. But questions have now been raised about whether he was really from Afghanistan. A Pakistani document was found in his room, reports said. It is common knowledge that Afghan refugees are more likely to be given asylum in Germany than

irregular migrants from Pakistan, so there have been many cases of migrants pretending to come from Afghanistan. Several clues to his origin have emerged from the video he filmed before he attacked the regional train near his home. Speaking Pashto His use of the Pashto language suggests he at least spent some time in Pakistan, because of his choice of words. When speaking of Syria, Riyadh chose Sham, the word used in Pakistan. In Afghanistan, Pashto speakers would say Suria. His choice of term for Army is also key. He says Fauj, which is common in Pakistan, rather Aurdu, the word used in Afghanistan. Many Afghans have lived in Pakistan for years, particularly since the rise of the Taliban. So Riyadh could well have spent all his life in Pakistan, despite being ethnic Afghan. Last year Germany registered more than one million migrants, including more than 150,000 Afghans, although the number has slowed dramatically this year since new EU measures were taken to stop the flow. (BBC)

LOCAL PAGE 55

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

THURSDAY, JULY 21, 2016

Shipping Assoc. takes M&CC to court over ‘container fees’ A decision imposed by the Mayor and City Council (M&CC) of Georgetown to have companies pay $25,000 for the movement of shipping containers around the city is currently being challenged by the Shipping Association of Guyana (SAG). Secretary of SAG, Ian D’Anjou, has moved, through attorneys-atlaw Sase Gunraj and Christopher Ram, to the High Court to have the imposition of these new fees quashed, since it is deemed to be “unlawful”.

D’Anjou is claiming that the Municipal and Municipal and District Councils Act, Cap. 28:01 and bylaws do not provide for the imposition of such a tax on containers. He said that he was told by both lawyers that those sections of the law “do not provide for the imposition of any fee or tax in relation to the traversing and/or parking of motor vehicles laden with shipping containers on roads within the City of Georgetown.”

This publication was in receipt of the Writ of Certiorari which was directed to Town Clerk Royston King. It seeks to quash King’s decision “to impose a fee of $25,000 per container on the owners of cargo contained in shipping containers removed from wharves and traversing and/or parked on streets within the City of Georgetown” on the grounds that the decision is biased, without jurisdiction, made in bad faith, is unreasonable, arbitrary, capricious, mala fide, malicious, vindictive, unlawful, ultra vires, null, void and of no legal effect. Additionally, SAG wants an Order or Rule Nisi of Certiorari and Writ of Certioriari directed to King to quash his decision made on or about 19th day of July, 2016, “to block and/or to impede access of motor vehicles transporting shipping containers on streets within the City of Georgetown unless a fee of $25,000 per container is paid.

It was revealed that upon directions by Assistant Town Clerk Sherry Jerrick, several persons, some of whom were dressed in City Constabulary uniform and some in civilian clothing, erected barricades across Robb Street, preventing vehicles from crossing and/or turning into Water Street. This took place on July 19, 2016 at about 3:00pm. Barricades were also erected at the junction of Water and Robb Streets, Georgetown,

which leads directly out of the gates of John Fernandes’ Wharf. D’Anjou said he was told by the Managing Directors of John Fernandes that a person under the direction of the said Sherry Jerrick, drove a motor car and blocked the barricades at the Water Street junction, preventing movement of all vehicles.

SAG’s Secretary explained that as Fernandes approached Jerrick, he inquired what the reason for the erection of the barricades was. He was told that no motor vehicle transporting a shipping container would be allowed to pass the barricades unless proof of payment of a fee of $25,000 was provided.

D’Anjou said he indicated that he was merely a representative of the shipping company and that responsibility for any such fee should be borne by the consignee of the cargo contained in the shipping containers. Fernandes reportedly then offered to pay the fee of $25,000 for approximately 30 containers.

FEATURE PAGE 56

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

Tuesday, July 05, 2016

The Unruly Horse...con’t My information is that SARU is the intellectual author of this infamous list.

SARU continues to be a legal bastard. It has no legal powers to conduct any type of investigation. Its head, Dr. Clive Thomas is clueless in respect of how investigations are to be lawfully conducted. From all his public utterances, it is clear that he comes to conclusions first and then he investigates. His overt and discernible dislike for the PPP by itself disqualifies him from investigating.

It is reported in the press that he told the Parliament Committee that SARU is a department within the Ministry of the Presidency (MOP). This goodly Professor obviously does not recognize that this fact alone renders SARU incapable of conducting any lawful investigation into the affairs of a citizen, more so one who is a political opponent to the President. He blissfully explains that SARU will soon migrate from the MOP,

as if that will change anything. He and that unit are a group of politicians and are already tarnished, and will never be viewed as being capable of doing any objective investigating work. It is clear therefore that SOCU and SARU are two groups wielding a political hatchet but masquerading as law enforcement agency. Their actions will not only be legally challenged all the way to the highest court in the land, but their political machinations will be exposed at the highest forum in the international community. This authoritarian virus which has infected the apex of the executive, the office of the President, has also spread right across the Central Government and is now wreaking havoc at the level of the Georgetown Mayor and City Council. It is painfully obvious that consultation, discussions and natural justice are not part of the standard operational procedures of the Council. In

less than a year, they have removed the pavement vendors; they are hell bent on implementing parking meters in the city; they have imposed a $25,000 tax on containers which the court has found to be unlawful; they have now moved to impose this tax at the wharves. In all of this, not a word of consultation either with the business community, the labor movement, the religious organizations, or the citizens. From all indications most of these matters have not even been discussed at the level of the council itself.

In the end, what is clear is that a political dictatorship and intimidation are back and democracy is on its way out. As Dr. Cheddi Jagan used to say, “There will be no social and economic progress without democracy”. The working people will bear the brunt of the poverty and the underdevelopment which are bound to ensue.

Teenager kills father in Crane A 16-year-old boy is in police custody after he allegedly chopped his father to death on Thursday morning. The murder occurred at Crane village, West Coast Demerara. The dead man has been identified as Patrick Savore, who is said to be in his late 70’s. The Guyana Daily News understands that the man and his son were involved in a heated argument when the lad chopped him several times with a cutlass. The lad escaped after committing the gruesome act and was subsequently apprehended by police and the murder weapon was recovered. He is currently nursing injuries under police guard at the West Demerara Regional Hospital and will also assist in investigations.

LOCAL PAGE 57

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

THURSDAY, JULY 21, 2016

Ogle house goes up in flames Two families are now homeless after the two-storey residency they were renting at 34 South Ogle, East Coast Demerara (ECD) went up in flames, on Thursday morning. One of the occupants, who preferred to stay anonymous, told the Guyana Daily News that around 07:15hrs, the tenant that occupies the upstairs room “came down running saying she can smell smoke, then shortly after the smoke was coming down of our apartment, the fire started upstairs on the back room.” The fire department was called immediately as the fire gained in strength. They managed to evacuate all members of the family and most of the furniture and personal items. There were

no casualties. “The fire department took around 30 minutes to reach, if they would have come faster much more could have been saved”, residents of the area stated. The source of the fire is unknown to this point. BY- Rocio Perez, Guyana Daily News.

LOCAL PAGE 58

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

THURSDAY, JULY 21, 2016

Snippets on Cabinet meeting At the Post Cabinet media briefing held at the Ministry of Presidency on Thursday morning, several topics were discussed. Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman started the brief revealing that the Minister of Finance Winston Jordan, submitted on Tuesday last, a report from the subcommittee addressing to examine a report of the government for the students loan at the University of Guyana. In this report the subcommittee recommended a review of the organization structure and business processes of the organization to make it compliant, especially on the accounting framework. The subcommittee will make recommendations that will allow the agency to recover outstanding balances on loans. Also included in the report were short and long term measures to set clear conditions for loan applications, guarantees and repayment. Cabinet also received a technical report on the Kato Secondary School complex project, by Minister of Public Infrastructure, David Patterson, where he highlighted a number of discrepancies in structures assessment, building defects and contract administration. The cabinet noted the comments in the reports referring to the designer, the consultant and the contractors of the project, as well as the cost of remedial work if the government is going to undertake them. The cabinet has requested from the Attorney General, a review of the report to advise on the proper actions to be taken. It also addressed the approval from cabinet for the payment of a revised contribution in the sum of $544,749 US dollars to CARICOM implementing agencies in crime and security impacts. This payment is for the period of 2009 to 2016, once paid will take care of Guyana’s indebtedness to this very important regional body. Questions addressed to the Minister included the concern of Guyana being for or against the death penalty, based on a statement given by President David Granger where he stated that “Guyana will not be executing criminals.” Mr. Trotman stated that the “death penalty is on the status book of Guyana, we are aware indeed that recent laws are dealing with terrorism include the death penalty.

Those laws brought us into compliances with internationally recognized standards. Government has maintained since the 1990s maintained a moratoria that in fact the death penalty remains on the books, the president rightly said that he has no intention of enforcing the death penalty, at the present time the government is not rushed to rely on the book. At the moment we are not in a position to say we will have a consultations to add the penalties or remove them, but we have the matter into active consideration.” The Minister highlighted that there is pressure worldwide to reintegrate

the death penalty internationally due to the eruption of terrorism. On the controversial topic about the alleged corruption being carried by Mr. Omar Sharif, Mr. Trotman said that “is being an active matter, no money is being found, do to it I won’t be able to comment further on the matter.” Mr. Trotman said that the idea of Special prosecutors has, in fact been noted several months ago, and its believed that Ministers of Legal Affairs and Public Security have been tasked to advice cabinet on the necessity of special prosecutor’s office, because it has been required the service of more than one special council. “The Ministers of Legal Affairs and Public Security will advise the cabinet shortly about the decision to take”, Mr. Trotman noted. -By- Rocio Perez, Guyana Daily News.

LOCAL PAGE 59

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

THURSDAY, JULY 21, 2016

The Dredge Steve- N back in service after a successful dry docking at GNIC. (Georgetown 2016/07/21) - The Steve N is back in service after being repaired by the Guyana National Industrial Corporation (GNIC). The Steve N is the largest vessel owned by the Maritime Administration Department (MARAD) and was drydocked for the past eight weeks for repairs. The works were completed on time, within cost and specification. The dredge is now available for use in dredging works in Guyana’s rivers after it was tested and handed over to MARAD. When the vessel was dry docked 40% of its hull needed critical repair while several

other areas were also in need of urgent attention. The dry docking and active repair took approximately one month and was completed within the eight-week period. Shipyard Manager, Mr. Jagdesh Ramjag, said that GNIC was able to fully complete all the work and bring the vessel up to specification; the work was described as routine since the GNIC has the full wealth of experienced staff.

The scope of works carried out on the Steve-N included: - Fabrication works to Hull, Hopper and Ballast Tanks.

- Repairs to propulsion System: Propeller Shafts , propellers , bushes and Rudder.

- Sandblasting and Painting of Hull, Hopper and Main Decks.

- Electrical Works including installation of three (3) 35,000 BTU Air Conditioning Units, Removal and Installing two (2) Generators and installing Echosounder system.

- Mechanical Repairs to Hopper Doors, Suction Drag Head Pipe, Dredge pump pipe and valves in engine room and pump room.

The dredge, Steve N started its life in the same Shipyard. One of the very engineers that worked on it this time around was there when the steel for its hull was originally being assembled.

Mr. Ronald Bourne, Consultant to the Shipyard Manager explained that over the years he has been privileged to have worked on conducting preventative maintenance on the dredge, which has a “creative” history with the yard. The work was

described as routine since GNIC has a very experienced Shipbuilding and Ship repair Team of skilled staff.CEO of GNIC, Mr. Clinton Williams said that the company can be categorized as a mini industrial conglomerate with the following as its major areas of operations: Shipbuilding and Repairs, Port Operations and Project Management. He was pleased that the team was able to complete the job on time, within specification and costs. He noted that going forward, GNIC has the capacity, but will be looking to upgrade and expand its facilities. Additionally, the company will continue to work with the Board of Industrial Training to provide apprenticeship and on the job training in the areas of welding, fabrication, machining, marine and bench fitters, plumbers, carpentry etc. Training is one of the strengths of the company, over the years, has provided to more than 1,000 Guyanese. The major challenge for the company right now is the illegal beach operators who put vessels at risk by dragging them up on beaches for repairs rather than a proper dry-docking. The company has been appealing to ship owners to avoid this unsafe practice as it puts unnecessary strain on the hull integrity of vessels. This could make them unseaworthy. The company continues to tender for jobs and they are yet to be beaten on quality, price, experience and competence. GNIC remains one of the main shipyards in the country and has a long history of shipbuilding in Guyana with the likes of the MV Malali and MV Torani being built in the shipyard. These two vessels were completely rebuilt and re-commissioned during the early ninety’s by Guyana National Engineering Corporation Limited (GNEC) – the predecessor company, with funding from the European Union. Notwithstanding a strong recommendation by a team of International Consultants that they had surpassed their useful service life and should be scrapped.

continued on next page...

LOCAL PAGE 60

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

The Dredge Steve...con’t...

Guyana National Industrial Company Incorporated is a diversiďŹ ed shipyard, port operations and engineering company formed in November 01, 1995. Lease of the Infrastructural Facilities viz: Land, Buildings, Drydocks, Shipways and Wharf and for the acquisition of machinery and equipment, tool and certain categories of inventories which were previously owned by the Guyana National Engineering Corporation Limited, a state owned company.

THURSDAY, JULY 21, 2016

REGIONAL PAGE 61

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

THURSDAY, JULY 21, 2016

Ministry, TSC plan to tackle education woes The Ministry of Education and the Teaching Service Commission (TSC) have promised to work together to improve a number of issues plaguing the education system, including appointments, transfers, promotions, vacancies and disciplinary matters. Speaking at a press conference at the ministry, St Clair, yesterday Education Minister Anthony Garcia described a meeting with the TSC as fruitful as he said they had pledged to try as much as possible to remove “impediments” which could hamper the re-opening of all schools in September. Chief Education Officer Harrilal Seecharan said the meeting was aimed at improving the administrative functions and providing training opportunities for staff. Admitting they were concerned about the inordinate delays in filling vacancies which have been existing for a long time, both Garcia and Seecharan agreed it had stymied the efforts of persons acting in the respective posts to discharge their duties properly and effectively. Revealing that the ministry and the TSC had agreed to the formation of a special committee to arrive at a speedy resolution to some of the issues highlighted in the meeting Garcia said it was to present its recommendations in two weeks. Referring to the decision by the previous administration to dis-establish the posts of Assistant Teacher II and Assistant Teacher III in both primary and secondary schools, Garcia said legal advice had been sought as those positions were still included on the official schedule. Vowing to work with all stakeholders, including the Trinidad and Tobago Unified Teachers Association (TTUTA), the National Parent Teacher Association (NPTA) and the principals associations for both primary and secondary schools, Garcia admitted there were too many persons

acting as deans, heads of departments, vice-principals and principals.

