July 31, 2016

LOCAL PAGE 2

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

MONDAY, JULY 25, 2016

‘Rusty water’ infuriates residents of Essequibo Residents of Region Two, Pomeroon-Supenaam, especially the villages of Spring Garden and Supenaam, are bitterly complaining about the poor conditions and low pressure of the water that the Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) is providing.

“The water supply to us is very bad, it’s so red you cannot use it for anything, we pay our bill monthly, we should be provided with proper water, this is really unfair and we are making reports regularly,” one of the residents told this newspaper Over the last few months the copper- color water has been a burden for the locals, who are trying to find a fast solution to this matter. The liquid’s low quality prevents the users to utilize it in any domestic chore, relying solely on rain water. Residents also mentioned the low pressure of the water, and sometimes the total absence of this for hours. This newspaper understands that residents have made several reports to GWI but no action has been taken. In the meantime, residents are still forced to pay their water bill. -BY- Rocio Perez, Guyana Daily News.

Business Community Burdened By Another Tax From parking meter fees to container fees to increase property rates, now another burden has been placed on the business community by the APNU+AFC Coalition Government, this time by the Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS).

Twenty commodities monitored by this agency will now have to pay $30,000 annually before their products can be sold on the markets. The items will range from domestic electrical appliances, weighing and measuring devices, textiles, garments, footwear, safety matches, tyres, gas stoves, fertilisers, cigarettes, PVC pipes, furniture, toys, soap powder, Christmas trees and decorative lighting outfits, safety helmets, cellular phones, water and electricity meters and seat belts. This newspaper understands that the registration of both imported and locally manufactured products will facilitate the inspection of the products’ labels. This will verify that the product is in conformity with national standards. Head of the Conformity Department and Officer in Charge of the GNBS, Candelle Walcott-Bostwick, said, “For the categories of products monitored by the GNBS for the importers, once they’re going to bring in any of those items that are on our list of products they are expected to register with the bureau annually. For the locally manufactured products they also have to register with the bureau.” The agency noted that for importers who are bringing in any of these items without being registered by the agency, the items will placed on a ‘hold’ or even risk being sized, during which, time will be given to the businessman to get the product registered or face losing the items. The fee for registration for the importation of these items is generally $30,000 but the dealer (importers of cellular phones, tyres etc.) are required to

pay a registration fee of $15,000, which means that the prices for those items will definitely increase. Instead of forging new business ventures in Guyana and encourage small business to expand, the Government is stifling the growth of all small businesses with more fees and taxes. The economy is already a tax based economy, adding more taxes will definitely frustrate the business environment. This newspaper caught up with several persons in the streets, who share the same view that “things will get harder in this country if the Government don’t stop harassing the business community”.

LOCAL PAGE 3

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

MONDAY, JULY 25, 2016

Former Guyana President appointed FAO Special Ambassador for Forests and the Environment Rome, 22 July 2016 - Former President of Guyana Bharrat Jagdeo was on Friday, July 22, 2016 appointed an FAO Special Ambassador for Forests and the Environment. FAO DirectorGeneral José Graziano da Silva made the announcement on the final day of the 23rd session of the Organization’s Committee on Forestry (COFO) taking place in Rome. As special ambassador, Jagdeo will promote the role of forests in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, raise awareness of the vital contributions of forests to food security, rural poverty reduction, employment generation and social integration, and encourage actions to support the sustainable use of forests and other natural resources. Jagdeo served as twotime president of Guyana between 1999 and 2011, becoming the youngest head of state in the world at 35. A global advocate for international actions to combat climate change, the former president launched the Jagdeo Initiative to create a more competitive agricultural sector in the Caribbean by 2015.

Jagdeo will also draw on his experience serving on the UN Secretary General's High Level Advisory Group on Climate Financing, as a patron of the Delhi-based World Sustainable Development Forum, as an IUCN Patron of Nature, and President of the Assembly of the Korea-based Global Green Growth Institute. Jagdeo was elected and served as COFO

Chairperson for the 22nd and 23rd sessions of FAO’s forestry committee. “Dr Jagdeo has been working with FAO to promote environment and forestry around the world, and we are very happy he joins his voice to our efforts,” said Graziano da Silva, thanking Jagdeo for accepting the role of special ambassador.

Describing his appointment as a “great honour” and acknowledging FAO’s work in “so many areas critical to life and well-being on our planet”, Jagdeo pledged to continue to raise the profile of forests and advocate for global recognition of their importance. The United Nations has a tradition of enlisting the support of prominent individuals to underline priority issues and to draw attention to its activities.

LOCAL PAGE 4

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

MONDAY, JULY 25, 2016

Dutch to Improve Georgetown's Drainage System Seven young engineers from the Netherlands have hit the ground running as they lay the ground work for the drainage management of the city. A commencement ceremony of the Georgetown drainage project by the Dutch Risk Reduction Team was held at the ministry of agriculture board room this morning for the Delph University of Technology students.

Public infrastructure Minster, David Patterson, welcomed the move saying while the value of the local engineers are welcomed it must be noted that technological advancement expertise is needed. DRR Team leader, Joost Reemers, told the the gathering of mostly engineers, that their intention is to deliver results on the three components they are focused on, namely improving the modeling capacity of drainage area, flood risk assessment and hydraulics capacity. The pilot project will target two major out falls, Liliendaal and South Ruimveldt, they are the two pitfalls responsible for taking the load off large areas of the city and greater Georgetown. The idea was hatched after discussions between the Netherlands and Guyana to find ways to alleviate flooding. When the DRR team visited last November seven recommendations were made, upgrade

modelling capability; increase flood resilience of people and businesses; upgrade dredging capabilities and improve flow efficiency; develop long-term plans; develop and test a pilot project; develop and apply a life cycle approach for the drainage assets; and data management. The US$30.9 million project is being funded by the Caribbean Development Bank and the Guyana government.

LOCAL PAGE 5

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

MONDAY, JULY 25, 2016

14 Venezuelans to be deported; came to Guyana looking for work, food Fourteen Venezuelan nationals today appeared before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan charged with entering Guyana without the permission of an Immigration Officer on July 20, 2016. They were unrepresented in court, pleaded guilty to the charge and were fined GY$10,000 each with 6 days in prison if they are found in default of the fine. They are to be escorted to the nearest port of exit after paying the fine or serving the sentence. Five of them were women, names given as Helen Burgos, Flores Garcia, Erica Maza, Lara Rodriquez and Toledo Pebero, ages ranging from 22 to 30. The women became emotional as they complained of the economic situation in Venezuela and four of the five said that they came looking for work and food since there is no employment and food is expensive in Venezuela. The youngest of the five complained that Guyanese are often seen walking freely around Venezuela and she was of the belief that she could do the same. The nine men who were arrested were identified as Hose Subero, Gabrielle Chavera, Jesus Figueroa, Edgar Castello, Danny Diaz, Richard Delgado, Ramon Rodriquez, Leonardo Lenedro and David Rangel, ages ranging from 21 to 42. They also shared similar complaints to the women, noting that they have families to take care of but there is no work in Venezuela and that the

crisis is seriously affecting them. It is alleged that on the day in question, the 14 Venezuelans entered Guyana illegally by the Eping River, Cuyuni, Essequibo, via motorboat, in an attempt to find food and work when they were picked up by law enforcement officers and questioned about their reasons and method of entry into the country. -By- Jarred Singh, Guyana Daily News.

The 9 men who were arrested being escorted into the holding cell by officers.

President Granger calls on City Hall to consult, not dictate Georgetown, Guyana – (July 25, 2016) President David Granger has once again called on the Georgetown Mayor and City Council to engage the citizens of Georgetown in consultation on critical matters and advised them to avoid the escalation of an adversarial relation between the Council and the people. The President made these comments even as he pledged not to interfere in the work of any of the Councils across Guyana.

Speaking on the Ministry of the Presidency’s ‘Public Interest’ television programme, President Granger said that Georgetown is the capital city of the country and as such, the national interest and that of the citizens must be the priority. This, he said, therefore requires consultations, through which citizens can have a voice in what they believe, are in their best interests and that of the country. “Georgetown is a national capital and not just any other municipality. It is the capital of the entire state and there needed to be responsiveness on the part of the Council to the Central Government’s interest [and] the national interest. I actually advised that every member of the Council was responsible for a particular constituency and they should visit their constituencies… my own view is that there should be greater consultation. That is the message I had felt that I had transmitted to the Mayor and Councilors. That in everything they did, they need to be assured of not necessarily compliance, but consultation with the stakeholders, whether it is the vendors or other people…,” the President said on the programme. The President noted that while it is understood that some changes are necessary for the development of the capital city and the lives of the residents, it is also imperative that consultations be held, so that citizens feel included and that their opinions are taken into consideration. “Vending is a legitimate economic activity and if there needs to be changes, in accordance with sanitary rules or safety rules, there should be consultations and adequate preparations for the vendors.

Similarly in other matters, now the matter of the parking meters has arisen

and the matters of container tax, I would urge the Mayor and City Council to embark on a consultative process. I will not interfere, to the extent that they feel that the Council itself is acting within the law. I am not interested in a conflictual situation or in a confrontational situation. It is my view that consultation is the way to go. In the case of the vendors, there was consultation, people were advised and informed of the need for change.

Similarly for every major measure that will have an effect on the residents of Georgetown, corporate residents, private property owners, there must be information and communication. They should be directing and not dictating. I am simply asking for the process to be open and transparent so that people know what the decisions are made by the people,” President Granger said. President Granger also sought to remind the Councilors that the return of local democracy in Guyana after an absence of more than two decades means that their re-election to office is entirely dependent on their performance over the next two and a half years, not their personality or Party affiliation and as such, this should be taken into consideration in every decision which is undertaken.

President David Granger

LOCAL PAGE 6

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

MONDAY, JULY 25, 2016

Deadly visitors in Guyana Senior police officials from the ‘A’ Division is warning the locals to be aware of dangerous visitors, as a chain of events has already claimed the lives of three individuals in the past months. Since March a spike of events has called the attention of the ‘A’ Division, Police Force. Violent fatal robberies with a similar modus operandi have taken over. It is reported that the victims have invited over coworkers or persons who were newly known, into their homes. This is the cases of 75-year-old Retired professor Pairadeau Mars, 53-year-old Terry Lakhan and 60-year-old re-migrant Anthony Breedy, who suffered similar deaths. Robberies accompanied with strangulation, the victims brutally beaten and tied up haven been the similar crime scenes.The first case was reported in mid-March when Anthony Breedy was found bound and beaten on the lower flat of his house at Hill Foot, Soesdyke. There was no sign of forced entry, his car was stolen and several personal items were missing. It was reported that Mr. Breedy was living alone, and invited a couple individuals over.

Three men were latter apprehended by the police for Mr. Breedy’s murder. In May Professor Pairadeau Mars was found dead at his residence located at Lot 395 Bissessar Street, Prashad Nagar, by his wife. It was reported that the 75 –year-old senior limbs were tied up with duct-tape and his mouth was also covered with the tape. The cause of death was strangulation and several fractures to face and skull. Five youngsters were captured and charged with Mr. Mar’s death a day after the murder. Last Thursday, 53 -year-old Terry Lakhan also suffered a similar fate. The Manager of Gafoor’s Limited, invited a co-worker to his residence at Herstelling, East

Bank Demerara , on Thursday night. It was reported that later that night, the same individual was seen heading out and coming back to the residence with another laborer. The lady living in the bottom flat was mortified after hearing some odd noises; after looking outside she saw one of the killers rushing out with a bag. Puzzled and concerned, she went to check Mr. Lakhan’s flat, finding the place in complete darkness and the body in the wardrobe. It was latter reported that the murderers robbed, brutally beat and strangled the victim, making it look like suicide by hanging him with a length of rope around his neck in his wardrobe. One of the suspects were apprehended at his home, where several of the valuables were found.

REGIONAL PAGE 7

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

MONDAY, JULY 25, 2016

Mysteries around Mosquito Creek drowning The elderly man whose body was recovered from the Gulf of Paria on Saturday by journalists and environmental activists investigating a massive fish kill has been identified as Satrohan Bunsee, 80, of Colley Street, Fyzabad. Bunsee was spotted floating out to sea at around 9.05 am on Saturday by the group who were waiting for a boat to take them out to a location where a large number of dead fish had been spotted.

The group postponed their trip in an attempt to rescue Bunsee but by the time they reached him, little could be done to save his life. Yesterday at her Fyzabad home, Bunsee’s daughter Ann Rambachan told the T&T Guardian she realised her father was missing around noon on Saturday. “I was calling him earlier in the day but he didn’t answer. I didn’t get worried yet but when I tried calling closer to lunch time and I still wasn’t getting an answer, I started calling other family members and neighbours to see if he was with them,” she said. “The neighbour told me he left home around 8.30 and said he was going out the road.” After dozens of frantic calls, Rambachan visited the Siparia Health Facility to see if her father had been there. “I went in and asked but they said they had no record of him being there. We also called the San Fernando General Hospital and checked with the Casualty (department) but they said no as well.” She then visited Bunsee’s home and when she tried calling his cellphone again, she heard it ringing inside the house. “I went in thinking he maybe was inside but after searching the whole house I still couldn’t find him,” she said. By afternoon, Rambachan was very worried. She said: “I had made up my mind to buff him when he come home, I wasn’t thinking anything like this could have happened.” At exactly 6.14 pm, she called her brother Anish to ask him if their father was with him and experienced something she still can’t explain. “I had called Anish earlier and he wasn’t answering but that time he answered and I asked him, ‘Pa with you?’ “He said yes, Pa was with him all day and had only left five minutes before to come home.” She left her home and went to Bunsee’s home again to wait for him but she was still waiting almost an hour later when a neighbour saw the report of his death at the Mosquito Creek on the CNC3 News and told her. “The thing is, Anish say he never answered the phone, he never talk to me...my brother wouldn’t lie and I know I called him and no one else.” She pulled up the call log on her phone, highlighting the call to Anish’s number which lasted several minutes. “I don’t know if that was a final comfort for me or if I was supposed to be by the house, I just don’t know,” Rambachan Fighting back her tears, she recalled how she cooked for Bunsee and took care of him although they lived in separate houses. “He used to say ‘I will tell you when to

bring food for me,’ and if he didn’t call, I used to call and ask him,” she said. Friday was last time she saw him alive. “I took him to collect new glasses and then sent him home in a taxi.

He seemed fine to me, but he said something he never really say before. He told me ‘God will bless you child’.”

Rambachan believes her father jumped into the swirling waters on Saturday in an attempt to end his life. “I don’t know why he did it, but it is clear he intended that. He left home his wallet with his ID card and driver’s permit, his cell phone, his cane which he used to use all the time because his feet hurt from arthritis. He left everything behind.” Rambachan and other relatives visited the San Fernando Mortuary where Bunsee’s body was identified. An autopsy is expected to be done this morning and funeral arrangement’s will be made for later on in the week. (Trinidad Guardian)

Anand Bunsee looks at a copy of the T&T Guardian as he recalls the last time he spoke with his father, Satrohan Bunsee, inset, who drowned at the Mosquito Creek on Saturday.

PHOTO: RISHI RAGOONATH

REGIONAL PAGE 8

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

MONDAY, JULY 25, 2016

Robocop murder weapon used in Sea Lots shooting The AR-15 assault rifle that was used in the killing of Selwyn “Robocop” Alexis is the same type of weapon that was used to shoot police officer Sgt Ricardo Morris multiple times in Sea Lots in May. Morris managed to survive. Police also discovered Alexis’ weapons cache of two AR-15 rifles and ammunition at his Longdenville home on Monday. An AR-15 rifle was one of the weapons used in an attack in Enterprise, Chaguanas, on June 30, in which four men were shot. Several AR-15s were seized during the August 21, 2011, state of emergency and in September 2011, five AR15 rifles were found at TTPost’s head office at Piarco, earmarked for shipment to Thailand.

Criminologist Daurius Figueira said the high-powered AR-15 rifle was the weapon of choice for mass shootings in the US as well as sicarios—drug cartel hitmen or assassins working for Mexican Transnational Trafficking Organisations (MTTO). Figueira said the question arises as to what was being protected in Sea Lots that was so imperative that the AR-15 rifle had to be protected at all costs to the point of shooting Sgt Ricardo Morris on May 26. He said MTTOs purchased AR-15 parts kits, castings and flats in the US, smuggled them into Mexico where they milled the castings and flats and then assembled the finished AR-15 platform assault rifles with barrels purchased and smuggled from the US. Figueira said an AR15 assault rifle manufactured in this manner had no markings and serial numbers stamped on its parts and was a weapon that dispensed anonymous, unlisted death. He said the only way to profile this weapon was by its ballistic footprint created when it was fired but with parts kits, replacement barrels and receivers the weapon can literally be given a new ballistic footprint. Figueira said the challenged forensic capacity of Caribbean states was then a hitman’s paradise premised on impunity. He said The Small Arms Survey Issue Brief Number 17 publication of March 2016 titled, Dribs and Drabs the Mechanics of Small Arms Trafficking from the US, stated: “Arms trafficking from the US goes well beyond gun-running to Mexico.

Traffickers in the 159 cases studied shipped weapons, parts, ammunition and accessories to at least 46 countries and foreign territories on six continents.” Figueira said the study

also showed specific Caribbean islands, including T&T, were recipients of illicitly trafficked arms. Firearms weapons specialist Paul-Daniel Nahous pointed out to the T&T Guardian that one of Alexis’ rifles had an optic sight for aiming that made shooting accurately very easy for combat, even for a shooter who had minimal training once the sight was calibrated properly. He said because of the AR-15 assault rifle’s popularity, its price has risen to US$1,800 and above from US$900 in the US and was available on US gun sites such as Cheaper Than Dirt. Nahous said information from the Port-of-Spain CID was that the street value for an AR-15 in T&T was $45,000. Mayers said an AK-47 assault rifle cost $45,000 to $50,000. However, it was becoming more scarce than the AR-15. Nahous said, “Robocop’s AR-15s are modern variants or models and are also outfitted with picatinny rails which allow attachments such as laser sights, optic sights, flashlights and grips.

“The tech these guys are getting their hands on is scary, such as red dot optic and reflex sights, heavier and more efficient calibre rifles and ammunition. “We are lucky so far that law enforcement agents haven’t come across AR-15s configured to their full destructive potential with grenade launcher attachments in the hands of criminals.”

Heerah: Trail of damning evidence left behind When former executive director of the National Operations Centre (NOC) Garvin Heerah was questioned on the comparative analysis regarding the investigations of the rifles found at Alexis’ home, and the possibility these weapons may have been used at other crime scenes or homicide scenes, he lamented the use of guns in serious crimes had increased and they left a trail of the most damning evidence. He said based on his continued advice, his observation and research over the years including research conducted in alliance with Forensics Outreach Team UK and Europe, when a gun was involved, crime scene investigators must look for specific clues such as bullet casings, bullet holes, spatter patterns, and perhaps even a dropped weapon, either at the scene or nearby, such as in a car, a drain, under a house or nearby bushes. Heerah said once a bullet was recovered, either from an impact point in a

soft surface or pulled out of flesh by a medical examiner or a physician, that bullet will become a primary piece of evidence. He said since there were several processes involved in rifling a barrel, each barrel was unique, and just like fingerprints, a bullet can be paired to a weapon with nearly perfect accuracy. Heerah said that even without a weapon, the striations can identify a type and model of firearm, so detectives will know what to look for. He said firearms could also be traced through a gunman’s sweat from his hands, firing pins, the alignment, size of impression and age of the firearm. Heerah reiterated that these details were shared as a consideration point to stir conversations and probes to determine whether the authorities were in fact being so detailed in the course of investigative approaches and strategies. He questioned, however, whether that type of modernised, detailed approach to scientific and forensic investigations was being practised, and whether the T&T Police Service was enhancing the training and development aspect, as was previously advised, to treat with this aspect of scientific and technology-led policing. Newly appointed Central Division head Ag Snr Supt Floris Hodge-Griffith did not return the T&T Guardian’s calls as to why there was no lockdown of the Enterprise area; why Alexis’ home was not searched for arms and ammunition when he was alive as he was allegedly well-known to the police; and whether there would be more raids in the area for more weapons, ammunition and drugs.

(Trinidad Guardian)

Selwyn “Robocop” Alexis

REGIONAL

GUYANA DAILY NEWS Venezuela about to find out if Maduro recall vote can happen PAGE 9

CARACAS, Venezuela (AFP) – Venezuela's electoral authorities are to announce Tuesday whether moves to stage a recall referendum against President Nicolas Maduro can go ahead after verifying signatures on an opposition-organized petition. The outcome could open the way to a vote to oust Maduro, the chosen successor to late president Hugo Chavez who is ruling over an economy crippled by mismanagement and low oil prices. But the government has said the petition is riddled with fake signatures and stated the referendum cannot happen this year. The head of the National Electoral Council, Tibisay Lucena, on Sunday told the Televen television network that verification of the petition would be completed on Monday and the result would be given the next day. For a referendum to be contemplated, the signatures of just under 200,000 voters -- one percent of the registered electorate -- have to be verified on the petition. The next step would then be a second petition to be signed by 20 percent of voters, around four million people. The opposition MUD coalition organized the initial petition which it said gathered two million signatures. But many of those were discarded, and the National Electoral Council went on to invalidate 600,000 more signatures. But the MUD says the remaining signatures -- twice of what is needed -- have all been authenticated, with supporters submitting fingerprints as proof. It is seeking to have the referendum

MONDAY, JULY 25, 2016

held before January 10, 2016, which would trigger fresh elections. If a recall vote were held after that date and succeeds, the constitution calls for Maduro to be replaced by his loyal vice president, Aristobulo Isturiz. Public support for Maduro has plummeted amid scarcities of food and other basic goods. The president, who claims Venezuela is the victim of a plot by shadowy economic forces, has invoked a state of emergency and given greater powers to the military. (Jamaica Observer)

Health Ministry finalising NCD policy A national policy on non-communicable diseases (NCD) will be introduced within the next two weeks, Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh said yesterday. It will be based on an examination of factors creating inequity throughout the health system, he said, adding that it was unfortunate that the disadvantaged and vulnerable are often the ones who carry the heaviest burden. The minister said the Government is taking a stance against health threats such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, hypertension and cancers but admitted that people in the lower strata who are too busy trying to survive on a daily basis are the most affected. He said constraints such as a lack of time, education, finances and a general inclination to lead unhealthy lives are among the impediments they face. Deyalsingh said achievable targets have been set and depend on policy implementation as this was the first time T&T will have legislation to aid the process.

Speaking at the opening of the T&T Medical Association’s (TTMA) 22nd Annual Medical Research Conference at the Trinidad Hilton and Conference Centre yesterday, Deyalsingh promised to ensure that T&T attains developed country status by reducing mortality and morbidity rates in various areas. The minister said it is costly for taxpayers to continue to provide treatment for people suffering with NCDs, with approximately $136,000 spent to provide dialysis per patient per year. This was a drain on the Treasury, he said, and the time has come to reverse the dependency syndrome. President of the T&T Medical Association, Dr Stacey Chamely, underscored the importance of transforming lives before they reached the stage of becoming a burden to their family and the State. She said this year's conference had been broadened to include legislative, political and civil society input. Claiming that it is an overwhelming burden already, Chamely said the situation with people suffering with NCDs is expected to become six times worse by 2020. She said this group of

people also experience the highest mortality rates and agreed with Deyalsingh that the top ten causes of death all fell under the 12 social determinants of health, with the top four listed as cardio-vascular diabetes, hypertension and mental illness. President of the World Medical Association, Prof Michael Marmot, said every person should have the best start in life in terms of early childhood care, education health, living accommodations and working conditions. “Everyone should have the minimum income necessary for a healthy life. If you haven’t got enough money to feed your children, you can’t have a healthy life or eat healthy food,” he said. On the issue of smoking, he said one had to ask what made it so popular and common among people occupying the lower economic stratas. (Trinidad Guardian)

Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh, right, speaks with Dr Solaiman Juman during the Ministry of Health's seminar, Health in All Policies A Golden Investments, at the Trinidad Hilton and conference centre.

PHOTO: ABRAHAM DIAZ

REGIONAL PAGE 10

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

MONDAY, JULY 25, 2016

Wallerfield racetrack incident leaves 4 injured [Trinidad Express] - RACING fans were left horrified on Sunday after a car flew off track and ploughed into spectators, seriously injuring four people at Wallerfield. Among the injured was a woman, who was pinned underneath a vehicle that had been competing at the Caribbean Motor Racing Championships at the Frankie Boodram Racing Facility. The mid-afternoon crash was captured by spectators who had been filming the racing events, and spread widely on social media on Sunday evening.

The videos show a vehicle crashing into a tire-barrier, and coming to a stop a few metres away from the crowd who had gathered beneath tents. Within seconds another vehicle lost control and after swiping the first car, went airborne and plummeted into the onlookers under the tent. The footage show members of the crowd running to the crash scene, with one video showing several people attempting to lift the crash vehicle. Another video shows the injured lying on the ground, being attended to by paramedics and

assisted by spectators and a boy crying. Reports are that the injured were taken to the Arima District Hospital, and the woman who was pinned underneath the vehicle transferred to the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex for further treatment. -By- Rocio Perez, Guyana Daily News.

REGIONAL PAGE 11

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

MONDAY, JULY 25, 2016

Young, old jam to pan at Manning tribute

Members of Diatonic performing on Friday night.

Desperadoes’ musical tribute to the late prime minister Patrick Manning did not start at the appointed 8 pm time on Friday; however, it was well worth the wait for steelpan lovers. Patrons were treated to the scintillating sound of

steel from six steel orchestras under tents at Desperadoes’ panyard on Frederick Street. Some of the bands had a longer journey coming from the South—San City Steel Symphony from San Fernando, Diatonic Steel Orchestra from Siparia and Fusion Steel Orchestra from Marabella. UTT Suave Steel Ensemble, Newtown Playboys Steel Symphony and Valley Harps Steel Orchestra did not have to travel as far to the venue. It was the third event of Desperadoes, which is hosting the series of concerts, aptly titled Nine Fridays, in honour and celebration of the life of Patrick Manning, beginning on July 8. Many of the bands had a mix of youthful members and seniors and while each had their own unique style of music, the effect on the audience was the same, having young and old dancing and swaying to good music from various genres. Pan Trinbago president Keith Diaz said pan was a way to reduce crime. He said National Security Minister Edmund Dillon should invest more in the youth of the nation and culture. Diaz said instead of youths taking part in gang warfare, they could be encouraged in positive pursuits such as playing pan. He said the organisation had pan programmes and camps for the youths but it was experiencing “serious problems” with funding. (Trinidad Guardian)

Persad-Bissessar: AG’s claims mischievous, baseless Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar has accused Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi of attempting to mislead and deceive the population into thinking that 1,300 prisoners are likely to be freed because the Opposition failure to support renewal of the Anti-Gang Act and the Bail (Amendment) Act. Both Acts have sunset clauses that need a special majority in Parliament or they will expire next month. PersadBissessar’s comments followed reports over the weekend that hundreds prisoners in remand are now being considered for bail by the State from August 15. Al-Rawi has warned that the release of the prisoners, who are facing charges of kidnapping for ransom, could be a security risk to the country. He said the Opposition’s decision to blank the Bail Bill extension means he will now have to make certain amendments to the Bail Act. In a statement yesterday, Persad-Bissessar described the AG’s claims as “mischievous, baseless and politically malicious” and said they were “designed to score cheap political points at the expense of truth and accuracy and to engender fear in the population.” She said when Anti Gang Act was passed by her People’s Partnership administration in 2011, it was criticised by the PNM including then Senator Al-Rawi.She said the AG has so far failed to supply the Opposition with information requested on the number of persons arrested, charged, and convicted under the AntiGang Act “Having regard to the AG’s failure to disclose this information, we wish to publicly ask for same and signal our intention to file applications under the Freedom of Information Act to ensure that he cannot avoid fulfilling his public duty to do so,” she said. PersadBissessar added: “The Opposition cannot in good conscience blindly support legislation that was passed for a specific period of time as a temporary measure to assist in the fight against crime. It must necessarily undertake a critical analysis and evaluation to determine the success and effectiveness of the legislation. Indeed that is the very purpose of a sunset clause in legislation.” She said it was untrue for Al-Rawi to “repeat ad nauseum the obvious headline grabbing phrase that 1300 persons will now suddenly be granted bail.” The Opposition Leader explained: “Such persons (assuming but not admitting the number is accurate) will simply be entitled to apply for bail and the Court has the discretion to either grant or refuse bail, taking into account a wide range of factors, including the seriousness of the offence, their prior criminal records etc. She said about 700 of the 1300 prisoners have already been granted bail, but cannot

access it. She said they were not denied bail under the Anti-gang and Bail Amendment Acts “The Attorney General’s desire to sensationalise and provide misinformation has not escaped this issue. The Attorney General is reported to have stated that there are 2300 persons on remand in the nation’s prisons. As of today the number of persons on remand in the nation’s prisons is 2,101, 341 at Fredrick Street, and 703 at the Maximum Security Prison and 1057 at the Golden Grove Prison, almost 200 less than that stated by the Attorney General. “Consequently, if as the AG stated there are 1000 on murder charges and so not entitled to bail and, about another 700 have already been granted bail but cannot access same, then the numbers who may become entitled for bail after August 15th would be about 400 persons,” she said. Responding to the AG’s warning that prisoners facing charges of kidnapping for ransom are due to be release, posing a security risk to the country after August 16, PersadBissessar said the Miscellaneous Provisions (Bail and Kidnapping) Act 2011 governs the refusal of bail to persons charged with kidnapping for ransom and contains no sunset clause so it remains in force. She said: “The Opposition will not be bullied, intimidated and railroaded by the cheap antics of the AG on such an important issue when all it is seeking is simple data on the number of persons denied bail under the laws that we were being asked to support. “Further, in all of the circumstances, we were correct to do what we did given the context; we will support or not support a Bill based on the merit of the Bill, its context, and the approach of Government in taking the Opposition’s views into account and most importantly whether the proposed legislation is genuinely in the public interest.” ( Tr i n i d a d Guardian) Kamla Persad-Bissessar

INTERNATIONAL PAGE 12

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

MONDAY, JULY 25, 2016

Chinese Gen Guo Boxiong sentenced to life for corruption A retired high-ranking military officer in China has been sentenced to life in jail by a military court for corruption, state media report. Guo Boxiong, 74, was accused of using his influence to seek promotions for others and of accepting bribes.