Asked about the delays in filling positions, Seecharan explained it was a lengthy process but the meeting had explored various ways in which such matters could be addressed in a more timely manner. With close to 16,000 teachers in the system, Garcia said the ministry and the TSC had promised to look at ways of honouring those who continued to excel at their work. However, he admitted there were teachers who continued to ignore the TSC regulations and that an investigation had been launched into that. Adding that it was less than 100 people who were to be interviewed and investigated, Garcia said: “The number is still quite substantial.” These teachers are scattered across primary and secondary schools and come from both denominational and government institutions from the seven education districts in Trinidad. (Trinidad Guardian)

Anthony Garcia

CARICEL says nothing in OCG's report to affect its telecom licences KINGSTON, Jamaica – Symbiote Investments says that the report tabled in the House of Representatives on Tuesday by Contractor General Dirk Harrison (OCG) has not raised any new material that should cause the government to resile from the decision to grant the company telecommunications licences. "He has merely given his own interpretation of facts that were disclosed by the applicant, and known to the regulators and the minister when the decisions were taken," the company added in a release last night. Responding to the report's adverse findings relating to the approval and granting of its Domestic Mobile Spectrum Licence (DMSL) and Carrier licences Symbiote, which trades as Caricel, said it was never contacted during the course of the OCG's investigations, which began last month. "We are surprised by the publication of adverse findings before the company was given an opportunity to be heard by the proper authorities,"Symbiote stated in the release. Harrison recommended in his report that current minister of technology, Dr Andrew Wheatley, do not sign or issue the Domestic Mobile Spectrum Licence (DMSL) to Symbiote, approved by his predecessor, Phillip Paulwell, in February. Harrison also recommended that, in the

circumstances, the Mobile Carrier and Service Provider Licences, issued to Symbiote Investments should be withdrawn, as Symbiote had breached Section 63 of the Telecommunications Act and Section 5 of the Radio and Telegraph Control Act, in its use of spectrum without the prescribed licence. (Jamaica Observer)

REGIONAL PAGE 62

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

THURSDAY, JULY 21, 2016

Nourish aims to alleviate hunger in T&T

Nourish, a local NGO that was established a year ago, is on a drive to end food waste and to assist the 100,000 people in T&T affected by hunger and poverty. The 2012 World Bank Report, What A Waste, found T&T to be one of the biggest offenders when it comes to wasting food. Nourish has joined with others across the globe like Hands for Hunger (Bahamas), Foodcloud (Ireland) and Fareshare (UK), all of which were formed to fight hunger in their respective countries. Today, Nourish will host its official launch at the Queen’s Park Oval. Founder Krista Santos said the launch will feature discussions on the NGO’s background, its successes and testimonies from its partners and beneficiaries of its services. There will be a keynote address from Dr Lystra Fletcher-Paul, UN Food and Agriculture Organisation representative and an expert in the field of food security. Santos, a former investment banker, said she was always very passionate about not wasting food. In fact, she is well known to her local grocery as she frequents the establishment almost every day of the week just so food won’t spoil in her refrigerator. The impetus for which the business came last June, after Santos witnessed some heavy food wastage by a local retailer she believed was throwing away perfectly good food. So bothered by what she’d seen, she quickly pulled together the Nourish pitch and successfully presented it to some of the people who now make up the NGO’s eight-member board. The self-funded NGO believes that good food should never be thrown away but given to people in need. To enable companies to be part of Nourish’s endeavour, they use the company’s website to post about possible food donations to the Nourish website. Charities can then place orders for food and these orders are collected by Nourish and delivered to the charities.

Santos has said that so far Nourish has never received food that cannot be eaten. The stuff they get is always in date and fit for consumption. On an average, Nourish’s distributes 2,500 meals per week. The Nourish food distribution plan sounds like an attractive idea for individuals, and that idea is being explored at the moment. “Community food drives are something that we are exploring, so it is very possible that you may see one in a supermarket near you soon. We are also very excited about some initiatives which would involve volunteers, so anyone who is passionate about this cause should go on our website and click on Connect with Nourish. We will register your details in our system and get in touch about volunteering opportunities.” (Trinidad Guardian)

In many countries, the wastage of food is a huge problem.

Nourish is a local NGO founded to ensure that companies are able to give good leftover food to charities who can distribute to people in need

Fish kill off Mosquito Creek Thousands of dead herring, mullet and catfish have been washing up along the shoreline of the Mosquito Creek over the past few days. The dead fish started coming to shore late on Monday afternoon and president of the Debe to Penal Action Committee, Edward Moody, is now calling on the Institute of Marine Affairs (IMA) to investigate the cause of the fish kill. The T&T Guardian visited the area yesterday and were met by the stench of thousands of rotting fish. Many curious passersby stopped to get a closer look as the rising tide sucked the carcasses towards the mouth of the Godineau River.

Moody, who did not hesitate to get his hands dirty, plucked several of the larger fish from the water. He said: “For the last 48 hours, we have been noticing hundreds of pelicans diving into the water and catching fish. “What is happening...if you look out you will see the pelicans now, just sitting in the water, whether they were poisoned by the thousands of dead fish we are seeing here now, we do not know. “We made reports to the Environmental Management Authority (EMA) and the Institute of Marine Affairs (IMA) and what we are requesting is that some testing of these fish be done to determine what actually killed them.” While he said herring are easily killed, it’s the death of so many catfish that has him worried. “Now if you watch, you will see the little herring dead. They die very easily but when you start to see the catfish dying by the dozens along the shore, you know something went wrong in this water somewhere.” He said late on Tuesday and up to early yesterday morning, several unscrupulous fishermen were seen trawling in the area. “The question is, are we going to sit by and allow fishermen... like we saw some men trawling out there just now...what are they catching and what are they selling?” he asked. With a mouthful of questions, Moodie is calling on the IMA and the EMA to do the necessary to get to the root of the deaths. He asked: “What caused the problem? Did it start here? Did it come down the Oropouche River? “We are asking the IMA to come in and do sampling. People in South Trinidad should know, be careful where you buy fish and where the fish came from because if the fish were poisoned by heavy metal or some kind of pesticide or something, it would move up the chain from whoever eats what. “We want people to be aware of

this and we want answers from the IMA. The EMA does not have boating equipment to go out there and catch the fish. The IMA is responsible for this and we are demanding answers.”He dismissed the suggestion that the dead fish were a result of overfishing, saying: “The idea that it came up because a trawler caught bigger fish and threw these out to sea is wrong. No way so many fish would be caught by one trawler, so let us rule that out of the game here.” One man who stopped off at the Godineau Bridge for some afternoon fishing was shocked to see the dead fish but he believes the problem did not originate at the creek. “When I came here around noon, the water was clear and I threw my line in,” the man, who asked to identified only as Raj, said.

“About half-an-hour later, I see all these fish start washing up closer and closer,” he added.

He said he still caught several small living fish, leaving him with this conclusion: “It can’t be because of something here or there would be no living fish at all so it looks like they came in with the tide.” Efforts to contact the offices of the EMA and the IMA were unsuccessful yesterday. (Trinidad Guardian)

Thousands of dead fish which washed up off Mosquito Creek, La Romaine, yesterday.

PHOTO: RISHI RAGOONATH

REGIONAL PAGE 63

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

THURSDAY, JULY 21, 2016

PM: Gate cuts will be best we can afford Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley says the Government Assistance for Tuition Expenses (Gate) programme is staying.

However, he says because of the trepidation over impending adjustments to the programme, it will be reviewed by his Cabinet with a caring eye. Rowley made the comment while addressing T&T students during his visit to the University of the West Indies’ Mona Campus, Jamaica, as he continued activities on his five-day visit to Jamaica. The session took greater significance after widespread panic among the T&T student bodies across the region in the wake of a media report over the weekend that massive cuts were recommended by the Task Force appointed to review the programme. This included a proposal that students pay up to one third of their fees. Under the existing arrangements, the cost of tuition is met fully by Government. But as he met with the student body yesterday, Rowley assured them there was no need for any panic. “We didn’t just decide to cut the programme. We had a proper analysis done and that analysis looked at the comprehensive programme, including the requirement to preserve what we are investing in, because the money we are spending on you is an investment in the future of the country,” he explained. He said the review was undertaken as the country was facing a very significant loss of revenue because of collapsed commodity prices internationally. “That by itself is pushing us to have to close some very serious budget deficits,” he added.

He said notwithstanding that, the programme was due for a review after existing for several years and the review was “not meant to backtrack on our commitment to make sure that you all are educated or to be denied an education on the basis that you are not able to pay tuition.” While the purpose of the task force report was to make recommendations on reducing overall expenditure, Rowley 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.” He said it costs Government $750 million each year to educate Gate-approved citizens and urged those gathered not to take taxpayers’ sacrifices for granted. Noting the high demand for professionals in the field of medicine, he said: “You in the medical field ought not to worry. Even though we become more selective in what we fund, the area of health care delivery is an area of grave shortage in the country.” Cabinet, he added, would meet to discuss the recommendations before any final decision was made “but what I can tell you is that we will review the recommendations with a very caring eye.” Some students got to their feet, asking the PM that even if the decision is that they are to fund even part of their tuition, whether it would be possible to facilitate low interest student friendly loans. Since 2004, over 65,000 students have passed through the programme. Happy with

trade talks Commenting on one of his major reasons for visiting Kingston, Rowley said it was “to face down the challenge of a trade war between T&T and Jamaica.” He said he was leaving Jamaica “confident that whatever flicker (existed) would not turn into a flame.” In response to a question on the immigration issue involving Jamaicans denied entry into T&T, Rowley said the matter should not be generalised. He said it was “quite a misunderstanding that Jamaicans were being singled out for special treatment and bad treatment in T&T. I reject that out of hand.” Rowley said despite the recent claims about unfair treatment at the Piarco International Airport there were thousands of Jamaicans going about their business in T&T without any problems whatsoever. “You will see that 97 per cent of the Jamaicans that left to come to T&T, entered with no problem,” he said.

Rowley said recent reports about Jamaicans experiencing problems when they attempted to enter the country were only about three per cent. He said some of those in the three per cent “had failed to qualify for entry under permissible arrangements.” He said it was “important for the leaders in the countries to say to the travelling population of the region that there are certain restrictions that could apply.” He also said certain immigration officers were being trained and facilities were being established at the airport to ensure all visitors were treated with dignity when they arrived in T&T. He said during his visit he did not meet “one person who said or implied that we are not better off together and that we are not brothers and sisters in this region.” Rowley’s official visit to Jamaica ends today and his address to the UWI students yesterday was streamed live. (Trinidad Guardian)

Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley poses with T&T nationals studying at UWI’s Mona campus during a visit on the penultimate day of his visit to Jamaica yesterday. Rowley returns home today.

Photo: COURTESY THE OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER

INTERNATIONAL

GUYANA DAILY NEWS 1MDB: Malaysian PM under pressure over $1bn US fraud case PAGE 64

M

alaysian PM Najib Razak is facing pressure internationally and at home amid US allegations of massive fraud at state investment fund 1MDB. The fund was set up by Mr Najib in 2009 with the stated aim of boosting the Malaysian economy. But US Attorney General Loretta Lynch said evidence showed it had defrauded Malaysians "on an enormous scale". On Wednesday, US authorities moved to seize more than $1bn (£761m) in assets related to the fund. Mr Najib is not named in the US papers and has consistently denied wrongdoing. But he is identifiable as "Malaysian Official 1", whose account allegedly received millions in funds originating from 1MDB. The $1bn the US hopes to seize would make up only a proportion of the more than $3.5bn (£2.6bn) allegedly diverted. What is 1MDB? officially 1Malaysia Development Berhad, it is a state investment fund, originally overseen by Mr Najib aimed to boost the economy through investments and infrastructure deals with foreign entities including Saudi Arabia. also borrowed heavily, and by 2014 had debts of $11bn and missed repayments What are the US accusations? that $3.5bn in 1MDB money was misappropriated, and laundered through accounts in Singapore, Switzerland and the US that the money financed lavish lifestyles for "multiple individuals including public officials" that 'Malaysian Official 1' received $731m of the misappropriated funds, though later returned $620m Mr Najib's stepson, Riza Aziz is named, as is Malaysian financier Jho Low, Malaysian Eric Tan, a United Arab Emirates official and a US citizen. What does the US allege the money was spent on? hotels and luxury properties A private jet, yacht trips and fine art Gambling trips, including one with actor Leonardo DiCaprio, and financing for Hollywood film The Wolf of Wall Street Mr Najib was officially cleared of criminality by the Malaysian attorney general earlier this year. He had dismissed the previous attorney general after he repeatedly criticised the prime minister's handling of the case. The current attorney general, Mohamed Apandi, said on Thursday that there was no evidence funds were misappropriated from 1MDB. Speaking on Thursday, Mr Najib stressed the US case was a "civil, not a criminal, procedure" and that "we don't want to come to any conclusions until that process [the investigation] is done". "I want to say categorically that we are serious about good governance," he said, adding that he would "fully co-operate" with the investigation. Despite denying any wrongdoing, the prime minister is now facing renewed calls to answer the accusations and stand down. Former premier and long-time Najib foe Mahathir Mohamad said there "can be no doubt" that Mr Najib was responsible for 1MDB's finances. He said Malaysians should stage street protests against Mr Najib, as they have in the past, and push for a referendum on his leadership. Parliamentary opposition leader Wan Azizah Wan Ismail said he should go on leave "so as not to create the

THURSDAY, JULY 21, 2016

perception of abuse of power" or hinder this "very important" investigation. When I spoke to the fund's CEO, Arul Kanda, in October last year, he told me "the value of assets outweigh the value of debt". But 1MDB had to sell some of its most prized assets in order to realise this value, and as one Malaysian opposition leader put it to me at the time, any business that has to do that isn't a successful business. 1MDB's financial mismanagement and the allegations of misconduct by the prime minister has raised concern amongst the foreign investment community that Malaysia's economy is in for a rough ride. But there are bigger worries than just the financial performance of 1MDB. At the heart of it is the suggestion that Malaysia's public money has been stolen and used for personal gain. 1MDB said in a statement last year that it had never given money to the prime minister and called the claims "unsubstantiated". Meanwhile Singapore fraud investigators said on Thursday they had seized more than $175m in assets connected to 1MDB and found several major banks, including Standard Chartered, had showed "weaknesses in the processes for accepting clients and monitoring transactions". Also on Thursday, the Swiss authorities said they had seized three valuable paintings linked to the investigation - one Van Gogh painting and two Monet paintings, following a US request.

(BBC)

Najib Razak has always denied any wrongdoing(REUTERS)

INTERNATIONAL

GUYANA DAILY NEWS Chicken odour 'prevents malaria' research in Ethiopia finds PAGE 65

The smell from a live chicken could help protect against malaria, researchers have found. Ethiopian and Swedish scientists discovered that malarial mosquitoes tend to avoid chickens and other birds. The experiments, conducted in western Ethiopia, included suspending a live chicken in a cage near a volunteer sleeping under a bed net. Last year malaria killed nearly 400,000 people in Africa, the UN says.

Infection and death rates are declining but health officials are continuing to look for new ways to prevent the spread of the disease. The malaria parasite, which initially hides in the liver before going into the bloodstream, is carried from person to person by mosquitoes when they drink blood. The scientists, whose research was published in the Malaria Journal, concluded that as mosquitoes use their sense of smell to locate an animal they can bite there must be something in a chicken's odour that puts the insects off.

Addis Ababa University's Habtie Tekie, who worked on the research, said that the compounds from the smell of the chicken can be extracted and could work as a repellent. Field trials for this stage of the research are now "in the pipeline", he told the BBC. Researchers from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences were also involved in the project.

Compounds extracted from chicken feathers were also used

THURSDAY, JULY 21, 2016

in the experiments, as well as live chickens. Researchers discovered that the use of the chicken and the compounds "significantly reduced" the number of mosquitoes that were found in the trap nearby. The scientists say that with reports that some mosquitoes are developing resistance to insecticide "novel control methods" need to be embraced.