He was stripped of his rank of general and his personal assets have been seized, Xinhua news agency reports. President Xi Jinping has led a major anti-corruption campaign since taking office nearly four years ago. Hundreds of thousands of officials have been disciplined as part of the drive. From 2002 until 2012, Guo served as vice-chairman of China's Central Military Commission, which is in charge of the People's Liberation Army - the world's biggest armed forces. During that time he had also been a member of the 25-person Politburo - the powerbase of the Communist Party. The Communist Party expelled him last year following a corruption probe. 'Corruption is greatest threat' Guo's trial was held behind closed doors and Xinhua did not disclose the amount of money involved. But sources told the South China Morning Post in April that Guo was prosecuted for accepting bribes worth $12.3m (£8.6m).

The paper reported that this was thought to be a small fraction of the wealth actually amassed by the former general, who was one of the most senior officers to serve under former President Hu Jintao. Guo had admitted his crimes, expressed regret, accepted the judgment and would not appeal, Xinhua said. For many in China, details of the former general's crimes will barely raise an eyebrow. Guo Boxiong profited far less than some of his Communist Party colleagues. When police raided the home of Zhou Yongkang, the former domestic security chief and a contemporary of Guo, they seized $14bn in assets. Many believe the retired army general's true crime was his allegiance to the former Chinese president, Jiang Zemin, and not the current leader, Xi Jinping. Guo was promoted through the ranks under Jiang Zemin and is thought to have maintained close ties even after he left power. Xi Jinping has repeatedly called on

troops to pledge their allegiance to the Communist Party, and its chairman and head of the military - himself. Dozens of senior military officers have been purged through the ongoing anticorruption probe and replaced with officers who owe their careers to Mr Xi. As the Chinese leader attempts to cultivate a leaner, cleaner military loyal to him, the case of Guo Boxiong could serve as a warning to all new recruits. "Corruption is the greatest threat our party faces, and is the top killer of the military's fighting ability," the Reuters news agency quoted the defence ministry's website as saying. The case follows that of another top general, Xu Caihou, also accused of taking bribes in exchange for assisting in promotions, but who died last year before a trial. State media reported that it had taken a week to catalogue all the cash, jewels and antiques amassed in Xu's Beijing residence, and that 12 trucks had been required to remove them all. Guo's son, a major general, is also under investigation for corruption. (BBC)

The defence ministry described Guo Boxiong as a "greedy degenerate"(REUTERS)

INTERNATIONAL

GUYANA DAILY NEWS Nigeria pastor arrested for chaining up son for 'stealing’ PAGE 13

Nigerian police have arrested a church pastor, accused of keeping his nine-year-old son chained up for more than a month as a punishment for stealing. Police say they rescued the boy and arrested Pastor Francis Taiwo after a tip-off in the town of Ota in south-western Ogun State. Local media are running a photo of the victim, an emaciated young boy in chains, with a padlock around his neck. State police say that it is one of the worst child abuse cases they have seen. They say the boy's father admitted keeping him in chains, believing he was "possessed" due to his habit of stealing. A police statement said that the boy had been held captive "with the help of members" of the local church where the pastor worked. The case is now being handed over to Nigeria's national anti-trafficking agency (Naptip). (BBC)

MONDAY, JULY 25, 2016

The boy's father told police he was worried about his son being "possessed"(NSCDC)

Turkey coup attempt: 'Arrest warrants issued' for journalists Turkey's authorities have issued detention warrants for 42 journalists, local media say, as part of an inquiry into the failed coup on 15 July. Prominent commentator Nazli Ilicak is said to be on the list. Ankara has not publicly commented on the claim.

The authorities have already detained or placed under investigation thousands of soldiers, judges and civil servants.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has vowed to purge state bodies of the "virus" he says caused the revolt. So far, five journalists have been detained for questioning, Turkish news agencies report. The closure of several media outlets was ordered in the days following the attempted coup, but this is the first time that individual journalists have been identified, the BBC's Nick Thorpe in Istanbul reports. The most prominent of the 42 is 72-year-old Nazli Ilicak. She was fired from the progovernment Sabah daily three years ago for criticising government ministers who are under investigation for alleged corruption. The Turkish government accuses cleric Fethullah Gulen of being behind the attempted coup which was led by the army. Mr Gulen, who lives in the US, has strongly denied any involvement. In other developments on Monday: Turkey's state-run Turkish Airlines dismisses 211 employees over their alleged links to the Gulen movement EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker warns that negotiations for Turkey's eventual membership of the EU would be suspended immediately if Ankara goes ahead with a proposal to reintroduce the death penalty On Sunday, tens of thousands of people took part in a pro-democracy rally in Istanbul, condemning the coup attempt. The demonstration was organised by the opposition party CHP but was backed by President Erdogan's AK party, in a rare show of unity. Mr Erdogan launched a widespread crackdown following the failed coup, arresting thousands of service personnel and

sacking or suspending thousands of judges, government officials, school teachers and university heads.

Human Rights group Amnesty International says it has received credible evidence of detainees being subjected to beatings and torture, including rape, since the coup attempt.

Last week, Turkey declared a three-month state of emergency, allowing the president and the government to bypass parliament when drafting new laws and to restrict or suspend rights and freedoms. (BBC)

Turkey has been criticised for restricting press freedoms in the country - a charge Ankara denies(AFP)

INTERNATIONAL

GUYANA DAILY NEWS US election: Bernie Sanders to urge Democratic Party unity PAGE 14

Bernie Sanders is expected to urge his supporters to rally behind Hillary Clinton when he speaks at the party's convention in Philadelphia later. The Vermont senator will set out the case for her being a "far superior" candidate to Republican Donald Trump. But his supporters have been holding protests in Philadelphia, saying they will never vote for Mrs Clinton. The convention gets under way with a leaked email scandal threatening to overshadow it. Wikileaks released emails that show the Democratic National Convention (DNC), which runs the party, was biased against Mr Sanders when he ran against Mrs Clinton in the hard-fought primary contest. The FBI has confirmed that it is investigating the leak. Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz resigned on Sunday as pressure built on the party to address the scandal. And on Monday, she was jeered as she tried to speak to Florida delegates at a breakfast meeting at the convention.

Mrs Clinton's campaign team has said the hackers who accessed the DNC emails were Russians who want Mr Trump to win the election.

One of the emails from a Democratic party official suggested raising Mr Sanders' faith as a means to discredit him. Other emails openly disparaged him and expressed a preference for his rival. The revelation has angered Mr Sanders' supporters, who had long claimed that the party's governing body, which was meant to remain neutral, had favoured the former secretary of state. On Sunday, many of them marched through Philadelphia to show their support for Mr Sanders and their disdain for Mrs Clinton. There were chants of "Hell No, DNC, we won't vote for Hillary" and "This is what democracy looks like". More rallies are planned on Monday. Darcy Samek, 54, made the trip from Minneapolis to protest and said it was well known the party had been against Mr Sanders. "Everyone kind of knew but that doesn't mean it will change now that it's proven'" she said. "It's just more of the same." Mr Sanders himself said he was not surprised by the emails but he wanted to focus on helping the party beat Donald Trump. A statement from his campaign said his speech on Monday would "make it clear that Hillary Clinton is by far superior to Donald Trump on every major issue from economics and health care to

MONDAY, JULY 25, 2016

education and the environment". Before he takes the stage at the Wells Fargo Center, there will be speeches by First Lady Michelle Obama, liberal firebrand Elizabeth Warren and New Jersey senator Cory Booker. About 5,000 party delegates are among the 50,000 people expected to attend the four-day convention, which will end on Thursday with Mrs Clinton formally accepting the nomination for president. The Democratic convention - all you need to know 1. What is the point? At a convention, each party formally nominates its candidates for president and vice-president, and the party unveils its party platform, or manifesto. 2. Who is going? There are about 5,000 delegates attending, selected at state and congressional district conventions, and representing each US state and territory. Plus about 15,000 journalists and tens of thousands of other party grandees, lawmakers and guests. 3. What is the schedule? Monday speakers First Lady Michelle Obama, Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, Tuesday - Former President Bill Clinton, Trayvon Martin's mother Sybrina Fulton Wednesday - President Barack Obama, Vice-President Joe Biden, vice-presidential running mate Tim Kaine Thursday - Hillary Clinton, introduced by daughter Chelsea (BBC)

Sanders supporters marched through Philadelphia(GETTY IMAGES)

Madagascar house fire kills 38 A house fire in Madagascar has killed 38 people, the fire, news website Midi Madagasikara reported. including 16 children. The blaze ripped through the (BBC) three-storey thatched home during a party, police said.

The incident occurred on Saturday in the south-central district of Ikalamavony, according to local media reports. The reports said the blaze started in the outside dining area of the house, and a police spokesman said it was being treated as an accident.

"Of the 39 people in the house, 38 were killed, including 16 children," the spokesman, Herilalatiana Andrianarivosona, told Agence France-Presse. Panicstricken guests were reportedly unable to escape the burning building after struggling to open the only exit door. Those outside the house were unable to help. The owner of the house and his 14-year-old son survived

INTERNATIONAL PAGE 15

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

MONDAY, JULY 25, 2016

Yahoo sold to US telecoms giant Verizon US internet firm Yahoo is being acquired by American telecoms giant Verizon Communications for nearly $5bn (£3.8bn) in cash. Yahoo will be combined with AOL, another faded internet star, which Verizon bought last year. The deal does not include Yahoo's valuable stake in Chinese firm Alibaba. The price tag for the deal is well below the $44bn Microsoft offered for Yahoo in 2008 or the $125bn it was worth during the dot.com boom.

Verizon said the deal for Yahoo's core internet business, which has more than a billion active users a month, would make it a global mobile media company. Yahoo Timeline 1994 Yahoo - which stands for Yet Another Hierarchically Organized Oracle - is founded 2000 Yahoo valued at $125bn at height of dot.com boom 2002 Google rejects a $3bn bid from Yahoo 2008 Microsoft's $44.6bn offer for Yahoo is turned down 2013 Blogging site Tumblr acquired by Yahoo for $1.1bn 2015 Yahoo makes net loss of $4.4bn 2016 Verizon agrees $4.8bn deal to buy Yahoo Marissa Mayer, chief executive of Yahoo, said: "Yahoo is a company that has changed the world, and will continue to do so through this combination with Verizon and AOL." In an email to staff, Ms Mayer said she was "planning to stay", adding: "I love Yahoo, and I believe in all of you. It's important to me to see Yahoo into its next chapter." However, the takeover, which is due to be completed in early 2017, raises questions about whether the Yahoo brand could disappear.

"That's the big open-ended question: what are they going to do with the brands?" said Michael Goodman, a director at Strategy Analytics. While this is a sad day for Yahoo - as big as Facebook and Google in its prime - it raises interesting questions about its new owner. What are Verizon's ambitions?

Beyond the talk of becoming a global media company, Verizon chief executive Lowell McAdams wants a larger share of the booming digital advertising pie. And he thinks this deal will help him. As a leading US mobile phone network, Verizon already had a wealth of data from smartphone users that it could mine. Its purchase of AOL a year ago for its programmatic advertising technology allowed it to leverage that more

effectively. Yahoo, meanwhile, has struggled to build its mobile advertising business. Its appeal is that it has content. With Yahoo, Verizon gains the internet company's 600 million monthly active mobile users, as well as its email service, Yahoo Finance, and Tumblr, which is popular among millennials. So is Verizon ready to take on the likes of Google and Facebook? In 2015, these two tech behemoths claimed the largest share of the digital ad market. Whether or not Verizon can challenge that remains to be seen - but that's certainly the idea. Brands AOL chief executive Tim Armstrong said the deal was about "unleashing Yahoo's full potential", and creating a major player in mobile media. Together AOL and Yahoo will have more than 25 brands, including Yahoo Mail, Flickr and Tumblr as well as AOL's Huffington Post and Techcrunch news sites. Ms Mayer, who took the helm at Yahoo in 2012, has made little progress in returning the company to profit. Last week the firm reported a $440m loss in the second quarter, but said the board had made "great progress on strategic alternatives". (BBC)

Florida nightclub shooting: Two dead and 16 injured in Fort Myers Two people have been killed and up to 16 injured in a shooting at a nightclub in the city of Fort Myers in Florida, police say. The attack happened at Club Blu, which was hosting a party for teenagers. Police have arrested three people but said the incident was "not an act of terror". The two killed were identified as 18-year-old Ste'fan Strawder, a leading local high school basketball player and 14-yearold Sean Archilles. Jean Archilles, Sean's father, said his son loved football and basketball. "He liked to make people laugh. He's a funny kid. He's always joking." The victims of the attack were between 12 and 27 years old. A hospital spokeswoman said four people remained in hospital with serious injuries. Police are still investigating the motive behind the attack. 'Dodging bullets' Shots were fired outside in the club's car park where witnesses described the scene to reporters as a "mad house". Syreeta Gary, whose daughter was at the club, told the local Fox 4 news channel: "I just thank God that my daughter is OK because she could have been shot," adding that, at one point, her daughter was "dodging bullets and running dropping between cars".

"It's ridiculous that these kids have to go through this, they can't enjoy themselves because you have other people there who have criminalistic minds - they just want to terrorise things. I'm just glad she's OK." Florida Governor Rick Scott released a statement saying: "I have cancelled my events today to meet with law enforcement and local officials in Fort Myers. "While we are still learning the details about what happened this morning, we know that some of the victims of this terrible incident were children. We will continue to pray for the victims and their families." The club hosted a swimsuit party on

Sunday night where no ID was required, according to a flyer. Florida state records show the alcohol licence for the club was revoked on 7 June last year. Another official notice was served to the club in 2014 for criminal activity. Club Blu said the shooting happened as the party ended and parents arrived to pick up their children. The club expressed its deep sorrow over the incident in a statement on Facebook. Shots were also fired at a nearby home and a vehicle, where one person suffered a minor injury. Six weeks ago, a gunman attacked a gay nightclub in the Florida city of Orlando, killing 49 people. It was the worst mass shooting in recent US history. (BBC)

Club Blu expressed its deep sorrow over the incident(AP)

LOCAL PAGE 18

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

TUESDAY, JULY 26, 2016

Guyana's Banking Sector May Collapse Guyana’s economy is in serious crisis; traditional industries such as the rice, timber, sugar and other sectors of Guyana are in deep financial strain and banks are refusing to lend monies to these sectors. Banks generally make their monies by lending and making investments. For eg. the rice industry is on the brink of financial collapse; mills have been foreclosed and some of the top millers have grave financial difficulties due to the unavailability of loans. Some of the millers are seeking working capital from the banking system. But the $11 billion debt raked up by the industry, and considered bad, has put bankers off.

Overdraft facilities, which amount to about $3 billion, are also being curtailed. The obvious downturn in the housing sector has a negative effect on the banking sector in Guyana, people are not borrowing monies as was the case under the Jagdeo led administration. The International Monetary Fund had recently warned banks in Guyana of non- performing loans, “Banks remain well capitalized, but heightened vigilance is warranted due to increases in nonperforming loans”. This warning came after an IMF mission, led by Marcos Chamon, was in Guyana between February 24 and March 7, 2016. The team met with Finance Minister Winston Jordan, Public Infrastructure Minister David Patterson, Natural Resources Minister Raphael Trotman, Central Bank Governor Gobind Ganga, Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo, representatives from the private sector, labour unions, and other stakeholders. Shadow Opposition

Finance Minister, Irfaan Ali in November 2015 warned that hundreds of Guyanese, many of them businessmen were on the verge of losing their properties as a result of inability to pay their mortgages, as the local economy continued to flounder.

Many financial institutions, non-performing loans or loans where the borrower failed to pay instalment for over three months, have increased by 69.7 per cent in 2015 and continues to skyrocket, this is according to a source at one of the leading commercial banks in Guyana. Meanwhile, the IMF warned that the increasing current expenditure of the government will crowd out space for public investment, despite significant donor support.

LOCAL PAGE 19

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

TUESDAY, JULY 26, 2016

Westford’s multi-million fraud trial set to begin Former Minister of Public Service Jennifer Webster and her former Personal Assistant Margrette Cummings today reappeared before Magistrate Judy Latchman after being jointly charged with 24 counts of fraud between August 2011 and April 2015. They appeared today for the report of the chronological joint file of witness statements in the case by the prosecution and to be issued a date of return for the recommencement of the trial. They will return on August 4, 2016 for trial. In their last appearance in court on July 06, 2016, the trial was set to begin and the first witness was called; however due to a disarray and difference in the files being used by the prosecution and defense the matter was adjourned after the Prosecutor’s request for adjournment was granted. It is alleged that between the dates mentioned above whilst being in charge of the Ministry of Public Service, now known as the Ministry of Presidency, Westford with the aid of Cumming stole $639M in 24 different tranches ranging from $3.4M to $75M in one instance. -By- Jarred Singh, Guyana Daily News.

LOCAL PAGE 20

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

TUESDAY, JULY 26, 2016

Is Social Cohesion lacking in Guyana?

The Coalition Government has hijacked the functions of the Ethnic Relations Commission (ERC) which in the past had done serious work towards the creation of a united Guyana. The PPP believes that the Coalition is more interested in giving the impression that all Guyanese support the government.

The Party contended that there cannot be social harmony when the new government has unleashed a campaign of victimization and discrimination. The following is the rest of the statement issued by the PPP on the issue: The People’s Progressive Party (PPP) has noted the efforts being made by the Granger led APNU+AFC Administration to fool the Guyanese people into believing that it is making a genuine effort in promoting social cohesion in Guyana. The recently held Social Cohesion workshop held by at the International Convention Centre was clearly another talk shop similar to those organized by the Ministers of Agriculture and Community respectively. The event was in effect a race to the bottom to fulfill another of the Coalition Manifesto promises and to hoodwink the donor Community into believing that the Granger regime is committed to and is in need of international financial support in this area. The reality in Guyana shows a completely different picture that is characterized by consistent and persistent witch-hunting and purging of public servants known to be supportive of the PPP and of a particular ethnic group. It is to be noted that just a mere four days after the Opposition Leader’s meeting with Mr. Granger where the former raised certain concerns with respect to the prevailing “public environment” and “claims and allegations” made by the Granger Administration against the PPP, Granger came out with a statement

justifying the dismissals of public servants on the ground of “malpractice” and “disappearances of tax dollars”.

Granger was also quoted as saying that there has been “no witch-hunting or purging” In uttering these words Granger reinforces the popular conviction that there has been unilateral, malicious and discriminatory dismissals on political ground using as a excuse the argument that his government wants “efficient, unbribable, trained and educated public services.” In other words, all those whose service was terminated were uneducated, untrained, bribable and non-efficient while these who remain in the public service are “educated”, “trained”, “unbribable” and “efficient.” These social and economic travesties committed by the Granger administration will not go away and will have to be investigated by international bodies in keeping with international protocols signed by Guyana while the PPP/C was in government. “Social Cohesion” in the Granger administration context will prove to be like “slippery ochro”.for the Granger administration unless certain steps are taken to address the PPP/C’s concerns at this critical political, social and economic juncture of our country’s history. Our task is to work towards a united country; where all our people regardless of gender, race, ethnicity or religious affiliation can continue to reach new heights in peace and harmony. The PPP is committed to building a nation where poverty is eliminated and where the fruits of economic prosperity are fairly and equitably distributed. The Granger administration will never be able to achieve social cohesion by going about it in the way they have started out; extending into state and government their election campaign targeting the PPP and its supporters through wrongful

dismissals – racial and political harassment and victimization. Social cohesion under Granger is bound to fail if it continues to undermine and jettison the role and functions of the Ethnic Relations Commission by supplanting it with a creature from the belly of the Coalition called the Ministry of Social Cohesion. The steps that are afoot to promote internationally the Granger administration as a believer in Social Cohesion will not succeed especially when account is taken of the divisive, manipulative and deceptive efforts and bleating of Granger, Harmon,Trotman and Ally. The huge sums of money allocated by the Granger administration to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will take us back to the pro1992 period when the Burham/Hoyte administration in an effort to boost its image abroad spent billions of dollars through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to accomplish this objective. The claim by the Granger administration to the effect that “the door will be open to the PPP for a Unity Government” is illusive as is the advocate of this illusive dream. History is replete with failed efforts to achieve this goal since the advocates who made that call were either splitters or renegades from the PPP who lack decency and do not deserve any respect nor honour, irrespective of the government to which they belong.

LOCAL PAGE 21

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

TUESDAY, JULY 26, 2016

Body fished out from Paradise trench The body of an unidentified man was this morning discovered in a trench at Grant Street, Paradise East Coast Demerara. Residents found the man submerged in the trench and alerted the police. He was bare feet and a bottle was observed in the crotch of his pants. Some residents said he is not known to the community but some identified him as a known habitual drinker and smoker. The body was removed after law enforcement officers completed their investigations.

Guyana’s economy was bloated with sound economic policy Charted Accountant and former Auditor General, Anand Goolsaran has noted that Guyana’s economy was bloated with corrupt earnings. Goolsarran said, “In general, businesses are complaining that all is not well. And as much as we are talking about all the statistics and so forth, we need to understand that the economy was never healthy. We had a false economy because more than half of it was bloated with a lot of revenue from corrupt practices such as money laundering and drug trafficking. And when that dirty money was flowing through the system, everything seemed to be big and beautiful and booming.”

However, others believe that it was a sound economic policy that was in place which made the economy strive such as; the grow more food campaign, which sought to have more people engage in producing food, the education for all fast track initiative which also made a large number of pupils literate with the program; large scale investment in the economy by people both at home and abroad. He also noted that Guyana cannot and should not go along anymore with an economy that was allowed by the past regime to become “obese with immorality and rank corruption.”

President David Granger has admitted that the numerous investigations into the various operations under the former Administration are yet to unearth

evidence to support the allegations of c o r r u p t i o n a g a i n s t t h e P e o p l e ’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) officials. The President was asked why his Administration was not making a move to charge certain officials despite claims from various Government functionaries that there was massive evidence of corruption against members of the former PPP/C Administration.

Granger, in response, stated that there was no evidence to prove the allegations of corruption against these persons.

“Sometimes, people make allegation and ask for evidence and there is no evidence to prove. That’s why we have a court system … If people are assumed to be guilty because of a newspaper article or a letter to the editor, then the country would be in chaos…,” he said. The president has denied that there was corruption under the former PPP administration. Under the PPP Guyana have achieved Universal Primary Education, and are close to achieving Universal Primary Education, and are close to achieving Universal Secondary Education.” Former President Donald Romator had said that Guyana now boasts a system that is accessible to all, so as “to create economic safely nets to protect the most vulnerable in our society; to repair broken infrastructure and build new roads, and water and air transportation facilities. These visible and irrefutable symbols of progress,

according to the former president “are the reasons we are on track to meet most of our Mellennium Development Goals by the end of 2015.” Mr. Ramotar had noted.

It has been over one year that the APNU/AFC took office, and it has failed in its manifesto to create jobs and provide a sound economic policy to propel the economy forward. The Government promised that there will be a spin off in the economy after the hosting of the CPL cricket and the Golden Jubilee; however those events came and went and the Guyanese people are still awaiting the economic plan by the Government.

Minister of State Joseph Harmon when asked by the Private Sector, noted that a plan cannot be implemented in just one or two months, it has to evolve over a period of time from a strategy. It’s has been fourteen months already, and the PSC (Private Sector Commission) is awaiting that plan.

LOCAL PAGE 22

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

TUESDAY, JULY 26, 2016

Man freed of 2009 Health Ministry fire Keith Ferrier today appeared before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan where he was found not guilty of unlawfully and maliciously setting fire to the Ministry of Health Building between July 16, 2009 and July 17, 2009. According to the Chief Magistrate, the prosecution failed to provide enough evidence to prove that he was responsible for the fire. She explained that the evidence and witnesses produced by the prosecution was not credible enough to convince the court that Ferrier did in fact commit arson. As such, she was obliged to uphold the motion that was presented by defense attorney, Patrice Henry, for a ‘No Case Submission’. On July 17, 2016 at around 3 a.m. the Guyana Fire Service were alerted of a fire that had started at the then Ministry of Health Headquarters building which was located at Brickdam Georgetown. The fire gutted the entire wooden building reducing it and everything within the building to almost nothing. The fire was thought to be as a result of arson and a wanted bulletin was issued

for the arrest of Keith Ferrier, however Ferrier was not caught until earlier this year, 7 years later, when he was returning from Venezuela. Ferrier was picked up on North Road, Georgetown by officers from the Major Crimes Unit branch of the Guyana Police Force. -By- Jarred Singh, Guyana Daily News.

Teenager forced into prostitution; woman charged with trafficking Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan today released Nafeeza Muhammad on GY$230,000 bail after she was charged with the offence of Trafficking in persons.

The court heard that the woman trafficked the 17-yearold to engage in the sexual acts between April 26, 2016 and May 31, 2016. The matter was transferred to Matthew’s Ridge Magistrate Court where Muhammad will make an appearance on August 3, 2016.

Muhammad, 28, who was unrepresented, pleaded not guilty to the charge, as the prosecutions made no objection to bail. She was initially granted GY$300,000 bail; however she returned to the court room with Attorney Melvin Duke who pleaded with the Chief Magistrate to consider reducing the bail to GY$200,000 based on the her income since she is a shopkeeper and has three minor children. It is alleged that Muhammad, who hails from Bush Lot, Essequibo, transported the alleged victim to her shop which is located at Deaco Backdam, North West, Region 1, under the pretense that the victim was going

to work in the shop; however, it is alleged that she was forced into prostitution. The 17- year-old girl is now in the custody of the Ministry of Social Services as investigations into the matter continue. -By- Jarred Singh. Guyana Daily News.

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GUYANA DAILY NEWS

TUESDAY, JULY 26, 2016

14th Caribbean Cuboree being held in Guyana

Minister within the Ministry of Education, Nicolette Henry along with President of the Scout Association of Guyana (SAG) and Chief Scout, Ramsay Ali, Camp Chief of the Cuboree, Zaida Joaquin and Chief Commissioner, Andrew Ramcharitar, took the salute as the Scouts marched passed in the vicinity of the St George's Cathedral.

As part of the activities for the 14th Caribbean Cuboree being held in Guyana during the period; July 24-29, a Cub Scout Parade was held on Tuesday July 26.

LOCAL PAGE 24

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

TUESDAY, JULY 26, 2016

Comments from Opposition Leader, Hon. Bharrat Jagdeo, MP, in response the APNU+AFC Coalition Government A statement, tainted by traces of Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo,seeks to condemn my international exposure of actions advanced by the A Partnership for National Unity and Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) Coalition – actions that affect all our people.

And I find it strange that a Government would release a lengthy statement based on a short clip of a section of the comments I made in New York. What is stranger is that the comments I made in New York were no different to the ones I have made in Guyana – at press conferences and on the campaign trail in the lead up to the March 2016 Local Government elections. I spoke to the issues of racial and political discrimination, the lack of an economic plan, the taxation policies, as well as the repressive laws that have been advanced and the threats to local democracy under the APNU+AFC Coalition.

Despite the charges made, my record on bolstering racial harmony and advancing equal development across the country, regardless of race, speaks for itself. That is not a position I need to defend.

However, I have spoken out and will continue to speak out about the injustices against our people. I am inclined to believe that the Nagamootoo-styled statement has more to do with the reception given to me by thousands of people, representing the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) – in contrast to the small crowd and protest actions that greeted him. While Nagamootoo claims that the Coalition’s policies are geared to deliver the ‘good life’ to all Guyanese and touts social cohesion, he ignores the reality of many of our Guyanese people – the thousands of young Amerindians who were fired, the many Indo-Guyanese removed from their jobs, the assault on the sugar industry and the non-support of the rice and mining sectors. No spin by Nagamootoo can hide these facts, in the same way that the fig leaf of social cohesion cannot hide the actions of the Coalition Government. The Prime Minister talks up what Jaganites would do, but he – as a hypocritically ‘self-professed

Jaganite’ – has positioned himself to defend the murder of Dr Walter Rodney, years of rigged elections and denial of democracy in Guyana for years under the People’s National Congress (PNC) – the same PNC that is the majority partner of the Coalition. The only thing in the Prime Minister’s portfolio, as evidenced recently, seems to be making statements to attack the PPP. Further this ‘self-professed Jaganite’ only issues press releases, while he enjoys the luxuries of $45M of renovations to his residence, $20M in furnishings, $22M for a new vehicle, a $1.7M salary and another $8M per month for security and other costs - contrast that with the plight of our people.

The Coalition Government fails to recognise that its policies and actions do not only hurt people perceived to be supportive of the political Opposition, but all Guyanese across the country. Jagan’s party is strong and will defend the rights of the Guyanese people.

Opposition Leader, Hon. Bharrat Jagdeo

Body parts found in Mahdia; two to be charged Shane Mc Almont, 33 years and Marlon Joseph called ‘Short Man’, 28 years, both of 111 Miles Mahdia, Potaro were charged on 2016-07-26 with Murder and Accessory to Murder respectively committed on Shawn Clarke between 2016-07-10 to 2016-07-22 at 111 Miles Mahdia, Potaro. They appeared today before Chief Magistrate Ann Mc Lennon at the Georgetown Magistrate Court where they were remanded to prison until October 17, 2016.

Dead: Shawn Clarke

LOCAL PAGE 25

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

TUESDAY, JULY 26, 2016

Scouts Injured in Woolford Avenue Accident Two scouts reportedly from St. Lucia have been injured in an accident at Woolford AvenuAvenue.

One is said to be critical. [Breaking News]

Gov’t clamps down on Gold smuggling With gold smuggling being a topical issue since last year, several measures have been implemented by government, including tightening protocols of gold exports, which will be the responsibility of the Gold Board and the Guyana Revenue Authority. Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman has called for the Anti-Gold Smuggling Task Force to tighten loopholes to tackle gold smuggling at borders, the two international airports and other ports of exit. It was reported that about 15,000 ounces of gold were smuggled weekly from Guyana, representing an estimate of the 50% to the 60% of the total production. The origin of the gold into the country was Colombia and Venezuela, while the destination of the Guyanese precious metal was Brazil, Europe, the United States and Middle Eastern countries. At a recent press conference, Trotman stated that the Special Organized Crime Unit (SOCU) and the Ministry of Public Security were ‘on top’ of the matter.