(BBC)

Live chickens as well as compounds extracted from chicken feathers were used in the experiments(KASSAHUN JALETA)

INTERNATIONAL

GUYANA DAILY NEWS Man held after Sydney police station rammed by burning car PAGE 66

A man has been arrested in Sydney, Australia, after reportedly setting himself and his car alight and ramming the gate of a police station car park. The suspect, who is in his 60s, suffered serious burns as a result of the incident on Thursday evening, in the western suburb of Merrylands. A top police official said there was no indication of any terrorist connection. The Australian authorities believe the individual involved has a history of mental health problems. No members of the public or police officers were injured during the incident in Memorial Avenue, police said. The suspect was arrested at about 20:00 (10:00 GMT) and a bomb disposal unit deployed, as roads were locked down around the police station. New South Wales state assistant police commissioner Dennis Clifford said officers had spotted the suspect sitting in his car outside the police station.

When they approached him, he appeared to ignite an accelerant and drove his vehicle into a roller door leading to the station's underground car park. Australian media had reported a number of gas canisters were in the car at the time, although it is not clear how many. "There's nothing to indicate this is in any way related to terrorism," Mr Clifford told reporters. "We just don't know why this person has acted this way." "The police reacted

THURSDAY, JULY 21, 2016

very bravely and it's just a miracle that no one else was seriously injured," he added. Nick Ralston, crime and justice editor at The Sydney Morning Herald, tweeted to say the suspect was "known to police but not believed to have had any known links to a terrorist" organisation. The suspect is being treated in hospital for his injuries. (BBC)

Firefighters and a bomb disposal squad member could be seen at the site of the incident(EPA)

INTERNATIONAL PAGE 67

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

THURSDAY, JULY 21, 2016

Qandeel Baloch: Murdered Pakistan celebrity's p a r e n t s s p e a k o f p a i n The parents of Pakistani social media celebrity Qandeel Baloch have spoken of their closeness to her and their bitterness towards their son, who has confessed to murdering her last week. Ms Baloch's mother, Anwar Bibi, told BBC Urdu that her daughter had shared all her sorrows and secrets with her. Her father, Muhammad Azeem, said his son should be "shot on sight". Mrs Bibi said her son had lost his mind because of taunts about his sister's frank and often risque posts online. More than 500 people, almost all of them women, die in Pakistan every year at the hands of relatives who believe shame has been brought on their family. Ms Baloch became a household name in Pakistan after posting sometimes raunchy photographs, comments and videos on social media sites, on which she had hundreds of thousands of followers. The 26-year-old was well aware of the opposition she faced in the conservative Muslim country but was unapologetic. Her brother Waseem has said he drugged and then strangled her to death last Friday "for dishonouring the Baloch name". In their ďŹ rst interview with international media, Ms Baloch's parents said they had also been drugged on the night of the murder. "My husband and I fell deeply asleep. We had drunk milk, it had been mixed with sedatives," Mrs Bibi said. "In the morning, I called Qandeel for breakfast... but she didn't get up." She found her daughter's body and found that "her whole face was covered in bruises, her tongue was black, her lips was black", and started crying, she said. "We were mother and daughter, sharing all our sorrows and secrets. She used to tell me: 'Your daughter is working hard, she'll go far,'" she added. But Ms Baloch's brothers "always had hatred in their hearts", Mrs Bibi said. "Before, they didn't care much. But recently, things got worse, people... poisoned their

minds." 'She must have called out' Mr Azeem said his daughter had been his "best friend", but described his son as "crazed". "I say he should be shot on sight! He suocated my little one," he added. "We were drugged, asleep upstairs. She must have called out to us." Earlier this week, the Punjab provincial government also became a complainant in the murder case, designating it a crime against the state. The rare move eectively prevented members of Ms Baloch's family from legally forgiving her brother - a common legal loophole that sees many so-called "honour killings" go unpunished. An anti-honour killings bill to close the loophole nationwide has been bogged down in the Pakistani parliament. But Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's daughter said on Wednesday that the ruling party hoped to present it before a joint session of parliament within weeks.

(BBC)

Qandeel Baloch

INTERNATIONAL PAGE 68

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

THURSDAY, JULY 21, 2016

Rio Olympics 2016: Russia fails to overturn athlete ban for next month's Games

R

ussian track and field athletes will remain banned from the Olympics following claims the country ran a state-sponsored doping programme. The Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) and 68 Russian athletes attempted to overturn the suspension, implemented by the body that governs world athletics. But the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas) has ruled it can stand. A handful of Russian athletes could still compete as neutrals at the Rio Games, which start on 5 August. "It's sad but rules are rules," said Olympic 100m and 200m champion Usain Bolt, who is targeting more gold medals in Rio. He said it was important to send a strong message to the dopers.

"Doping violations in track and field is getting really bad," said the Jamaican, 29. "If you cheat or go or against the rules, this will scare a lot of people." However, Russian pole vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva - one of the 68 to appeal to Cas - said the ruling was "a blatant political order", while the Russian Foreign Ministry called it a a "crime against sport". Isinbayeva, the 2012 gold medallist, 34, told the Tass news agency: "Thank you all for this funeral for athletics." The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) said it was "pleased Cas has supported its position", adding that the judgement had "created a level playing field for athletes". IAAF president Lord Coe added: "This is not a day for triumphant statements. I didn't come into this sport to stop athletes from competing. "Beyond Rio, the IAAF taskforce will continue to work with Russia to establish a clean safe environment for its athletes so that its federation and team can return to international recognition and competition."

Separately, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) is considering calls to ban all Russian competitors from the Rio Games following a second report into state-sponsored doping. What now for Russia's athletes? Some Russian athletes could compete in Rio as neutrals if they meet a number of criteria, including being repeatedly tested outside their homeland. At least two - 800m runner and doping whistleblower Yuliya Stepanova and US-based long jumper Darya Klishina - have gone down that path. Now the ruling by a three-person Cas panel has cleared the way for others. Cas said the ROC could still nominate athletes to compete as neutrals. However, a Cas spokesman said the panel had expressed concerns that this left "no possibility" for athletes to comply with the criteria. Who was on the Cas panel? Three lawyers from Italy, Britain and the United States, widely regarded as amongst the most experienced judges on the court's list of around 400 approved arbitrators. The chairman was Milan-based Luigi Fumagalli, who also sat on the panel which upheld Fifa's four-month ban on Uruguay's Luis Suarez for biting Italian defender Georgio Chiellini opponent at the 2014 World Cup. Retired judge Robert Reid, from England, has chaired disciplinary committees for the Premier League and sat in judgment of Pakistan cricketer Salman Butt's failed appeal to Cas against a ban for fixing. Finally, Jeffrey Benz from Los Angeles is a former legal adviser to the United States Olympic Committee. Why were Russian athletes banned? Russia was suspended from track and field events by the IAAF in November 2015 following the publication of an independent World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) report that showed a culture of widespread, state-

sponsored doping. Sports minister Vitaly Mutko apologised for Russia's failure to catch the cheats but stopped short of admitting the scandal had been state-sponsored. However, another Wadacommissioned report delivered earlier this week - the McLaren report - contained more damaging allegations and suggested senior figures in Russia's sports ministry were complicit in an organised cover-up. The report implicated the majority of Olympic sports in the cover-up and claimed that Russian secret service agents were involved in swapping positive urine samples for clean ones. Following Monday's publication of the McLaren report, the IOC faced calls to ban all Russian competitors from the 2016 Olympics and will hold an second emergency meeting on Sunday to decide its course of action. How has Russia responded? The Russian authorities have already suggested that they will look at ways to continue legal action. Following the ruling, sports minister Mutko said Cas had set "a certain precedent" by punishing a collective group for doping offences by individuals.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov added: "The principle of collective responsibility cannot be acceptable. The news is not very good." What about other reaction? Sir Matthew Pinsent, Britain's four-time Olympic rowing champion: "I hope the IOC will take courage from the fact there will not be a legal comeback to these decisions. Any other option will be a nonsense." Louise Hazel, a former Olympic heptathlete from Britain: "It's a sad business but it's also a step in the right direction. I commend everybody involved for taking a hard line. I'm really pleased to see they have taken a really strong stance and that the ban has been upheld." Vera Rebrik, a javelin thrower from Ukraine who switched allegiance to Russia following the annexation of Crimea in 2014: "I don't know whether to laugh or cry... I can't find the words." (BBC)

INTERNATIONAL PAGE 69

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

THURSDAY, JULY 21, 2016

The man hired to have sex with children

I

n some remote southern regions of Malawi, it's traditional for girls to be made to have sex with a paid sex worker known as a "hyena" once they reach puberty. The act is not seen by village elders as rape, but as a form of ritual "cleansing". However, as Ed Butler reports, it has the potential to be the opposite of cleansing - a way of spreading disease. I meet Eric Aniva in the dusty yard of his three-room shack in Nsanje district in southern Malawi. Goats and chickens graze in the dirt outside. Wearing a grimy green shirt, and walking with a pronounced limp (he's been lame in one leg since birth, he says), he greets me enthusiastically. He seems to like the idea of media attention. Aniva is by all accounts the pre-eminent "hyena" in this village. It's a traditional title given to a man hired by communities in several remote parts of southern Malawi to provide what's called sexual "cleansing". If a man dies, for example, his wife is required by tradition to sleep with Aniva before she can bury him. If a woman has an abortion, again sexual cleansing is required. And most shockingly, here in Nsanje, teenage girls, after their first menstruation, are made to have sex over a three-day period, to mark their passage from childhood to womanhood. If the girls refuse, it's believed, disease or some fatal misfortune could befall their families or the village as a whole. "Most of those I have slept with are girls, school-going girls," Aniva tells me. "Some girls are just 12 or 13 years old, but I prefer them older. All these girls find pleasure in having me as their hyena. They actually are proud and tell other people that this man is a real man, he knows how to please a woman." Despite his boasts, several girls I meet in a nearby village express aversion to the ordeal they've had to go through. "There was nothing else I could have done. I had to do it for the sake of my parents," one girl, Maria, tells me. "If I'd refused, my family members could be attacked with diseases - even death - so I was scared."

They tell me that all their female friends were made to have sex with a hyena. Aniva appears to be in his 40s (he's vague about his precise age) and currently has two wives who are well aware of his work. He claims to have slept with 104 women and girls - although as he said the same to a local newspaper in 2012, I sense that he long ago lost count. Aniva has five children that he knows about - he's not sure how many of the women and girls he's made pregnant. He tells me he's one of 10 hyenas in this community, and that every village in Nsanje district has them. They are paid from $4 to $7 (£3 to £5) each time. An hour's drive down the road, I'm introduced to Fagisi, Chrissie and Phelia, women in their 50s and custodians of the initiation traditions in their village. It's their job to organise the adolescent girls into camps each year, teaching them about their duties as wives and how to please a man sexually. The "sexual cleansing" with the hyena is the final stage of this process, arranged voluntarily by the girl's parents. It's necessary, Fagisi, Chrissie and Phelia explain, "to avoid infection with their parents or the rest of the community".

I put it to them that there's a much greater risk that these "cleansings" will themselves spread disease. According to custom, sex with the hyena must never be protected with the use of condoms. But they say a hyena is handpicked for his good morals, and therefore cannot be infected with HIV/Aids. It's clear, given the hyena's duties, that HIV is a huge risk to the community. The UN estimates that one in 10 of all Malawians carry the virus, so I ask Aniva if he is HIV-positive. He astounds me by saying that he is - and that he doesn't mention this to a girl's parents when they hire him. As our conversation continues, Aniva senses that I am not impressed. He stops boasting and tells me that he does fewer cleansings than before. "I still do the rituals here and there," he confides. Then he tells me: "I am stopping."

All of those involved in these rituals are aware that these customs are condemned by outsiders - not just by the church, but by NGOs and the government as well, which has launched a campaign against so-called "harmful cultural practices". "We are not going to condemn these people,"

says Dr May Shaba, permanent secretary of the Ministry of Gender and Welfare. "But we are going to give them information that they need to change their rituals." Parents who have had more education than others may already choose not to hire a hyena, I am told. But the female elders I spoke to remain defiant. "There's nothing wrong with our culture," Chrissie tells me.

"If you look at today's society, you can see that girls are not responsible, so we have to train our girls in a good manner in the village, so that they don't go astray, are good wives so that the husband is satisfied, and so that nothing bad happens to their families." According to Father Clause Boucher, a French-born Catholic priest who's lived in Malawi for 50 years and is now its pre-eminent anthropologist, the rituals date back centuries. They stem from age-old beliefs about the need for children to be passed into the "heat" of adulthood by a sexual act, he says. In the past, when girls tended not to reach puberty until they were 15 or 16, this would often have been carried out by a selected future husband. Today it's more likely to done by a paid sex worker, a hyena, and there's no shame attached to that. Father Boucher points out that the efforts to change this sexualisation of children have been stubbornly resisted in remote southern areas, despite more than a century of Christianity and 30 years of the Aids epidemic. In most of the country - and particularly in areas close to the cities of Blantyre and Lilongwe - "sexual cleansing" is rarely if ever practised. In Malawi's central Dedza district, hyenas are only ever used to initiate widows or infertile women, but the Paramount Chief Theresa Kachindamoto - a rare female figurehead in Malawi - has made the fight against the tradition a personal priority. She is trying to galvanise other regional chiefs to make similar efforts. In some other districts, like Mangochi in the east of the country, ceremonies are being adapted to replace sex with a more benign anointing of the girl. In Nsanje, though, there is little effort to bring about change. With Malawi one of the poorest countries in the world, and suffering from growing reports of rural hunger, it's not a policy priority. In a remote village, I meet one of Aniva's two wives, Fanny, along with his youngest baby daughter. Fanny was herself widowed before being "cleansed" by Aniva with sex. They married soon after. Their relationship looks strained. Sitting next to him, she admits shyly that she hates what he does, but that it brings necessary income. I ask her if she expects her two-year-old to be undergoing initiation too in perhaps 10 years from now. "I don't want that to happen," she says. "I want this tradition to end. We are forced to sleep with the hyenas. It's not out of our choice and that I think is so sad for us as women." "You hated it when it happened to you?" I ask. "I still hate it right up until now." When I ask Aniva too whether he wants his daughter to undergo sexual cleansing, he surprises me again. "Not my daughter. I cannot allow this. Now I am fighting for the end of this malpractice." "So, you're fighting against it, but you are still doing it yourself?" I ask. "No, as I said, I'm stopping now."

"Really?" "For sure. For real, I'm stopping." (BBC)

INTERNATIONAL PAGE 70

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

THURSDAY, JULY 21, 2016

Trump says US may abandon automatic protections for Nato countries

D

onald Trump has said that if he is elected president he may abandon a guarantee of protection to fellow Nato countries. Speaking to the New York Times, Mr Trump said the US would only come to the aid of allies if they have "fulfilled their obligations to us". Members of Nato have all signed a treaty that says they will come to the aid of any member that is attacked. Mr Trump will speak on Thursday at the Republican National Convention. In a preview of what he will tell convention-goers in his speech, he outlined a foreign policy strategy aimed at reducing US expenditure and involvement abroad. What the world wants to know about Trump - Q&A from Cleveland Although the White House has not responded directly to Mr Trump's comments, spokesman Josh Earnest said on Thursday the US commitment to NATO was "ironclad". He said potential enemies should not misjudge Washington's commitment to defend its NATO allies. "The president renewed that commitment just two weeks ago today when he travelled to Warsaw, Poland, to attend the NATO summit." Mr Trump's comments hit at the fundamental basis of the Atlantic alliance; that an attack on one ally is an attack on all. Under Article 5 of Nato's founding treaty, allies are bound to come to the aid of a member under attack. The US has long been pressing its European allies to spend more on defence. That is slowly beginning to have an effect. But never has there been a suggestion that the US would renege on its responsibilities. His comments on Turkey suggest that the Republican contender also seems reluctant to insist upon Nato members maintaining strong democratic principles. Mr Trump's positions will be seen by Washington's Nato partners as at best eccentric and at worst alarming. At a time of growing tensions with Moscow, the idea that the US might become an unreliable ally is a nightmare for Nato's European members. Asked about Russian aggression towards Nato countries in the Baltic region, Mr Trump suggested the US might abandon the longstanding protections offered by the US to such nations.