Recently, a man was arrested at the Eugene. F. Correira International Airport, located in Ogle with a massive golden chain in his possession. As government tightens its grip, the ‘smugglers’ have also found creative ways to carry smuggle the commodity, such as wearing large jewelry; however, Trotman is fully confident that necessary actions are being taken by the authorities to prevent smuggling. Gold price in Guyana calculated in Guyanese dollar (GYD) Tuesday 26th July 2016, 11:48 am -BY- Rocio Perez, Guyana Daily News.

He further noted that the Region has been unable to offer effective assistance to the residents affected by this flooding; the Region has been unable to properly monitor the two (2) hospitals in the Region and the several health care centres throughout the Region, to ensure that they are properly staffed and equipped and as a result, there have been widespread shortages of personnel and basic drugs at these facilities throughout the Region. “The Council has been unable to execute its community road programs and as a result, streets throughout the Region have fallen into disrepair and are now in a deplorable condition; the Council has been unable to address the educational needs in the Region as a result schools are falling apart throughout the Region; in fact, the children of Mortice, Mahaicony Nursery School have been without a school building for over two (2) months; the Region has been unable to oversee the award of contracts and as a result, contracts continue to be awarded without any scrutiny

“Unruly APNU/AFC Councillors” disrupt Region 5 RDC meeting Regional Chairman of the Regional Democratic Council in Region # 5, Vickhand Ramphal, at a press conference held at the PPP/C headquarters Robb Street, said that the residents of Region # 5 Mahaica Berbice and the citizens of Guyana have all been made aware of the continued disruption of the Statutory Meetings of the Council by the APNU/AFC backed councillors. July 21, 2016 was the seventh such disruption, this time from10:00 a.m. to 16:00hcontinuously, preventing the Statutory Meeting from being held and conducting its business. “This, clearly, intolerable situation has seen no incisive reaction from President David Granger, whose honour, the unruly Councilors are seeking to have untarnished by extracting an apology from me, the Regional Chairman, for not attending an engagement held in Region # 5 by the President and to which all record have shown I was not invited,” the Chairman told reporters.He noted that the “unruly APNU/AFC councilors” have persisted in their behavior despite being informed about the negative impact of their actions on the well-being of the residents of Region # 5. In this regard, the Chairman said he felt compelled to publicly highlight that the inability to hold Statutory Meetings of the Council because of the behavior of the APNU/AFC Councilors, have tremendously affected the work of the Council.

Mr. Ramphal also noted that the Council has been unable to excavate and clean important canals, drains and trenches that comes under its control which have caused millions of dollars in losses due to floods. by the Council. These are only some of the problems which the residents of Region # 5 endure daily because Statutory Meetings of the Council are not held,” the Regional Chairman said. In the meanwhile, the RDC is appealing to Minister of Communities, Ronald Bulkan and President David Granger to resolve the issue.

Regional Chairman of the Regional Democratic Council in Region # 5, Vickhand Ramphal

REGIONAL PAGE 26

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

TUESDAY, JULY 26, 2016

Jack goes with Imbert abroad to raise funds Secretary of Finance and Enterprise Development of the Tobago House of Assembly (THA) Joel Jack is part of the local delegation accompanying Finance Minister Colm Imbert on an international multi-city visit to raise funds to finance Government’s spending for fiscal 2016. Jack, according to a statement, is representing Tobago’s interest. The team left yesterday. The Finance Secretary said apart from the technical aspects of the meetings and presentations he would also assist in marketing T&T as a viable investment destination to international investors. He said the mission was a critical component for encouraging wide investment and investor participation in the bond sales. Thus far, he added, the Government had already raised $3 billion through bond sales on the local market and that initiative would further serve to finance expenditure going into 2017. He said despite the economic issues raised as a result of declining energy prices and global uncertainity “we are working to secure the continued development of the nation. I am confident that with the team assembled, we will achieve our targets.” The mission is targeted to raise US$1 billion through the sale of ten to 12-year international

bonds to finance the fiscal budget 2016. Jack will accompany the team which will lead the Los Angeles and New York legs of the mission. In order to expedite the process, another expert team will be targeting investors in Boston and London. Presentations will be made to premier international banks and investors. (Trinidad Guardian)

Joel Jack

CARIRI to test for corexit leftover In two weeks time, the public will know whether there is any corexit leftover in the Gulf of Paria from the clean-up of the 2013 oil spills.

Yesterday, after three years of begging Government and the private sector to investigate the effects of Corexit on marine life in the Gulf of Paria, Fisherman and Friends of the Sea (FFOS) contracted Caribbean Industrial Research Institute (CARIRI) to carry out the tests. Yesterday, FFOS secretary, Gary Aboud, took the T&T Guardian on a tour of Point Sable and Carrat Shed beaches, both of which were littered with thousands of dead and decaying fish. La Brea fisherman, Wayne Henry, and activist Edward Moodie were also present as the two CARIRI research officers collected a live salmon and two other dead fish from among the wide array of fish. The carcasses spanned a three-mile stretch of beach and vultures flocked close by, eating to their leisure. Aboud said: “We are right here where the corexit was used because the oil came ashore here. “Since the use of the corexit and other chemicals that were never independently verified, everyday fish washed ashore and every day I talked to him (Henry) and every day he would tell me, ‘No Gary, not plentiful, just one, one.’ “But nowhere in T&T are fish washing up ‘one, one.’ “We have had flipper dolphins, we have had pelicans, corbeaux, we have had dogs come along the beach and eat the sick fish. There are chickens feeding on the carcasses of the dead fish.” He said FFOS decided to pay for the tests for petroleum hydrocarbon as the public needed to be made aware of the issue. “Somebody needs to verify (what is happening). Today I am wearing gloves because I have been cautioned about the danger of exposing myself to this water but just up the road there is Carrat Shed beach facilities where everyday there are 100 to 200 cars, with people and their families swimming in the water,” he added. He expressed concern that fishermen continued to fish in the waters, unaware of the danger they were causing their families. Aboud added: “According to the CARIRI officers and Moodie, people should not even put their foot in this water. “So we are wearing gloves and boots as a protective measure but who is

protecting the public of T&T when shrimp trawlers are trawling.

“Right here you can see them trawling, where fishermen are going off the end of the jetty and diving and shooting fish, taking it home to feed their families.” He called on Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley to get involved and ensure the fishermen were compensated if they needed to be, adding: “No one has issued a definitive public warning and so we are depending on the Prime Minister to get involved and make sure that fairness plays. “We don’t want anything that is bogus or unreasonable but for the fishermen, there needs to be some kind of relief for the damage that was done by Petrotrin.” Henry, who said he stopped fishing two years ago because of the constant fish deaths, explained the dead fish only washed onto the Mosquito Creek last week Monday as a result of a changing tide. “There are all types of fish, it have crab, bouchet, racando, blinch, salmon, taraut, snakes, herrin, glow fish, shrimp, everything dying for the past three years. “It is only because it wash up on the Mosquito Creek they saying fishermen dumping that from the trawler and all kind of things. “It had an uptide. Normally the tide goes from east to west and the tide went from the west to north,” he added. (Trinidad Guardian)

CARIRI research officers Andrew Keller, left, and Kenneth Gill, collect dead fish on Point Sable Beach in La Brea, yesterday. PHOTO: RISHI RAGOONATH

REGIONAL PAGE 27

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

TUESDAY, JULY 26, 2016

No-confidence motion flops A petition calling for the removal of Law Association president Reginald Armour, SC, and vice-president Gerry Brooks failed to get off the ground yesterday after almost half of the attorneys who initially supported it withdrew their support. Speaking with media personnel outside the Hall of Justice, Port-of-Spain, minutes after the association’s special general meeting to decide on the petition finished, Armour explained that a dozen of the 30 signatories attended the meeting and indicated that they had been duped into lending their support. In the petition, the attorneys who drafted it claimed both Armour and Brooks were politically biased based on their alleged failure to speak on several recent legislative measures taken by Government. Stating the signatures of 25 financial members were required to call a meeting of the association, Armour said the fresh claims by the dissenting signatories led to a vote being taken on whether the meeting should be cancelled. “Members, who were very irate, declared they had been misled and brought here under false pretences and they voted by majority that the meeting should be declared invalid and irregular because it had been called by a few misguided people,” Armour said. “It is an unfortunate descent by our profession into an undesirable practice by misguided people who are seeking to promote their own individual agendas. “It is undermining and bring the legal professional into disrepute and I am very happy that today a large assembly of right=thinking rational lawyers rejected this attempt to have the legal profession degenerate into base partizan political nonsense,” he added. Armour said the association’s Disciplinary Committee would now have to consider what action, if any, should be taken against the members who recanted on their support and those who elicited it. “It is something we have to look at. We have to approach it cautiously because it is young people who were misled. It was very tragic,” he said. Brooks also thanked the almost 300 members present for their support at the meeting, which he said showed the association’s membership continued to have confidence in its executive. “We shall continue to work for the benefit of the profession and T&T,” Brooks said, as he noted he and other executive members were unfazed by the failed attempt against their leadership. Armour had previously acted as the attorney for Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley when he was the leader of the Opposition. Brooks is currently the chairman of the National Gas Company (NGC). Sturge claims victory In a brief interview after the meeting, United National Congress (UNC) Senator Wayne Sturge, one of the signatories who maintained his support for the motion, said despite the outcome of the meeting the petitioners had achieved what they had set out to do when they drafted the motion. “We won before it started,” Sturge said. He claimed that Armour and

Brooks had been “embarrassed into action,” as since the petition was raised they had began to comment on topical issues affecting the association, most recently last weekend when Armour dismissed claims by Attorney General Faris AlRawi that some 1,300 prisoners may be in line to be released from prison when the Bail (Amendment) Bill elapsed at the end of next month. “Before this motion they were silent on issues which favoured the Government. The minute the petition came into existence they started to speak about the Bail (Ammendment) Bill,” Sturge said. He also described the lawyers who withdrew their support as “spineless.” “They should not have honour of calling themselves lawyers. I can’t understand how a lawyer can say I signed a document without reading it and then advise their clients not to do so. Lawyers are not supposed to be sheep but lions and I don’t know how they could stand up and represent anyone when you are so spineless,” Sturge said. He maintained that the petition was necessary in order to ensure that the association was free from political bias. “We are all political animals but we should not allow politics to influence our decisions and actions,” he said.

In addition to Sturge, the T&T Guardian understands that the petition was also signed by former attorney general Anand Ramlogan, SC, UNC Senator Gerald Ramdeen and former government minister Collin Partap. (Trinidad Guardian)

Flashback, March 2015: Newly-elected Law Association president Reginald Armour and returning vice-president Gerry Brooks following the association’s election at the Hall of Justice, Port-of-Spain. Both men survived a no-confidence motion yesterday after the majority of attorneys who initially signed it withdrew their support.

PHOTO: NICOLE DRAYTON

REGIONAL PAGE 28

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

TUESDAY, JULY 26, 2016

Seales: Statutory rape hard to convict Securing a conviction in statutory rape cases can be somewhat difficult as there is unwillingness on the part of the victim to give evidence. So said president of the Police Service Social and Welfare Association, Insp Michael Seales, as he commented on statements by Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi who had called for the police to do more to bring men to justice who impregnated girls between the ages of 12 and 16, which was considered statutory rape. The AG was speaking at a consultation, titled Married Acts and Issues Related to Children, hosted by the Attorney General’s office at the Hyatt Regency, Port-of-Spain last Friday. Among issues discussed at the consultation were child marriage, domestic abuse, teenage abortion, teenage pregnancy and sexual offences matters. However, Seales said, such cases were not as cut and dried as they appeared. “The issue is the cooperation of the witnesses. It is one thing to say that the police must bring the perpetrator to justice but there must be co-operation and in most instances from the experience of some of the investigating officers is that persons are not willing to even provide a statement. “Or they may avoid interacting with the police officer all together. “In other instances the person becomes pregnant and it is only then it is discovered that they were having sexual intercourse,” Seales said. He said it was important that the Victim and Witness Support Unit play a greater role in this particular area, especially in the area of counselling.

“This is especially important so that the victim does not feel they are the culprit in the whole situation.

“This would go a long way and the membership is also willing to give it their all to make sure that offences such as these are properly investigated but again there is seldom co-operation,” Seales addedd. He said it was difficult to work without a witness statement as the evidence must be captured, including a statement from the parent. “You cannot just interview the minor without having the consent of the parent and this plays a major factor. “The issue is not that the police don't want to do their work but these are the challenges we are faced with and these hindrances prevent them from carrying out a successful investigation that leads to

prosecution,” Seales added. He said there was also an obligation on the part of doctors to also report to the police whether a minor was sexually abused or a victim of statutory rape but this was not always the case. “There is under-reporting in that area because sometimes the medical institutions do not do what they are supposed to do,” Selaes said. A spokesman from the Victim and Witness Support Unit said one of the mandates of the organisation was to engage in counselling and support the victim as much as possible. The spokesman also agreed with Seales that due to shame some parents may be unwilling to cooperate with the police in bringing the perpetrator to justice in instances of statutory rape.

(Trinidad Guardian)

Michael Seales

INTERNATIONAL PAGE 29

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

TUESDAY, JULY 26, 2016

F1 chief Bernie Ecclestone's mother-in-law 'kidnapped in Sao Paulo' The mother-in-law of Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone has been kidnapped in Brazil with criminals demanding a ransom of $36.5m (£28m), reports say.

Aparecida Schunck, the 67-year-old mother of Mr Ecclestone's wife Fabiana Flosi, was seized in Sao Paulo on Friday night, Veja and Globo reported. Police in the city have not yet commented. Mr Ecclestone, 85, is one of the most powerful men in sport and is worth an estimated $3.1bn (£2.4bn). He married Ms Flosi in 2012, three years after meeting the now 38-year-old at the Brazilian Grand Prix. He divorced his former wife of 25 years, Croatian model Slavica Radic, to be with her and they live in the UK. The kidnappers have demanded the ransom, a record amount for an abduction in Brazil, be paid in pounds sterling and divided into four bags of cash, Veja reported.

Kidnapping was common in Brazil a decade ago, with Sao Paulo seeing an abduction every 27 hours in 2002, but declined after police formed a special anti-kidnap division

and cracked down. The country, due to host the Olympic Games in less than two weeks, is experiencing its worst economic crisis for decades. Mr Ecclestone has not commented on the reports. (BBC)

Fabiana Flosi's (L) mother has reportedly been abducted(GETTY IMAGES)

US president's half-brother, Malik Obama, 'voting for Trump' US President Barack Obama's half-brother, Malik Obama, says he will vote for Donald Trump because he "comes across as a straightforward guy". Malik Obama, a Muslim with Kenyan and US citizenship, also told the BBC that the Republican presidential nominee's proposal for a temporary ban on Muslims entering the US was "common sense". Mr Trump's plan - pitched as a security measure - has been widely condemned. Malik Obama has accused the president of turning his back on his family. He told the BBC's Newsday programme it was "sort of disappointing, somewhat hypocritical" that no representatives of the Obama family from Kenya were attending the Democratic convention, taking place in Philadelphia.

The president, he said, had "made a big deal about his heritage... and now it's a complete blackout". Malik Obama, who said he was also voting for Mr Trump in order to shift his allegiance from the Democratic Party to the Republican Party. The president's half-brother has reportedly lived in Washington since the mid-80s.

He is also an aspiring politician in Kenya, running for office in 2013, but failing in his bid to become governor of Siaya county. Barack Obama was born in Hawaii to an American mother and a Kenyan father

who left when he was two years old. The president visited Kenya for the first time last year since his election in 2009. Mr Trump, a billionaire property developer, is hoping to succeed him in November's election, where he will face Democratic Party candidate, Hillary Clinton. (BBC)

Malik Obama is related to the president through his Kenyan father(REUTERS)

INTERNATIONAL PAGE 30

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

TUESDAY, JULY 26, 2016

France church attack: Priest killed by two 'IS soldiers’ An 84-year-old priest was killed and four other people taken hostage by two armed men who stormed his church in a suburb of Rouen in northern France. The two attackers, who said they were from the so-called Islamic State (IS), slit Fr Jacques Hamel's throat during a morning Mass, officials say. Police later surrounded the church, in St-Etienne-du-Rouvray, and shot dead both hostagetakers. One of the hostages is in a critical condition in hospital. President Francois Hollande, visiting the scene, said the attackers had committed a "cowardly assassination" and France would fight IS "by all means".

Pope Francis decried the "pain and horror of this absurd violence". One attacker is reported to have been known to French police, and had tried to enter Syria last year. Police special forces raided a house in Saint-Etienne-du-Rovray in the aftermath of the attack, and French prosecutors earlier said one person had been arrested. The attack happened during morning Mass at the historic church, situated in a quiet square of St-Etienne-du-Rouvray. One nun who witnessed the attack, told BFM TV that the men forced Fr Hamel to his knees and recorded the killing, speaking Arabic as they did so. She says she fled as they were preparing to kill him. Elite police units, specialised in hostage-taking, surrounded the church. President Hollande said the attackers claimed to be from the selfstyled IS before they were killed by police as they came out of the church. Three of the hostages were freed unharmed, but one remains in a critical condition, said French interior ministry spokesman Pierre-Henri Brandet.

Within hours of the attack, the IS-linked Amaq news agency, said "two IS soldiers" had carried out the attack.

Few details are yet known about the attackers, but Mohammed Karabila, a local Muslim leader, told the Associated Press that one of them had been "followed by police for at least a year and a half". The French ITele website also said one of them had tried to reach Syria in May 2015 but was turned back at the Turkish border.

According to the report, he then spent nearly a year in prison before being released in March, on condition he wear an electronic tag and move back in with his parents.

After criticisms of police shortcomings over the Nice attack on 14 July, French anti-terrorist police moved with commendable speed to close down this hostage situation in a Norman church. Observers have pointed out that France and other countries are now moving more quickly towards what is called tactical intervention overwhelming armed force aimed at minimising the

period during which terrorists or armed criminals can threaten the public. The selection of a church by the attackers, whom IS refer to as its "soldiers", crosses a new red line in the grim history of recent attacks on continental Europe. The murder of a defenceless 84-year-old priest in this attack will have further inflamed public opinion. News that one of the attackers was on the French government's terror watch-list, known as the S list, will prompt many to question its purpose if he can remain at large to carry a knife into a church. 'Treasured' priest Residents of StEtienne-du-Rouvray reacted with shock and sadness to the killing of Fr Hamel, a well-known figure in the community. "My family has lived here for 35 years and we have always known him," said Eulalie Garcia. "He was someone who was treasured by the community. He was very discreet and didn't like to draw attention to himself."

Pensioner Claude-Albert Seguin told AP: "Everyone knew him very well. He was very loved in the community and a kind man." French Prime Minister Manuel Valls has expressed his horror at the "barbaric attack" and said: "The whole of France and all Catholics are wounded. We will stand together." The Archbishop of Rouen, Dominique Lebrun, who was attending a Catholic gathering in Poland, said: "I cry out to God with all men of goodwill. I would invite non-believers to join in the cry. "The Catholic Church cannot take weapons other than those of prayer and brotherhood among men." France is still reeling from the Bastille Day attack in Nice earlier this month, when a lorry was driven into celebrating crowds by Tunisian Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel, killing more than 80 people. (BBC)

Father Jacques Hamel was giving morning Mass when the attackers stormed his church(AFP)

INTERNATIONAL PAGE 31

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

TUESDAY, JULY 26, 2016

Japan knife attack: 19 killed at care centre in Sagamihara Nineteen residents have been killed in a knife attack at a care centre for people with mental disabilities in the Japanese city of Sagamihara. Such attacks are extremely rare in Japan - the incident is the worst mass killing in decades. Police have arrested a man who worked at the centre until February, and who turned himself into police after the attack. He reportedly said he wanted people with disabilities to "disappear". The brutal killings have shocked Japan, one of the safest countries in the world. Who was Japanese knife attacker? "The lives of many innocent people were taken away and I am greatly shocked. We will make every effort to discover the facts and prevent a reoccurrence," Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said. Letter to politicians The suspect has been named as 26-year-old Satoshi Uematsu. He sent letters to politicians in February in which he threatened to kill hundreds of disabled people during a night shift, Kyodo news agency reports. "My goal is a world in which the severely disabled can be euthanised, with their guardians' consent, if they are unable to live at home and be active in society," Uematsu wrote in a letter to the speaker of the lower house of parliament, obtained by Kyodo. He was kept in hospital for almost two weeks before being released. "You could say there were warning signs, but it's difficult to say if this could have been prevented," Kanagawa prefecture governor Yuji Koroiwa said. How the attack unfolded Uematsu drove to the Tsukui Yamayuri-en care facility, located about 50km (31 miles) from Tokyo, in the early hours of the morning, armed with several knives. He entered one of the buildings by breaking a window at 02:10 local time (17:10 GMT), a prefectural health official said, and began attacking sleeping residents one by one in their rooms. Staff called police around 20 minutes later to report what was happening. The stabbing rampage lasted around 40 minute across two buildings, the Associated Press news agency reports.

Uematsu's 19 victims were aged between 19 and 70, Kyodo said, citing the Sagamihara City fire department. Another 25 people were wounded, 20 seriously. Both men and women were reported to be among the dead. Soon after the attack, Uematsu turned himself in at

the Tsukui police station and reportedly admitted the attack, appearing to have driven himself there. Pictures have emerged of the steering wheel of his car, stained with blood. "When Uematsu turned himself in, he was found carrying kitchen knives and other types of knives stained with blood," a Kanagawa official told reporters. A neighbour described Uematsu as polite and pleasant. "We didn't know the darkness of his heart," Akihiro Hasegawa, 73, told Reuters.

The facility, set in extensive grounds, had about 150 residents at the time of the attack, according to local officials. Nine staff members were on duty at the time. One doctor told NHK: "The patients are very shocked and they cannot speak now." One woman who said she used to work at Tsukui Yamayuri-en told local media: "They are truly innocent people. What did they do?" Officials have ruled out any link to terrorism. Mass killings are extremely rare in Japan, in part because strict gun control laws means almost no-one has access to a firearm. 8 June 2008 - a man drove a truck into a packed shopping district at Akihabara in Tokyo, before climbing out and randomly stabbing people. Seven people died. 8 June 2001 - man with a history of mental illness stabbed eight children to death at an Osaka primary school in 2001. 20 March 1995 - 13 people die and thousands are made ill when members of a doomsday cult release sarin gas in the Tokyo subway. (BBC)

The brutal killings have shocked Japan(EPA)

'Laughing gas' kills newborn in Sydney hospital A baby has died and another is in critical condition after both were administered "laughing gas" instead of oxygen at a hospital in Sydney. The error was the result of a faulty gas line which was dispensing nitrous oxide at Bankstown-Lidcombe Hospital. A doctor discovered the problem after the baby died unexpectedly. New South Wales Health Minister Jillian Skinner said she felt "profound sorrow" at the "tragic mistake" and ordered an investigation. "I deeply regret these families have suffered through such a devastating error. NSW Health will do all it can to support them," she said. Sonya Ghanem, the mother of the newborn who died, told Australian broadcaster Channel 9: "I said, 'I want to see him.' Just looking at him, shaking.

'My son, wake up,' I would tell him. 'Wake up, wake up. What did they do to you?' " Ms Skinner said the gas lines were checked and certified by the gas company, BOC Ltd and the hospital. The legal counsel for New South Wales has demanded an explanation from BOC Ltd. In a statement, the company said: "We deeply regret that these families are suffering pain and sorrow." BOC Ltd is carrying out an internal inquiry. Ms Skinner has ordered all medical gas lines to be checked.

"Mothers can feel confident that we have checked every operating theatre, every [resuscitation] bay where babies are treated and there are no other examples of this, " she said. Media in Australia criticised Ms Skinner for attending a performance awards ceremony as news of the gas incident emerged. The opposition party has called for her resignation, but Ms Skinner says she will not stand down. (BBC)

Sonya Ghanem's baby was born on July 13 (file picture)

INTERNATIONAL PAGE 32

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

TUESDAY, JULY 26, 2016

US election: Michelle Obama denounces Trump 'hate’ US first lady Michelle Obama has denounced Republican Donald Trump and passionately backed Hillary Clinton at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia. "The hateful language... from public figures on TV does not represent the true spirit of this country," she said, to loud cheers and applause. "Don't stoop to their level. Our motto is, when they go low, we go high." Earlier, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders urged Democrats to back Mrs Clinton. She will accept the party's presidential nomination on Thursday, when a roll call of how states' delegates are voting is to be read out. "While Donald Trump is busy insulting one group after another, Hillary Clinton understands that our diversity is one of our greatest strengths," Mr Sanders said. Some supporters of the senator, who had been Mrs Clinton's rival in the Democratic primary, booed at mention of Mrs Clinton's name; others wore duct tape with the word "silenced" over their mouths. Mrs Obama's speech was widely seen as an attack on Mr Trump, although she did not mention the Republican nominee by name. She said she wanted her husband to be succeeded by "somebody who knows this job and takes it seriously" and that could only be Mrs Clinton. Five times Michelle Obama referred to Donald Trump "When someone is cruel or acts like a bully, you don't stoop to their level'' "We urge them [our daughters] to ignore those who question their father's citizenship or faith" "Don't let anyone ever tell you that this country isn't great" Issues facing a president "cannot be boiled down to 140 characters" Ideal president "can't have a thin skin or a tendency to lash out" Because of the Democrats' candidate, she said, "my daughters and all our sons and daughters now take for granted that a woman can be president of the United States." In other remarks, she praised Mrs Clinton as a "true public servant" who had shown "devotion to our nation's children"

and "never buckles under pressure". After her speech, President Obama wrote on Twitter: "Incredible speech by an incredible woman.

Couldn't be more proud & our country has been blessed to have her as FLOTUS [first lady]. I love you, Michelle." Mr Trump, who has criticised his rivals, both Republican and Democrat, in sometimes colourful language on Twitter, said Mr Sanders had "sold out" to Mrs Clinton. He also condemned other speakers at the Democratic convention including senators Cory Booker and Elizabeth Warren, but made no mention of Mrs Obama. In other key moments from the convention on Monday: Senator Warren attacked the business record of Mr Trump Comedian Sarah Silverman, who supported Mr Sanders, told his supporters to get behind Mrs Clinton One of the loudest cheers went to Senator Booker when he told the crowd: "In America, love always trumps hate" (BBC)

Michelle Obama urged the Democrats to unite behind Hillary Clinton.

Malawian 'hyena man' arrested for having sex with children An HIV-positive Malawian man, who says he is paid to have sex with children as part of initiation rites, has been arrested on the president's orders. Eric Aniva, a sex worker known in Malawi as a "hyena", was the subject of a BBC feature last week. He told the BBC that he did not mention his HIV status to those who hire him. President Peter Mutharika said the police should investigate and charge him over the cases of defilement he had seemingly confessed to. The BBC's Ed Butler, who covered the story about Malawi's sexual "cleansing practices", says in some remote southern regions of the country it is traditional for girls to be made to have sex with a man after their first menstruation. Some of the girls are as young as 12 years old, he reported. What is known as a "hyena" in Malawi culture is usually a man who has sex with widows or married women who cannot fall pregnant. Horrific practices' "While we must promote positive cultural values and positive socialisation of our children, the president says harmful cultural and traditional practices cannot be accepted in this country," presidential spokesman Mgeme Kalilani said in a statement Mr Aniva would "further be investigated for exposing the young girls to contracting HIV and further be charged accordingly", he said.

The president had also ordered all men and parents involved to be investigated, Mr Kalilani said. "All people involved in this malpractice should be held accountable for subjecting their children and women to this despicable evil," the statement said.

"These horrific practices although done by a few also tarnish the image of the whole nation of Malawi internationally and bring shame to us all." Last year Malawi banned child marriage, raising the legal age of marriage from 15 to 18 - something activists hoped would put an end to early sexual initiations. Mr Aniva told the BBC that he planned to stop taking part in sexual cleansing practices. (BBC)

Eric Aniva told the BBC that he planned to stop taking part in sexual cleansing practices

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LOCAL PAGE 35

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

WEDNESDAY, JULY 27, 2016

Incompetence continues at City Hall According to reports, City Hall has raked in over one billion dollars in revenue and tax collections for the first half of 2016. Despite this magnanimous amount of monies being collected, the council continues to operate at a deficit and city councillors cannot access detailed information on the city’s expenditure. Mayor Patricia Chase-Green and Town Clerk Royston King are currently in Chile at the Latin America and the Caribbean Mayors’ Pre-Forum. Councillors yesterday stated their frustration at being unable to readily access information about the decisions and actions being undertaken by the city administration, one such secret is the controversial parking meter contract.

Councillors were in the past promised that they would be able to peruse the contract and provide their feedback. To date, however, the contract has not been made available to either councilors or the public.

Malcolm Ferreira, a councillor for Team Legacy during the examination of the monthly report of the Solid Waste Department yesterday, noted that a request was made for a report on the operations of the mechanised city sweeper, however this information was not provided. Immense pressure is mounting on the David Granger-led Administration to launch a forensic probe into the Mayor and City Council – an entity widely labelled as one of the “most corrupt” in Guyana even as central government continues to offer massive subventions. When the People’s Progressive Party/Civic Administration had injected $500 million for the cleanup effort last year, the then APNU+AFC Opposition had heavily criticized the accountability.

However, now in government the APNU+AFC have allocated $300 million in August to City Hall. Given the Administration’s undertaking to embark on forensic audits into several state agencies, with the intention of unearthing corrupt practices, a series of concerns have been raised as to why Government would refuse a similar probe into the City Council, which has been plagued with countless accusations of financial impropriety which have also been backed by several investigations. Junior Finance Minister Jaipaul Sharma asserted that the City Council was part of the local Government system and was, beyond the control

of Central Government. However, the Central Government got involved in the Parking meter saga by reviewing the controversial contract by the Council.

Sharma had also stated that the executive arm of Central Government has no direct authority to launch an audit into City Hall’s operations without its consent.

“City hall has a council and the council has to determine if they want an audit,” the Minister asserted.

The City Council, for years, has failed to address the many issues facing Georgetown. City Hall continuously blamed its inability to deal with the problems affecting the City on the lack of funds.

Former Minister of Local Government Norman Whittaker had said that he told the National Assembly that from the taxes the Council was collecting, it was misappropriating those funds on questionable areas via short- sighted methods. Whittaker had bombarded the Council for spending citizens’ taxes on the payment of a large workforce which consisted of hundreds of workers as opposed to spending monies in areas where there was a need. He also explained that some 27 employees were in a road division, but yet no roads were being repaired or built in the city. He also added that 78 employees were in a drainage section, but questioned the scope and value of their contributions to the city, which was usually flooded as a result of the overflowing drains, canals, and clogged alley ways; 86 were working for the City Constabulary guard service yet many of the market stalls continued to be burglarized.

LOCAL PAGE 36

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

WEDNESDAY, JULY 27, 2016

Is the new department of Environment putting an end tothe EPA ?

The Government of Guyana has sought to establish a new Department of Environment, which will essentially see the functions of the EPA being reduced significantly. President David Granger has noted that the department will be under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of the Presidency. The EPA Act, 1996, establishes the EPA and provides a framework for preventing and controlling air, land, water and noise pollution, increasing resources efficiency, reducing waste and improving environmental performance. EPA coordinated activities to address the discharge of waste into the environment; the generation, storage, treatment, transport and disposal of industrial waste; and the generation and release of noise. The EPA Act gives the agency discretion to exercise its functions and to address the harms and impacts it was establish to prevent and control. This discretion includes how to prioritize and allocate resources, enforcement decisions are made and what actions will be taken. Historically, the EPA around the world is an independent body, with an oversight body by the legislative arm of Government. However, with the establishment of the Department of Environment in Guyana, the oversight body will be the Ministry of the Presidency, not the Parliament. This move by Government will see this new body less answerable to the Guyanese people. A legislative body on the other hand has to answer to the country which will be more transparent and accountable. The Ministry of the Presidency had said that it intends to place a ban on Styrofoam products; this is part of efforts to support and promote a green economy and environment, which has been a mantra for the Government since their assumption to office. The ban, the Ministry of the Presidency said, will be enforced through a collaborative effort between the Department of Natural Resources and the Environment, the Ministries of Business, Legal Affairs, and

Finance, through the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA). The ban was to take effect from January 1, 2016 and a three month’s waiver on the importation of Styrofoam containers will end on March 31 with the ban taking full effect. However, it was noted that the Ministries are in the habit of buying food in Styrofoam boxes at their events.

Currently, the regulations in prohibiting the importation, manufacture and sale expanded polystyrene products shall be liable upon summary conviction to a fine of no less than $50,000. In effect, no food service establishment can sell food using Styrofoam boxes and containers. Food service establishments found to be in contravention will be issued a written warning prohibiting the establishment from selling or providing food for consumption in the container or face summary jurisdiction proceedings and be liable upon summary conviction to a fine of no less than $100,000. The EPA has been very quiet on this issue, and is turning a blind eye on violations by the Government.

LOCAL PAGE 37

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

WEDNESDAY, JULY 27, 2016

Lodge woman charged with dangerous driving Shelly Ramdihan appeared before Chief Magistrate of the accident. -By- Jarred Singh, Guyana Daily Ann McLennan charged with driving her vehicle in a News. manner dangerous to the public causing bodily harm to Elaine Daily on February 3, 2016. Ramdihan was not allowed to plea to the indictable charge and was released on GY$15,000 bail. She was asked to return to court on August 15, 2016 for the continuation into the matter. It is alleged that on the day in question Ramdihan, 43, of Hadfield Street, Lodge drove motor vehicle PLL 1536 in a manner dangerous to the public when she hit Elaine Daily causing her bodily harm.

Daily was taken to the hospital where she received medical treatment for the injuries sustained as a result

Man granted bail after attempting to shoot Spare Parts owner Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan today released Philbert McPherson on $75,000 bail after he was charged with unlawfully discharging his firearm at Eunice Barnwell on July 6, 2016. He is scheduled to return to court on August 22, 2016. McPherson, an electrician, during his last appearance on July 14, 2016, before Magistrate Judy Latchman was represented by Attorney Euclin Gomes and pleaded not guilty to the charge. A bail application was made at his last appearance by his attorney but it was objected to by the prosecution due to the severity of the offence and on the grounds that the complainant is well known by the accused and his safety would have been at risk.

It is alleged that on the day in question at Oronoque Street, Georgetown, McPherson, 33, of Lot 707 ‘B’ Field, Sophia and Barnwell, who operates a Spare Parts shop in the said Oronoque Street vicinity, got into an argument over money that was owed. It is alleged

that McPherson got annoyed and pulled out his firearm and discharged several rounds at Barnwell. However no one received injuries.

-By- Jarred Singh, Guyana Daily News.

LOCAL PAGE 38

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

WEDNESDAY, JULY 27, 2016

President Granger meets with National Defense University Capstone team Georgetown, Guyana – (July 27, 2016) President David Granger, this morning, met with a visiting Capstone team of students from the United States’ National Defense University’s General and Flag Officer Course at the Ministry of the Presidency, where he was able to share with them some of the country’s experiences, challenges and strengths in the areas of security and economic development.

According to the University’s website, the Capstone General and Flag Officer Course was created in 1982 with participation on a voluntary basis. The course’s objective is to make the students more effective in planning and employing United States’ forces in joint and combined operations. The Capstone curriculum examines major issues affecting national security decision making, military strategy, joint/combined doctrine, interoperability, and key allied nation issues. In an invited comment, leader of the group Retired General Michael Carns, United States Air Force (USAF), said that this is the first time the group has been to Guyana and thus far, the experience has been great. He noted that the response and openness especially from the part of the administration is commendable. “This is a gathering of newly promoted Generals and flag officers, who are on a five week course, which includes two weeks overseas. They elected to come to South America and Guyana as compared to going to Europe or Asia where the others went. This is our first time and we are deeply impressed both by the country and its leadership… I would say that the President was extremely forthcoming and had great

candor and frankness.He explained Guyana’s role as a country and a region. There are challenges but he has laid out his priorities with clarity and based on what he has said, people understand what his priorities are and we hope that this can lead Guyana to a bright future,” he said. The Group was accompanied by US Ambassador to Guyana, Mr. Perry Holloway, who also presented a signed letter from President Barack Obama, congratulating the country on its Golden jubilee of independence, which was celebrated on May 26 this year.

President David Granger greets Retired General Michael Carns, leader of the National Defense University's Capstone group in Guyana upon his arrival at the Ministry of the Presidency, earlier today.

President David Granger and Chief of the Staff of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) in discussion with the visiting Capstone team from the National Defense University, United States of America.

President Granger receives a token of appreciation from Colonel (Retired) Gus Greene, Director, Industrial Security Field Operations, Defense Security Service, United States of America.

LOCAL PAGE 39

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

WEDNESDAY, JULY 27, 2016

Bus driver granted bail for attempting to stab man Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan today released Dexter Lewis on GY$10,000 bail after he was charged with making use of threatening behavior towards Junior Semple on July 23, 2016 at Croal Street, Georgetown. The 42-year-old man of West Ruimveldt, Housing Scheme, who was unrepresented in court, pleaded not guilty to the charge and asked for bail, to which Prosecutor Jones had no objections. The man will return before the court on September 13, 2016 for trial. It is alleged that on the day in question at the above mentioned location an argument ensued between Lewis and Semple who are both Route 40 (Kitty – Campbellville) mini bus drivers. It is alleged

that Lewis behaved erratic and pulled out an “ice pick” in an attempt to stab Semple. However, no one received any injuries from the altercation and the matter was reported to the police. -By- Jarred Singh, Guyana Daily News

Grove man granted bail after several weeks on remand Andrew Fields today re-appeared before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan for the charge of discharging a loaded fire arm at another man and causing injury to said man on June 20, 2016 at Kuru Kururu, Soesdyke – Linden Highway. Fields, who was not allowed to enter a plea to the indictable charge on his previous appearance in court, was today granted

GY$300,000 bail and set to return to court on August 22, 2016 for continuation of the matter. The 25 – yearold of Grove East Bank Demerara, who was on remand for the same charge, was informed in court today that statements into the case are still outstanding. It was noted that the virtual complainant, Kevin Batson is no longer in the hospital and is in the custody of the police at the Georgetown Prison, Camp Street, for an offence he committed. It is alleged that on June 20, 2016 at the said location at around 8:00 hrs, Fields who said that he does maintenance work at a farm on the highway, got into a heated argument with Batson over a piece of machinery when Fields pulled out a gun and discharged it at Batson wounding him in the right side of his chest. -BY- Jarred Singh, Guyana Daily

REGIONAL PAGE 40

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

WEDNESDAY, JULY 27, 2016

EMA: Corexit not to blame for fish kill Corexit is not responsible for the fish kill in the Gulf of Paria. So said chairman of the Environmental Management Authority (EMA), Nadra Nathai-Gyan, in an interview with the T&T Guardian yesterday. She said tests by the Caribbean Industrial Research Institute (CARIRI) showed no compounds of corexit were found.

Referring to statements made by the EMA’s general manager of technical services, Hayden Romano, on CNC3’s the Morning Brew earlier in the day, Nathai-Gyan said: “I can confirm that. I am looking at the report done by CARIRI which are based on nine samples we provided for them and on analysis of solid and liquid samples.” She said the report was dated July 25 but said she was unable to share the document in its entirety as their contract with CARIRI did not permit that. However, she said the findings of the report were quite clear.

“The material identification of the samples makes a clear statement that no compounds matching corexit were found,” she added. She said of the nine samples, eight were taken from four different beaches from Otaheite to La Brea and one was the controlled sample of corexit as a comparison. She said 24 fish were also taken for testing at the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory of the Ministry of Food Production, Land and Marine Affairs at the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex. Quoting the report, Nathai-Gyan said: “All body systems examined appeared grossly normal. They were looking at the anatomy and all the organs inside, including the liver and the lungs.

There were no gross lesions. While there would have been some tissue damage, there were no lesions as were being described by activists. “We will be running histopathology and toxicology tests on the fish as well to determine whether there was anything toxic in the water.” And although Romano maintains that the dead fish being

washed ashore as a result of overcatching, Nathai-Gyan said: “Out of an abundance of caution, we are still taking this very seriously. “We intend to put to rest all of the speculations and pronouncements being made. We are not resting here. We have continued taking additional samples.” She also promised to share results of all tests with the public, stating: “As chairman of EMA, I intend to share the results with the public.” Meanwhile, Romano said the only explanation the authority had for the fish deaths was overcatching.

(Trinidad Guardian)

A vendor prepares fish for sale at the Otaheite fishing depot yesterday.

Fish sales have decreased since the discovery recently of dead fish in the Gulf of Paria.

PHOTO: RISHI RAGOONATH

Transit cops protest over gratuity Retired members of the Transit Police Unit yesterday even get maternity leave,” Lendor said. He added some of protested the non-payment of gratuity to them from 2009 to the officers were sent home while others were kept back and 2015. Approximately ten retired officers stood outside the promoted. (Trinidad Guardian) Vehicle Management Corporation of T&T (VMCOTT) on the Priority Bus Route. The Transit Police Unit was formed in 2005 to supplement the Police Service to man the Priority Bus Route, City Gate and the Diego Martin taxi stand.

Spokesman for the group, retired officer Philbert Lendor, said the officers have retained the services of attorney Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj and showed a letter which they sent to his office last month. However, Maharaj was not available for comment yesterday. In a brief interview yesterday, Lendor said: “We were paid gratuity between 2005 to 2009 and then after that we were transferred to the Office of Law Enforcement Policy from 2009 and then things started to go badly.” The officers claimed they have not been paid any gratuity between 2009 and 2015 and some Retired members of the Transit Police Unit have retired during that time and still were unable to collect protest outside VMCOTT on the it. “We can’t pay our bills or car loans and we could not get Priority Bus Route yesterday. any sick leave or vacation leave. The women police can’t PHOTO: ROBERTO CODALLO

REGIONAL PAGE 41

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

WEDNESDAY, JULY 27, 2016

First Citizens fire was arson—probers Investigations into the fire that damaged First Citizens Bank’s Princes Town branch two weeks ago revealed it was maliciously set. The T&T Guardian learned that the Southern Division Fire Prevention Unit confirmed the arson attack on the bank. This was further supported by a forensic expert, who told police the criminal(s) cut through the burglar proof gate and door at the back of the building to gain entry.

Sources also said the disc for the video recording system was also removed. A police team, co-ordinated by Supt Pragg and including Insp Don Gajadhar and investigator Cpl Neil Nanan, met with experts in Princes Town yesterday. They are yet to confirm the accelerant used to set the fire as investigations are ongoing. On July 17, a passer-by contacted the Princes Town Fire Station around 4.30 am, alerting them to smoke that was coming from the bank on High Street.

Firefighters broke through the front door and put out the blaze on the ground floor before it could spread to other parts of the building. Fire

prevention officers said it was started in a cubicle in what was called the operation area. FCB’s general manager of retail and commercial banking, Robin Lewis, said the staff of over 30 would have been redeployed to other branches. (Trinidad Guardian)

Woman wins $.1m discrimination case A Muslim woman yesterday won a landmark judgment against a security firm for discrimination on the basis of her religious beliefs. Giselle Glaude, 31, of St Joseph, wore her hijab (Muslim head covering) in the Tribunal Court of the Equal Opportunity Commission in Chaguanas as judge/chairman Rajmanlal Joseph ruled in her favour against her former employers, Quality Security Bodyguard Services Limited. She was awarded $150,000 by Joseph with an interest rate of six per cent per annum from the date of the filing of the complaint to payment. The other two lay assessors were Leela Ramdeen and Harridath Maharaj. The case stemmed from allegations made by Glaude that she was discriminated against by the security company. On March 26, 2012, Glaude was dismissed as a security guard for failing to wear the approved uniform. She was accused of modifying the uniform by wearing a hijab shortly after becoming a Muslim on July 9, 2011. The security company said Glaude had violated its uniform code, which said the uniform was approved by the Ministry of National Security and from which they did not wish to deviate. When Glaude refused to comply with instructions not to wear the hijab, the company said it considered her refusal to remove her hijab to be an act of gross misconduct.

The commission had heard that on July 27, 2007, Glaude was assigned to work at the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex, Mount Hope. On July 9, 2011, she converted to Islam and in October 2011 she began wearing the hijab. Sometime in August 2011, Glaude had a conversation with Colin Lange, the firm’s operations supervisor, asking whether ishe could to wear the hijab while on duty. She was told she was free to wear any garment in accordance with her religious belief. After that conversation, Glaude began wearing the hijab. However, on February 27, 2012, Glaude was asked to attend a meeting with Lange and was instructed to write a letter to the Human Resource Department concerning her religion and her need to wear the hijab.

On March 5, 2012, she was told if she continued to wear the hijab on duty, which conflicted with the uniform code, she would have to make other arrangements regarding her employment. Ten days later Claude was served a “notice of intended action” for gross misconduct. On March 22, 2012, she attended a disciplinary hearing, after which she was informed that she was found guilty of the charge and was terminated. The formal termination letter was dated March 26, 2012. In delivering his judgment yesterday, Joseph said there was not one scintilla of evidence offered by the security company to suggest that any efforts were made to get any sort of clarification from the Ministry of National Security that wearing the hijab with the approved uniform would be unacceptable. “To be sure, the respondent did not offer to the tribunal any evidence, oral or written, to the effect that the uniform that was said to be approved by the Ministry of National Security was in fact so

approved,” Joseph said. He said it appeared to the tribunal that the haste with which the disciplinary machine was engineered and the fact that the company utterly failed to advise Glaude of her right to appeal the termination decision, it was highly suggestive the company wanted to get rid of Glaude for adopting the Muslim faith. ‘I got answers in Islam’ Speaking with the T&T Guardian after her victory, Glaude, who was all smiles, advised women who were in a position like she was in to “stand firm in your belief. Don’t let anybody deter you.” Speaking on the trauma she went through after her termination, Glaude, who was the sole breadwinner in her household, said she felt “heartbroken” and “blacklisted.” She said turning to Islam, for her, was a spiritual upliftment. “Ever since a child I was interested in finding out what Islam is all about. I was looking for a family and for comfort and I found it in Islam. I had a lot of questions and I got my answers when I accepted the faith,” Glaude said. She added that given her experience when she converted, she was adamant not to turn her back on her newly-found faith. Now that Glaude had stood her ground and fought for her religious belief, she said her next step would be one that she would have to carefully think about.

“Actually, just as the sisters in the mosque supported me every step of the way, I think I will now be looking at supporting women who are facing discrimination like I did. “I am also sure that some of them may not even realise that they are being discriminated against and I want to be here for them,” Glaude said. Glaude’s attorney, Jason Nathu, said he hoped the case would encourage more people to come forward before the Equal Opportunity Tribunal. “There are many groups in society who are discriminated against and I am thankful that there are more avenues to access justice,” he added. (Trinidad Guardian)

With her 14-month daughter Kaylee seated on her lap, Giselle Glaude shares a light moment with her attorney, Jason Nathu, at the Equal Opportunity Tribunal building before judgment was delivered in her favour yesterday.

PHOTO: NICOLE DRAYTON

REGIONAL PAGE 42

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

WEDNESDAY, JULY 27, 2016

Independent board needed A High Court Judge is calling for an independent medical board to be established to provide expert opinions to members of the public who may be the victims of medical negligence. Justice Frank Seepersad made the plea in the Port-of-Spain High Court yesterday, as he ruled in favour of a man who had applied at the last minute to adduce expert evidence in a medical negligence claim for his wife, who remains in a medically induced coma since having complications after the birth of the couple’s daughter in 2009. Noting that Krishna Jagessar had difficulties in convincing local doctors to review his wife’s case before enlisting the help of a United States expert, three years after the lawsuit was filed, Seepersad suggested that there is a “culture” among local doctors to band together and protect each other.

“There is also a tendency for medical professionals to band together and very often there is an unwillingness by professionals to express opinions that condemn or criticise the work of fellow professionals,” Seepersad said. He also stated that users of the public health care system faced “inherent injustice,” as they are likely to be unable to pay to obtain foreign expert advice, thus leading to their lawsuits failing. “There is an urgent need for the establishment of a body, such as a medical expert review board, that can objectively review medical notes and advance a preliminary opinion as to whether or not there was a breach of the requisite standard of care. Such a service should form part of the public health care system,” Seepersad said.

While Seepersad stated that Jagessar had applied outside the time frame for doing so, he said his decision to allow the evidence nonetheless would not prejudice the defence of the North Central Regional Health Authority (NCRHA). According to his lawsuit, Jagessar’s wife, Solange, a primary school teacher, was found unresponsive at her home on October 2, 2009, a couple of days after she gave birth to her daughter at the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex, Mt Hope. She reportedly was

suffering from unmanageable seizures and had to be placed in a medically induced coma. Tests later showed she was suffering from post-partum eclampsia, which was caused by remnants of the baby’s placenta being left in her uterus after birth.

However, Jagessar claims he was told by doctors of varying causes for his wife’s condition and was informed that she had to remain in a coma. He contends that the hospital staff acted negligently as they failed to ensure that she was fit to be discharged after she gave birth and also in their care of his wife after her subsequent hospitalisation. “The patient’s health has deteriorated considerably over the last few years and she has been reduced from the physical condition of a healthy young woman to an emaciated state and remains in a virtual vegetative state up to the present time,” the lawsuit states.

Jagessar is seeking compensation, including for his wife’s loss of earning, cost of her continued health care not covered by the public health system and for the pain, suffering and the pain he and his three children — ages 17, 13 and six — have been suffering since her death. The lawsuit is set to go on trial later this year. Jagessar is being represented by Naresh Ramchandani while Neal Bisnath and Alana Bissessar appeared for the NCRHA. (Trinidad Guardian)

Justice Frank Seepersad

REGIONAL PAGE 43

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

WEDNESDAY, JULY 27, 2016

Three Chinese charged under anti-gang legislation KINGSTON, Jamaica — Three Chinese visitors have been slapped with charges under the Criminal Justice (Suppression of Criminal Organizations) Act (anti-gang legislation) according to the police. The men were taken into custody on Wednesday and charged following investigations which resulted in the seizure of electronic devices suspected to be card readers, card writers, skimmers and other paraphernalia used in identity theft. They are 38-year-old Zhong Jianping, 37-yearold Guo Shanghai, and Zhong Fulin, also 37 years of age. The police are reporting that over 400 credit cards—suspected to be fraudulently manufactured—were also seized, along with cash in Jamaican, United States, Chinese and European currencies amounting to approximately J$6 million. It is believed that the three Chinese nationals have been using various means to skim information from victims’ credit and debit cards; fake cards were then produced and used to withdraw money from the accounts of several individuals at automated banking machines (ABMs). (Jamaica Observer)

INTERNATIONAL PAGE 44

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

WEDNESDAY, JULY 27, 2016

Europe at the edge of a conflict.

France, the ‘Hexagonal’ country of the Western Europe is once again mourning. Still wearing a grieving attire since November 13 last year, after a series of coordinated attacks petrified Paris. 130 people were killed including 89 at the Bataclan Theatre, leaving over 300 persons injured, being this the deadliest attacks on France since World War II, and the deadliest in the European Union since the Madrid train bombings in 2004. Followed by recent attacks in the state of Nice where 84 persons were killed and 303 injured by a 19 tonne cargo truck which deliberately drove into crowds celebrating Bastille Day, France cries again. On Tuesday on the northern French town of SaintEtienne-du-Rouvray, during a morning Mass, two armed men entered the church taking 5 hostages, one of them was the Catholic Priest, Rev. Jacques Hamel, 86 who was killed in the attack. The elder’s throat was slain while the four other hostages remain in critical conditions. The attackers had claimed to be part of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) or Daesh as it is also called. The two attackers were killed in the attack. A nun who was lucky enough to flee the place while the attack was taking place, told BFM TV details of the sinister “Everyone in the church was shouting.

Stop you don’t know what u doing! But it didn’t help. They made him kneel, and he tried to defend himself, and that is when the drama started. I reacted in the moment he attacked Jacques, and he was on his knees and he nearly fell over and that is when I ran, I left quickly because he was busy [referring to the attacker], he didn’t see me leave. People were shouting everyone was shouting, and it was recorded.

They made a sermon at the altar in Arabic, it was horrific. We have to recognize that the priest was an extraordinary person that is all I can say, he was a good man Father Jacques”, she finished. "Daesh has declared war on us. We have to win that war. All people feel affected so we must have cohesion ... no one can divide us," he said. "Terrorists will not give up on anything until we stop them, “President of France Francois Hollande, said to CNN reporters.

More than 240 people have lost their lives, including the 86 –year-old priest Jacques Hamel during this last 19 months. France is a Nation on high alert. Germany on the other hand, has also felt the cold touch of terror in the last two months. The 18th of July, a teenager named Muhammad Riyad, wielding a hatchet and a knife injured four people on a train in Würzburg, Germany, and a fifth outside the train before being shot dead by police, the

authorities said. In a video latter found by the authorities, the teen declared that he will attack the country in revenge for airstrikes against ISIS. Few days later, an 18-year-old GermanIranian student identified by an official as Ali David Sonboly, opened fire at a shopping center in Munich were nine people were killed and 35 injured. On July 24th a 21-year-old asylum seeker from Syria, used a long knife to kill a woman in an apparent personal dispute, and injured two other people before being detained.

Police suggested it was probably a crime of passion. That same night a 27-year-old Syrian man, identified by the authorities as Mohammad D, nicknamed 'Rambo’, tried to enter an outdoor concert in southern Germany in the small town of Ansbach, when he blew himself up, injuring 15 people, in what appeared to be this country’s first suicide bombing in years. Horst Seehofer, governor of Bavaria said in a press conference last week that "What we have here is an entirely new dimension of terrorism, the Islamist-minded terrorism, and we have to have intense discussions on this challenge in Bavaria and in Germany as well as prevent and repress it. That is the big challenge we face, and therefore any attempts to contextualize the problem are inappropriate, Germany must do whatever is necessary to protect our citizens". Turkey has also being shaken by a several turn of events, reeling from a failed coup attempt on the 15th of July that resulted in hundreds of deaths and the arrests of thousands of soldiers and judges, on the order of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

As the center of attention in the terrorist attacks are asylum seekers from Syria, the eyes of the EU (European Union) turns to Turkey. In the epicenter of the crisis, Turkey is one of the European Union's main partners in the Middle East, the main partner for the EU in tackling the current European migrant crisis. On March 2016, they signed an agreement on the refugee crisis, reaching this way to dialogues about joining the European Union. The deal says that for every Syrian migrant sent back to Turkey from the Greece Island, one Syrian already in Turkey will be resettled in the EU. Turkey is taking back Syrians and other migrants intercepted off the Greek islands. In exchange then the EU pledged visa-free travel for Turks to the Schengen zone, and a new impetus in Turkey's EU membership negotiations. But those dialogues will have to wait. The deal implementation has come to a point where the EU wonders how ‘effective’ it could get to be, or how ineffective has ‘turned’ to be. Turkey is

being watch with a hawk eye. However Mr. Erdogan complained in an interview with German ARD television saying "The European leaders are not sincere, we are sticking to our promise. But have the Europeans kept their promise”.“Turkey still hosts three million people. What would Europe do if we let these people go to Europe?” The EU is not willing to take the matter so lightly, for strong and solid reasons. Is all part of a cycle, the Schengen is often criticized by nationalists and Eurosceptic who say it is an open door for migrants and criminals, this statements were fueled after the November 13th of November Paris attacks.

After the recent attacks that France suffered along with Germany, the EU is hesitating about their part in their deal, But Turkey has already done its part. A deep dialogue is being needed and soon. The agreement to send refugees back to Turkey could unravel following the country’s attempted coup. The Islamic Stated however takes all the responsibilities of the latest attacks in the area, as it was reported in Amaq News Agency (IS), where it was confirmed from an inside source that the attackers were , indeed soldiers of the Islamic State. Pictures and videos of the attackers were shared shortly after. It is a delicate situation, not only for the countries under the emergency state, but for the repercussion that this horrific actions could have for the rest of the Hemisphere. As the year keeps unfolding with a significantly amount of terror, tension increases. The objective and subjective conditions are tangible and volatile, the rest of the globe fears for what could signifies the beginning of an armed conflict or the sad reminder of 1914 and 1934.

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GUYANA DAILY NEWS

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Freddie Gray case: Last charges dropped against police All charges against the last Baltimore police officers facing trial over the death of black detainee Freddie Gray have been dropped. Gray, 25, died a week after sustaining a spinal injury while in the back of a police van in April 2015. Garrett Miller, William Porter and Alicia White were due to face charges including assault, misconduct in office and reckless endangerment.

The move means there will be no convictions in the case. A post-mortem report found that Gray sustained his injury by slamming into a van wall during the ride. He was handcuffed but not restrained with a seatbelt. His death sparked civil unrest in Baltimore, and became part of a wider national debate on police brutality and the death of unarmed black men at the hands of police. Six officers, three white and three black, were charged over his death.

The four trials that have already taken place led to three acquittals and a mistrial. Prosecutors had said Mr Miller illegally arrested Gray after he ran away from a bike patrol officer and was criminally negligent for failing to buckle him into a seatbelt or call a medic when he indicated he wanted to go to a hospital. Mr Miller, who had testified against colleagues in previous trials, was due to stand trial first, while Mr Porter was to stand trial in September and Ms White in October. Series of acquittals Earlier this month, Lieutenant Brian Rice was cleared by Judge Barry Williams of involuntary manslaughter, reckless endangerment and misconduct in office. "A mere error in judgment is not enough to show corruption," Judge Williams said in a statement. In June, officer Caesar Goodson - who drove the van in which Gray rode before he died - was cleared on a second-degree "depraved heart"

murder charge, the most serious charge sought against the six officers.

Prosecutors had argued Mr Goodson intentionally gave Gray a "rough ride" while transporting him to the police station but Judge Williams said they had not proved that he "failed corruptly" in his job rather than just making a mistake. In May, Judge Williams also cleared Edward Nero of seconddegree assault, reckless endangerment and two counts of misconduct in office. Last year a jury failed to reach a verdict in the case of Mr Porter.

During his trial, prosecutors said he ignored Gray's pleas for medical help and described the van as a "coffin on wheels". (BBC)

Freddie Gray's death sparked a national debate(AFP)

French church attack: Faith leaders call for more security French religious leaders have called for more security at places of worship following the murder of an elderly priest in Normandy on Tuesday.

Representatives of Christian, Muslim, Jewish and Buddhist faiths spoke after meeting President Hollande. Father Jacques Hamel was killed while conducting morning mass in his church in SaintEtienne-du-Rouvray, a suburb of Rouen. The killing came 12 days after the attack in Nice in which 84 people died. Only one of the two attackers has been named. Adel Kermiche, 19, had twice tried to reach Syria to fight with the selfstyled Islamic State group (IS). Muslim leader Dalil Boubakeur, rector of Paris's Grand Mosque, said the leaders "deeply desire that our places of worship are the subject of greater [security] focus, a sustained focus", as even "the most humble place of worship" can be subject to an attack. Mr Boubakeur expressed "profound sorrow" on behalf of French Muslims at the attack, which he described as a "blasphemous sacrilege". The Archbishop of Paris, Andre Vingt-Trois, praised the harmonious relations between France's religions. "We must not let ourselves get pulled in to Daesh's political games," he said, using a pejorative term for IS, saying it wanted "to set children of the same family against each other".

President Francois Hollande has also been chairing meetings of his security and defence council and his cabinet. On Tuesday Mr Hollande appealed for "unity" as he warned that the war against terrorism "will be long". "Our democracy is the target, and it will be our shield. Let us stand together. We will win this war," he said. The prosecutor's office had asked for Kermiche to

remain in detention but this was overruled by a judge. She ordered that he be released to house arrest with an electronic tag ensuring that he remained at home, except on weekday mornings.

This meant that on Tuesday morning he was free to leave the family home and head to the church.

He and his fellow attacker slit Father Hamel's throat before being killed by police. One of four people taken hostage suffered severe knife wounds, prosecutor Francois Molins said. n an editorial, Le Monde says it will no longer feature photographs of those behind attacks such as the one in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray. It was doing so "to avoid giving posthumous credit" to those responsible, while adding that the intention of killing Father Hamel was to provoke "the blind vengeance that would place the entire country under the empire of hatred". The move was repeated by the broadcaster BFM. Elsewhere, Le Figaro's editorial accuses IS of continuing "to pursue its sinister plan: to turn the world into a bloody theatre of war" and calls on the French government to resort to "all military, police and judicial means to ensure the safety of our citizens whether they believe in heaven or not". The Catholic daily La Croix also declares that "responding to hatred with hatred would mean that evil has triumphed", while the left-of-centre Liberation maintains that "the war that Islamic State is waging against us is not a war against France, it is a war against freedom." France is still reeling from the Bastille Day attack in Nice earlier this month, when a lorry was driven into celebrating crowds by Tunisian Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel, killing more than 80 people.