The divisive Republican candidate also said that, if elected, he would not pressure US allies over crackdowns on political opposition and civil liberties, arguing that the US had to "fix our own mess" before "lecturing" other nations. He said: "Look at what is happening in our country. How are we going to lecture when people are shooting policemen in cold blood?" Asked about the failed coup in Turkey on Friday, the Republican candidate praised Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has been criticised by some Western leaders over his increasingly authoritarian rule. "I give great

credit to him for being able to turn that around," Mr Trump said of the failed coup. "Some people say that it was staged, you know that," he said. "I don't think so." US Secretary of State John Kerry has urged Mr Erdogan to follow the rule of law, amid a crackdown on opposition figures by the Turkish leader in the wake of the coup attempt. But Mr Trump chose not to make a similar statement. "When the world sees how bad the United States is and we start talking about civil liberties, I don't think we are a very good messenger," he said.

The Republican candidate also said that he would reassess the costs to the US of longstanding defence treaties, potentially forcing allies to take on those costs. He said he would "prefer to be able to continue" existing agreements - but not if he felt allies were taking advantage of the US. Referring to what he said were US trade losses, Mr Trump said: "We are spending a fortune on military in order to lose $800bn. That doesn't sound very smart to me." He also suggested he would close US bases abroad. "If we decide we have to defend the United States, we can always deploy" from American soil, he said "and it will be a lot less expensive". Mr Trump will address the convention on Thursday following speeches from his running mate, Governor Mike Pence and his wife Melania Trump. Mrs Trump's speech caused embarrassment when journalists noticed that sections of the text appeared to have been copied directly from a speech given by Michelle Obama at the 2008 Democratic Convention. Senator Ted Cruz, who came second in the Republican primaries, was booed by convention-goers on Thursday after opting not to endorse Mr Trump in his speech. (BBC)

Donald Trump suggested he would reassess US treaties with longstanding allies(GETTY IMAGES)

INTERNATIONAL PAGE 71

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

THURSDAY, JULY 21, 2016

Turkey coup attempt: State of emergency announced

T

urkey's president has declared a state of emergency for three months following Friday night's failed army coup.

The emergency allows the president and cabinet to bypass parliament when drafting new laws and to restrict or suspend rights and freedoms. Speaking at the presidential palace in Ankara, Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed that "all the viruses within the armed forces will be cleansed". Thousands of people have been arrested or sacked since the failed coup. More than 600 schools have also been closed and thousands of state workers sacked in a crackdown by the president. Analysis: Mark Lowen, BBC News, Istanbul The state of emergency gives President Erdogan radically enhanced powers for three months. He and the cabinet will be able to enact laws bypassing parliament; the constitutional court will be unable to challenge them; there could be restrictions on publications and freedom of assembly; and broader powers of arrest. The question is: how will this be applied? The government insists it will not affect the daily life of citizens and that the state of emergency will only root out the "virus" behind the coup. It points out that similar measures are in France since the Paris attacks last November.

And President Erdogan says this actually aims to protect democracy and human rights. But given the criticism of the president for curbing both while in office, doubts persist over how an increasingly authoritarian leader will use this, especially given the recent purges. France and Germany have spoken out loudest but Mr Erdogan has been typically forthright in his response, telling the French foreign minister to "mind his own business". "This measure is in no way against democracy, the law and freedoms," said Mr Erdogan after announcing the state of emergency. The BBC's Nick Thorpe in Turkey says that the government will be allowed to rule by decree, with the powers of regional governors increased. Our correspondent says a re-organisation of the police, intelligence services and the command structure of the armed forces is also expected. Critics of Mr Erdogan have accused him of consolidating power on a scale largely unprecedented since Turkey's first democratic elections in 1946 and of using the emergency to acquire more power for the presidency. They say the president normally would need to alter the constitution to create an executive presidency and win back some of the powers he relinquished when his tenure as prime minister ended in 2014. 'Provable involvement' Mr Erdogan praised those who were killed fighting against the coup as "martyrs". Some 246 people were killed resisting the attempted coup, according to the government. He was speaking after holding meetings of Turkey's national security council and the cabinet in the capital.

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier responded to the president's speech by urging the Turkish government to maintain both the rule of law and a sense of proportionality in its response to the coup attempt. "Only provable involvement in

illegal acts, not suspected political leanings, should trigger governmental action," Mr Steinmeier said. "It's also critical that the declaration of emergency be the truly necessary length of time, and to end the measure as quickly as possible." The president has blamed the coup attempt on US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, a former ally whose followers run a worldwide network of schools. He has called for Mr Gulen to be extradited to Turkey, but US Secretary of State John Kerry said on Wednesday that Turkey must provide hard evidence the cleric was behind the coup attempt for any extradition to take place. Earlier, Mr Erdogan warned of further arrests and suspensions to come as Turkish authorities continued to pursue those they believed responsible for the thwarted putsch. More than 50,000 state employees have been rounded up, sacked or suspended in the days since the coup attempt. On Wednesday, 99 top military officers were charged in connection with the events of the weekend. Officials continued to take action against university and school employees, shutting down educational establishments, banning foreign travel for academics and forcing university heads of faculty to resign. The government has also revoked the press credentials of 34 journalists who it alleges are connected to Mr Gulen, according to Turkish media.

Amnesty International described the authorities' actions as "a crackdown of exceptional proportions". (BBC)

Turkey's president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan

LOCAL

GUYANA DAILY NEWS $28B lost annually due to flaws in public procurement system PAGE 74

The Ministry of Public Infrastructure today held a public Symposium on the Procurement Process at the Arthur Chung Convention Centre, with the aim of sensitizing new entrants about the Procurement Process. The Symposium is the first of its kind under the David Granger Administration. Minister within the Ministry of Public Infrastructure, Annette Ferguson, told the participants that the workshop is geared at educating new and existing suppliers of goods and services of the Procurement regulations. She also noted that Public Procurement is a very critical issue for the Government and that there is weakness in the procurement sector which results in the country losing $28 billion annually, due to sole sourcing, contract splitting, inflated engineers estimate, evaluation biasness, the use of inexperience contractors among others. She is optimistic that the Ministry will attract more suppliers and new entrants will be able to prequalify for works and services.

Minister of Public Infrastructure David Patterson thanked the gathering for participating and noted that the Symposium is for new entrants. The Minister noted that for very trivial matters persons are disqualified from the tender process such as; filing to sign the Power of Attorney. He also reiterated that there are laws in Guyana that deals with Public Procurement and it must

FRIDAY, JULY 22, 2016

be followed. The Minister aslo advise the news entrants to start with contracts that they can handle because it will be detrimental to their future in the business. “The Government is bureaucratic in its nature” he noted, citing to the fact of late payment by the Government towards contractors. He also noted that bidders must submit tenders. He promised that the Ministry will be lenient towards new entrants in the sector. -By- Ronald Singh, Guyana Daily News.

Ministers Patterson, Anette Furgeson and Sharma at today's event.

LOCAL PAGE 75

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

FRIDAY, JULY 22, 2016

Container fees are a burden to businesses Business owners believe that City Hall’s decision to impose a $25,000 container fee will only add to the already bad economic climate facing the country.

“Businesses are struggling to survive in this country under the current Government. Adding fees and taxes will kill the small business in this country,” one person told this newspaper. One businessman said, “The current APNU+AFC administration is not doing anything for the business community in the country and they are adding more fees and taxes to the existing ones, what will become of the small businesses in the country.” Recently, the Mayor and City Council had four matters thrown out of the courts because City Hall has no jurisdiction to charge $25,000 on business owners for parked containers and the Containers Association is challenging the decision of City Hall. Mayor of Georgetown Patricia Chase-Green is contemplating changing its by-laws to include transportation and discharge of containers along city streets and parapets. By- Ronald Singh, Guyana Daily News.

Mayor of Georgetown Patricia Chase-Green

LOCAL PAGE 76

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

FRIDAY, JULY 22, 2016

Triple murder in Black Bush Polder The Guyana Daily News has conďŹ rmed that a father, his son and an uncle were murdered on Thursday night at Black Bush Polder. According to information reaching this newspaper, the trio went ďŹ shing when they were all killed execution style.

Their bodies were found this morning. This newspaper will provide more information when it becomes available.

Queen Street man remanded for attempted murder Oswald Andrews today appeared before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan, charged with the attempted murder of Rossford Colwich. The court heard that on July 19, he unlawfully and maliciously wounded Colwich with the intent to murder him.

He was remanded to prison and will return to court on September 05. The 48-year-old accused of Lot 34 Queen Street, South Cummingsburg, was not allowed to plead to the charge. It is alleged that on the day in question at Queen Street, South Cummingsburg, Georgetown the accused stabbed the virtual complainant to his head, chest and shoulder. Colwich was rushed to the hospital where he is still receiving medical attention. -By- Jarred Singh, Guyana Daily News.

REGIONAL PAGE 77

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

FRIDAY, JULY 22, 2016

Aboud blames 2013 Petrotrin spill for fish kill and says: C o r e x i t s t i l l a f f e c t i n g a r e a s As more dead fish continued to wash ashore along the Mosquito Creek yesterday, president of Fishermen and Friends of the Sea, Gary Aboud, put the blame squarely on Petrotrin’s shoulders. In an interview on CNC3’s Morning Brew programme, Aboud lashed out at Petrotrin, claiming harmful chemicals, such as Corexit, which was used in the clean-up of the 2013 oil spill, were still affecting marine life. “This started in 2013 with the Petrotrin oil spills. We had never seen this before in the southland. There were some fish deaths about 15 years ago caused by oxygen deprivation but that is naturally occurring phenomenon. “This is not a naturally occurring phenomenom and it is happening in the same area where Petrotrin used thousands of gallons of Corexit to clean up the oil,” Aboud said He called on President Anthony Carmona and Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley to intervene and call an environmental state of emergency in the Gulf of Paria. “We are calling on the President and Prime Minister to intervene and close these beaches. Nobody should be allowed to walk on these beaches. We have evidence that there is Corexit six inches below the sand on these beaches,” he claimed. “The entire food chain is being contaminated. If you go to the Gulf of Paria, the water smells like faeces and oil. “No one has quantified the amount of toxic waste that is in the gulf. We need an environmental state of emergency. We have said that and people say we are being extreme,” Aboud added. While he is pointing fingers at Petrotrin, activist Edward Moodie told the T&T Guardian yesterday different types of fish continued to wash up overnight in the Oropouche River. “There were a lot of branch, a kind of flat fish, washing up in the river mouth on Wednesday night. The EMA came out and did onsite tests for micro-carbons and of course they found nothing. The IMA is supposed to go up today (yesterday) and do their tests,” he added. Moodie said he believed the dead fish were coming from the Point Lisas area. “The fish is coming from Point Lisas and are being brought down to the creek by the long shore drift. Those fish were dead for more than 48 hours and more than enough time for them to drift down here because these fish did not die here. They died somewhere else,” he added. The T&T Guardian contacted Petrotrin’s head of External Communications & Branding, Corporate Communications Department, Joy Antoine, yesterday for a comment on the issue. She asked that questions be sent via email but up until yesterday evening there no response.

IMA: Fish dumped Preliminary investigations into the cause of death of thousands of fish along the shoreline of the Gulf of Paria have indicated they were dumped in the area, a joint press release by the Environmental Management Authority (EMA) and the Institute of Marine Affairs (IMA) said yesterday afternoon. The release said a team of representatives from the EMA’s Emergency Response and Investigations (ERI) Unit and the IMA, headed by Dr Farahnaz Solomon, fisheries biologist, made site visits to the Mosquito Creek and environs yesterday. “Ninety-nine per cent of the dead fish observed were herrings (bait fish) approximately four inches in length. Other specimens were in a moderate to advanced stage of decomposition. No dying fish were observed, indicating

this is not an ongoing event,” the release added. The investigators also noted that the herrings appeared to have bruises, in the form of red marks, along the body. The release indicated the position of these marks were variable and in some cases accompanied by “net” impressions or markings. The release added that during interviews with fishermen from the area, investigators were told herring was currently being caught in that area. It added that there were no visible signs of an oil spill or a red tide in the area and the preliminary results were that the fish may have been dumped. The two agencies were still testing the water and soil from the sea bed up until yesterday afternoon and promised to release the results once the tests were completed. EMA warns public Meanwhile, the Environmental Management Authority (EMA) issued a press release yesterday, stating that the Ministry of Health has been alerted to the potential sale of the dead fish by unscrupulous fishermen. The authority said: “The EMA also notes with concern media reports of fish from the incident being collected and attempted to be sold by individuals. “The EMA, out of an abundance of caution, has alerted the Ministry of Health and the County Medical Officers of Health (CMOH), especially in the Victoria County, of the reports so that increased surveillance and preventative measures can be implemented, given the fact that there is no definitive cause of the fish kill at this time.” The release also stated that the authority was investigating the deaths, with the support of the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory of the Animal Production and Health Division of the Ministry of Agriculture, Lands and Fisheries. (Trinidad Guardian)

Naresh Persad shows some of the dead fish that washed up Wednesday on the Mosquito Creek, La Romaine.

PHOTO: RISHI RAGOONATH

REGIONAL PAGE 78

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

FRIDAY, JULY 22, 2016

Guyana not rushing to eliminate death penalty GEORGETOWN, Guyana (CMC) — The Government of Guyana says it is not rushing to remove the death penalty from the state books.

Earlier this week, an international jurist urged Guyana to move towards abolishing the death penalty as well as to repeal legislation providing for convicted terrorists to be put to death. “The rule of law follows international standards and Guyana is very much a part of the international community,” said Justice Navi Pillay, a member of the International Commission against the Death Penalty. But natural resources Minister Raphael Trotman, said the government is in no rush to remove the death penalty as he recalled Guyana’s participation in a European Union (EU) sponsored forum in December 2015, on the death penalty. He said recently enacted laws against the financing of terrorism which contain the death penalty were requested and are in compliance with international recommendations such as those from the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force (FATF). Trotman said government now finds itself in a position where it has been asked to enact laws such as those to avoid being named a “pariah state”. Since the early 1990s, Guyana has instituted a moratorium on the death penalty and Trotman noted "as the President (David Granger) rightly said, we don’t relish taking lives wantonly." Trotman said that the Government had no intentions of enforcing it, noting, however, that “at the present time, Government is not rushed to remove it from the books. Before we do so, we will have widespread consultations”. Trotman said that the

EU-sponsored conference was held just after the terrorist attacks in Paris and that there is a debate as to whether the death penalty should be reinstated. “Even now there is a strong clamour for the return of the death penalty,” he said, citing examples of reprisal attacks, by EU states such as France following terror attacks, in Syria, Iraq and Libya against persons or targets deemed responsible. “The question has been asked whether bombing communities from 30,000 feet above and killing persons including some innocents, because bombs don’t differentiate between hostiles and innocents, whether in a sense this is not a form of the death penalty being advanced by some of the same countries that are asking you to remove from your books, the death penalty.” Trotman said Guyana is not involved in any conflicts or bombings, unlike EU states where "far right parties" are calling for the return of death penalties. (Trinidad Guardian)

HEART/NTA provides $14.23m in grant funding to MSMEs KINGSTON, Jamaica (JIS) — The HEART Trust/NTA is providing $14.23 million in grant funding to six micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs). The funds, for the acquisition of equipment, technologies, capacity-building services and technical assistance, are being facilitated through the agency’s ‘general MSME support’ component of the MSME programme, which was launched yesterday at The Knutsford Court Hotel, New Kingston. The six beneficiaries are ProSource, Jamaica Transport Services, Zinergy International, Honey Vera, Frazer’s Ceramics, and Eco Farms/Environmed.

Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator Ruel Reid, in his address at the launch, said the programme will promote employment and wealth creation, while increasing access to capital.

“Through its MSME programme, the Heart Trust is demonstrating its commitment to national development in keeping with its vision of having a Jamaican workforce trained and certified to international standards,” Reid said. The MSME programme is designed to increase the productivity and competitiveness of businesses; boost employment and wealth creation; enhance the quality and quantity of exports; and increase the sustainability of MSMEs through training and capacity development. Funding under the programme is only to be used to finance direct expenses, including acquisition of equipment, machinery, technology and software; development of new market access; expanding existing market linkages; capacity building through technical training; and business advisory services.

Executive Director of the HEART Trust/NTA, Dr. Wayne Wesley, informed that beneficiaries under the General MSME Support can access up to $3 million for initiatives to improve their productivity, competitiveness, and build their capacity. Capacity and business

development support will be provided through the Jamaica Business Development Cooperation (JBDC), for which a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed at the launch. “To benefit from this award, the MSME must be registered with the Companies Office of Jamaica, be tax compliant, be willing to accept HEART Trust/NTA graduates for internship or apprenticeship and have export or growth potential to boost employment,” Dr. Wesley said.

(Jamaica Observer)

Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator Ruel Reid, addresses the launch of the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Programme on July 21 at The Knutsford Court Hotel, New Kingston.

REGIONAL PAGE 79

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

FRIDAY, JULY 22, 2016

Mom sees first step for justice After two years, Jemilia Forde received the first step towards justice when a pre-school teacher appeared in court on Wednesday charged with manslaughter, arising out of her daughter’s drowning at a public pool.

Speaking with the T&T Guardian yesterday, Forde, a manager at a casino, said although nothing could bring her daughter back, there was some glimmer of hope, knowing someone had been made accountable for her daughter’s death. Jemimah Agard, five, drowned moments after a swimming lesson at the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) pool, Wrightson Road, Port-of-Spain. According to reports, Agard, of Rose Hill, Laventille, who attended Sharon’s Nursery School, Woodbrook, was part of a class which went to the YMCA for swimming lessons on June 16, 2014 between 9 am and 10 am. After the class ended and the children went to change, little Jemimah reportedly asked to use the toilet and was allowed to do so. After some time the teachers noticed the child was missing and began searching for her. She was found at the bottom of the pool in the deep end, fished out and was given cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) before being rushed to the Port-of-Spain General Hospital where she died. Euralia Thomas, appeared before Chief Magistrate Marcia Ayers-Caesar on Wednesday charged with manslaughter and wilful neglect. Thomas, 56, was granted $75,000 bail and the matter adjourned to August 17. Yesterday, Forde said since her child’s death, her days have been filled with tears and sleepless nights, not just by her but other relatives. She said she did not know how to feel about a teacher at the school being held criminally culpable for her child’s death. “It has been challenging since her death. I have been getting sick but doctors say there is nothing physically wrong with me. “Everyday I cry for her. Seeing parents on mornings with their children is extra hard.

Only last week doctors gave me sleeping tablets. “It takes only a second for

an incident to happen. Be more observant, receiving a phone call like that is...,” Forde said before she began crying. She recalled her daughter being very active in her womb but was the complete opposite when she was born.

She described her child as a “cry-cry baby” who was obedient and respectful. Forde said he daughter “wanted to dress up in a suit and go to work. She wanted to work in an office she used to tell me. “All I wanted was for her to be successful and do better than me. I did not want her working at a casino like me,” adding she no longer want to have any more children.

(Trinidad Guardian)

A distraught Jemilia Forde speaks during an interview yesterday.

PHOTO: NICOLE DRAYTON

Gov't in talks to bring more ships to Kingston KINGSTON, Jamaica (JIS) — Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Dr Horace Chang, says Kingston Freeport Terminal Limited (KFTL) is in talks to bring additional shipping to the Port of Kingston.

“Some (discussions) will be bearing fruit pretty soon; by August. The connections they have with these various lines... they’ll bring certain international efficiencies to the port,” he said. Dr Chang was speaking to reporters following a tour of the port on Wednesday. The major shipping lines involved in the discussions include Danish shipping company, Maersk, China Ocean Shipping (Group) Company (COSCO), GermanChilean line, Hapag-Lloyd, and Evergreen from Taiwan. Dr Chang, who has responsibility for the Port of Kingston, informed that the increased volume of ships will lead to spin-off industries. “This is where you will get the customisation and the reassembling of goods for near-market facilities,” he pointed out. The Government divested the Kingston Container Terminal (KCT) to KFTL on July 1. KFTL is a subsidiary of the global terminal operators CMA CGM Group. The local company was established for the sole purpose of acting as the signatory to the KCT concession. The agreement gives the KFTL a 30-year concession with the right to finance, expand, operate, maintain, and transfer the container terminal at the end of the period. Chang said the new concessionaire is advanced with activities to expand and develop the port. Expansion

activities being undertaken by the port concessionaire will include the structural developments to the berthing area to accommodate larger ships. “They’ll be piling much deeper – as much as 25-30 metres. If the berth is not up to scratch to accommodate those ships, it will collapse,” the Minister noted.

He congratulated the concessionaire on its work to date, noting that the “Government has a good partner to move forward”. On the tour, Minister Chang visited several sections of the port, including the domestic terminal where containers destined for the local market are positioned. He also observed the new straddle carriers obtained by KFTL. (Jamaica Observer)

Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Dr Horace Chang (right), and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Kingston Freeport Terminal Limited (KFTL), Olivier Tretout are in discussion during a tour of the Kingston port, on July 20. (Photo: JIS)

REGIONAL PAGE 80

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

FRIDAY, JULY 22, 2016

Ramadhar mum Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley yesterday heaped praises on St Augustine MP Prakash Ramadhar for his sterling contribution to T&T efforts rekindling its relationship with Jamaica during a five-day trip there. Questioned last night about his decision to invite Opposition members to Jamaica, Ramadhar ’s contribution and if the Government would extend further invitations to the Opposition MP on State trips, Rowley said: “Mr Ramadhar is a very experienced lawyer. He is a very experienced parliamentarian and he is a member of the Parliament of Trinidad and Tobago. “I can tell you, at critical moments in our discussions in Jamaica his input was very valuable as a member of the delegation of Trinidad and Tobago.” Probed on if Government intended to invite more Opposition MPs on State visits after his delegation’s arrival from Kingston, Rowley said: “Maybe, maybe not. I don't know.

It all depends on the members of the Opposition. If they are invited and they turn up, then so be it. If they do not turn up, well we would go without them.” Ramadhar, however, steered clear of fielding questions from the T&T Guardian concerning comments made by Opposition Leader Kamla PersadBissessar, who criticised him for accepting the invitation by Rowley. Instead, he said he would hold a press conference soon to clear the air on certain issues. “Tonight was all about the Prime Minister and the trip. I don’t want to comment,” a smiling Ramadhar said in the VIP room of the Piarco International Airport. Last week, Persad-Bissessar knocked Ramadhar for accepting the invitation, saying an Opposition parliamentarian could not represent the Opposition bench without holding consultations with her. She said neither Rowley nor Ramadhar had consulted her about the issue or sought any advice from her.

Couva North MP, Ramona Ramdial, who was also invited, declined the invitation after consulting her, Persad-Bissessar said. Also among Rowley’s delegation were Foreign Affairs Minister Dennis Moses and Minister of Legal Affairs Stuart Young. Rowley described his five-day trip to Jamaica as hectic, exhausting and successful, he having met the business community, University of the West Indies students, academia and government and opposition officials. Jamaica Prime Minister Andrew Holness had invited Rowley to his country when they first met in Belize. The invitation was prompted by the seemingly strained trade relationship between the two countries, after Jamaicans, who were deported from T&T, had called for a boycott of T&T goods there. Rowley said if he had not made the trip to deal with the issue, which was a deteriorating situation, could have resulted in some very undesirable consequences for both countries. In particular, Rowley said T&T’s capacity could have been faced with challenges within the manufacturing sector here, leading to the possible loss of jobs. Among the issues discussed during the trip, he said, were the Caricom Single Market and Economy,

free movement, security, Caribbean Airlines and the Government Assistance for Tuition Expenses (Gate). Some of the businesses Rowley and his delegation met were the Jamaica Chamber of Commerce, health services, Foreign Affairs and the Manufacturing Association He said his trip was to put T&T”s position to Jamaicans to whom some misunderstandings and misrepresentations were advanced from certains quarters.

Rowley said the position of free movement of citizens from across the region came up. “We discussed at length a requirement for our citizens of our region, governed under the Chaguaramas Treaty, to be properly informed about the conditions under which free movement of citizens exists,” Rowley said. While there is substantial free movement in the region, Rowley said there were some conditions where the movement could be restricted. He noted that T&T has had to restrict movement of some people to our shores. Rowley said he was able to speak to some people in Jamaica who were particularly aggrieved, mouth pieces and influence-makers. He said his Government left Jamaica with the understanding that matter was not behind us. As leaders of Caricom, he said, both Jamaica and T&T have to set good examples. He said at the level of the Caricom Single Market and Economy, steps had been taken for a review of work to be done and on work that had been done. Another eyebrow-raising development, Rowley said, was when they were informed that Jamaica had put in place a committee to review its relationship with Caricom.

“That discussion was the subject of extensive discussions in some quarters,” he said. (Trinidad Guardian)

Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley addresses the media at the VIP Lounge of the Piarco International Airport on his return from Jamaica yesterday. Looking on are members of his delegation, from left, St Augustine MP Prakash Ramadhar, THA Chief Secretary Orville London and Minister in the Ministry of the Attorney General Stuart Young.

PHOTO: NICOLE DRAYTON

INTERNATIONAL

GUYANA DAILY NEWS Brexit causes dramatic drop in UK economy, data suggests PAGE 81

B

ritain's decision to leave the EU has led to a "dramatic deterioration" in economic activity, not seen since the aftermath of the financial crisis. Data from IHS Markit's Purchasing Managers' Index, or PMI, shows a fall to 47.7 in July, the lowest level since April in 2009. A reading below 50 indicates contraction.

Both manufacturing and service sectors saw a decline in output and orders.

However, exports picked up, driven by the weakening of the pound. The report surveyed more than 650 services companies, from sectors including transport, business services, computing and restaurants. It asked them: "Is the level of business activity at your company higher, the same or lower than one month ago?" It also asked manufacturers whether production had gone up or down. The PMI is the first significant set of data measuring business reaction to the result of the UK referendum. Record slump' Chris Williamson, chief economist at IHS Markit, said the downturn had been "most commonly attributed in one way or another to 'Brexit'." Service Index He added that the economy could contract by 0.4% in the third quarter of this year, but that would depend on whether the current slump continued.

"The only other times we have seen this index fall to these low levels, was the global financial crisis in 2008/9, the bursting of the dot com bubble, and the 1998 Asian financial crisis," Mr Williamson told the BBC. "The difference this time is that it is entirely home-grown, which suggest the impact could be greater on the UK economy than before. "This is exactly what most economists were saying would happen." A subset of the PMI figures, shows that service companies, such as insurance or advertising, are feeling less positive about the future than at any

FRIDAY, JULY 22, 2016

time since the height of the recession. he figures in PMI surveys are taken seriously by economists as early warning signs of what is in the pipeline.

When there is a downturn, the PMIs generally tell the same story. So this is a troubling set of results. But it is just one month's worth. It is possible that this is a "shock-induced nadir", as the chief economist at the firm who conducted the survey put it, and that the economy will right itself in the coming months.

In addition, the financial markets have stabilised and in some areas rebounded, in an adjustment after the vote that was described by the IMF as severe but generally orderly. That said, the survey results do increase the chances of some action from the Bank of England, perhaps an interest rate cut in August, or perhaps even some additional spending plans in the chancellor's Autumn Statement. 'Heading for recession' Samuel Tombs, chief UK economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics, said the figures provided the "first major evidence that the UK is entering a sharp downturn".

Although he added that the "confidence shock from the Leave vote might wear off over the coming months". Neil Wilson, markets analyst at ETX Capital, said he thought the UK was "heading for a recession again", and that the data would almost certainly prompt the Bank of England to roll out further stimulus.

The pound has fallen in response to the publication of the data. The U K ' s n e w chancellor, Philip Hammond, urged caution. "Let's be clear, the PMI data is a measure of sentiment, it's not

a measure of any hard activity in the economy. "What it tells us is businesses confidence has been dented, they're not sure, they're in a period of uncertainty now." Earlier on Friday, Mr Hammond said that he might "reset" Britain's fiscal policy. 'No surprise' While IHS Markit's reading on the UK economy was worse than most analysts expected, its verdict on the wider eurozone economy was more cheery. Although business confidence dropped to an 18month low, the overall pace of economic growth was in line with preBrexit trends, and employment across the eurozone rose. The optimistic outlook is in line with comments made by the president of the European Central Bank (ECB), Mario Draghi, who said on Thursday that Europe's financial markets had "weathered" the uncertainty caused by the vote. Europe Economics' Andrew Lilico, who argued during the referendum campaign that leaving the EU would be beneficial for the UK in the long term, told the BBC the PMI data was "no surprise", and that it "doesn't tell us much about what Brexit's longer term impact will be". Mr Lilico said he always expected a shortterm reaction, and those who voted to leave, "expected a short-term slowdown too". The downturn, he added, was "associated with risks in the global economy," as well as Brexit.

(BBC)

INTERNATIONAL PAGE 82

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

FRIDAY, JULY 22, 2016

Caitlyn Republican?

Caitlyn wasn’t always ‘she’, Caitlyn once was ‘Bruce’.

Known only by the millennial generation as the father of the Kardashians, why don’t we really focus on who was Bruce? Our ‘celebrity’ is been a media magnet since the early 70s. Born on October 28, 1949 in the United States, Bruce started to call the world’s attention with his astonishing qualities as an athlete. Going back few decades, we could have enjoy his performance on the Olympic tracks as a decathlon champion. In 1976 at the Montreal Summer Olympics winning the gold as a decathlete, put his name on the spot lights, bright neon lights. Jenner took an American flag from a spectator and carried it during the victory lap, starting a tradition that is now common among winning athletes. Jenner was known, was a figure of high standards. On that same year he became a national hero receiving the James E. Sullivan Award as the top amateur athlete in the United States.

"Jenner is twirling the nation like a baton. He and wife, Chrystie, are so high up on the pedestal of American heroism, it would take a crane to get them down," The New York Times posted that year. Jenner was inducted into the United States National Track and Field Hall of Fame in 1980, the Olympic Hall of Fame in 1986, the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame and the Connecticut Sports Hall of Fame in 1994, and the San Jose Sports Hall of Fame in 2010. For almost 20 years, San Jose City College hosted an annual Bruce Jenner Invitational competition. After his retirement from the tracks as an active athlete, Jenner became a spokesperson followed by a not so bright career on the big screen. Starring on theVillage People comedy Can't Stop the Music in 1980, he was nominated as the worst artist of the year. But that didn’t stop him, he continued with numerous shows and small projects.