That was followed by four violent incidents in a week in neighbouring Germany, two of which are linked to IS. What we know of Adel Kermiche First tried to leave for Syria in March 2015. His family reported him missing and he was arrested in Germany, using his brother's identity card Returned to France, charged and placed under judicial supervision Tried again to head to Syria in May 2015, reaching Turkey before being arrested again and returned to France Remained in custody until March 2016 when he was released on condition he wear an electronic surveillance tag and remain at his home in Saint-Etienne-duRouvray except for weekday hours between 08:00 and 12:30 IS used its news agency to claim the attack in Normandy - thought to be its first on a church in the West. Christians in Iraq and Syria have long been targeted by the group, with reports of forced conversions and killings. (BBC)

Representatives from France's major faith groups were at the Elysee Palace meeting(EPA)

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Reagan would-be assassin John Hinckley Jr to be released John Hinckley Jr, the man who tried to assassinate US President Ronald Reagan, is to be released from a psychiatric hospital next month after 35 years. Mr Reagan and three others were injured in the shooting outside a hotel in Washington in March 1981. Mr Hinckley was found not guilty by reason of insanity but was sent for treatment to a Washington hospital. He has already been spending 17 days a month at his mother's home in Virginia under strict conditions. A judge ruled that Mr Hinckley, now 61, could reside full-time there on "convalescent leave" from 5 August. Restrictions, including a ban on talking to the media, will remain in place. The shooting, just weeks into Ronald Reagan's presidency, shocked the world. Mr Reagan was shot in the lung, but recovered. His press secretary James Brady was shot in the head, suffered brain damage and used a wheelchair for the rest of his life. Mr Brady's death in 2014 at the age of 73 was ruled to be a homicide, but no further charges against Hinckley were brought.

Two law enforcement officers suffered less serious injuries in the shooting. US District Judge Paul Friedman's judgement points to medical assessments which showed that Mr Hinckley had had "no symptoms of active mental illness" since 1983. He had shot the president in an apparent bid to impress the actress Jodie Foster, with whom he had an obsession and whom he had subjected to what would now be termed stalking. Ordering his release, the judge said Mr Hinckley no longer poses a danger to himself or others. The court

order and opinion available on the website of the US District Court for the District of Columbia spells out the terms of Mr Hinckley's release and details his psychiatric history and treatment: He was diagnosed with acute psychosis, major depression and narcissistic personality disorder He has been in "full, stable and sustained remission" from the first two diagnoses for more than two decades, the court concluded The hospital believes further inpatient treatment is "not appropriate therapeutically" for Mr Hinckley's condition He is banned from contacting any of his victims, or their descendants, and Jodie Foster and her family He and his family are prohibited from talking to the media . (BBC)

John Hinckley Jr was found not guilty due to his psychiatric problems (file photo from 2003)(AP)

US election: Obama tells Democrats to be scared of Trump Democrats should be "running scared" at the challenge posed by Donald Trump, President Obama has said. After launching his candidacy as an outsider last year, Mr Trump went on to overcome all rivals to clinch the Republican presidential nomination. Some polls have since indicated he is leading Democrat candidate Hillary Clinton in the presidential race. Asked by NBC News if Mr Trump could win, Mr Obama said: “I've seen all kinds of crazy stuff happen."

"I think anybody who goes into campaigns not running scared can end up losing," Obama's key quotes on Trump in NBC interview "My advice to Democrats, and I don't have to give this advice to Hillary Clinton because she already knows it, is you stay worried until all those votes are cast and counted because you know, one of the dangers in an election like this is that people don't take the challenge seriously." "What I think is scary is a president who doesn't know their stuff and doesn't seem to have an interest in learning what they don't know." "I think if you listen to any press conference he's given, or listen to any of those debates, basic knowledge - about the world or what a nuclear triad is or where various countries are or, you know, the difference between Sunni and Shia in the Muslim world - those are things that he doesn't know and hasn't seemed to spend a lot of time trying to find out about." Poll monitors had given Mrs Clinton a double-digit lead over Mr Trump for much of the presidential race, but that lead has since been whittled down. Mr Trump received a boost nationally, and in key battleground states, after the end of his party's convention last week. Some polls now show he is in the lead over Mrs Clinton. The Democrats' convention in Philadelphia ends on Thursday. President Obama, Vice-President Joe Biden and Mrs Clinton's vice-presidential pick, Tim Kaine, will speak at the convention on Wednesday. On Tuesday, Bill Clinton, made the case

for his wife's presidency, calling her the "best darn change-maker I've ever known". "Hillary opened my eyes to a whole new world of public service by private citizens," he said. In other key moments on Tuesday: Mrs Clinton passed the 2,382 delegates needed to claim the nomination after South Dakota announced its delegate vote count The "Mothers of the Movement", made up of parents who lost a child to police or gun violence, gave a powerful endorsement to Mrs Clinton Geneva Reed-Veal, the mother of Sandra Bland, who died in a police cell, said: "What a blessing tonight to be standing here so that Sandy can still speak through her momma" Actress Lena Dunham said: "She knows we have to fight hatred of all kind, and not ignite it for the craven purpose of seeking power" (BBC)

Mr Obama said the prospect of "a president who doesn't know their stuff" was "scary" (GETTY IMAGES)

INTERNATIONAL

GUYANA DAILY NEWS Singapore university investigates 'simulated rape' claims PAGE 47

Reports that first-year students were made to simulate a rape scene as part of their induction are to be investigated by the National University of Singapore (NUS). The sexualised games were part of a forfeit during an orientation camp, according to the reports. Students, who said they felt pressured to take part, were also asked to answer a range of personal sexual questions. NUS promised "strong disciplinary action" against anyone responsible. "NUS does not condone any behaviour or activity that denigrates the dignity of individuals," it said in a statement on Tuesday. "These activities are neither approved nor endorsed." The university said students were meant to feel "safe, secure and respected" at all times and it was "very disappointed" that such activities had surfaced. 'She looked uncomfortable' The optional student-run orientation camps are designed to welcome first-years and integrate them into university and campus life. But students speaking to news outlet the New Paper (TNP) said they had felt pressured to take part in increasingly sexualised activities. One of the forfeits allegedly required a pair of male and female first-year students to re-enact a rape scene between a young man and his younger sister. "The girl had to lie on the floor, and the guy... then kicked open her legs and did push-ups while lying on top of her," Kim, a 19-year-old student told TNP. "The girl looked very uncomfortable and covered her face throughout the whole thing." 'Safe, secure, respected' "It's high time this issue is underscored and something done of it," an NUS student who attended an orientation camp for two days told the BBC. "Those who argue that people should just 'lighten up' miss the fundamental point about basic

WEDNESDAY, JULY 27, 2016

respect." The student added that there were "cheers with crude references to male genitalia" involved in the camp that he attended.

However, Olivia Azali, an NUS graduate student said there were no such activities involved in the camp she attended as a first-year student. "There was nothing as gross," she said. "Ours was pretty mild." Reports of inappropriate activities at freshman camps at various universities surface each year in Singapore. In 2014, NUS made headlines after complaints that a male student was stripped to his shorts before being blindfolded and bound with tape, as female students licked whipped cream off his neck. The university took the top spot in the Times Higher Education Asia University Rankings published this year. (BBC)

(NUS)

Brexit: France's Michel Barnier made European negotiator with UK Former French Foreign Minister Michel Barnier has been appointed by the European Commission to negotiate with Britain over Brexit. Announcing the appointment, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said he "wanted an experienced politician for this difficult job".

Mr Barnier will take up his post on 1 October. A former EU commissioner, Mr Barnier led the EU's banking reforms - a move unpopular in London's finance district. In a tweet, Mr Barnier said he was honoured to be appointed to the role.

Mr Barnier will work with his British opposite number, Brexit minister David Davis, who was at the forefront of the campaign to leave the EU. Negotiations will only begin when Article 50 is triggered. Mr Barnier is known as a tough negotiator. As European commissioner for financial services between 2010 and 2014, he spearheaded the overhaul of EU banking laws in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis. These included a swathe of measures, which included capping banker bonuses and a crackdown on short selling - some of which were objected to by the City of London. Comments on social media by British political editors have already declared the appointment an 'act of war'. The BBC's chief correspondent Gavin Hewitt points out that Mr Barnier will come with a French, as well

as a Brussels European Council President Donald Tusk, who chairs EU summits, had previously appointed Belgian EU official Didier Seeuws to oversee preparations for the Brexit negotiations. It was not immediately clear what the relationship between Mr Barnier and Mr Seeuws would be.

(BBC)

Michel Barnier is well-versed in financial regulation and is known as a tough negotiator(AFP)

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Syria: Deadly IS blast rocks Kurdish city of Qamishli Forty-four people have been killed in a massive bombing in the Kurdish-controlled city of Qamishli in north-east Syria, Syrian state TV reports. The blast was caused by a truck bomb which struck near a Kurdish security headquarters, according to a UKbased monitoring group. So-called Islamic State (IS) has said it was behind the attack, in Hassakeh province, near the border with Turkey. IS has previously carried out bombings against Kurds in the area. A Kurdish-dominated militia, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), backed by air strikes from the USled coalition, is spearheading the battle against IS in northern Syria. The jihadist group said Wednesday's attack was in response to air strikes on the IS-held city of Manbij in northwest Syria, where the SDF is on the offensive. State TV showed scenes which it said were the aftermath of the bombing, with pictures of destruction over a large area and plumes of smoke rising into the air. An eyewitness told the BBC that there are people trapped under the rubble and there are fears the death toll may rise. More than 100 people have been wounded. IS said on its self-styled Amaq news agency that a suicide bomber had blown up a truck at a local Kurdish police centre and a nearby government building. The attack was initially reported as a double bombing, but it now appears that the first blast caused a

gas tank to explode, according to AFP. Hospitals in the city are calling for blood donations, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) monitoring group reports. The dead include civilians and members of the security forces, it says. While Qamishli has been targeted before, the group says this is the biggest explosion ever to hit the city. The blast shattered windows in the Turkish town of Nusaybin, directly across the border, Reuters reports. (BBC)

Images from Syrian state media showed massive destruction in Qamishli(SANA)

Turkey coup attempt: Nearly 9,000 soldiers joined plot - army Turkey says 8,651 members, or 1.5%, of the nation's armed forces took part in the failed coup on 15 July. Military officials also revealed that the plotters had 35 planes, 37 helicopters, 74 tanks and three ships. Meanwhile, detention warrants have been issued for 47 journalists as part of a crackdown that has already resulted in detentions of nearly 16,000 people. The government says US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen was behind the army-led attempted coup - a claim he denies. At least 246 people were killed and more than 2,000 injured in clashes during the abortive coup. Torture claims In a statement on Wednesday, the Turkish military's General Staff said that "a total of 8,651 military personnel took part in the coup attempt". It added that 1,676 non-commissioned officers and soldiers, as well as 1,214 military students, joined the plotters. Separately, the authorities ordered the detention of another 47 journalists - just several days after similar warrants were issued for 42 reporters. Those on the new list were mostly members of the now defunct Zaman newspaper, Turkish officials were quoted as saying by local media. The authorities ordered the closure of several media outlets soon after the attempted coup. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has vowed to purge state bodies of the "virus" he says caused the revolt. He launched a widespread

crackdown, arresting thousands of service personnel and sacking or suspending thousands of judges, government officials, school teachers and university heads. Human rights group Amnesty International says it has received credible evidence of detainees being subjected to beatings and torture, including rape, since the coup attempt. Last week, Turkey declared a three-month state of emergency, allowing the president and the government to bypass parliament when drafting new laws and to restrict or suspend rights and freedoms. (BBC)

Dozens of soldiers who took part in the attempted coup surrendered to the authorities on Istanbul's Bosphorus Bridge(GETTY IMAGES)

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Jagdeo reiterates that Guyanese Indians are under attack Former President and Leader of the Opposition Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo is questioning the rationale behind the APNU+AFC government issuing a lengthy statement condemning his recent remarks made on July 24 in New York to thousands of Guyanese. Jagdeo had told the New York gathering that the Indian population in Guyana is under attack, a statement which the government described as racial incitement. The Former President in a statement noted, “I find it strange that the Government would release a lengthy statement based on a short clip on a section of the comments I made in New York, what is strange is that the comments I made in New York were no different to the one I have made in Guyana at press conferences, and on the campaign trail leading up to the March 2016 local Government Elections, I spoke to the issues of racial and political discrimination, the lack of an economic plan, taxation policies, as well as the repressive laws that have been advance and treats to local democracy under the APNU+AFC Coalition.”

According to Jagdeo, “there is an assault on our democracy, there is an assault on people of Indian Origin, and there is an assault on supporters of the PPP”. Meanwhile, Opposition Chief Whip Gail Teixeira noted that the Government has always

reacted vehemently whenever the PPP or the Parliamentary opposition exposes the issues of inequality and racia discrimination. She claimed that the accusations of racia hostility and race baiting are meant to intimidate and threaten the Leader of the Opposition and the Parliamentary Opposition.

Former President and Leader of the Opposition Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo

"PPP" Indians Under Attack Former Minister of Legal Affairs and Attorney General Anil same time installing street lights in Afro Guyanese community, Nandlall is in support of statements made by Opposition the targeting by GRA of Indo Guyanese in Regions five and six.

Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo that Guyanese people of Indian origin Each case is real and factual, he said. are under attack.During a press conference at Freedom House on Wednesday, the Opposition Parliamentarian reiterated the history of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP), which he said fought for racial, ethnic and class unity in Guyana. Nandlall is calling for racial unity in Guyana so that the country can move forward.He also stated that the PPP has always been in the struggle to expose and condemn discrimination whenever it raises its ugly head.The former Attorney General pointed out the numerous cases filed by him in the High Court on behalf of people of Indian origin who were dismissed without cause. He referenced the repossession, seizers or attempted repossession of core homes and house lots from predominantly Indo Guyanese by the Central Housing and Planning Authority, the attempts to repossess transport property owned by predominantly Indo Guyanese, the targeting of Indo Guyanese

by SOCU and SARU for investigation and the confiscation of large sums of monies; the wanton dismissal of senior staff that are predominantly Indo Guyanese decent at Guysuco, the closure of Wales estate where the work force is predominantly Indo Guyanese. He also pointed to the refusal to offer financial assistance to the rice industry which is predominated by Indo Guyanese, the systematic removal of street lamps form certain Former Minister of Legal Affairs Indo Guyanese community in West Coast Berbice, while at the and Attorney General Anil Nandlall

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GUYANA DAILY NEWS

THURSDAY, JULY 28, 2016

Ethnic Inequality on State Boards Opposition Parliamentarian, Gail Teixeira has accused the APNU+AFC government of practicing systematic racial and political discrimination, explaining that upon assuming office, persons considered PPP sympathizers were fired from public offices and removed from State Boards. She told a news conference that the government is driving fear and alienating large sections of the population by such actions. According to Teixeira, the government ignores the semblance of ethnic and political representation; below is a list of the composition of the Boards, appointments of Ambassadors, Honourary Advisors, Presidential and Ministerial advisors, etc since this government came into office 14 months ago. The list was provided by the PPP.

Trio confess to Black Bush Polder murders Three men who were arrested in connection with the murder of Suresh Chandradeo, Jaikarran Chandradeo and Naresh Rooplall between July 21 and July 22, 2016 at Black Bush Polder Backdam have confessed to the crime. Reports reaching the Guyana Daily News have indicated that the men said they were stealing fuel in the area, when the three men caught them in the act. They further told investigators that they panicked and took a shotgun which was owned by one of their fathers who is a rice farmer and shot the three men and discarded the spent shells in the nearby canal and left the scene. It is alleged that Suresh Chandradeo, Jaikarran Chandradeo and Naresh Rooplall left on July 21, 2016 to go fishing at a nearby creek and their bodies were found during the morning hours of July 22, 2016.

Case dismissed against woman who threatened President Granger Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan today dismissed the case against Bibi Safoora Salim, who was charged with inciting racial hostility towards President Granger by posting threatening comments on Facebook and Watsapp. The woman was charged under the Racial Hostility Act. The Chief Magistrate said that the decision was made after defense attorney Glen Hanoman argued that the particulars of the case did not show how it was that the comments which were made by the woman was in violation of the Act of the under which she was charged. Salim, 52, initially appeared in court in early April after making the threats in March and pleaded not guilty to the charge. She was on GY$200,000 bail after her attorney at the time, Euclin Gomes made the defense that his client was “technologically challenged” hence she would have been unable to post the threats. -By- Jarred Singh, Guyana Daily News.

Bibi Safoora Salim (Guyana Chronicle Photo)

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GL&SC completes Outreaches in observance of World Day to Combat Desertification, 2016 Georgetown, Guyana – (July 28, 2016) Guyana joined the rest of the world to celebrate World Day to Combat Desertification under the theme ‘Protect Earth, Restore Land, Engage People’ in June 2016.World Day to Combat Desertification has been celebrated since 1995 under the autarchies of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) and has been used by countries to promote public awareness and international cooperation needed to combat land degradation, desertification and the effects of drought.The Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission, the National Focal Point Agency to the UNCCD embarked on a series of educational outreaches to commemorate this auspicious day in the global environment calendar. In recognition of this celebration, staff of the Commission engaged over two hundred and fifty (250) students from the Enterprise Nursery & Primary Schools, Yarrowkabra Nursery School, St. Cuthbert’s Mission Nursery, Primary and Secondary Schools and Dora Nursery and Primary School. The Commission also collaborated with the Protected Areas Commission to engage children participating in the Annual Zoo Camp activities. A team from the Commission made presentations to the students focused on the slogan “Protect Earth. Restore Land. Engage People”. The presentations which were conducted by staff of the Land Use Planning and Policy Section of the Commission were complemented with activity sheets for the children, followed by the distribution of novelty items and prizes. Posters printed under the National Action Plan (NAP) Alignment Project depicting how Land Degradation concerns members of the Public were also distributed to the schools and businesses in the communities.

The issue of Land Degradation concerns all Guyanese since it affects landscape functions, land productivity and ecosystems services. To get involved, the public is advised to engage in the following simple actions: 1) Avoid unnecessary clearance of vegetative cover.

Engage in replanting projects to prevent erosion and loss of soil. One of the greatest threats is the loss of productive land which also affects food security.

2) Avoid pollution of the land and waterways. Properly

dispose all garbage! Freshwater resources are important for household, agricultural and recreational use and such pollution contaminates the water affecting access and supply.

3) Collaborate and consult with the regional authorities and offer your service to improve your community’s environment.

4) Educate yourself on the effects of land degradation and improper land use.

As the custodian of public lands, the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission has been vibrant over the years in its role as the National Focal Point Agency to promote sustainable land management and supporting land reclamation. Most recently, Guyana’s Aligned National Action Plan (NAP) to Combat Land Degradation was approved by Cabinet and UNCCD for implementation.

The Aligned NAP was developed under a Project that was implemented by the Commission with support from the United Nations Development Programme and funding from the Global Environment Facility.

For copies of the Aligned National Action Plan to Combat Land Degradation, visit the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission’s, Head Office at 22 Upper Hadfield Street Durban Backlands, Georgetown Guyana or download a copy from the website at www.lands.gov.gy.

LOCAL

GUYANA DAILY NEWS President Granger meets doctors, mothers of injured Cub Scouts PAGE 54

Georgetown, Guyana – (July 28, 2016) President David Granger, early this morning, at the Ministry of the Presidency, met with Dr. Amarnauth Dukhi and Dr. Sheik Amir, the doctors who have been treating nine year old Darnell Ajani Matthew and eight year old Nick Josh Omari Joseph, the St. Lucian Cub Scouts, who were injured in an accident on Tuesday on Woolford Avenue as well as the mothers of the boys. While Darnell Ajani Matthew was treated and sent away, Nick Josh Omari Joseph remains in a stable but critical condition at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC). His mother, Ms. Delia Finistere, arrived in Guyana yesterday. Ms. Delia Finistere and the mother of the other injured Cub Scout, Ms. Jacqueline Matthew, who is also a Scout Leader were both assured by President Granger that the doctors and medical staff of the as well as the Government of Guyana, will do everything possible to ensure that young Nick makes a full recovery and

President David Granger in discussion with the doctors from the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation.

Seated to the President's left is President of the Scouts Association of Guyana, Mr. Ramsay Ali, Dr. Amarnauth Dukhi and Dr. Sheik Amir.

THURSDAY, JULY 28, 2016

any needed support is provided the Darnell, who has been discharged “My concern is to ensure that my country provides them with the best healthcare and to see them restored to good health… We will continue to ensure that through the hospital and through whatever other resources we have that the boy continues to have the best treatment. The most important thing for the Government of Guyana and the Scouts Association of Guyana, is the wellbeing of the boy,” he said. President Granger is also in direct contact with the Prime Minister of St. Lucia, Mr. Allen Chastanet, who is following the matter closely. The Government of Guyana and the Scouts Association of Guyana, which was represented by its President, Mr. Ramsay Ali at the meeting, will continue to offer whatever support necessary to the parents and children. At the end of the meeting, President Granger presented the mothers with two tokens for their sons.

Mothers of the two injured Cub Scouts (left) Ms. Jacqueline Matthew and (right) Ms. Delia Finistere listen intently to President David Granger, during the meeting this morning.

LOCAL

GUYANA DAILY NEWS Prison Officer remanded for possession of unlicensed firearm PAGE 55

THURSDAY, JULY 28, 2016

Christopher Elias, 24, was today remanded by Magistrate the seriousness of the offense. -By- Jarred Singh, Guyana Leron Daly after being charged with the possession of an Daily News. unlicensed firearm and five rounds of ammunition without being a licensed firearm holder. He was also charged with behaving in an unruly manner with the intent to provoke on July 24, 2016 at Mandela Avenue. He pleaded not guilty to charges and is set to return to court on August 15, 2016. Elias of East Ruimveldt, was represented by Attorney Melvin Duke who made an application for bail stating that his client is an outstanding member of the Guyana Prison Service. The lawyer stated that his client was not in “direct possession” of the firearm when it was found, explaining that the weapon was found in the car that Elias was driving. According to the lawyer, Elias borrowed the car from someone. Bail was denied based on

ExxonMobil to train Guyanese in areas of petroleum exploration and production ExxonMobil has indicated to the Government of Guyana that it plans to train Guyanese in various spheres of activity associated with petroleum exploration and production. Minister of State Joseph Harmon told reporters on Wednesday at a post-Cabinet briefing at the Ministry of the Presidency that the oil giant has also proposed to use a floating production or storage offshore offloading facility for the extraction and production of oil from the company’s wells. Cabinet was briefed on Tuesday by representatives of the company which had recently announced that its Liza well offshore Guyana contains hydrocarbon reserves in the range of 800mln to 1.4 billion equivalent barrels of crude oil. The briefing which took place at Government’s request also resulted in Exxon Mobil committing, in conjunction with Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman, to embark on a series of consultations and briefings with stakeholders which began on Wednesday with the Parliamentary Sectoral committee on Natural Resources at the National Assembly. “(The) Leader of the Opposition has been alerted of a briefing, as well as members of the private sector and other civil society stakeholders,” Minister Harmon said.

Additionally, Cabinet and the Exxon Mobil’s representatives

explored “the potential for and utilisation of associated gases that were discovered in the well.” Possible uses identified, according to the Minister of State, “include power generation, fertilizer production and the production of Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) for domestic use.” Exxon Mobil entered into a contract for oil exploration with the then People’s Progressive Party / Civic Government in 1999 and has since declared the discovery of oil. The company recently began drilling a third well, Skipjack approximately 19 miles from its Liza well. (GINA)

REGIONAL

GUYANA DAILY NEWS 13,330 purged from system: Food Card audit roots out ‘ghost’ holders PAGE 56

From Monday, some 13,330 Food Card (Targeted Conditional Cash Transfer Programme) recipients will be removed from the system following an audit and update of the system. The deactivation of the cards will save the Government $100 million annually, Minister of the People and Family Services, Cherrie-Ann Crichlow-Cockburn, said yesterday in an exclusive interview with the T&T Guardian. On March 15, Crichlow-Cockburn, through her ministry, had appealed to some 14,960 food card recipients to go into the ministry to ensure their information was updated. The cardholders were initially given three months to do so but due to a slow response the deadline was extended to July 15. “And as of July 15, only 1,630 recipients came in to have their card activated. It means that we are going to deactivate 13,330 people from the system from August 1. You can draw your own conclusions,” Crichlow-Cockburn said during an interview at her Port-of-Spain office. Crichlow-Cockburn said Government would now save $100 million from the process which could now be utilised “purposely” in her ministry. Earlier this year, the ministry had also removed approximately 4,000 from the programme, which saved the Government $25 million annually. Thereafter, on May 1, the Government put a temporary hold on 11,800 of 13,000 food card recipients. Of the ministry’s 27,000 food card recipients, CrichlowCockburn said 24,000 were paid via a debit card system, while 3,158 cardholders were on a biometric system. The minister said the 27,000 cardholders did not include the 13,000 recipients whose cards were put on a temporary hold two months ago. Crichlow-Cockburn said ample warning was given to the cardholders via the print, electronic media, phone calls, home visits and on the ministry’s website to update their status. Those whose cards would be deactivated in the coming days, she said, could re-apply and would be re-assessed for qualification. Had her ministry not removed the 4,000 cardholders from the system, Crichlow-Cockburn said every year $25 million would have gone down the drain. The cards carry values of $410 to $700. “Having carried this exercise further, we realised over 15,000plus cardholders were not registered and were asked to come in.

“Failure to come in resulted in a temporary hold on your card.

These 14,960 recipients are supposed to be dependent on this card for their monthly food supply... you would expect an influx or a mad rush. Instead, the majority did not comply,” she added. CrichlowCockburn said that was the most glaring and disturbing issue for her as minister. She insisted the decision to remove the cards from the system was not to suppress, deny or frustrate anyone, but would ensure that any holder of a card was deserving of it. In addressing the issue, Crichlow-Cockburn said the food card was one area the ministry first looked at when she took office last September. Under the last administration, she said it was decided to issue 50 cards a month to each Member of Parliament for distribution to their constituents. “The ministry was asked to do an assessment to ensure the recipients had qualified for the cards. I am not sure to what extent that was done,” Crichlow-Cockburn said. She admitted there was a lot of leakage and wastages in the system and Government wanted to ensure it got to those who needed it. Asked if Government may go after the illegitimate cardholders to repay the State, she said she had not been privy to such discussions. From September 2015 to March, the ministry has issued 3,049 food cards, she noted. Public raised ‘rich’ users to ministry Crichlow-Cockburn said the update of the database in the last six months showed some cardholders could not be

THURSDAY, JULY 28, 2016

located, had died or emigrated. “Some cardholders passed their cards to their family and friends. The funds that were placed on the cards every month was being utilised at the supermarkets. “So it begs the question who was really using these cards? This certainly was not above board. Of course, this raised some red flags. This was disturbing because I believe there may have been other deserving people who could have benefitted from these cards,” she said.

Crichlow-Cockburn said she was first made aware that some of the cards were in the wrong hands by a relative. “My niece came home to complain that a customer who had a trolley filled with groceries was ahead of her in the line at a supermarket. Not only that, draped over a shoulder was an expensive Gucci bag. She was also properly dressed... so you could tell it was people with money. “And when it was time to pay for the items, she pulled out multiple food cards. This caused a bit of an uproar in the line. People started questioning how she got the food cards. We had many situations like that,” she said.

The contents of an internal audit in March unearthed that there was a flaw in the food card system, in that the ministry was supposed to undertake a review of each cardholder twice yearly. “That would have determined if your living conditions had improved or you are still in need of the card,” she said. Crichlow-Cockburn said to her surprise the reviews were not carried out on “a substantial number of the cardholders” for several years. In going forward, she said it was recommended in the audit that reviews be implemented and adhered to. (Trinidad Guardian)

Minister of the People and Family Services, Cherrie-Ann Crichlow-Cockburn.

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GUYANA DAILY NEWS

THURSDAY, JULY 28, 2016

Dillon on 26th anniversary of failed coup: We must be vigilant T&T must be mindful of developments in the international global security environment— including across Europe and the Middle East —and the public must be very vigilant with security consciousness and take precautions, says National Security Minister Edmund Dillon. He had this message yesterday, the 26th anniversary of the failed coup attempt by the Jamaat al Muslimeen. On July 27, 1990, Muslimeen members attempted to overthrow the NAR Government, taking hostages — including late prime minister ANR Robinson — at the Red House Parliament location and also at the then TTT state television. After five days, the effort was put down by local military. Yesterday, NAR stalwart, Wendell Eversley, and a handful of others placed flowers outside the Red House.

Eversley warned that another coup attempt could occur in T&T and knocked both the PNM Government and UNC Opposition on certain issues. Dillon, former chief of defence staff during 1990, said: “Twenty-six years ago, the issue of 1990 remains in our psyche as an indelible mark. “No one must ever forget those events, as traumatic as they were. They must serve as a continuous reminder of what T&T must guard against and recurrence of any such act by those seeking to go against T&T’s democracy. “Had it not been for the intervention by and large of the T&T Defence Force and the police, we would have had a different outcome in 1990. I commend the Defence Force and police for that work. The situation then reminds us that we must always be vigilant.” Noting international security events, Dillon said T&T must be aware of what was happening overseas and “therefore we must certainly take precautions, including the public, who must take security precautions across the board. This isn’t 26 years ago.” International communities, particularly now in the West, have suffered a string of terrorist attacks by homegrown jihadis, mainly youths. The latest was in France on Tuesday. Two teenaged ISIS supporters slit the throat of a priest at the altar of a Normandy church despite one teen being monitored by authorities via electronic bracelet. Dillon said: “Our intelligence agencies continue developing systems and institutional strengthening to heighten projection capacity and we are strengthening the ministry’s operational aspects to respond appropriately to any eventuality.”

Dillon said an army presence would remain in strife-ridden Enterprise indefinitely. Anything possible—Abu Bakr Jamaat Al Muslimeen leader Yasin Abu Bakr, who said yesterday’s anniversary was a day for “reminiscing,” said T&T had not progressed since 1990 and things were “a lot worse” now. He claimed there was injustice, many in jail, abject poverty, high crime, youths were hopeless and beset by drugs and crime. Bakr

particularly took issue with what he said was Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi’s move to “shackle Africans with chains on their foot,” a reference to electronic bracelets proposed within anti-crime laws. “Nobody from the Emancipation Committee ent say nothing about that (bracelet),” Bakr said. Saying he favoured having a meeting with the politicians to give solutions, “including the National Security Minister whose ministry got the most in the budget. I would suggest to him to open youth camps, Most of the ‘shooters’ (using guns) in T&T are 14-15. Youths can’t pay to go anywhere. They can’t even go Disneyland. He could organise some camps... for example in Enterprise.” He said when people lost hope, they could do anything. “Nobody giving them jobs or training them. Things not getting better, it’s worse,” he added. Asked if the perceived overall negative situation could result in another event in T&T like 1990, Bakr said in the situation T&T had, “anything can happen.” Asked about socalled “unruly” individuals in Central, he said he had been talking to them, “which was why there was a lapse in things but it’s gone back now” (with the recent murder of Selwyn Alexis). Bakr said he had been approached to go and talk to them and efforts were being made to put things in place to talk to them again. He said prior to 1990, people were not “cutting off people’s heads and women felt safe.” He said the Jamaat had a Laventille bakery which provided employment but he took issue with the NAR government which he claimed broke down that and other things. Yes, it can happen again— Eversley NAR stalwart, Wendell Eversley, has knocked Prime Minister Keith Rowley’s non-response to queries on the implementation of the recommendations of the report of the Simmons commission of enquiry into the 1990 coup attempt. Eversley did his traditional walk from east Trinidad to the Red House yesterday, dressed in the national colours, to mark yesterday’s 26th anniversary of the coup attempt. He laid a large wreath of yellow flowers outside the Red House’s east wall at 3 pm. The daughter and grandchildren of Lorraine Caraballo, a coup victim,also laid carnations. The forlorn small group sat on the pavement outside the Red House until evening. Eversley said he wrote Rowley on July 7 asking if and when the enquiry report would be implemented. It was instituted under the PP government. Former prime minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar had promised its recommendations would be implemented and that the then National Security Minister would handle it. Eversley said the report stated that recommendations 11 and 12 should be implemented immediately. “Those involved ensuring that July 27 would not be forgotten and seeking compensation for relatives of those killed/injured in the event, as well as reinforcing

of security in communities, businesses and among citizens but there was no response,” he said. Eversley, who said conditions in T&T were such that another coup attempt could occur, a d d e d : “ L o o k a t w h a t ’s h a p p e n i n g i n communities all over. Look at Enterprise.

Citizens are already being terrorised by situations. “The 12th recommendations of the inquiry report which was earmarked for immediate implementation called for measures to enhance security in T&T. The commission did its job and said what is necessary and we need to do it. It’s only black people’s blood flowing in the streets. People have to be serious about protecting citizens.” (Trinidad Guardian)

Activist and coup survivor, Wendell Eversley throws a bouquet of flowers over the galvanized fence erected around Red House which is currently undergoing renovations on the 26th anniversary of the 1990 coup attempt, yesterday.

PHOTO: ABRAHAM DIAZ

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GUYANA DAILY NEWS

THURSDAY, JULY 28, 2016

Guyana committed to assist Venezuelans in need Days after fourteen Venezuelan nationals were charged and fined for entering Guyana illegally while in search of work and are facing deportation, the Government of Guyana said Guyana will assist Venezuelans who are currently experiencing tough economic times on humanitarian grounds. Minister of State Joseph Harmon told reporters on Wednesday at a Post Cabinet press briefing that Guyana has no issue assisting sister territories in their time of need but cannot encourage the breaking of the country’s laws. The 14 Venezuelans were charged on July 25 before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan, with entering Guyana without the permission of an Immigration Officer on July 20. The group included five females and nine males, between the ages of 21 to 43-years-old.

The nationals had told the court that they were searching for work and food in Guyanese soil due to the hard situation in Venezuela. Commissioner of Police, Seelall Persaud said authorities have no choice but to deport the immigrants since they entered the country illegally. According to Harmon, “On humanitarian grounds, we will not turn back Venezuelans who come looking for help in Guyana, we of course, have our responsibility to ensure the integrity of our borders, and the procedures are well applied with no discrimination. We are part of international agreements that require our countries to offer

support to persons in those circumstances and that is what will continue to do. All that it requires is that they respect our laws and that they come through the appropriate ports of entry to Guyana.” Mr. Harmon sated that Guyana has a very humanitarian approach to the matter as one of the country’s responsibility is to show the warmth and welcoming nature of the Guyanese people, no matter the origin.

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GUYANA DAILY NEWS

THURSDAY, JULY 28, 2016

Oily spill off Vessigny There is a line leaking an unknown oily substance into the ocean in the Gulf of Paria and environmentalist Edward Moodie is questioning whether this may have contributed to the recent fish kill in the same area. In an exclusive tour of the area yesterday, Moodie took teams from T&T Guardian and CNC3 out in a pirogue to visit the site where four yellow barrels marked the spot. Although the leak is located about 500 feet away from the Trinity Marine Platform 2, a source at the company said while they were aware of the incident, the activity does not include Trinity.

At the site yesterday, Moodie said: “We are out in the Brighton Fields area, a few hundred metres from the Vessigny shoreline, about 500 to 1,000 feet west of the Trinity platform.” “We were informed since yesterday, that there is a well constantly leaking in the Gulf of Paria.

On approaching the site, we were able to film large amounts of petroleum-based products floating out to sea.”

Moodie said he was alerted to the leak by off-shore workers who told him it had been bubbling in that manner for months. “A lot of this petroleum-based products is being dumped in the sea. The well has been there for a long time. However what happened with the fish kill that happened along the shoreline, the fishermen were telling us that is because the tides changed a little so all the dead fish were able to float ashore.” Dead fish could be seen floating in the area and Moodie was able to snag a mediumsized salmon as it floated pass. “As you can see we are still picking up dead fish. This is a salmon. I would like to know which trawler would dump salmon at $30 a pound. This is a fresh kill by the way. If you look at the eyes you would see it.” About ten minutes after the pirogue pulled alongside the leak, a much larger vessel, with the markings Early Bird TL 461, with men dressed in Petrotrin uniforms aboard approached and warned the group away, stating they were about to dive at the site. The pirogue’s captain moved the boat away, stating he needed to be at least 300 feet away from the large vessel once the crew on that boat indicated they were about to dive. About an hour later, another vessel, with “Security and ‘Altoka TL 556’ written on the side, pulled alongside the pirogue and instructed the captain he could not stay within 1,000 feet of the dive vessel. The person on the “Security” vessel, who was armed, also said the area had been cordoned off as work was earmarked to start there yesterday and warning to fishermen had also been advertised. He did not say where the warnings had been advertised or which company was

carrying out the works. Moodie was full of questions though, saying the actions of the men on board both vessels were suspicious. “Why is this vessel preventing us from filming what is happening in the water? Until we reached here this morning, there was absolutely no activity but upon reaching here, the boat came alongside us and asked us to move out of the area... why? What are we doing that is so wrong?” Stating that something is amiss at the site, Moodie called on the authorities to stop hoodwinking the public. He added: “Something is wrong and the authorities are trying to cover up as best as they can because they are afraid of the panic that can ensue. “Stop hoodwinking the people. People are not stupid. Everyone knows there is a problem... eat how much fish you want... we have video footage and pictures of a serious problem out at Brighton Fields.” The T&T Guardian contacted the Environmental Management Authority (EMA’s) corporate communications officer, Mario Singh, who said the authority was not aware of any leaking lines in the Gulf of Paria. However, Singh said emergency response teams would be dispatched to the area to investigate the report.

Efforts were made to contact Petrotrin. However, up until 5 pm yesterday, no response was forthcoming from the company. (Trinidad Guardian)

Environmental activist Edward Moodie, left, speak with officials of Petrotrin at the area where an oily substance was discovered in the Gulf of Paria off Vessigny Beach, yesterday. Photo: rishi ragoonath

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GUYANA DAILY NEWS

THURSDAY, JULY 28, 2016

Spurned lover beats, batters guard to death: Relatives call for swift justice Minutes after he told a teenage relative he was going to get a meal and go to church, a man instead showed up at Carlene Grant’s workplace and stabbed her several times before taking a sledgehammer and bashing in the side of her head. Grant, 48, a security officer employed with the National Maintenance Training and Security Company Limited (MTS), was taken to the Couva District Hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival. She was carrying out her night duties along with another officer at the Waterloo Community Centre, corner of Butler Village Road and the Waterloo Main Road, when at about 7.30 pm she was confronted by her estranged male relative. The man, according to an eyewitness, began to quarrel with Grant and then turned physical when he cuffed her several times. “I just saw the man take out a knife and stab her up. He then ran to the trunk of the car and took out a sledgehammer and smashed the side of her head. She tried to brace but her fingers were crushed in the process,” the eyewitness said. The eyewitness added that Grant’s colleague, who attempted to save her from the attacker, was also threatened. The man then got in his car and drove off. He later surrendered to the Chaguanas Police Station. Speaking with the T&T Guardian yesterday while at Grant’s home at John Elie Road, Chase Village, Carapichaima , Grant’s teenage daughter, Tisha, said she had left home to purchase a meal for her brother when she was offered a drop by the relative to St Mary’s Junction. “I took the drop with him and on the way he told me that he was going to church but if his gas tank wasn’t so long he would not have been going St Mary’s side to give me the drop there by KFC. He said he was gong to fill up on gas and then go to church so I told him make sure he goes,” Tisha said with tears rolling down her eyes. “Before I came out of his vehicle he told me that one of these days my mother will bounce her head and she would not know want happen. Little did I know that he was going to harm my own mother and not really going to church like he said because I spoke to people in the church and they told me he never went.”

Asked what caused the man to attack her mother, Tisha disclosed that her mother had told him that their relationship was stagnant. “He didn’t want to take no for an answer. They were together about 11 years now and about one year now their relationship was very rocky but he didn’t want to leave her alone,” Tisha said. She added it was not the first time the man had gone to Grant’s place of work for a confrontation. “He used to always go and quarrel with her and she made several reports to the police but the police never did anything to help the situation,” she added. Grant’s brother, Kevin, described his sister as a well respected individual. “She was always smiling and a very happy person. In fact she was so looking forward for her first grandchild. Her daughter-in-law is seven months pregnant and she used to come and anoint her belly and talk to the baby. She was over excited. Mow she will never get the opportunity to meet her first grand,” Kevin added. He said he

believed the man pre-meditated the entire attack and called for justice for his sister. He even disclosed that many times he, himself had cause to defend his sister from the man. “Just on Sunday, the man sit down with my sister and other relatives and talking about killing. We have real evidence against him... voice notes and messages too,” Kevin said. Blood stains still on wall There was an MTS guard stationed at the Waterloo Community Centre yesterday but he was reluctant to speak. The blood stains were still on the wall of the guard booth and there was a pool of blood, hardened and stained on the paved ground. A fire truck arrived shortly after 3 pm and backed up in the yard of the centre. A fire officer came out and began spraying water on the blood stains but when he spotted a T&T Guardian photographer, the fire officer packed up the hose and re-entered the truck. His colleagues also quickly got in and the driver quickly drove off, leaving the job incomplete and the blood still pooled and stained on the ground at the entrance gate. When asked why the fire officers left before completing the job, the guard on duty gesticulated and shook his head. (Trinidad Guardian)

Relatives of Carlene Grant leave the Forensic Science Centre, St James, yesterday after her autopsy. Grant, an MTS security guard, was beaten and stabbed to death on Tuesday night by a male relative while on duty at the Waterloo Community Centre.

PHOTO: ABRAHAM DIAZ

REGIONAL

GUYANA DAILY NEWS Utech student tops NCB innovation internship programme PAGE 61

KINGSTON, Jamaica (JIS) – Twenty-one year old University of Technology (UTech) student Jase-Omeileo West topped the 15 candidates who participated in the National Commercial Bank’s (NCB) inaugural Innovation Internship Programme this year. The intensive five-week programme, which ran from June 20 to July 22, was open to local and international full-time tertiary undergraduates who were invited to make presentations on customer service and other banking solutions. The interns, who were drawn from various backgrounds, participated in various activities at NCB’s Trafalgar Road Innovation Lab in New Kingston. These included ideation sessions aimed at generating solutions to improve customer experience and efficiency in the financial services sector. Among the prizes which Jase-Omeileo and other lucky participants won were trophies and cash awards. Senior general manager for NCB’s Group Human Resources and Facilities Division, Rickert Allen, indicated that he was impressed with the interns’ output.

He noted that the programme surpassed NCB’s expectations, generating over 400 ideas. “The programme allowed us to conceptualise the reshaping of our services through technology and invention while providing the opportunity for students to learn and develop sustainable skills,” he said. Allen further stated that the programme will help to underpin NCB’s strategic direction “to design products and services, streamline operations, and move the organisation towards utilising technology to make financial transactions easier, more convenient and more customer-centric”. He explained that the programme was originally scheduled for four weeks, but was extended by an additional week following the success recorded during the initial period. Allen pointed out that NCB is already

THURSDAY, JULY 28, 2016

preparing for the initiative’s renewal in 2017, even as the bank develops the ideas emerging from this year’s programme. JaseOmeileo said that the internship programme was an exciting and fun-filled experience, pointing out that “it did not really feel like work for the most part”. Pointing out that he has benefited significantly, he encouraged others who are given the opportunity to participate to take up the offer. (Jamaica Observer)

Senior General Manager for the National Commercial Bank’s (NCB) Group Human Resources and Facilities Division, Rickert Allen (right), presents a certificate to winner of the inaugural NCB Innovation Internship Programme, Jase-Omeileo West.

Business woman, sales rep linked to lottery scam KINGSTON, Jamaica – A business woman and a sales representative were charged by the police on Monday for allegedly taking part in lottery scam operations. They are 37-year-old Karrian Gray of St James and 24-year-old Adrian Wilson of Manchester. Reports from the Westmoreland Police are that a lottery scamming operation was being carried out at a premises in Chantilly, Westmoreland where a man was detained. A 2010 Toyota Axio he was driving was taken to the police station. Gray later attended the police station to prove ownership of the vehicle when her receipts showed that the motorcar was purchased cash for J$1.4 million in July of last year. She was subsequently charged. Wilson, who was the sales representative in the transaction was arrested and charged later. Gray and Wilson will appear in the Manchester Parish Court on Wednesday, August 10. (Jamaica Observer)

INTERNATIONAL PAGE 62

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

THURSDAY, JULY 28, 2016

Afghan man mutilated pregnant wife A woman is critically ill in northern Afghanistan after her husband nearly beat her to death, and cut part of her genitals, family members say. The incident happened in the Ashkamish district of Takhar province. The victim, who is in her 20s, told the BBC that she did not know the reason for the attack. Although such mutilation is rare in Afghanistan, reports of violence against women are increasing. The woman is now in hospital in Kunduz. Her brother confirmed the nature of the injuries to the BBC, saying his aunt had seen the results of the mutilation. A doctor at the clinic said the victim was six months pregnant, but lost the baby as a result of the violence. 'Shaved parts of her head' The woman says her husband attacked her without any reason with a big wooden stick, cut her hair with scissor and shaved parts of her head. She says his mother and and her sister-in-law helped her husband to tie her up with rope and beat her from head to toe. The Takhar provincial government's women's department provided photos of the victim, who appeared badly bruised, to the BBC. The police commander of Takhar, Noor Muhammad Hakimi, said: "The accused is on the run." He also confirmed that a case had been opened against three people, including the husband. Previous cases of mutilation included two incidents in which husbands cut off their wives' noses. In a second case of gender violence in less than 24 hours, a 20-year-old was reportedly shot dead by members of her husband's family in northern Faryab province. The head of the provincial human rights commission told the BBC that the young woman's in-laws had accused her of having an affair. Sayed

Hafizullah Fitra said the victim had initially been handed over to local elders and clerics. But one tribal elder told BBC Afghan that he could not stop others handing the woman over to her in-laws despite his warnings she might be killed. He also said the victim had been pregnant. The Faryab police spokesman, Karim Yourush, said the woman's father-in-law had disappeared. The killing happened in an area where the Afghan government has very limited control. The husband is reported to be in Iran. Many people in Afghanistan say education and empowerment are key to reducing the high incidence of violence against women. A landmark Law on the Elimination of Violence against Women came into effect in 2009, but most evidence shows that it remains largely unimplemented and unenforced. (BBC)

This photo of the victim was provided by the Takhar women's affairs department

Girl dies after elephant throws stone in Morocco zoo A seven-year-old girl has died after being hit by a stone thrown by an elephant from its enclosure at Rabat Zoo in Morocco. The stone got past the elephant's fence and a ditch separating the animal and visitors, the zoo said in a statement. The girl was taken to hospital and died within a few hours, the zoo added. The zoo statement said the enclosure met international standards and said "this kind of accident is rare, unpredictable and unusual". It went on (in French) to point out two other recent incidents in the US: In June an alligator killed a two-year-old boy at Walt Disney World in Florida In May, zookeepers killed a gorilla at Cincinnati Zoo after a three-year-old boy fell into its enclosure. Phyllis Lee, Scientific Director of the Amboseli Trust for Elephants, says that targeted throwing of stones and branches by elephants is very unusual. "It can happen when elephants are frustrated or bored. In my opinion, it's unlikely the elephant was directly targeting the girl - but exhibiting frustration.

You can't predict what animals in captivity will do."

The moments after the girl was struck at Rabat Zoo on

Tuesday were filmed by a bystander and uploaded onto YouTube. The video shows the elephant waving its trunk behind a fence and swerves round to show a stone on the ground. Metres away people are gathered around the girl, holding her head and stroking her leg.

(BBC)

An onlooker filmed the elephant moments after it threw the stone(JADID247)

INTERNATIONAL

GUYANA DAILY NEWS France church attack: Second suspect in priest killing named PAGE 63

French prosecutors have identified the second man involved in the killing of a priest in a Normandy church on Tuesday as 19-year-old Abdel Malik Petitjean. Like the other attacker, Adel Kermiche, he was known to the security services. The teenagers were shot dead by police outside the church in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray where they had killed Father Jacques Hamel, 86, and taken hostages. So-called Islamic State (IS) released a video of what it said were the two men pledging allegiance to the group. "Following DNA tests, it emerged that the terrorist has been identified as Abdel Malik Nabil Petitjean," a source in the Paris prosecutor's office said. Petitjean, from a town in eastern France, had been on a watch list as a potential security threat since June after trying to enter Syria from Turkey. He had been harder than Kermiche to identify because his body was badly disfigured in the police shooting, but officers found an ID card belonging to him in Kermiche's home and confirmed his identity in a DNA match with his mother. After Petitjean was named, his mother, Yamina, denied he could have been the killer. "I know my kid, he is kind. I did not produce a devil. He never talked about IS," she told BFM television.

French media have reported sources close to the investigation as saying anti-terrorism police had been searching for a man in the days before the attack who "strongly resembled" Petitjean, after receiving a tip-off from a foreign intelligence agency about an imminent attack.

A photograph of the man said to be planning the attack had been supplied but not his name. Kermiche, also 19, was being monitored by police and was wearing a surveillance tag at the time of the attack.

He was arrested twice last year trying to reach Syria and was awaiting trial for alleged membership of a terrorist organisation. The French government has faced strong criticism from political opponents over perceived security failings since the Bastille Day lorry attack in Nice

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two weeks ago in which more than 80 people died. President Francois Hollande has said France will form a National Guard from reserve forces, in an attempt to prevent further attacks. He has urged "patriots" to sign up to become reservists and has said parliamentary consultations on forming the Guard will take place in September "so this force can be created as fast as possible to protect the French". The comments came two days after Kermiche and Petitjean stormed the church in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray, a suburb of Rouen, during morning Mass. They slit the throat of the elderly priest before being killed by police. One of four people taken hostage - said to be an elderly parishioner - suffered severe knife wounds. Prosecutor Francois Molins said the attackers had been carrying a "fake explosive device covered in aluminium foil" along with hand-held weapons when they entered the Catholic church. (BBC)

Abdel Malik Petitjean, as he appeared on his driver's licence(AFP)

INTERNATIONAL

GUYANA DAILY NEWS Hinkley Point set to get final investment approval from France's EDF PAGE 64

Investment in the first new nuclear plant to be built in the UK in 20 years - at Hinkley Point, Somerset - is set for final approval later on Thursday. The French utility, EDF - the company financing most of the £18bn project - is holding a board meeting at which it is expected to approve the investment. Following that agreement, legally-binding contracts will be signed and construction work can begin. But critics warn of environmental damage and potential escalating costs. They are also concerned that the plant is being built by foreign governments. One third of the £18bn cost is being provided by Chinese investors. EDF hopes to have more than 2,500 workers on site by next year. Ahead of the vote on whether to approve the Hinkley project, Gerard Magnin, an EDF board member, has quit, saying the project was "very risky" financially.

Earlier this year, EDF's finance director, Thomas Piquemal, also resigned amid reports he thought Hinkley could damage EDF itself. Cost warning Hinkley Point C is expected to provide 7% of the UK's total electricity requirement. The project has been hit in recent months by concerns about EDF's financial capacity. Despite the Chinese investment, Hinkley Point would remain an enormous undertaking for the stressed French company, which has had to raise money from its owners. Earlier this week EDF shareholders approved plans to issue new shares to raise 4bn euros (£3.4bn) to help pay for the project. The French state, which owns 85% of EDF, will buy €3bn worth of new shares in the fundraising. But Mycle Schneider who used to advise the French government on nuclear and the environment, told the BBC that neither the state nor the company were fully on board. "There is now a large front inside EDF, inside the nuclear establishment in France, advising against the construction because the sheer size of it could put not only the company EDF at risk, but this could actually put the whole state finances at risk." The project has many critics in Britain too.

"The price of every other form of energy is falling. That includes gas, which is plentiful and wind and solar are both coming right down in price," Nick Butler, visiting professor and chair of King's Policy Institute at King's College London, told the BBC. "We should step back and review it. The danger of what we are getting into is that are now locked into a very high price for a very long time." Ahead of the decision, EDF said Hinkley Point was a "unique asset for French industry as it would benefit the whole of

THURSDAY, JULY 28, 2016

the nuclear industry and support employment in major companies and smaller enterprises in the sector". 'Economic boost' Although French unions are urging the company to push back the decision until the company is in a better financial position, UK unions have welcomed the project. "We urge the EDF board to give the financial go-ahead on a project which will generate thousands of decent skilled jobs and help meet the energy needs of the UK for generations to come," said Unite national officer for energy Kevin Coyne. "The cost of not doing so could result in the lights going out in Britain and the West Country missing out on the much-needed economic boost which this major infrastructure project would bring." Environmentalists are concerned about the plan.

Greenpeace said there wasn't "a shred of evidence that Hinkley can be built on time or on budget, and if it hits the same problems as its predecessors, it can't be relied on to keep the lights on in the UK".

The campaign group added that more investment for renewable energy like offshore wind was needed. Hinkley Point timeline Jan 2006 - Government proposes nuclear as part of future energy mix Mar 2013 - Construction of Hinkley Point approved Oct 2013 UK government agrees £92.50 per megawatt-hour will be paid for electricity produced at the Somerset site - around double the current market rate at the time Oct 2015 - EDF signs investment agreement with China General Nuclear Power Corporation (CGN) July 2016 - EDF board meets on 28 July to consider final investment decision (BBC)

Artist's impression of Hinkley Point C building proposals(PA)

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GUYANA DAILY NEWS

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Merkel rules out migrant policy reversal after attacks [BBC] - Recent attacks in Germany involving asylum-seekers would not change its willingness to take in refugees, Chancellor Angela Merkel has said. She said the attackers "wanted to undermine our sense of community, our openness and our willingness to help people in need. We firmly reject this". But she did propose new measures to improve security. These include information sharing, deciphering web chatter and tackling arms sales on the internet. Two recent attacks in Bavaria were both by asylum seekers. A suicide bomb attack in Ansbach on Sunday that injured 15 people was carried out by a Syrian who had been denied asylum but given temporary leave to stay. An axe and knife attack on a train in Wuerzburg on 18 July that wounded five people was carried out by an asylum seeker from Afghanistan.

Both men had claimed allegiance to so-called Islamic State. The deadliest recent attack - in Munich on 22 July which left nine dead was carried out by a German teenager of Iranian extraction but was not jihadist-related. Mrs Merkel, who interrupted her summer holiday to hold the news conference in Berlin, said the asylum seekers who had carried out the attacks had "shamed the country that welcomed them". But she insisted that those fleeing persecution and war had a right to be protected, and Germany would "stick to our principles" in giving shelter to the deserving. Referring to the attacks that have taken place in France, Belgium, Turkey, the US and elsewhere, she said "taboos of civilisation" had been broken, and they were intended to "spread fear and hatred between cultures and between religions".

But in reference to her famous phrase "Wir schaffen das" or "We can do this" - uttered last year when she agreed to take in a million

migrants - Mrs Merkel said: "I am still convinced today that "we can do it". "It is our historic duty and this is a historic challenge in times of globalisation. We have already achieved very, very much in the last 11 months". Mrs Merkel said that "besides organised terrorist attacks, there will be new threats from perpetrators not known to security personnel". To counter this, she said: "We need an early alert system so that authorities can see during the asylum request proceedings where there are problems." Mrs Merkel added: "We will take the necessary measures and ensure security for our citizens. We will take the challenge of integration very seriously."

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GUYANA DAILY NEWS

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US election: Obama endorses Clinton as political heir US President Barack Obama has delivered a stirring speech at the Democratic convention, hailing Hillary Clinton as his political heir and rounding on "home-grown demagogue" Donald Trump. "There has never been a man or woman, not me, not Bill, nobody more qualified than Hillary" to be president, he said. When boos rang out at the name of the Republican candidate, Mr Obama simply said: "Don't boo. Vote." Mr Trump responded by rejecting the president's portrayal of optimism. "Our country does not feel 'great already' to the millions of wonderful people living in poverty, violence and despair," he said on Twitter. Mr Obama extolled Mrs Clinton's character, calling her a "leader with real plans to break down barriers, blast through glass ceilings and widen the circle of opportunity to every single American". "She's been there for us, even if we haven't always noticed," he said. Mr Obama described his nation as "full of courage", "decent and generous", but also concerned about racial divisions and "frustrated with political gridlock". He said: "Tonight, I ask you to do for Hillary Clinton what you did for me. I ask you to carry her the same way you carried me." President Obama is good at this. He's really, really good at this. For all his flaws - and conservatives will be quick to point them out - he's always been able to deliver a pitch-perfect speech on the biggest stages, and this was no exception. It was the kind of speech that had some conservatives shaking their heads, wondering how their party ceded the optimistic high ground to their opponents. Mr Obama even quoted Ronald Reagan's "shining city on a hill" line, if only to make the political shift all the more clear. But he also reserved fierce words for Mr Trump, challenging the Republican's view of the US as "a divided crime scene". Mr Obama said the US he knew was not a "country where we turn against each other, and turn away from the rest of the world". He added: "Our power doesn't come from some self-declared saviour promising that he alone can restore order as long as we do things his way." Turning to Mr Trump's business acumen, he said: "I know plenty of businessmen and women who have achieved remarkable success without leaving a trail of lawsuits and unpaid workers and people feeling like they got cheated."

Mr Obama added: "Does anyone really believe that a guy who spent his 70 years on this Earth showing no regard for working people is suddenly going to be your champion, your voice? No." The former secretary of state joined him on stage for a hug after he finished speaking. Writing in the Washington Post, EJ Dionne Jr says that Mr Obama's mission in his speech was to try "to safeguard his legacy by ensuring his time in the White House would not be seen by history as having culminated in the election of Donald Trump. And so he went to work, combining rational argument with evangelical exhortation in the classic Obama fashion". Julie Hirschfeld Davis and Michael Shear in the New York Times recall Mr Obama's speech at the 2004 convention that thrust him into the national spotlight, in which

he rejected the "politics of cynicism". His challenge now, they say, is "to find a way to acknowledge that the political divides he promised to bridge have only grown deeper and more acrimonious while arguing persuasively that the way to rise above them is to elect Mrs Clinton". On the Politico website, Michael Hirsh says Wednesday's speeches confirmed "a dramatic shift, perhaps even a reversal, of the roles the two major parties have been identified with for several decades. For the first time, perhaps, since Vietnam, the Democratic Party is now the party of national security expertise." In his response, Mr Trump said in a statement that the Democrats had described a vision of America that did not exist for most people. Seventy percent of Americans thought the country was on the wrong track, said the property developer, who defied all predictions to win the Republican primary contest. "Never has a party been so disconnected from what is happening in our world." 'Not one word' Vice-President Joe Biden earlier delivered his own spirited address, saying Mr Trump "backs torture", "religious intolerance" and "betrays our values". "He has no clue about what makes America great," Mr Biden said, before the crowd started chanting, "Not a clue!" Virginia Senator Tim Kaine took the stage to "humbly" accept his party's nomination for vicepresident and then also went on the attack. "Folks, you cannot believe one word that comes out of Donald Trump's mouth," he said. The crowd then erupted into chants of "Not one word!" In other highlights from Wednesday night: Former Arizona congresswoman Gabby Giffords, critically injured in a 2011 shooting, described Mrs Clinton as a president who would "stand up to the gun lobby" Former CIA director Leon Panetta was greeted with chants of "no more war!" as he tried to warn of dangerous foreign policy under a Trump presidency Ex-New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg attacked fellow billionaire Donald Trump, saying: "The richest thing about him is his hypocrisy" Christine Leinonen, mother of one of the victims of the Orlando nightclub shooting, made an emotional plea for gun control Mrs Clinton will officially accept the nomination on Thursday, setting up an election fight with Mr Trump that will take them to the presidential election in November. (BBC)

Del i very:2237604 LOT13FI FTH STREETAVENUE SUBRYANVI LLESHERI FFSTREET GEORGETOWN

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GUYANA DAILY NEWS

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Guyana’s sluggish economy continues to slip A large percentage of skilled people is migrating and it does not only speak about Guyana’s future but it means that the country is getting less for its investment in human development; training people can be a very costly exercise. Guyana’s economy has been gradually sliding downhill in recent times and those with business establishments are rapidly leaving the country in search of alternative opportunities. In other words, this combination is definitive receipt for failure. No one can dispute the fact that the economic policy formation and implementation rate has been no more than mediocre. Such an environment of consistent policy paralysis actively contributes to a sluggish economy. The new norm in Georgetown is economic stalemate, with very little or no way forward. In 2015, the economy grew at its slowest pace in seven years. One of Guyana’s biggest imports, oil, saw a persistent decline in its price, however, these lower oil prices are not holding in 2016 as it huddles around US$40 per barrel by mid-year. The direct impact on our foreign reserves will be adverse. There are a lot of promises on the coming of oil, however most of the current policies are implemented on the great successes from oil.