Venturing in the business world, he founded the “Bruce Jenner Aviation” selling aircraft supplies to executives and corporations, also became the business development vice president for a staffing industry software application known as JennerNet, which was based on Lotus Domino technology. Accomplished as a person, but not as a ‘man’.

With three failed marriages and 6 descendants. Bruce needed changes, changes he knew would make an impact, a strong one. Better known as the Father of the Kardashians, he finally made a decision and a worldwide statement, “For all intents and purposes, I'm a woman,” he said on air at the in a 20/20 interview with Diane Sawyer on April 2015. He became ‘Caitlyn’. The caterpillar turned

butterfly, an immediate sensation, a role to follow by every transgender. No matter age or status you can always ‘find’ yourself. But there was something harder than coming out of the ‘closet’ as a transgender, reveling yourself as a Republican in this so controversial times for USA, and the international audience that looking with a sharply judgmental eye to the rise of Trump, Is not so digestible.

The 66 year old celebrity confirmed in Republican National Convention, celebrated in Cleveland, that Trump was her candidate for the White House. Not only an icon for the Lesbian, Gay, Transgender, Bisexual community (LGTB), but now also for the republicans. Even after realizing of the recently misogynic nuances in Trump’s recent speech, she expressed her full support, and made a call to vote for the Republican Party, stating that Hillary Clinton “won’t do anything for the trans community, the republicans will” “I haven’t used the men washroom in a year and a half, and I am grateful because there are too many women related conversations in there”, Jenner said in Cleveland. Once a successful man, and now a confident woman. What would really be of Caitlyn’s future after November. What will be of ours? Source: http://www.elnacional.com/escenas/Caitlyn-Jenner-saliocloset_0_8885113...

-By- Rocio Perez, Guyana Daily News.

Caitlyn Jenner

INTERNATIONAL

GUYANA DAILY NEWS 'Shots fired' in Munich shopping centre, German police deployed PAGE 83

FRIDAY, JULY 22, 2016

Shots have been fired in a Munich shopping centre and a police operation is under way. Reports say the area round the shopping centre in the district of Moosach has been sealed off, but details of the incident are sketchy. Several people are reported to have been killed, the Sueddeutsche Zeitung newspaper quotes police as saying. The security forces have been on alert after a migrant stabbed five people on a train in Bavaria on Monday. The authorities had warned of the danger of further attacks. Reports speak of one attacker.

Helicopters are said to be flying over the scene and workers being unable to leave their shops. Munich Several people are reported killed(TIMM KRAEFT) police are telling people to avoid the area. (BBC)

India launches massive search operation for missing military plane An Indian military plane with more than 20 people on board has gone missing over the Bay of Bengal, the Indian air force (IAF) has confirmed to the BBC. The Antonov-32 transporter aircraft took off from Chennai (Madras) at 08:30 local time (03:00 GMT), bound for Port Blair in the eastern archipelago of Andaman and Nicobar. It was scheduled to land at 11:30. Four aircraft, 12 ships and a submarine have been deployed to search for the plane, the ministry of defence said.

The IAF operates more than 100 Antonov-32 aircraft.

Are India's aging air force planes falling out of the sky? The Indian Air Force has a relatively poor safety

record and the Russian-made aircraft which form the backbone of the Indian fleet have been the most accident-prone. A navy spokesman told the Reuters news agency that surveillance planes and ships were looking for the missing aircraft, which was carrying service personnel to strategic islands near the Malacca Straits, where India has a military base. India's ministry of defence initially deployed two aeroplanes and four ships to look for the missing aircraft. Eight more warships and a submarine have now joined the search. (BBC)

The Indian air force operates more than 100 Antonov-32 aircraft(INDIAN AIR FORCE)

INTERNATIONAL PAGE 84

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

FRIDAY, JULY 22, 2016

Thai police interrogate girls, 8, for tearing voters lists Thai police have summoned two eight-year old girls for questioning after they tore voters lists prepared for the upcoming constitutional referendum. The girls said they had torn the papers for fun while playing with them. Police initially said they would be charged with "destroying assets", but later said they would not be charged. Thailand's military government has outlawed any attempt to campaign against its controversial draft constitution, to be voted on in August. Critics say the draft constitution, if approved, would significantly weaken the power of any future elected government. Pretty and pink The incident began on 18 July at a school in central Kamphaeng Phet province, which was being prepared as a polling station ahead of the referendum. The girls tore some of the voters lists hung out at the school ahead of the poll, and were subsequently taken to a local police station for questioning, in the presence of child welfare staff and lawyers. The girls told officers that they had played with the lists because they were pink and a pretty colour. However, police initially said they needed to follow procedure and charge the girls, as damage to state assets had occurred, sparking anger on Thai social media and amongst rights groups. On Friday, an officer at Kamphaeng Phet police station told BBC Thai that the two girls would not be charged because they had not intended to destroy the papers for anything

other than for fun, and because they were under 10 years old the minimum age at which a person can be held legally responsible under Thai law. The girls were now back with their parents, and the police were working to conclude the case, he said. There have also been reports of several incidents of voters lists being meddled with. The Bangkok Post reported that lists had been tampered with at 10 polling stations in the run up to the referendum. In one case a petrol station manager admitted stealing a list because he wanted to find new clients, the Post said. (BBC)

Thais are due to vote on a new, military-drafted constitution on 7 August

Hungry Jack's: Corpse lay undiscovered in Australian fast food outlet toilet for days The authorities in Western Australia are trying to determine how a man's dead body went unnoticed for nearly three days in the toilet of a fast food outlet in a suburb of Perth. It is thought the man died from a drugs overdose, and the death is not being treated as suspicious.

Customers at the store have expressed concern about hygiene standards. Hungry Jack's, the Australian franchise of Burger King, said they were co-operating with the authorities. When contacted by the Australian news broadcaster ABC, Hungry Jack's head office did not address questions relating to the cleaning schedule of the bathrooms, but issued a short, unattributed statement.

"Hungry Jack's is co-operating with all relevant authorities regarding the matter at its restaurant in Balga, Western Australia," the statement said. "Our thoughts are with all concerned." A pretty long time' The man, believed to have entered on Friday night, was found on Monday morning.

The store was reported to have been open at the weekend.

Customers said they were concerned the toilets had apparently not been checked for three days. "It's

unfortunate, and you have to worry about... how often they check their facilities," customer Felix Davis told ABC. "Three days is a pretty long time, poor guy." It is understood the toilet cubicle had a floor to ceiling door with a single vent. (BBC)

INTERNATIONAL PAGE 85

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

FRIDAY, JULY 22, 2016

Turkey coup attempt: Detentions 'tip of the iceberg’ Turkey's deputy prime minister has described as "the tip of the iceberg" the infiltration of state institutions by the group the government blames for last Friday's failed coup. Nurettin Canikli told the BBC that the number of arrests could grow. At least 60,000 state employees have been detained or suspended in an internationally criticised purge. But Mr Canikli criticised Turkey's allies for "only half-heartedly" condemning the "coup-makers". The government accuses those loyal to the USbased exiled cleric Fethullah Gulen of being behind the coup.

"For 40 years this terror organisation has infiltrated the furthest corners of the country - ministries, all institutions and the Turkey's deputy prime minister private sector," Mr Canikli said. (BBC) warned of further arrests

David Duke, former Ku Klux Klan leader, to run for Congress David Duke - a former leader of the Ku Klux Klan has launched a campaign for an open seat in the US Senate. Duke is one of more than 20 candidates seeking the seat vacated by Republican Senator David Vitter of Louisiana. The white nationalist has been an outspoken supporter of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump. The Republican previously served as a Louisiana state lawmaker from 1989 to 1992 and unsuccessfully ran for governor. "I believe in equal rights for all and respect for all Americans," Duke said in a video posted to his website. "However what makes me different is I also demand respect for the rights and heritage of European Americans." He enters the race amid a rise in racial tensions in Louisiana. This month, Baton Rouge police shot and killed a black man as he was being held to the ground.

The shooting - captured on video - led to protests across the country. On Sunday, a black gunman shot and killed three police officers in Baton Rouge.

Authorities said the gunman, Gavin Long, lured the officers into an ambush. Duke returned to the national spotlight in February when he endorsed Mr Trump for president. Mr Trump was sharply criticised when he did not initially disavow the endorsement. "I'm overjoyed to see Donald Trump and most Americans embrace most of the issues that I've championed for years. My slogan remains America first," Duke said on Friday. In Louisiana, all candidates - regardless of party affiliation - run on the same ballot. A run-off election is held if no candidate receives a majority of

the vote. Republican Congressman Charles Boustany and state Public Service Commissioner Foster Campbell, a Democrat, are considered among the front-runners in the crowded race. Duke pleaded guilty to tax fraud in 2002 and spent a year in federal prison. (BBC)

Duke, seen here in 2004, said he wants to return to politics(AP)

LOCAL PAGE 88

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

SATURDAY, JULY 23, 2016

Gov’t Continues to Lose $28B Annually due to absence of Procurement Commission The APNU+AFC Government is complaining bitterly about the country losing $28 billion annually from breaches in the procurement process, due to the lack of the Public Procurement Commission. On Friday, the Ministry of Public Infrastructure hosted a symposium on Public Procurement at the Arthur Chung Convention Centre, aimed at edifying new entrants into the sector about the do’s and don’ts of the Procurement process, despite the fact that there is no Public Procurement Commission (PPC). Could this be another waste of taxpayers’ monies to fool the Public or is there something more sinister going on? Minister within the Ministry of Finance Jaipaul Sharma was quoted as saying “the previous administration found it very difficult to establish the PPC and this administration will find it difficult to establish the commission.” While on the Opposition side of the house, the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance for Change (APNU/AFC) was very critical of the then People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Government’s approach to the distribution of contracts and had called out to PPP/C to have the important commission established. Just over a year has passed and the Commission has not been established as yet; this newspaper understands that contracts are single handedly being given to friends and associates of the present administration. It was revealed that Government, since coming into office in May of last year, has spent over of $133 million in forensic audits. Former Junior Finance Minister Bishop Juan Edghill had posed the question for Government to provide a detailed list of every entity where audits have or are being conducted. The audits range from investigations into the operations of the Guyana Oil Company (GuyOil) to the New Guyana Marketing Corporation (New GMC). Government’s response to the validity or legal authority to the audits detailed that it is being done in accordance with Section 4 of the Audit Act of 2004 which cites Government’s legal right to carry out the investigations. In addition, it

noted that Cabinet had given its approval of the audits to be conducted on the selected agencies. Topping the 50 listed entities at a cost of $8,049,800 is the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC).

Ram and McRae is listed as the auditor. The Guyana Gold Board followed in this order at a cost of $7.750 million, a job that was also offered to the Ram and McRae Auditing Firm. The report showed too that funding for five of the major entities was undertaken by the InterAmerican Development Bank (IDB). They include the Guyana Power and Light, Guyana Water Inc, Guyana National Shipping Limited, Lethem Power Company and the Guyana Revenue Authority. Among the big names giving its service in this regard are Nigel Hinds Financial Service, Dr Anand Goolsarran, Harry Parmesar, Nizam Ali and Company and Charles Sugrim, alleged known friends and allies of the APNU/AFC Government, another is the parking meter debacle, where it is alleged that the owner did work at the square of the revolution for the APNU without charging the party any money and in return will be given the contract for the parking meter, and many other contracts whereby no bidding process was done but contractor were selected. The Tax payers of this country has a right to know the cost of each contract, the time they are taken to be completed along with the process by which the contract was awarded over the last year, since there is no PPC.

LOCAL PAGE 89

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

SATURDAY, JULY 23, 2016

The season of fires is upon us Over the past two weeks Guyana has been stricken by a series of fires ranging from houses to bushes which has resulted in millions of dollars in losses and a multitude of people being left homeless.

Reports so far have shown no consistent reason for the fires but it is a trend that Guyana has been seeing during this period of time (summer) for the past few years. The months of July and August over the past few years have been colloquially deemed “the fire season” as the intense moments of heat cause the land to become bone dry and the drains and trenches to become almost near dry. This brings the Guyana Fire Service into a plethora of problems as they usually look to these water sources when combating fires. Though the heated season follows the commonly known May-June period of rain it manages to absorb the water retained by the land for the past month and bring it to a point of being so dry that it cracks. Though the heat is a major catalyst in the outbreaks of the seen fires, it is not the only reason fires around this time seem to be uncontrollable; other factors such as the high winds, carelessness and children being home and frequently unattended to since being away from school, are also major factors which influence the amounts of fires. Last year the Guyana Fire Service recorded 9 fires which were reported to be as a result of children playing with matches, this together with the 37 reported cases of fires as a result of carelessness and the 45 internal electrical fires are daunting numbers which need to minimalized if, the “fire season” which has already started to take its toll is going to be controlled. Fires caused by vegetation is another reason for fires

around this time as the dry flora and the heat of the sun make for a fire which “slash and burn” cane field workers admire. The Guyana Fire Service last year recorded 1359 fires which had started as a result of vegetation making it the leading cause of fires. Though vegetation fires are commonly ones which start in a field in the middle of nowhere there are the odd cases where the fires may have started in a person’s back yard and been a threat to their home and safety. Not only during this period but especially during this time people are warned to don’t become a statistic and to be extra careful in whatever they may be doing so as to prevent fires. -By- Jarred Singh, Guyana Daily News.

Businesses continue to feel tight squeeze-as Mayor continues stubborn pursuit of increased container fees

M

ayor of Georgetown, Patricia Chase-Green is no different from the former long reigned Mayor of Georgetown, Hamilton Green with her stubborn uncaring approach in generating revenue for the city. It is known that City Hall is neck high deep in debt and its ability to manage the city and its ancillary service is very slim. Businesses are now made to feel the squeeze of container fees of $25,000 which City Hall has mandated. Businesses of Georgetown have complained bitterly, since they have to now incorporate container fees into their overhead expenses that the consumer may have to feel the end result. But just when you think this is bad and burdensome on businesses by City Hall; Chase-Green and team chases even more by now implementing without remorse a proposed 10% increase in property tax. Several businesses which are concerned about the slothful performance of the economy and the inconsiderate strain on business by City Hall challenged the fees in the Court. The Magistrate indicated that City Hall is not authorized to make laws on behalf of Guyana, which remain a function of Parliament. This fees and tax woes is just not finished! ChaseGreen who believes that she will be the solution to City Hall’s financial situation has blocked containers from leaving city wharves unless the fees are paid. This was so unbecoming, that it has caused the shipping association to move to the courts against City Hall. Concerns were also raised about container fees being charged for containers heading out of Georgetown, which is beyond the purview of Chase-Green by location and by function. Such audacity! City Hall seems to be a stubborn child which has no regards for its parents and siblings. Chase-Green, since her appointment as Mayor and even before has always been the center of attention, from bullying former Town Clerk, Carol Sooba to the much deliberated Parking Meters that she had linked up from Mexico. She also disconnects from her subordinate Deputy Mayor Sherod Duncan by treating the Gentleman like Cinderella. He was made to endure an old office, decorated with broken antique furniture from the Hamilton Green reign and rides his bike to work. Small errands around the city to conduct business is also done by foot. What does Chase-Green has to say? “I am Mayor! He is Deputy and you don’t come to the job with a lot of expectations. Chase-Green clearly has no apologies or is a no commenter.”

LOCAL PAGE 90

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

SATURDAY, JULY 23, 2016

The Housing Market Collapse The obvious downturn in the construction sector and the suffering endured by the hardware stores in Guyana is as a result of the lack of strong policy by the APNU+AFC Government.