A c c o r d i n g t o t h e N e w Yo r k Mercantile Exchange the price for oil is US$40.28 per barrel, meanwhile, the cost of production in today OPEC newsletter is USD$50 per barrel.

Based on these calculations, is oil the answer to economic recovery? The Government has chosen to recycle many people from the 1980s with archaic-mindsets and records of executive failure under the past

regime. There are situations in several instances in the Agriculture and Housing portfolios where this is occurring, and the outcome will be extreme economic pain for the nation.

These executive failures continue to do everything under the sun but contribute actively towards implementing any creative solutions that will advance the economy. Gold smuggling is higher than the narcotrade. Among some other illegal activities, they collectively are part of the underground economy because they are not reported. Gold smuggling robs the economy because the “drug guys” will bring back money to Guyana, but the gold smugglers are doing so to evade paying taxes; hence, those incomes stay overseas. There is enough evidence to prove that the present government has done little to stem gold smuggling. Policymakers are continually mixing up concepts and terminology as they try to apply political sound bites to serious lifedefining economic and financial issues. This state of executive confusion does contribute directly to the declining levels of private sector confidence. If you studied the 2016 budget carefully, you will find that private consumption dropped from 94.3% of the GDP in 2014 to 78.1% in 2015 and is estimated to further decline to 73.6% in 2016. If one observed private investments between 2015 and 2016, it was rather flat, and estimated to decline in 2016.

The actual performances in the main productive sectors to date paints a dismal picture. For example, sugar exports were estimated to increase by 13% in the 2016 budget, but actually declined by 29% in the first crop. The

numbers just do not add up, and this exposes a fundamental weakness in the 2016 Budget. The massive rice industry in Guyana, which provides employment for at least 100,000 persons and represents half a billion dollars in revenue, is in shambles presently. It is struggling for its own survival now that it has been straddled by many dilemmas, including debts owed by farmers and millers to banks over (G$12 billion debt), the closure of the lucrative Overseas Countries and Territories route, a shortage of capital in the rice sector, poor management, inadequate rice yields, loss in traditional markets, and a drop in the external price for rice (from US$400 to US$200 per bag of rice).

On the other hand Venezuela has officially ousted Guyana from inking another PetroCaribe deal to see the exchange for fuel and rice at “favourable prices”, as the Spanishspeaking nation has now teamed up with Suriname to pursue such an agreement. According to media reports in Suriname, the Presidents of the two countries reached an agreement for the Spanish-speaking country to provide oil to the Dutchspeaking Caribbean Community (Caricom) country in exchange for rice; this spells disaster for the rice industry in Guyana.

LOCAL

GUYANA DAILY NEWS Case postponed for woman charged with trafficking niece PAGE 70

Joyce Lawrence today re-appeared before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan for decision in her case after she was charged with trafficking her niece and withholding her National Identification between July 1, 2014 and December 28, 2014 She was released on GY$650,000 bail on her first appearance and was scheduled to hear her fate today; however Attorney Euclin Gomes was unable to be present for the hearing hence an application was made for the decision to be postponed. The prosecution had no objection to the application and the Chief Magistrate granted the request; the woman will return to court on September 8, 2016. It is alleged that Lawrence, 34, a businesswoman from Grove between July 1 and December 12, 2014, transported and trafficked her niece to an interior location. It is also alleged that between December 12 and 14, 2014 at Aishalton, Rupununi, the woman transported and trafficked her niece to a nightclub in the said interior. It is further alleged that between December 1 and 28 she unlawfully withheld her niece’s National Identification Card from her. The woman in her final appearance in court on July 13, 2016 said that she did not force her niece to go

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with her but in fact went on her own free will. The businesswoman also denied that she withheld the ID card but admitted that it was in her possession. The Prosecution told the court that the girl, who is juvenile, was told by Lawrence that she had stolen some money from her and that she would have to work in order to pay her back or else she will go to jail. -By- Jarred Singh, Guyana Daily News.

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GUYANA DAILY NEWS

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Berbice man found hanging The body of Mahendra Sewnarine, a taxi driver from Corriverton, Berbice, was found early yesterday morning hanging from the lower beam of his residence at Village No. 79 Corriverton. Information reaching the Guyana Daily News has revealed that Sewnarine left his home in the afternoon of July 27, telling his reputed wife that he was going to wash his car; however he returned home later that night into the next morning intoxicated. According to reports, having returned in the drunken state, the man behaved in an erratic manner and was denied entry to his home. His reputed wife revealed that her husband would often go out and return home drunk and behave unruly to the point where it became something normal that he would sleep outside. She further revealed that he would regularly threaten to kill himself but it was only something he did when he was intoxicated and forget about it when he would have sobered up. Sewnarine’s body was found by a neighbor who visited the house and noticed something to be amiss since the hammock which usually hangs at the bottom of the house was not there. -ByThe deceased man, Jarred Singh, Guyana Daily News.

Mahendra Sewnarine. (iNews Photo)

LOCAL

GUYANA DAILY NEWS Trial delayed for man charged with 6 counts of armed robbery PAGE 72

Adrian Daily re-appeared before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan today for trial into his case after he was charged with six counts of armed robbery which he allegedly committed on June 24, 2016, in the Ruimveldt Area, Georgetown. The trial was further postponed after the prosecution revealed that the file into the matter is yet to be completed hence they made an application for an extension which was granted. The accused will remain on remand and return to court on September 14, 2016 for trial. It is alleged that on June 24, 2016, at Aubrey Barker Road, South Ruimveldt, Daily whilst being in the company of others and armed with a gun, robbed four individuals of cash, a quantity of cell phone credit cards, GPL pre-paid

FRIDAY, JULY 29, 2016

credit cards, two Samsung cellphones and a gold chain, all totaling to GY$342,000. It is also alleged that in South Ruimveldt, he robbed two other individuals of 1 Samsung and 1 Blu smartphone, of total value of GY$56,000. -BYJarred Singh, Guyana Dialy News.

‘Ice Pick’ robber remanded Nineteen year old Isiah Daniels today appeared before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan charged with robbery while armed with an ‘Ice Pick’. The incident took place on July 24, 2016 at McKenzie, Linden. Daniels who was unrepresented in court today pleaded not guilty to the charge and was remanded until August 16, 2016 when he will appear at the McKenzie Magistrate’s Court for trail. Prosecutor, Corporal Dinero Jones objected to the young man receiving bail based on the gravity of the offense, noting that the accused was positively identified by an eyewitness and the virtual complainant. It is alleged that on the day in question, whilst being armed with an ‘Ice Pick’, Daniels robbed Shemar Stadfree of one electronic device (a Tablet) valued at GY$55,000. -By- Jarred Singh, Guyana Daily News.

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GUYANA DAILY NEWS

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Clico report can’t go public—DPP Director of Public Prosecutions Roger Gaspard has advised Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley that the Sir Colman report on the commission of enquiry into Clico and the Hindu Credit Union should not be made public, since the DPP’s department has been doing a probe of the situation. The announcement was made by Minister Stuart Young (Prime Minister’s Office) at yesterday’s post-Cabinet media conference when questions were raised about the report. It was submitted to President Anthony Carmona last month and in turn sent to Rowley, who, following Cabinet deliberations, sent it to the DPP for advice on whether it could be revealed to the public. Yesterday, Young said the DPP responded to the PM this week, noting that a probe was being done on the matter by his office since 2012. As a result of this, the DPP said the report should not be made public, lest it prejudice the probe. Also asked about the recommendations of the Simmons report on the commission of enquiry into the July 1990 failed coup attempt by the Jamaat Al Muslimeen leader Yasin Abu Bakr, Young said the enquiry was done during the People’s Partnership’s tenure and he “assumed” the report and its recommendations would have been sent to the National Security Ministry. On concerns by National Alliance for Reconstruction member, Wendell Eversley, that no major observance of the July 27 1990 anniversary was done, Young said the date was always remembered as a “dark day in T&T history” and law enforcement was aware that July 27 must not be repeated. But he said actual observances of the date were usually done at the Red House—where the Muslimeen took hostages in 1990—and the Red House was under renovation. Young said the prime ministerial team supervising the

renovation met recently and tenders for various aspects of the job would be issued soon, since he said Government had given a tight deadline for completion of the job. He also said the Prime Minister would be undergoing a planned medical check-up while he was overseas for vacation. “At this stage, there’s no cause for concern,” Young assured. Rowley said recently he would be taking a vacation next month, having a medical check-up and “taking a few days off” over two weeks. Young said it was a well deserved vacation since the People’s National Movement had moved straight from campaigning last year into Government and a lot of work was done. Young confirmed the Ministry of the Attorney General and the Ministry of Legal affairs would start moving into the Government Campus’ Tower over coming weeks. (Trinidad Guardian)

Director of Public Prosecutions Roger Gaspard

Cane farmers sour over $57m payment Cane farmers are rejecting Government promise to pay $57 million as final payment of the outstanding two tranches of a grant by European Union as compensation following the closure of Caroni (1975) Limited several years ago. So said attorney Gerald Ramdeen, who is representing the former cane farmers in the matter. Announcement of the payment was made yesterday by the Planning and Development Ministry. Cabinet yesterday approved the payment of more than $57 million, which represented the remaining two tranches of the payments.

It stems from an agreement between the former PP government and the European Union. Under the first tranche, more than 3,000 farmers were paid in excess of $24 million. The farmers were informed of the latest payment yesterday by permanent secretary in the ministry, Joanne Deoraj. They are expected to be informed officially in writing, the ministry added. However, after speaking with the leadership of the cane farmers union, Ramdeen said the attempt to pay $57 million as final payment was a betrayal as the former cane farmers were being owed more than $100 million. “It is a betrayal of the cane farmers,” he insisted yesterday, adding: “My clients are categorically rejecting the offer of the Government. They are ready to go to court and those proceedings are going to be filed by next week.”

Ramdeen said the Minister of Finance and the Attorney General must explain why they were not honouring an earlier promise to pay the full amount in two tranches. Ramdeen said the $57 million represented only half of the total payments due. He said the legal action would be initiated in a few days. “We are going to make this Government pay through the court because they don’t want to do so voluntarily. “The cane farmers will accept nothing less than the $103 million owed,” Ramdeen added.

(Trinidad Guardian)

Caroni (1975) Limited

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Imbert gets angry letter Finance Minister Colm Imbert, who returns from overseas next week, will have to deal with a “blowout” given to Government four days ago by the United Shareholders Ltd (USL) about suspected Government “betrayal and deception” in the Clico matter. In a blistering letter of concern, the USL, which has represented Clico shareholders on matters since 2012, sought answers on its suspicions that Government had “reneged, not only on your undertaking to provide us with a statement of the debt that is owed (to Government for the Clico bailout, but you’ve also reneged on your undertaking not to dispose of the assets of the Group” pending proposed discussions on it. Making good on its contentions, the USL is now communicating with other Clico entities, headed by CLF Financial majority shareholder Lawrence Duprey, to pursue jointly an injunction to prevent Government action on the matter. Discussions were held with Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj, SC, on Monday, followed by letters on this. USL’s letter to Government on Monday is the latest development in the seven-year saga of the failed Clico empire, which collapsed in 2009. The then People’s National Movement government had instituted a bailout plan — the cost of which is now estimated at $22 billion — and Central Bank (CBTT) took control of companies. The T&T Guardian exclusively obtained the letters involved in the latest developments. The USL had signed extension agreements with the former government from 2012 onwards for repayment of the money advanced by the government to CLF and its subsidiaries, and the USL has been representing shareholders’ interests in CLF. In the 2016 Budget, Imbert said he intended to bring the Clico matter to an amicable conclusion in the interest of all concerned and T&T and had outlined certain moves. In the April mid-year review, he gave further details on certain CLF assets and on July 7 further outlined resolution of the Clico issue. However, Clico stakeholders in recent months have lobbied to regain control of the company, saying the circumstances which caused the Central Bank to take control no longer apply as Clico is “solvent.” Imbert, however, says it remains insolvent. In April, CLF’s Lawrence Duprey submitted a plan to Central Bank and Imbert to regain control of the company. Last week Duprey said there had been no response to that proposal. In May, Imbert told the T&T Guardian he had not spoken to Duprey but Government was dealing with the USL group. He said those talks were cordial. But prior to his confirmation of USL talks, on April 25, 2016, the USL had sent Imbert an 11page letter which noted a call by Imbert to USL chairman, Kirk Carpenter, on April 20 and Imbert’s request to “identify what the CLF shareholders want and expect and what has been previously discussed with the Government.”

The April letter stated USL agreed Government needed to have a firm plan for “full and final settlement of the long-outstanding matter” and USL had prepared proposals to deal with shareholders’ views and ensure Government was repaid. But USL also said shareholders were “taken aback” at Imbert’s plan for CLF in the recent mid-year budget review, since the plan did not “reflect the substance and tenor of previous discussions between Government and CLF shareholders or the concrete proposals contained in the Heads of Agreement.” Saying the group wished to settle the residual debt soonest, the April letter detailed proposals envisaging CLF would remain with varying percentages but retain control of six companies, including Angostura Holdings Limited, Colfire Ltd and Home Construction Ltd. However, after Imbert’s July 7 statement and a T&T Business Guardian story last week on a leak of Central Bank instructions to Clico to begin making certain policyholder settlements, the USL group sent Imbert a stiff letter on Monday (July 25) regarding Government’s action and the recent proposed transfers of shares of Angostura CL World Brands and the proposed sale of Clico’s traditional book of business. It was signed by USL chairman Carpenter, Roger Duprey (CL Duprey Investment Trust Ltd) and Carlton Reis (Daleo Capitol Management Co. Ltd.) Govt accused of betrayal Noting in part that an impasse had developed over the issue of the Clico assets in relation to its debt, the letter said the USL had asked Government to provide a definitive statement on what the debt was, along

with evidence to support that statement. It noted, however, that it was yet to get any statement on the quantum of the debt but “we have, however, read with great concern, reports in the press that suggest that you have reneged, not only on your undertaking to provide us with a statement of the debt that is owed, the obvious pre-requisite of meaningful discussions on the quantum of the debt, but that you have also reneged on your undertaking not to dispose of the assets of the group during the pendency of our proposed discussions. “... Most disturbing, however, is that it appears that your undertakings were given for the sole purpose of procuring our co-operation while you proceeded on your stated course of disposing of the group's assets behind our backs and without consultation with us. “This would, if true, be an unspeakable act of betrayal and deception. We hope that there is no truth in this and that this is all a huge misunderstanding.” The USL told Imbert that it would take action to protect its position if no assurances were forthcoming.

The group asked Imbert for a response by 4 pm on Monday gone. Yesterday, officials said they were awaiting word on this week’s expected meeting. But Government sources said the meeting could not be held as Imbert was overseas. (See Page A19) Imbert is in the US this week pursuing a milliondollar bond but contacted via email on the USL’s July 25 letter, Imbert said: “I’ll deal with this when I return.” Other Government officials assured there was “absolutely no deceit or secret moves” going on. They explained that for any relinquishing control of the companies to be done, the first steps were the ones that had been instructed and the companies had to be transferred to Government. Allegation unfounded “Nobody is selling Clico assets off secretly,” they insisted. They said USL’s suspicions were unfounded and hasty and the tone of the July 25 letter was harsh and did not contribute to resolution, which they stressed would still be done properly with all. In the 2016 Budget, Imbert said 2016 taxation measures would be supplemented by a sale of assets programme and the receipt of extra-ordinary dividends projected to yield a further $13.4 billion. He said those included partial repayment by Clico relating to Government’s financial support and other methods. In the April mid-year review, Imbert had said Government was moving to get back the $20 billion bailout of Clico, He said he had asked Central Bank to dispose, “strictly in accordance with the shareholders’ agreement,” of remaining Methanol International Holdings Limited shares owned by Clico at the valuation price, and Clico’s traditional portfolio of insurance policies and other associated assets, valued at approximately $1 billion. The Central Bank was requested to transfer to Government, Clico’s shares in Angostura, HCL and CL World Brands valued at $3 billion. Imbert said once this transfer occurred, Government would take appropriate decisions “to dispose of these assets in a sensible and productive manner.”

He said Government would acquire lands owned by Angostura and HCL for public purposes, such as housing, tourism and infrastructure. Central Bank would also begin disposing of Clico’s shares in Republic Bank by 2017.

(Trinidad Guardian)

Finance Minister Colm Imbert

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Increase in contributions but no rise in pensions The Association of National Insurance Contributors, Claimants and Appellants (ANICCA) says that many businesses will be going under come September 5 when there will be an increase in contributions. At a meeting on Wednesday at the Chaguanas Indoor Sporting Complex, Manick Street, Chaguanas, contributors in the audience expressed concerns about the passing of the Finance Bill 2016. The members also highlighted that existing NIS pensioners would not be recipients of an increase in their pension despite an increase in contributions.

According to the table, contributors earning between $780 and $1,290 monthly in the first bracket paid $9.69 weekly and employers $19.20. Now employees will contribute $11.90 and employers $23.80. Workers earning over $12,000 in 2014 contribute $110.80 weekly and their employers $221.60.

However, this has increased to $138.10 and employers will contribute $276.20. Public relations officer, Arthur Sanderson, said businesses would pass this increase onto their employees and small businesses would close down. “A lot will close down.

If they can’t find the funds in this downturn economy they will shut down their businesses. Employers pay two thirds in contributions and no business will operate at a loss,” he said.

Ramnath Ramcharitar, a consultant, said though there would be an increase in the contributions there would be no increase in benefits. Another member of the audience, Cecil Butler De Bique, said no matter how many contributions he made over the years and even though he was in a higher wage bracket he wouldnever get over $3000 in benefits monthly. “All that money they collecting, where is it going? If you are investing the workers’ money why can’t we get an increase in monthly pensions?” he asked. Sat Maharaj, one of the consultants, said he had been employed at the National Insurance Board for many years and citizens would never be paid back what they contributed. Maharaj said altogther citizens paid approximately $200,000 during their 30 years of employment, and no matter

what, they would never get that back. He said the NIS board saved $1.2 billion from over 200,000 working citizens across the country and that would be an increase of 25 per cent. “I will still collect $3,000 like anyone else no matter how much I pay. I see a lot of businesses closing down because of this. I worked there for many years and I can just glance at a document and know where things went wrong,” he said. President of ANICCA, Romeo Dassrath said his organisation was at the discussion to represent the citizens of T&T. He said the Government was being unfair to the elderly and disabled.

ANICCA, he said, planned to protest in front of the Parliament on August 5. (Trinidad Guardian)

Cecil De Bique, right, voices his grievance to members of the panel during the Association of National Insurance Contributors and Appellants’ (ANICCA) meeting to discuss the increase in NIS contributions at the Central Regional Sporting Complex in Chaguanas on Wednesday. Also in photo, from left, is Sat Maharaj, Arthur Sanderson and NIS consultant Ramnath Ramcharitar.

PHOTO: SHASTRI BOODAN

REGIONAL PAGE 76

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

FRIDAY, JULY 29, 2016

Industry on brink of crisis President of the Petroleum Dealers’ Association of T&T, Robindranath Naraynsingh, yesterday said the country’s 170 gas stations were on the verge of collapse due to poor profitability margins from the sale of fuel. Saying the gas stations service more than half the population on a daily basis, Naraynsingh admitted their industry had been plunged into a crisis. He could not say what percentage of the gas stations were likely to close their doors but said a dark cloud was hanging over their heads and “an impending doom was surely coming if this situation persists.” Delivering the feature address to a small group of dealers at a special general meeting at Kam-po Restaurant, Chaguanas, Naraynsingh pleaded with Energy Minister Nicole Olivierre to meet with them before the situation worsened and jobs were lost. The association also threatened to seek judicial review against Government’s proposal to award retail marketing licences in the landowner’s name rather than the operator.

“Our Government came in and promised a rising tide of prosperity. We have instead been plunged into a crisis that is now beginning to affect all present here today.

Our industry is on the brink of destruction.

We are not the only ones who are feeling the pinch of a reduced profit margin, many of us are near insolvency,” Naraynsingh said. He said businesses were being lost while gas station dealers were being shattered which showed that their future and livelihoods were in deep trouble.

“Today, I say to you the challenges we face are real. They are serious and there are many. We deal with a lot of money but our margins are very small,” he added. The meeting was called at a time when countries across the globe are experiencing dynamic changes in the petroleum industry which were now also affecting the retail sector in T&T. The retail sector comprises retailers, distributors, dealers, franchisees and operators. Of the 170 dealers, Naraynsingh said 40 stations operate convenient stores which help supplement their incomes and help absorb the losses incurred at the pumps. There are five

stations in Tobago and collectively they employ approximately 2,000 workers nationwide. The dealers buy fuel daily from National Petroleum and Unipet who are wholesalers. In the last two years, Naraynsingh said over 20 gas stations dealers had surrendered their keys to NP because they were operating at a loss.

Since November 2005, Naraynsingh said the price of liquid petroleum (fuel) had not increased for dealers while the cost of living soared across the board. “We are experiencing a profitability decline with two recent increases in the price of super gasoline and diesel, totallying 30 per cent.

Our gross profit on super has gone from 6.7 per cent to 5.6 per cent, while diesel from 8.7 per cent to 7.3 per cent.” For every litre of fuel sold, Naraynsingh said dealers make 17 cents on super, 17 cents on premium and 12 cents on diesel. “Every time the price of fuel goes up that margin remains the same. What happens is that our gross profit keeps going down. We need to have that margin increased from 17 cents to 25 cents for us to make a profit. “For every $1 that is spent at the pump, two cents go to the dealer. The rest goes to the Government and NP. We are in a fixed price business. If we don’t get an increase we are looking at a collapse of this industry,” Naraynsingh warned. With little profit margins, Naraynsingh said dealers have to pay staff, taxes, electricity and water rates, telephone, security and maintain their businesses. He said what was crippling many businesses was the 2016 imposition of a 200 per cent Green Levy and Business Levy Tax. “Many of us now have our backs against a wall,” he said Naraynsingh said dealers should have been considered by the Finance Minister for a reduction in both taxes. Blanked by minister Another issue Naraynsingh raised was the 2010 suspended issuance of retail marketing licences by the Ministry of Energy, as it reviews the terms and conditions of these licences. He said: “At present, the ministry has proposed to put the licence on the landowner’s name instead of the operator whom they are bound to by law. Our many efforts to engage the ministry on this matter

has not been fruitful in the past six months.

“Operators must appreciate that the retail licence being held in a name other than the operator removes their security of tenure and entitlement to the retail margin. This is completely against the Petroleum Act.” He said letters sent to Olivierre about that issue were not acknowledged. Secretary and treasurer of the association, Fabia Saleema Sattar, said Olivierre was invited to deliver the feature address at yesterday’s meeting but failed to show. That was not the first time, Sattar said, the association had invited Olivierre, hoping to address their concerns and come to an amicable solution. “When one considers where this industry was one year ago, I don’t think we would have envisioned this position today,” she added. She explained that what they were facing was not the business of NP or Unipet. “It is the business of the ministry and the Government. It is very clear that the ministry is not concerned with what our concerns are and maybe we would have to take it a little bit further. In the bigger scheme of things we are not consulted in changes that directly impact our industry,” she said. Olivierre did not respond to a text message sent to cellphone while a call went unanswered. (Trinidad Guardian)

Robindranath Naraynsingh…

Petroleum Dealers Association president.

REGIONAL PAGE 77

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

FRIDAY, JULY 29, 2016

Vendors and activist clash over fish kill As more dead fish washed ashore yesterday along Mosquito Creek, a dispute brewed between an environmental activist and fish vendors as to the source of the fish kill. Fish vendor Fyzul Ramroop is claiming the carcasses were dumped by trawlers in the Gulf of Paria, while environmentalist Edward Moodie believe it is as a result of chemicals in the water.

Ramroop and Moodie had a face-to-face debate in view of the media who were covering the new fish kill at Mosquito Creek.

Over the past two weeks fish, particularly herring, has been washing up along the Mosquito Creek and recently dead and dying fish of varying sizes and types also washed ashore in La Brea. A fish vendor for over 27 years, Ramroop said he and hundreds of other fish vendors have been out of work since hundreds of dead fish began washing ashore. He said people are afraid to eat the fish. However, Ramroop who has been forced to dip into his savings to support his family, said he knew for a fact the dead fish were dumped by trawlers. He explained: “This fish was dumped and we know that it was dumped because we know the fishermen and them who did it.

I not going to call any names or point fingers but we know the people who did it. “It have a time like right now, the Gulf of Paria have a lot of herring and when the herring come in the mullet come in to feed on the herring when the trawler put down their net in the water. “Remember the boat pulling that net, within ten minutes the whole net does full up of herring and what they feeding on.” He added one trawler usually catches hundreds of herring, sometimes they bring the catch to shore to sell it and other times if they cannot get a sale for it they would dump the fish out at sea. He said the birds would usually feed on the carcasses but the wind was blowing in a westernly direction, pushing the fish closer to the shore.

Asked why the fishermen don’t come forward and clear the air, Ramroop said: “The fisherman and them don’t want to go on record. These herring and mullet what they seeing here is nothing like poison, so far as we know from here it is safe to eat. “ Ramroop said he could not speak about the dead fish in La Brea but was sure the dead fish at Mosquito Creek were not as a result of an oil leak or any poisoning. “The publicity that we getting, it not doing we justice because nobody wants to buy the fish because they are afraid," he added. However, Moodie insisted something was polluting the water and causing the fish to die. His estimation was that the fish died on Wednesday but Ramroop claimed they were dead for at least three days. Moodie said: “This is a new wash-in we are experiencing here, mostly herring, a few cat fish that is what we are seeing right now... fresh fish. “One must remember yesterday (Wednesday) we discovered an oil well about a mile-and-half out at sea off the Vessigny and Brighton field.”

He claimed the well was bubbling up and there appeared to be

a slick of what appeared to be kerosene. “I have been teaching environmental studies for many years. This what we are experiencing here for the last almost 14 days on a daily basis this is not normal,” he added. He questioned if a trawler was responsible for the fish kill why were they continuing to dump fish and why have they not come forward, knowing the negative impact it was having on the fishing industry. He also found it strange that fishermen would throw back salmon and black fish which were among hundreds of dead fish which washed ashore in La Brea. “Something in this ocean is wrong.

No trawler come forward and tell me they have dumped fish for 14 days now and the quantity of fish we are seeing it is not adding up,” he added. Moodie said he was told the leaking oil well had been spilling gas into the sea for a long time and the situation was getting worse. He added: “Right now they are out there in the area trying to see what they could do but that well could only be capped if they bring in a rig to do that. “Gas is ten times as deadly as the crude that we are seeing floating.

Whenever we have oil spills the gas dissolves in the water instantly. It causes the nervous system damage. It causes skin cancer, skin damage and fish to die. “We are asking the authorities to stop passing blame and stop talking about trawlers and find the problem and deal with it. We want our waters in the Gulf of Paria to become safe again and it is not going to happen with lies and deceit.” In a release EMA did not link the oil leak discovery to the dead fish. However, it stated a joint aerial helicopter survey with several responder agencies was expected to be done yesterday to make an initial assessment of the reported sheen. (Trinidad Guardian)

Environmental activist Edward Moodie, right, faces off yesterday with fish vendor Fyzul Ramroop during a heated exchange at Mosquito Creek, La Romaine.

PHOTO: RISHI RAGOONATH

INTERNATIONAL PAGE 78

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

FRIDAY, JULY 29, 2016

San Diego policeman shot dead A police officer has died and another remains in hospital after both were shot in the US city of San Diego. The officers were members of a gang suppression unit and were shot by unknown gunmen at a traffic stop on Thursday evening. The pair's names have not been released. The second officer is expected to survive. The shooting follows earlier attacks on police this month in the US cities of Dallas and Baton Rouge. (BBC)

Pope Francis prays in silence at former Auschwitz-Birkenau camp The Pope has offered a private prayer at the former Auschwitz death camp. He walked alone and in silence around the concentration and extermination camp in what was Nazioccupied Poland where 1.1 million people, mostly Jews, were killed. Pope Francis also met elderly survivors of the camp, kissing them on the cheeks and speaking to them softly. He is on his third day of a visit marking 1,050 years since Poland's adoption of Christianity. Francis has become the third Pope to walk through the main gate of Auschwitz, under its infamous inscription "Arbeit Macht Frei" - work sets you free. But unlike his German and Polish predecessors, he is not speaking about the horrors that occurred there, says the BBC's Adam Easton in Warsaw. Francis passed under the gates alone, wearing white robes and skullcap. After meeting the survivors, he placed a candle at the Death Wall, where prisoners were executed by the Nazis, before continuing on his own. The Pope stopped to pray at the prison cell of Maximilian Kolbe, a Polish Catholic friar who sacrificed his life to save that of another man. The Church made him a saint in 1982. Pope Francis knelt for many minutes in the underground cell, illuminated only by the light from a tiny window, the Associated Press news agency reports. The

Argentine Pope is on a five-day trip to Poland. During a World Youth Day rally in the southern city of Krakow on Thursday, he urged compassion for migrants. He told hundreds of thousands of people that "a merciful heart opens up to welcome refugees and migrants" - a statement that puts him at odds with Poland's anti-immigrant right-wing government.