After the 2015 National Budget, and listening to the government policy and programmes in the housing sector, it is very worrying. “I am very worried about the future of the National Housing Programme,” former Housing Minister Irfaan Ali said, noting its implication to the housing market itself. The former People’s Progressive Party/Civic Government understood that housing is not merely allocation of land, but that it has severe economic ramifications. There are hardware stores that are suffering because the demand is not there, because the construction sector is sliding and less people are constructing. It is quite evident in this country that very little emphasis is placed on improving the housing market. The Government’s idea of distributing 5000 houses/properties in five years is totally inadequate to match the demand for housing in the country where the population is ever increasing, this is also not enough to create the necessary boom in the housing sector to propel the economy forward. The present Administration is allegedly manipulating the process and situation surrounding the housing sector and this will lead to nothing but an inevitable downfall. The East Bank of Demerara housing scheme such as Eccles, Diamond, Providence Farm etc, are heavily organised areas, where persons were building every day. Trucks upon trucks of sand, stone, cement were going there. Check it out today, it has come to a halt because of the negative propaganda coming out of the Government in relation to the future of this expansion. This newspaper was made to understand that the land on the East Bank of Demerara and other parts in the country, in the housing scheme, has a certain degree of equity at the bank and also by the private developers and private investors. The private investors and

developers are essential in stimulating growth and economic activity while stimulating the housing sector itself. They pump liquidity into the system and the Government matches that liquidity, then the entire construction sector and the country 1000 home programme was terminated by the present administration. The delays and the slothfulness in that programme has cost almost 350 jobs already. With the collapse of the housing market, the banking sector will also be affected, housing loans have been reduced which can cause a total breakdown of this sector. The Housing Development Programme was a good one under the previous administration.

It was designed to stimulate the economy and the construction sector. Negativity and the slothfulness and the lack of an aggressive housing programme is going to take the country backwards.

REGIONAL PAGE 91

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

SATURDAY, JULY 23, 2016

10 J’cans receive scholarships to study in China KINGSTON, Jamaica (JIS) — The Chinese Government, in Jamaica of US$350, which will go towards living and travelling collaboration with the Ministry of Finance and the Public expenses. (Jamaica Observer) Service, has awarded 10 Jamaican students full scholarships to study in China. Official letters of admission to several Chinese Universities were handed over to the students at a handover ceremony on Friday, at the Chinese Embassy, in Kingston. The students will commence studies in September in undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, including business administration, clinical medicine, international politics, animation, architecture and bioengineering. Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to Jamaica, Niu Qingbao said that the scholarship programme would be mutually beneficial to both countries and assist in strengthening the relationship between Jamaica and China. “These subjects are needed by Jamaica. If we have more students like this 10 who are able to study in China, and if we are able to send more Chinese students to study in Jamaica, then the people-to-people bond will be stronger,” he said. According to acting director of the Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to scholarship and assistance unit of the ministry, Kelli-Ann Jamaica, His Excellency Niu Qingbao (fourth left, front Garrick, the scholarship programme forms an important part of row), acting director of the scholarship and assistance the terms of agreement under the Jamaica-China cooperation. unit of the finance ministry, Kelli-Ann Garrick (third “This year we received approximately 100 applications and left, front row), and President of the Jamaica-China from that [number], 12 applicants were shortlisted with a view Friendship Association Limited, Irena Cousins (second to selecting six. However, the Chinese Government graciously left, front row), with some of the recipients of offered us 10 spaces,” she said. Participants will receive airfare, scholarships to study in China. (Photo: JIS) meals, tuition and a monthly stipend from the Government of

REGIONAL PAGE 92

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

SATURDAY, JULY 23, 2016

Children should not get married before 18 The ayes have it. That was the consensus of over 300 teenagers who yesterday unanimously agreed at a public consultation that children should not get married before the age of 18. The consultation, titled Married Acts and Issues Related to Children, hosted by Attorney General Faris AlRawi’s office at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, Port-of-Spain, discussed issues such as child marriage, domestic abuse, teenage abortion, teenage pregnancy and sexual offences matters. Addressing the children, Al-Rawi said the consultation was one of many his office held, which sought views so far from religious leaders, the judiciary and magistracy. He said he wanted the views from young people on whether abolishing under-age marriages was necessary and which the Government can act legislatively to increase and harmonise the age of marriage across the four statuses. Under the existing law, Al-Rawi said, the Hindus, Muslims, Orisha and Civil and Christian allowed marriages under the age of 18. He said the Government could not amend the laws itself, hence the reason they had been seeking consultation on the matter from all quarters.

Many of the attendees represented religious bodies and were secondary school students. Al-Rawi said the police needed to do more in bringing men to justice who impregnated girls between the ages of 12 and 16, which was considered statutory rape. He produced statistics which showed that for the period 2006 to 2016 there were 84,330 marriages in T&T, with 548 cases being minors. Of this figure, Hindus had 328 marriages of minors, followed

by Civil with 117 and Muslims 103. Orisha had none. The 548 children who tied the knot, Al-Rawi said, ranged in age between 11 and 16. With regard to sexual offence matters pending in the magistracy as at July 2015, Al-Rawi revealed there were 1,089. Of this figure, there were 559 who were charged with sexual intercourse with a female under the age of 14, while sexual intercourse with a person attaining 14 years and under 16 years were 268, followed by 128 matters of sexual intercourse with a person over 14 and under 16 years without consent. Al-Rawi described the figures as harrowing. Between 2011 and 2015, Al-Rawi disclosed, there were 743 teenage abortions, 67 of which fell in the age bracket of 13 to 16. Al-Rawi said from 1999 to 2015 there were 15,231 teenage pregnancies, with 6,115 coming from the San Fernando General Hospital alone.

Twenty three of these pregnancies were from girls under the age of 12. The AG said “What we are seeing is that thousands of children are having babies.” For two hours,

Al-Rawi questioned each person who came up to give their views on the contentious matter and asked them whether they would support a child marrying under the age of 18. He also threw out the questions if they thought a 12-year-old was ready for marriage. The majority disagreed, saying that children between the ages of 12 and 18 were not mature and ready to take on the responsibility of marriage The participants called for sex education to be part of the syllabus in schools along with the establishment of parenting programmes. Among those who were against child marriage was Tyshad Ashton, 17, who asked the AG why was it okay to steal a child’s innocence. Ashton’s sister Alexia, 13 a Form Two Caribbean Union College student said that making a decision on marriage at such a tender age required a mature mind. Naparima Girls’ High School students Amba-Vaani Persad and Chloe Jade Ramdeo, both 13-year-olds concurred that a child should be able to enjoy his or childhood and not be pressured into marriage Several called for child marriages to end, while others felt that the issue should be determined by consenting adults Pleased with the turn out and the responses, Al-Rawi said he was encouraged that the country was on the right path (Trinidad Guardian)

Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi, right, speaks with representatives of the Young Women's Christian during yesterday's consultation on the Marriage Act and issues related to children at the Hyatt Regency, Port-of-Spain. From left is Shereen Lewis, Keron John and Roshunda John.

PHOTO: NICOLE DRAYTON

REGIONAL PAGE 93

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

SATURDAY, JULY 23, 2016

Man slain in bar robbery A Siparia father, who was helping out a female bar owner in the area, was shot to death by gunmen he tried to prevent from entering and robbing the establishment yesterday morning. The valiant efforts of Terrence Cain, 45, were in vain, as he died on the operating table as doctors fought desperately to save his life at the San Fernando General Hospital (SFGH) several hours after the shooting. Cain was one of two people killed as bandits terrorised citizens in the southland between Thursday night and yesterday.

Cain’s grieving sister Gloria, who recounted the tragic circumstances under which her brother lost his life yesterday, said the bandits had taken away a good man and a father. Gloria recalled that Cain normally helped out once a week at the Real Steal Bar in De Gannes Village, Siparia. She said Thursday night was no different and when the bar closed at 3.20 am yesterday, patrons were still liming outside. On this occasion, however, two gunmen, hiding their faces with a jersey and bandana respectively, stormed the compound and robbed patrons of cash and cell phones. Cain and the bar owner, who were inside, were oblivious to what was happening outside.

Police said after robbing the customers who were still outside, the gunmen ordered one of their victims to go to the bar and ask the owner for another round of drinks so they (bandits) could force themselves inside. But Gloria said when her brother opened the door for the customer, he noticed the gunmen and attempted to close it back. “The bar was already closed, but he was inside when he heard a knocking on the door. The bar owner looked on the camera system and saw a customer who left the bar earlier. He told Cain to open the door. The customer said he wanted a next round. As he opened it (the door), they (gunmen) just started shooting so he slammed the door but they continued to shoot. Eventually he just fell on the ground and they ran into the bar,” Gloria said. Cain was shot four times by the bandits, who subsequently cleaned the cash register of some $5000. Siparia police were contacted and Cain was taken to the hospital, where he died around 9 am.

Relatives who gathered around Cain’s home yesterday said he had celebrated his birthday and first wedding anniversary with his wife, Nathalie Lee-Cain, on June 1.

They said Cain worked hard as a “wackerman” to provide for his family. Up to yesterday afternoon, investigators were at the bar conducting inquiries and had secured CCTV footage of the shooting. No one has been arrested.

The murder toll stood at 250 yesterday, 25 more than for the same period last year. Woman survives gun attack In an

unrelated incident, a supermarket attendant escaped death after she was ambushed by a gunman lurking in the bushes near her home yesterday afternoon. Stacy Gumbs, 28, of the Penal Rock Road, was warded in the stable condition at the San Fernando General Hospital last night, after she suffered gunshot wounds to the chest and shoulder in the attack. Police said Gumbs was driving her beige Mazda 323 along Fazal Avenue, Penal, around 2.10 pm, in the company of Mario Meade at the time of the attack. Police said on reaching a junction, the gunman came out some bushes and opened fire on the car. Gumbs was hit but managed to speed off. However, she later crashed the car into a barbershop. On seeing this the gunman ran off.

Gumbs was taken to hospital by a passerby where she received emergency treatment. Meade suffered minor injuries from the crash and was treated and discharged.

Penal police, including Insp Brian Ramphal, Sgt Ryan Ramsingh and PC Brian Cummings, responded and several people were interviewed. The Crime Scene Unit also processed the scene, but up to last night no one was held. Police suspect the shooting was related to a dispute over a recent crime in the area. (Trinidad Guardian)

Gloria Cain recounts the last time she spoke to her brother Terrence Cain, inset, who was shot to death at the Real Steel Bar in Siparia yesterday.

Photo: RISHI RAGOONATH

REGIONAL

GUYANA DAILY NEWS Media must listen carefully Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi yesterday clarified statements that he spoke. “The fact is, when we speak about civil asset forfeiture that PAGE 94

the $12 billion in uncollected Value Added Tax (VAT) which he spoke about was taken out of context by the media. Yesterday, Al-Rawi cleared his position on the matter at a press conference at the Hyatt Regency, Port-of-Spain, stating that it was important for the media to listen carefully on what ”we say in the context of what we said.” It was during an address at a Chamber of Industry and Commerce event on Wednesday, Al-Rawi said he spoke about outstanding liabilities on VAT, which was taken out of context by the media. “I specifically spoke about it over several years and in answer to questions that came, I cautioned that the $12 billion figure was a combination of events. It was actual amounts due, interest, penalties on those amounts over a span of a number of years, including the estimation of what should have been in the system, but what was not in the system.”

Al-Rawi said that conversation was put to Finance Minister Colm Imbert at Thursday’s post-Cabinet media briefing, resulting in someone asking if he was going to collect $12 billion this year.

Imbert, in response to the question, stated that the $12 billion was incorrect, stating that he did not know where Al-Rawi got the figure from. Imbert explained that while the State was planning to recoup a significant amount of outstanding taxes via a tax amnesty, $500 million is the Government’s target. “That is certainly not the conversation that was had at the Chamber of Commerce. Nor was the honourable minister (Imbert) present when the discussion was had and obviously could only answer the question put to him.”

Al-Rawi said the media should have understood the context in which

SATURDAY, JULY 23, 2016

money laundering and tax evasion is a big issue for our country and if we mop up the leakage in revenue then we can certainly use that money for the running of our country particularly when revenue is a significant item on the national agenda.” (Trinidad Guardian)

Be friendly to public Members of the Defence Force have been encouraged to relax their stance when interacting with members of the public.

Defence Force Chaplain Ashton Gomez made the call as he addressed a service at the Holy Trinity Cathedral in Port-ofSpain, commemorating the 54th anniversary of the T&T Regiment yesterday. Stating the public’s assistance was vital in the fight against crime, Gomez appealed to soldiers to be more friendly when performing joint patrols with the police. “Is it illegal for soldiers to say good morning and good afternoon?

Certainly not!” Gomez said. “People should not fear you, they should respect you. Fear and respect are two different things,” he added as he suggested that polite interactions would encourage people to provide vital intelligence to the protective services. Gomez also called on the Government to include more local history in schools as he said that there were many unnamed heros who served during the 1990 Attempted Coup, who many citizens would never know about. “We know about European and American History but we have now learnt that some things we thought about our history were not true,” Gomez said.

Commander of the Regiment Colonel Dexter Francis also spoke during the service and encouraged his officers to continue to work together to improve the organisation. “There must be reflection and introspection. We have to examine the past and know where we come from in order to be better for citizens,”

Francis said. He also said in addition to assisting with national security, the organisation would continue to nature at risk youths and assist with their growth and development.

(Trinidad Guardian)

T&T Coast Guard naval police officer Stephen George, left, salutes acting Chief of Defence Staff Archillus Phillips and acting Commanding Officer of the Regiment, Colonel Dexter Francis, after the Regiment’s 54th anniversary church parade yesterday.

Photo: NICOLE DRAYTON

REGIONAL PAGE 95

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

SATURDAY, JULY 23, 2016

Obama pays tribute to Patrick Manning Late former prime minister Patrick Manning will be forever remembered for his powerful example of leadership and solidarity within T&T and throughout Latin America, US President Barack Obama has said.

Obama made the comment in a condolence letter to Manning’s family, which was posted on Manning’s still active Facebook page yesterday. Manning died on July 2 at age 69 after being diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia, a rare, aggressive cancer, on June 30 at the San Fernando General Hospital. He was laid to rest on July 9 after a state funeral. In a letter dated July 11 to Manning’s wife Hazel, Obama stated: “On behalf of the American people, I extend my deepest condolences on your husband’s passing. Prime Minister Manning was guided by his commitment to strengthening T&T in our time and for generations to come. “Through his service, he endeavoured to express possibility in the lives of his fellow citizens and in so doing, he helped change the life of his country. His legacy will live on and for his powerful example of leadership and solidarity - - within T&T and throughout Latin America - he will be forever remembered. “At this difficult time, please know Michelle and I are keeping you, Brian and David in our thoughts.” Obama also singed the letter. Obama had met Manning in 2009 when T&T hosted the Summit of the Americas - one of Manning’s pioneering initiatives. This involved North, South and Central (Latin) American leaders. The Summit, which “introduced” Obama to his hemispheric colleague leaders, was one of his first engagements soon after assuming the US Presidency. It was seen as historic for the new plank of elevation Obama sought to introduce concerning US/Cuba relations particularly, and his statement that the US was seeking a new beginning with Cuba following decades of a US embargo against Cuba and frosty relations with Venezuela. Family sources yesterday confirmed a service will be held in San Fernando on August 12 to mark the 40-day period after Manning’s death. Meanwhile, Minister in the Office of the PM Stuart Young said queries on the Manning family’s rejection of the offer of the Order of the Republic T&T for Manning were not addressed at

Thursday’s post-Cabinet press conference. Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley had said last weekend that he would recommend the ORTT for Manning in upcoming August 31 Independence awards. But the Manning family instead reiterated that the best way to honour Manning’s life would be the re-establishment and expansion of the Divine Echoes Orchestra initiative and establishment of the Patrick Manning Development Fund at the International Finance Centre. Both Manning and Basdeo Panday refused the ORTT in 2014 after then prime minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar recommended they receive it.

(Trinidad Guardian)

Flashback… US president Barack Obama greets then Prime Minister Patrick Manning at the Diplomatic Centre, St Ann's, during an event at the Fifth Summit of the Americas in 2009.

Photo: SHIRLEY BAHADUR

REGIONAL PAGE 96

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

SATURDAY, JULY 23, 2016

Venezuela needs divine mediation

A

debate by political experts was carried in Washington DC, on the Estudios NTN24, focused on the upcoming visit of a Vatican representative, to take part on the Venezuelan dialogue in Caracas. Juan Carlos Iragorri, Director of the debate stated that It was announced in the last hours by the former Colombian president Ernesto Samper, who is the general secretary of the UNASUR (Union of South American Nations) in Caracas, accompanied by the Jose Luis Zapatero, former Spanish president, Leonel Fernandez Former president of the Dominican Republic, and Martin Torrijos former president Of Panama, that a member of the Vatican will be incorporating shortly to this group of officials. The Venezuelan opposition, that wasn’t looking with a positive eye to the dialogue that is being promoted by this personalities, accepted the arrival of such a divine personality, in this case a representative of the Pope Francis. However the Venezuelan opposition sets its conditions about it, such as the celebration of the Revocatory Referendum to be allowed this year, and the freedom of political prisoners such as Leopoldo lopez, Venezuelan politician, activist and head of the Venezuelan opposition, who is in jail since February 18th, 2014.

How well will the Divine intervention will help the Venezuelan crisis? Francisco Villagran, expert from George Washington University, mentioned that there are many doubts about the dialogue between the Venezuelan opposition and the government. “The participation of a Vatican representative, could be taken as the ignition of a flame at the end of the tunnel”, he expressed. However, with the mediation as a plan by UNASUR, the expectations of a change are low. It seems, by the little progress since the arrival of the three former presidents, that the main task of sitting the different parties on ‘the same table’ haven’t been accomplished. “They have barely reached to exploratory conversations in a separately way with several personalities of the opposition. Now they are proposing the participation of next figure in the group

to take the dialogue further, is not clear that this will compromise the government to satisfy the opposition demands. Is not clear if President Maduro is looking to gain more time with this new strategy”, Mr. Villagran continued. “It could be a more substantial dialogue with a more serious approach. So far the church in Venezuela is been more ‘open’ to the opposition”, Erick Langer expert from Georgetown University said. As the Pope Francis is being qualified as Peronist, based on the legacy of the Argentinian politician named Juan Domingo Perón, and his wife Eva Peron, which were heads of the Justicialist Party, aiming to equality, woman rights and social justice in general, this one being a factual detail to be taken into consideration, regarding its effect and direct repercussion for the Venezuelan people in the near f u t u r e .

S o u r c e : http://elpais.com/elpais/2016/07/23/videos/1469231 496_119215.html -By- Rocio Perez, Guyana Daily News.

INTERNATIONAL PAGE 97

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

SATURDAY, JULY 23, 2016

Munich gunman 'obsessed with mass shootings’ The 18-year-old gunman who killed nine people in Munich was obsessed with mass shootings but had no known links to the Islamic State group, German police say. Written material on such attacks was found in his room. Munich's police chief spoke of links to the massacre by Norway's Anders Behring Breivik. The gunman, who had dual German-Iranian nationality, later killed himself. His name has not been officially released but he is being named locally as David Sonboly. He had a 9mm Glock pistol and 300 bullets in his rucksack. Police do not yet know how the weapon was acquired, but said he had no permit for it and the serial number had been obliterated. They are investigating whether he may have lured his victims through a Facebook invitation to the McDonald's restaurant where he launched his attack on Friday evening. Friday evening's attack at the Olympia shopping mall also left 27 people injured, including children. Ten of them are critically ill, including a 13year-old boy, police say. Seven of the dead were teenagers. Three victims were from Kosovo, three from Turkey and one from Greece. Police say the Munich-born gunman had been in psychiatric care, receiving treatment for depression. "We are in deep mourning... we share your grief", said Chancellor Angela Merkel after chairing a meeting of the national security council. Flags are to be flown at half-mast across Germany. People could be seen laying flowers and lighting candles outside the mall on Saturday. One placard left there simply asked "Why?" 'Obvious' link Munich police chief Hubertus Andrae said there was an "obvious" link between the new attack and Friday's fifth anniversary of Breivik's attacks in Norway, when he murdered 77 people. Mr Andrae warned the number of injured could increase if people who had fled the scene came forward. He murdered 77 people in Norway on 22 July 2011, killing eight with a bomb in the capital Oslo before shooting dead 69 at a summer camp for young centre-left political activists on the island of Utoeya. Now 37, he is held in solitary confinement in Norway after being sentenced to 21 years in 2012. He recently won an appeal against the

tough regime of his incarceration. He harboured radical right-wing views and said his attack was aimed at stopping Muslim immigration to Europe. Breivik's victims First reports of the shooting came in just before 18:00 (16:00 GMT) on Friday. Witnesses say the attacker opened fire on members of the public in Hanauer Street before moving on to the mall. A grainy video appears to show a man firing a gun outside McDonald's as people flee. Another video shows the gunman walking around alone on a flat roof before again opening fire. He can be heard shouting at the person filming, saying at one point, "I'm German".

Witness Luan Zeqiri, who was in the shopping centre, told German broadcaster N-TV the attacker had been wearing military-style boots and a backpack. "I looked in his direction and he shot two people on the stairs," he said. Mr Zeqiri said he hid in a shop, but when he left, he saw dead and wounded people on the ground.

Police said the gunman's body was found about 1km (half a mile) from the mall. His parents had come to Germany in the late 1990s as asylum seekers, Interior Minister Thomas De Maiziere said. Police have ruled out any connection to the self-styled Islamic State (IS) group. Fears of a new IS attack had been high just four days after a teenage Afghan asylum seeker stabbed and injured five people on a train in Bavaria before being shot dead by police. Claiming the attack, IS later released a video showing the 17-year-old brandishing a knife and making threats. (BBC)

Munich Police President Hubertus Andrae says the gunman had no known links to the so-called Islamic State group

INTERNATIONAL PAGE 98

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

SATURDAY, JULY 23, 2016

Koffi Olomide case: Kenya deports singer over airport 'kick’ The Kenyan authorities have deported one of Africa's biggest musicians, Koffi Olomide, after he was filmed apparently kicking a woman. Footage of the incident at Nairobi's international airport was posted online and sparked outrage on social media. Olomide, from Democratic Republic of Congo, denied assaulting anyone but was arrested hours after arriving in Kenya for a concert. He was deported to the DRC capital, Kinshasa, with three of his dancers. Olomide, 60, was accused of kicking one of the women dancers but, speaking to the BBC, he denied kicking anyone and said he had tried to "stop" a "girl who wanted to fight the dancers I came with". The video shown on Kenya's KTN News shows police intervening to stop the apparent attack on the woman, identified by Kenyan media as one of his dancers. A Kenyan minister, Youth and Gender Cabinet Secretary Sicily Kariuki, said the singer should be deported and his visa permanently revoked. "His conduct was an insult to Kenyans and our constitution," she said. "Violence against women and girls cannot be accepted in any shape, form or manner. It is a blatant violation of their human rights." The star has been in similar trouble in the past: In 2012 he was convicted in DRC of assaulting his producer and received a

three-month suspended prison sentence In 2008 he was accused of kicking a cameraman from DRC's private RTGA television station and breaking his camera at a concert in Kinshasa but a reconciliation was later brokered (BBC)

The musician joked with the media after the apparent fight at the airport(KTN)

California governor rejects parole for ex-Manson family member California Gov. Jerry Brown denied parole to former Manson family member Leslie Van Houten, saying that the murder convict "currently poses an unreasonable danger to society." Earlier this year, the Board of Parole Hearings had recommended her release. Van Houten and other followers of Charles Manson were convicted for the 1969 murders of supermarket executive Leno LaBianca and his wife, Rosemary. In 1994, Van Houten described her part in the killings in a prison interview with CNN's Larry King. "I went in and Mrs. LaBianca was laying on the floor and I stabbed her in the lower back around 16 times," said Van Houten, who was 19 at the time of the murders. After the killing, Van Houten changed into the victim's clothes and drank chocolate milk from the couple's refrigerator, according to the statement of facts regarding her case. She was the youngest of the Charles Manson followers. Gov. Brown expressed dismay over Van Houten's actions: "Both her role in these extraordinarily brutal crimes and her inability to explain her willing participation in such horrific violence cannot be overlooked and lead me to believe she remains an unreasonable risk to society if released." Van Houten, 66, had been described as a model prisoner who worked with other inmates and earned a college degree. Manson family murder plot Charles Manson had sought to plant Mrs. LaBianca's wallet in an African-American neighborhood, so they would be blamed for the murders in order to

start a race war, according to the statement of facts pertaining to Van Houten's case. She was sentenced to death in 1971, but one year later, the death penalty was overturned. Her first conviction was overturned, too, because her lawyer died before that trial ended. She was tried twice more (one ended in a hung jury) and in 1978 was sentenced to life in prison. Van Houten reportedly has apologized to the LaBianca family. Prior to this year, she had been denied parole 19 times. "It remains unclear how and why Van Houten drastically transformed from an exceptionally smart, driven young woman, class secretary and homecoming princess, to a member of one of the most notorious cults in history," Brown wrote in his decision. What happened to the rest of the Manson family Charles Manson -The 81-year-old remains at a California state prison in Corcoran. He, like Van Houten, had received the death penalty, but his sentence was commuted to life in prison. Charles "Tex" Watson -- He, along with Van Houten, Susan Atkins and Patricia Krenwinkel, murdered the LaBiancas. At age 70, Watson remains at Mule Creek State Prison. He has been denied parole 16 times. Susan "Sadie" Denise Atkins -- She was implicated in the Tate and LaBianca murders. She died in prison in 2009. Patricia Krenwinkel -- She also had her death penalty commuted. The 68- Leslie

year-old remains at the California Institution for Women. She has been denied parole 13 times. Bobby Beausoleil -- He was convicted of the murder of Gary Hinman. He is serving a life sentence and currently at a Vacaville, California, medical facility. Bruce Davis -- He was convicted of the murders of Gary Hinman and stuntman Donald "Shorty" Shea. He is serving a life sentence and had his parole reversed by Gov. Brown in 2014. Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme -- She was convicted in 1975 of pointing a gun at then-President Gerald Ford. She was sentenced to life in prison and was released on parole after serving 34 years in 2009. Steven "Clem" Grogan -- He was released on parole after revealing the location of the body of ranch-hand Donald "Shorty" Shea, who was killed in 1969.

(CNN)

Van Houten

INTERNATIONAL PAGE 99

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

SATURDAY, JULY 23, 2016

The USA chromatically speaking “Injustice anywhere is a threat to injustice everywhere” - Martin Luther King During the last month several controversial events, starred by the actions of the United States police force, have triggered a delicate query about racial rights. A topic that have never been totally solved, but overshadowed by decades of endless fight, not only by r e n o w n e d o rg a n i z a t i o n s , b u t b y courageous man that made their single presence felt as an army. The United States reputation on the topic of segregation and racism have always been controversial, starting from their sad and bloody origin, which is a topic to strongly take into consideration for this analysis.

The fact is that this immense and diverse piece of land is composed by six ethnic groups: the Native Americans, the natives from Alaska, Caucasians, Asians, Afro-Americans, Hawaiian and another Pacific Islands Natives including persons of two or more races. Even though Caucasians are the dominant race in the northern country, the diversity is there, it is fractionated in different regions. White Americans are the majority in every region except Hawaii, but contribute the highest proportion of the population in the Midwestern United States, at 85%, non-Hispanic Whites make up 79% of the Midwest's population, the highest ratio of any region. However, 35% of White live in the South, the most of any region. The 55% of the African American population lives in the South, a plurality or majority of the other official groups reside in the West. This region is home to 42% of Hispanic and Latino Americans, 46% of Asian Americans, 48% of American Indians and Alaska Natives, 68% of Native Hawaiians and Other Pacific Islanders, 37% of the "two or more races" population better called ‘Multiracial Americans representing the 46% of those designated "some other race". This gives us an overview of the matter, still the focus for centuries have always been mostly towards the African-American population. The 1960s were a definite

decade for racial rights in the United States, high profile figures stand up and ‘spoke’, from lungs to vocal chords to people, the message was clear. Still the years that followed were blurry, and the present have almost erased the memories of days when the future looked bright for those, whose skin tone isn’t as clear as ivory. Martin Luther King Jr. was one of those totems, a lighthouse in the middle of the mist. In an era when the extremist and reactionary group named Ku Klux Klan (KKK) used to make headlines on the streets of Georgia, Tennessee and South Carolina committing murder, lynching, arson, rape, and bombing to oppose the granting of civil rights to African Americans. He stood up and said “I have a Dream”. Nobel Peace Prize award for combating racial inequality through nonviolent resistance, King’s thorny trajectory to make a difference on the northern mentality, gave hope to the hopeless, assuring the Implementation of the Civil Right Act of 1964 and its reform in the Civil Rights Act post mortem in 1968, becoming the main influence of the Black Consciousness Movement and Civil Rights Movement in South Africa, King has become a national icon in the history of American liberalism and American progressivism and a personality to be quoted when equality is concerned. Sadly words and signatures are worthless when they have no value in the daily basics. His assassination on April 4th, 1968 gave us the spoilers of what could happen for decades to come.

This couple week’s look like a bloody reminder of how the America of 50 years ago looked like. Repression and segregation make, again, the headlines.

Fear because of the color of the skin or your ethnicity is the main topic. Justice has again, blind itself and drop the scales.

The deterioration in the racial relations in the United States is a major global concern. Kinsey is an Afro-American citizen who works with disable patients.

On Monday while trying to help one of his patients, who happens to have autism

he was shoot by officials. The patient was sitting in the middle of the road playing with a plastic truck, holding on the traffic.

Kinsey was seeing by the authorities and was ordered to lay down on the road next to the patient. Kinsey rise up his arms, looking for a way for the police not to harm him. Kinsey was unarmed, Kinsey screamed to the authorities that there was no need to use weapons, Kinsey was shoot. “I thought while having my hands up them won’t shoot me, Wow I was wrong”, Kinsey said to the WSVN TV station while being hospitalized. This shooting comes days after three officials were shoot to death and three more were harmed in sinister taken place at Baton Rouge, Louisiana last Sunday. The shooter was killed, later a video was revealed where the gunman complained about the way the African-American community was treated, and encouraged them to ‘fight’. Two weeks earlier, the 5th of July, two officials in Baton Rouge killed the 37 year-old- black male Alton Sterling. Just a day after a black male named Philando Castilla of 32 years-old, was killed in Minnesota when stopped by the police. Revenge was served and disaster happened when hours later, an African-American sniper killed five police agents who were guarding a peaceful protest taken place in Dallas. Is a crisis, is a racially themed crisis that could lead to cataclysmic ends, if Mr. King could see what the present and his legacy have become, he would turn over his grave. -By- Rocio Perez, Guyana Daily News.