(BBC)

The Pope greeted survivors of the camp and blessed them(EPA)

INTERNATIONAL

GUYANA DAILY NEWS Syria conflict: Save the Children says maternity hospital bombed PAGE 79

A maternity hospital in north-western Syria has been bombed, causing casualties among patients and staff, a UK charity says. Save the Children said the bomb, from an air strike, hit the entrance to the hospital in rural Idlib province. Images show part of the building destroyed. The number of casualties is not yet clear. The charity says the hospital is the biggest in the area, carrying out more than 300 deliveries a month. It is not clear who carried out the air strike. A Save the Children spokeswoman said the hospital treats about 1,340 women and children every month with an average number of 322 births in the same period. The charity supports the hospital through its partner, Syria Relief. In other developments: Activists say US-led coalition air strikes have killed 28 civilians in a northern Syrian village. The US says it is investigating The UN's envoy to Syria has appealed to Russia to let the UN manage safe corridors from besieged areas of the city of Aleppo Russia, a key ally of the Syrian government, said on Thursday that three humanitarian corridors from Aleppo were being opened for civilians and unarmed rebels and a fourth for armed rebels. About 300,000 people are trapped in rebelheld eastern Aleppo, under intense bombardment. Russia's announcement was welcomed cautiously by the UN, the US and some aid agencies. UN envoy Staffan de Mistura said the UN supported such corridors in principle and was asking Russia for more details on how they would work. "Our suggestion to Russia is to actually leave the corridors being established at their initiative to us," Mr de Mistura told reporters in Geneva. "The UN and humanitarian partners know what to do." He echoed calls from the UN's Under Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs, Stephen O'Brien, for a 48-hour truce to allow aid into the east of the city. "How can you expect people to want to walk through a corridor, thousands of them, while there is shelling, bombing fighting," Mr de Mistura asked. He said the UN was "in principle and in practice in favour of humanitarian corridors under the right circumstances" but said Russia needed to provide more information on how the system would work. He reiterated that civilians who left should do so only through their own choice. "The clock is ticking for the Aleppo

FRIDAY, JULY 29, 2016

population," he warned. The UN said on Monday that food supplies in Aleppo were expected to run out in mid-August and many medical facilities continued to be attacked. Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu has said the three corridors for civilians and unarmed fighters would have medical posts and food handouts. The fourth corridor, in the direction of Castello Road, would be for armed militants, he said. The Red Cross said on Thursday it welcomed any respite for civilians in Aleppo but that departures must be voluntary and the safety of those who decided to stay must be guaranteed.

The US state department also expressed caution, saying that the exercise appeared to be an attempt to force the evacuation of civilians and the surrender of militant groups in the city. UK-based monitoring group the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Friday that seven children were among the 28 killed in the coalition air strike on al-Ghandour village near Manbij. The US confirmed air strikes took place near Manbij on Thursday and said it was investigating claims of civilian casualties. Manbij is controlled by the so-called Islamic State group but encircled by Kurdishled forces who are advancing with the support of coalition air strikes. (BBC)

Part of the building was destroyed by the air strike(SAVE THE CHILDREN)

France church attack: Manuel Valls highlights 'justice failure’ Prime Minister Manuel Valls says the French justice system has failed in connection with the killing of a priest in a church in Normandy on Tuesday. In a newspaper interview, he criticised the fact that one of the two attackers had been released with an electronic tag pending trial on terror charges. He said the release had been decided by independent judges, not his government. Mr Valls has faced criticism over the attack near Rouen, and the killing of 84 people by another jihadist in Nice. Adel Kermiche, one of the two teenagers who attacked the church in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray on Tuesday, had been arrested after being caught trying to go to Syria last year.

However he was released with a monitoring tag earlier this year, despite prosecutors' call for his continued detention. In an interview with Le Monde newspaper published on Friday, Mr Valls called the release a "failure" that must be acknowledged. He added: "This does not mean that my government is to blame, because that decision was taken by independent judges." Kermiche and the other attacker, Abdel Malik Petitjean, were shot dead by police outside the church, where they had slit the throat of Fr Jacques Hamel, 86, and taken hostages during Mass. Petitjean had been on a watch list as a potential security threat since June after trying to enter Syria from Turkey.

After the attack, so-called Islamic State released a video showing the two men pledging allegiance to the group. In another video that emerged on Thursday, Petitjean called for more attacks against states involved in the anti-IS coalition. Three people have been questioned

by police in connection with the church attack. Two have been released and the third, said to be a Syrian man living in a refugee centre, remains in custody. The French government has faced strong criticism from political opponents over perceived security failings since the attack in Nice. It was carried out by a Tunisian man, Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel, who drove a lorry into a crowd at the end of the Bastille Day celebrations. In his interview, Mr Valls called for a "revolution in our security culture" in view of the jihadist threat.

"Each French person must contribute to collective security," he said.

"An era of innocence has come to an end." (BBC)

Thousands of extra troops were mobilise to patrol France after the Nice attacks(AP)

INTERNATIONAL

GUYANA DAILY NEWS US election: US faces 'moment of reckoning' says Hillary Clinton PAGE 80

Hillary Clinton has told voters the presidential election is a "moment of reckoning", as she made history by accepting the Democratic nomination. Speaking on the final night of the party's convention in Philadelphia, the first US woman nominated by a major party said there were huge challenges. "Powerful forces are threatening to pull us apart," she said. Mrs Clinton accused her Republican opponent in November's election, Donald Trump, of sowing discord. "He wants to divide us - from the rest of the world, and from each other." But Mr Trump tweeted that the speech had failed to address the threat posed by radical Islam, making the former secretary of state unfit to lead the country. Before taking the stage, Mrs Clinton's daughter Chelsea shared personal memories of her mother. "My wonderful, thoughtful, hilarious mother," the 36-year-old said, adding: "She was always there for me." Mrs Clinton had to present herself to the nation as the newly crowned Democratic Party nominee. She had to address doubts some Americans have expressed about her character. And she had to follow up on a Wednesday night that was full of rhetorical all-stars - including Vice-President Joe Biden and, most notably, President Barack Obama. Sometimes making the case for oneself is significantly harder than singing the praises of another. In an acceptance speech that occasionally soared and sometimes trudged along, she did her best to frame the upcoming general election race in her favour. She harkened to the days of the nation's founding - a proven rhetorical tactic that Mr Trump neglected in his acceptance speech last week. The US, she asserted, was founded on compromise and embraced "the enduring truth that we are stronger together" - wrapping her campaign slogan in revolutionary-era regalia. After embracing her daughter, the former secretary of state delivered a speech which featured a stark admission about the threats to national unity. "Bonds of trust and respect are fraying. And just as with our founders there are no guarantees. It truly is up to us. We have to decide whether we're going to work together so we can all rise together." She added: "We are not afraid. We will rise to the challenge, just as we always have." The risk to American prosperity included inequality, limited social mobility, political gridlock, "threats at home and abroad" and frustration over wage stagnation, she said.

Campaign pledges she mentioned: Creating more jobs with rising wages and pay equality Campaign finance reform and protecting voting rights Addressing climate change through clean energy policy "Building a path to citizenship" for undocumented immigrants in the US

FRIDAY, JULY 29, 2016

Raising the national minimum wage "Common-sense" gun control Rejecting "unfair trade deals" and supporting "homegrown manufacturers" However, she was confident these challenges could be overcome with the American values of "freedom and equality, justice and opportunity".

She acknowledged that too many Americans had been "left behind" by economic forces and addressed them directly: "Some of you are frustrated - even furious. And you know what? You're right." Clinton's attacks on Trump "We will not build a wall. Instead, we will build an economy where everyone who wants a good paying job can get one. " "Don't believe anyone who says: 'I alone can fix it.'" "He spoke for 70-odd minutes - and I do mean odd. And he offered zero solutions." "It's just not right that Donald Trump can ignore his debts, but students and families can't refinance theirs." "Explain to me what part of America First leads him to make Trump ties in China, not Colorado."

Another highlight at the convention on Thursday was when the father of a fallen Muslim soldier challenged Donald Trump over his Muslim ban, prompting an ovation. And General John Allen, former commander of US forces in Afghanistan, appeared on stage with other military veterans and gave Mrs Clinton a ringing endorsement as commander-in-chief. Mrs Clinton's high-stakes remarks on the closing night of the four-day convention followed a rousing speech by US President Barack Obama. He said on Wednesday there had never been a man or woman more qualified than Mrs Clinton to serve as president. Mrs Clinton and Mr Trump are set for an election battle widely considered to be a tight race when voters head to the polls in November. (BBC)

Powerful forces threaten US - Hillary Clinton

INTERNATIONAL PAGE 81

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

FRIDAY, JULY 29, 2016

Zika virus: Florida cases 'highly likely' to be first US-based infections Four people suffering from the Zika virus in Florida are probably the first cases contracted within the US, state health officials say.

So far, cases outside of Latin America and the Caribbean, where the virus is prevalent, have been spread by travel to that region or sexual transmission. The four Florida cases raise the chance US mosquitoes can now carry the virus. Zika causes only a mild illness in most people but the virus has been linked to severe brain defects in newborns. The Florida department of health said "a high likelihood exists that four cases are the result of local transmission", centred on one small area just north of downtown Miami. Three of those suffering the virus were in Miami-Dade county, and another in neighbouring Broward county. Gov Rick Scott said the cases involved three men and a woman, and that neither had been hospitalised. The US Food and Drug Administration has asked for blood donation in both counties to be suspended, and Gov Scott said all donations already made would now be tested for Zika. More than 1,650 cases of Zika virus have so far been detected in the United States, but the Florida cases would be the first in the US not involving sexual contact or foreign travel. To confirm whether Zika is being carried by mosquitoes locally, scientists are surveying houses and people within a 150-yard (metre) radius of the cases, the flying distance of the insect. In February, the World Health Organization declared the Zika virus a global public health emergency because of the

risk to newborn children. In severe cases, children can die and babies who survive can face intellectual disability and developmental delays. Gov Scott asked all residents of affected areas to get rid of standing water, where mosquitoes thrives, and for residents to wear insect repellent. How Zika can spread Bites from the aedes aegypti mosquitoes that carry the virus Maternal transmission from mother to baby in the womb Unprotected vaginal, oral or anal sexual intercourse - although rare, the virus can persist in semen Zika virus has been found in other bodily fluids, including saliva and urine, but it is unknown whether it can spread through these routes Blood transfusion - very likely but not confirmed (BBC)

The Zika virus is spread by the aedes aegypti mosquito(REUTERS)

India Dalit couple hacked to death over 22 cents debt A man from India's Dalit community has been beheaded and his wife hacked to death after a row over a 15 rupees (22 cents; 16 pence) debt in Uttar Pradesh state. Police said the couple were murdered by an upper caste grocer on Thursday when they told him they needed time to pay for biscuits they had bought from him. The grocer has been arrested. Dalits, formerly known as untouchables, form the lowest rung of India's caste hierarchy.

Police told the Press Trust of India news agency the incident took place in Mainpuri district early on Thursday as the couple were on their way to work. They were stopped by Ashok Mishra, the owner of a village grocery, who demanded that the couple pay the money for three packets of biscuits that they had bought for their three children a few days ago, reports say.

Protests The couple reportedly told him they would pay after they received their daily wages later in the evening. "While Mishra kept shouting for the money, the couple started walking towards the fields. Mishra then ran to his house nearby and returned with an axe. He hacked Bharat repeatedly and then attacked Mamta who was trying to rescue her husband. The couple died on the spot," Nadeem, a local villager, told The Indian Express newspaper. The Dalit community in the village have blocked roads and protested over the incident. Earlier this month four low-caste Dalit men were assaulted by cow protection vigilantes while trying to skin a dead cow in western Gujarat state. Many Hindus consider cows sacred and the

slaughter of the animal is banned in many Indian states. In March, a Dalit man was murdered for marrying a woman from a higher caste in the southern state of Tamil Nadu. The woman's father handed himself in and admitted to carrying out the attack on a busy road in daylight, police said. (BBC)

The Dalit community in the village have blocked roads and protested over the murders

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LOT12& 13FI FTH STREETAVENUE SUBRYANVI LLESHERI FFSTREET GEORGETOWN DELI VERY:231-0745

LOCAL PAGE 84

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

SATURDAY, JULY 30, 2016

Guyana Looses Over US$18 million From Norway Deal Guyana has lost more than US$18 million dollars under its Forest Protection Agreement with Norway inked in 2009.

Marlon Bristol, Head of the Project Management Unit of the Office of Climate Change (OCC), made the charge on Wednesday when he testified before the Standing Parliamentary Sectorial Committee on Natural Resources. He was among the many department heads to appear before the Committee with Minister of State, Joseph Harmon, and were grilled on the state of the GRIF-Funds. Guyana was promised US$250M under the multi-year Forest Protection Agreement with Norway under the Low Carbon Development Strategy. A Country Update on the Guyana REDD Investment Fund explains that financial losses from the Agreement are expected to amount to approximately US$ 18 million, unless special circumstances apply. The losses are of two sources: (1) penalties under Tranches 3 and 4 from not meeting indicators in the Joint Concept Note and additionally from losses due to adjustments in the exchange rate between the Norwegian Kroner and the United States Dollar. As a result, there is only a potential US$ 25 million to be earned from the final payment under the Guyana- Norway partnership. The consequence of this is that the possible total under the partnership will effectively be US$ 215 million instead of the initial US$ 250 million. Bristol was at the time providing a breakdown of monies currently available to Guyana under the Agreement, in response to a request by Committee Chairman, Odinga Lumumba. He said too, another US$80M has been deposited with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB)–that money, he reminded, was earmarked as part of the financing of the Amaila Falls Hydro Electric Project.

Responding to queries on whether any changes have been made to the agreement, the Committee the Chairman noted that the Government is looking to amend the agreement with the Norwegians. Minister Harmon was unable to provide the Committee with an update on the proposed changes, since according to him, “we are still talking.” He was adamant

however that government is seeking to have involvement of all stakeholders through some form of consultative process.

“Where the expertise in Guyana reside, we are prepared to reach out,” he said. The Guyana REDD+ Investment Fund (GRIF) is a multi-contributor trust fund for the financing of activities identified under the Government of Guyana’s Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS). Pending the creation of an international REDD+ mechanism, the GRIF represents an effort to create an innovative climate finance mechanism which balances national sovereignty over investment priorities while ensuring that REDD+ funds adhere to the highest internationally recognized standards for financial, environmental and social safeguards. The GRIF was established in October 2010, with the World Bank as Trustee, following an agreement signed between Guyana and Norway in November 2009, in which Norway agreed to provide Guyana up to US$250 million by 2015 in performance-based payments for avoided deforestation in support of Guyana's LCDS.

LOCAL PAGE 85

GUYANA DAILY NEWS

SATURDAY, JULY 30, 2016

Guyana’s booming oil sector faces severe challenges However the chances of striking oil in any one specific target are low- something like 20 percent. Over the years a handful of wells have been drilled off of Guyana’s shore, and they came up dry-but with traces of oil that kept hopes alive. If one reservoir is found then it significantly improves the probability of finding many more, however history teaches that sudden wealth isn’t always a panacea.

Nigeria, Angola, Equatorial Guinea and Iran, the list of resourcerich countries that suffer despite their natural riches is long. A windfall can bring corruption, violence, ethnic strife, inflation, environment destruction, and lead to the neglect of sector crucial to the population, such as Agriculture. Guyana gained attention in the world in May when ExxonMobil announced the discovery of more than 90 meters of high-quality, oil-bearing sandstone reservoirs about 120 miles off its coastline. The Liza-1 well was drilled to 5,433 meters in 1,742 meters of water, and is the first well on the Stabroek block, which is 26,800 square kilometers in size.This could potentially hold 700 million barrels of oil equivalent — that would make it worth $40 billion at today’s international crude price. The discovery could be significant for Guyana, which currently doesn’t produce any oil and could use the economic boost. It would also give Exxon a much-needed revival after years of declining production and slowing reserves growth. If the policy of the Government does not reflect, the local population could face severe hardship in Guyana. Crisis in Venezuela: The Venezuela crisis is a perfect example of such neglect to the economy, the Caracas skyline still hints at the opulence that once characterized oil-rich Venezuela. At ground level, there is no hiding today's reality: people are queueing all night for food and medicine; the inflation rate at over 700 percent is the highest in the world; and If the cost of production exceeds the current trading price, how are these murders and kidnappings are spiraling out of control. Venezuelans countries making monies from their oil production? Currently most of who can, are fleeing their country, once a magnet for immigrants. these oil producing countries are selling a large percentage of their And with unnecessary political confrontation mounting steadily, reserves and producing very little because of the high cost of production; many warn that a nation that boasts one of the world's largest oil this could create dilemma for Guyana based on this analysis.Assuming reserves is on the edge of an abyss. Political violence against there will be great financial returns from the proceeds of oil, concerns have opponents of the populist government of President Nicolas been raised as to whether there are any economic policy to support the Maduro is intensifying, but it is common crime that is terrifying crumbling infrastructure, increase in wages, better telecommunication, most Venezuelans, no matter what their beliefs or social increase in pension, transportation, health, decrease cost of living and class.Venezuela is now one of world's most dangerous countries, moving Guyana to becoming one of the industrialise nation. Oil Wells off and Caracas, its capital, the city with one of the highest murder the coast of South America’s only English-speaking country are now rates in the world, according to a recent study.Violent crime is being drilled in earnest. Should the drilling release the expected millions rampant and the police are unable to stop people from looting, or of barrels of oil and trillions of cubic feet of natural gas, the country’s others from killing for a bag of food. The looting of bakeries, economy will boom.However, a booming economy must ultimately pharmacies and especially supermarkets is spreading through the produce top jobs for locals from what will become its highest-paying country. At long queues of people waiting to buy food, the army is industry. If it fails to spread the benefits of high earnings across the entire deployed to maintain order. Many airlines are now refusing to fly. community, the industries will not be beneficial for the Guyanese people. Government opponents and even some supporters see a so-called Will Guyana benefit from this much touted venture? The prospects of oil recall referendum to force President Maduro to step down as the for a country is huge, however it is hard to overstate how much is at stake only peaceful and constitutional way to avoid bloodshed. But for Guyana. If CGX strikes oil in one of the big targets and produces just a Maduro, who controls the army, the electoral council and the tenth of that oil each year, of 50 million barrels, assuming crude oil prices Supreme Court, is trying to block or at best postpone the continues to increase and the cost of production, the annual profits could referendum, while internationally bartered attempts to arrive at a be around US$2billion.Under a profit- sharing agreement, Guyana would negotiated alternative remain at an impasse.And as Venezuela's get half the profits-providing a fourfold increase in the government’s political, economic and humanitarian crisis deepens, there is a real revenues that could go toward paying off debts and further investing in the fear that if there is no certainty of a democratic way out of the crisis, that time bomb will go off.-By- Ronald Singh, Guyana Daily News. country.

Guyana may not have the human resource capital that is needed for the reported incoming oil boom and questions have been raised as to whether the University of Guyana (UG) can produce the manpower needed for the sector in the coming years.Both CGX and ExxonMobil are on the verge of accessing oil beneath the ocean floors in Guyana’s territory and some concerns have been raised whether Guyana has the ability to keep the cost of production competitive.Crude oil is currently trading at $40.28 on the New York Mercantile Exchange, however based on a statement released

by OPEC the current cost of production by countries are as follows:

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GUYANA DAILY NEWS

SATURDAY, JULY 30, 2016

Exxon Mobil Profits Sinks 59% Exxon reported its quarterly profit fell nearly 60 percent from a year ago as commodity prices remained low and its refining margins were weak. The world's largest publicly traded integrated oil company earned $1.7 billion, or an adjusted 41 cents per share in the second quarter, compared with $4.2 billion, or $1 per share, in the year ago period. Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters had expected earnings per share of 64 cents. The stock was 2.6 percent lower in premarket trading. "While our financial results reflect a volatile industry environment, ExxonMobil remains focused on business fundamentals, cost discipline and advancing selective new investments across the value chain to extend our competitive advantage," CEO Rex Tillerson said in a statement. Revenues were $57.694 billion, versus $74.11 billion in the second quarter of 2015. Earnings in ExxonMobil's upstream exploration and production business fell by $1.7 billion as the company's liquids and natural gas products fetched a lower price. The Irving, Texas-based company produced 4 million barrels of oil equivalent per day, with liquids output up 1.7 percent and natural gas production down 3.6 percent. Downstream earnings were down $681 million, due to weaker refining margins. Refiners have seen their profit margins squeezed this year as prices rise for crude oil, the feedstock for gasoline. U.S. crude prices rebounded about 85 percent from the lows of January through the end of the second quarter. Earlier in the oil price downturn, integrated oil companies' refining operations offset battered production segments. The amount of gasoline sitting in storage in the United States is about 15 percent above the five-year average, RBC Capital Markets said in a note ahead of earnings.

As such, the firm expects weak profit margins from refining crude oil into gasoline to persist at least through the spring of 2017. ExxonMobil left its quarterly dividend unchanged at 75 cents per share ahead of earnings on Wednesday. The company hasn't raised its dividend since the second quarter of 2014.

Dividend distributions for the quarter totaled $3.1 billion. ExxonMobil announced last week it would purchase exploration and development company Inter

Oil in a deal worth $2.5 billion. The oil major operates a project to develop and produce liquid natural gas in Papua New Guinea. The acquisition gives ExxonMobil access to Inter oil's resource base, including ElkAntelope, one of the largest gas fields in Asia. Earlier in the quarter, ExxonMobil said drilling results in its offshore Guyana assets yielded significant discoveries, estimated at 800 million to 1.4 billion recoverable barrels of oil equivalent resources.

LOCAL

GUYANA DAILY NEWS Outgoing UN Representative Khadija Musa has served Guyana with distinction-says President Granger at farewell reception PAGE 87

Georgetown, Guyana – (July 30, 2016) President David Granger, last evening, bade farewell to outgoing United Nations Resident Coordinator in Guyana and the United Nations Development Programme Resident Representative, Ms. Khadija Musa, who he said has served Guyana with distinction over the last four years. The President was at the time addressing attendees at a farewell reception for Ms. Musa, held at the Pegasus Hotel. “Ms. Musa presented her credentials to the Minister of Foreign Affairs in February 2012. She came not as a novice but as a hard-headed, though not hard-hearted, veteran of complex situations in over 20 countries. Her work in Africa, especially in Egypt, Ethiopia, Liberia, Tanzania and Uganda, in Asia, during the South East Asia tsunami catastrophe, in Afghanistan, in the Middle East and in Europe more than adequately prepared her for the final [and] fulfilling assignment here in Georgetown. Guyana has benefited from her more than 25 years of experience as an international public servant in the United Nations system. We thank her for superintending the delivery of tangible benefits to the Guyanese people,” President Granger said. Guyana acknowledges the wideranging support and assistance provided during the ‘Musa quadrennium’, he said, noting that there was no area of governmental activity to which she did not lend her energy, expertise and experience.“Her portfolio ranged from Amerindian land-titling, to climate change, democratic governance, the environment, inter-faith harmony, information and communication technology, the media, occupational health and safety, poverty reduction, public health, social cohesion, social protection, solid waste management and much more. The UNDP, during this period, played an active role in strengthening public trust in our institutions and in our capacity to deliver the good life. The Resident Coordinator has been at the front, centre and behind all of these projects. Guyana will remember Ms. Musa with respect and gratitude. We wish her a happy continuation of service. We look forward to seeing her back in Guyana in some other helpful capacity,” the President said. Meanwhile, in her address, Ms. Musa said that Guyana has great potential and a great future. The outgoing diplomat said that Guyana has rich mineral resources and a diverse heritage, which, with good governance, can see the country taking off on an upward trajectory, thereby providing every Guyanese with a good life.“…when I read the newspapers and I read that a lot of young Guyanese are graduating and heading north, I think they are misled and there is much greater potential here. So I think it is important to learn how these young Guyanese, who are flying north, can be enticed to stay and be a part of the future of this country. I think there is huge potential here and I can see that. Every morning I got up and I thought about the potential of this country, it made me work harder and harder to at least help in our small way as a UN team, to contribute to improvement and going forward….” she said.

Supporting President Granger’s push for a unified nation with the establishment of a Ministry of Social Cohesion and and a well articulated policy direction, Ms. Musa called on the nation to live in

SATURDAY, JULY 30, 2016

solidarity. She noted that while there are differences, cultural and otherwise, these should not cause separation or discrimination but rather, must foster camaraderie. “I wait also for the day when Guyanese are united; become one and start thinking as Guyanese. I know cultural differences are important but those are cultural and one can enjoy them and admire them and still live together or visit each other, but everyone should pitch in and enjoy it as a country and not let it divide you. Think to be Guyanese first then enjoy your cultures, whether it is Afro-Guyanese, Indo- Guyanese or Portuguese Guyanese. It is really important to be one. Don’t let politicians divide. If you do that, you will not grow. I think you have a wonderful, wonderful country and you have great resources so demand good governance,” she said.

The UN envoy also commended the Government on development efforts and called on Guyanese to work together for good of country.“I see really genuine efforts to develop the country. I see very genuine planning and I think that it is really very important to support this process and provide the support for the Government to succeed. Human beings always have their doubts but let the process be and you may be surprised and you may do extremely well,” she said.First Lady, Mrs. Sandra Granger, Vice President and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Carl Greenidge, Minister of Social Protection, Ms. Volda Lawrence, Minister within the Ministry of Social Protection, Mr. Keith Scott, members of the diplomatic corps and the United Nations affiliates in Guyana also attended the reception.

Outgoing United Nations Representative in Guyana, Ms. Khadija Musa makes a point to President David Granger, during her brief remarks, last evening, at the farewell reception held in her honour at the Pegasus Hotel.

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GUYANA DAILY NEWS

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Emancipation Day in Guyana As the three day weekend begins, Guyanese are preparing to family and have a few drinks and some fun. -By- Jarred Singh, celebrate Emancipation Day on August 1. Emancipation Day is Guyana Dialy News. also referred to as ‘Freedom Day’ in Guyana, referencing when slavery was abolished in 1834. Most Guyanese utilize the holiday to stay at home and relax while others would join the celebrations in the National Park. Conveniently this year’s August 1st is also the first Monday in August to which residents in Essequibo deem “August Monday”, a day where the masses of the Essequibo Coast and close by islands take a day off from work and travel to the Hamburg Beach, Tiger Island to revel in celebrations. The Guyana Daily News in an attempt to understand what the day means to those in and around Guyana and what they will be doing to celebrate the day caught up and talked to some persons: “To me, the day means freedom therefore I usually spend the day away from doing any laborious activities and I throwback and either watch television or visit my mother in the country side,” one woman said. An American national said: “back home we don’t usually have much that happens, so I plan to go and see what are some of the activities that will be observed.” Funnily enough one man said “I planning to go nowhere that day, I hope to spend the day watching the cricket once West Indies don’t get bowled out early.” Other persons who the Guyana Daily News caught up with gave similar answers saying that they plan to have an outing with the

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GUYANA DAILY NEWS

SATURDAY, JULY 30, 2016

PRESS RELEASE The People's Progressive Party (PPP) salutes our Afro-Guyanese brothers and sisters on the occasion of Emancipation Day. This is indeed a fitting moment to reflect on the sacrifices made by our African ancestors who were brought to the shores of Guyana in chains in order to provide free labour to the sugar planters.

To say that our African ancestors suffered at the hands of the sugar planters would be an understatement. Indeed, they were stripped of their humanity and dignity and made to toil long hours to keep the wheels of the sugar mills turning and in the process churning out profits for the expatriate sugar barons. Many were tortured and brutally killed for standing up for their rights but the spirit of resistance finally won the day and freedom was eventually won in August 1838. Several epic battles and rebellion took place during the long march to freedom, the most notable of which was the Berbice Slave rebellion led by Cuffy.

Despite the hardships and cruelty of plantation life, the freed slaves were successful in forging a society after emancipation and by dint of hard work and thrift purchased a number of villages where they eked out an independent existence despite attempts by the sugar planters to sabotage their newly won independence. There can be no doubt that the foundations of a modern society and economy were firmly laid by our African ancestors who peacefully co-existed with the indentured labourers after slavery was abolished and in several instances lent mutual support to each other when their interests and livelihood came under threat by the planter class.

The strong bonds of solidarity between Africans and indentured labourers, the vast majority of whom came from India is testimony to the fact that race was never a barrier when it comes to the defense and protection of fundamental human rights including the right to work and to live in an environment of peace, prosperity and respect.

The PPP from its very inception as a political party has consistently embraced the principle of racial equality and a governance mechanism where each and every Guyanese regardless of race, colour or creed be given an equal opportunity to contribute to the good of society. The PPP wishes to reiterate this commitment to free, democratic and cohesive society, one in which their is no privileged race but where all races work and live in unison to build a strong and prosperous Guyana.

The PPP is proud of the fact that it remains the largest multi-ethnic political party and will continue to welcome all Guyanese into its ranks from all races and ethnicities who, like our fore parents share the vision of a society where the good life is enjoyed not by a privileged few but by the society as a whole.

The PPP is aware of attempts by the current Granger administration to sow the seeds of discord among the Guyanese people by reinvoking the bogey of race but like all previous attempts it will fail to sully the image of the PPP as the only genuine and true multiracial party in Guyana.

Once again, happy emancipation greetings to all Guyanese, in particular our Afro-Guyanese brothers and sisters.

People's Progressive Party July 30, 2016

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GUYANA DAILY NEWS

SATURDAY, JULY 30, 2016

Fatal collision in St Andrew ST ANDREW, Jamaica — A man is dead after being struck by a bus on the Golden Spring main road. He is 57-year-old Franklyn Smith of Temple Hall, Stony Hill. Reports from the Stony Hill Police are that about 2:55 pm on Friday, Smith was walking along the main road when the driver of a motor car allegedly failed to negotiate a corner and collided with a bus which hit Smith. Smith was taken to hospital where he died while undergoing treatment. (Jamaica Observer)

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GUYANA DAILY NEWS

SATURDAY, JULY 30, 2016

Give us back 6 companies The United Shareholders Limited’s plan to deal with Clico’s residual debts to Government envisages that CL Financial retain control of six companies—including Angostura Holdings Limited, Colfire Ltd and Home Construction Ltd—and that there be a joint approach among shareholders and Government to steer Clico’s future. This is part of a letter of April 25, 2016, sent by Roger Duprey (chairman CL Duprey Investment Trust Ltd) to Finance Minister Colm Imbert on the plan. USL has represented Clico shareholders on matters since 2012, following collapse of the former insurance giant in 2009 when the then Patrick Manning People’s National Movement government had formulated a bailout plan. The subsequent People’s Partnership administration continued efforts on the matter. The current Dr Keith Rowley-led PNM administration, in its first budget last year, pledged to resolve the matter.

Imbert reached out to USL in April for input, following which USL submitted its April 25 letter with its proposals. But after subsequent Government statements on the direction being taken with CL assets and other recent developments, USL and other combined Duprey family interests sent Government a blistering letter of concern on Monday (July 25) alleging suspected Government “betrayal and deception” in the Clico matter and seeking answers on its suspicions. In particular it highlighted that Government had “reneged” on an undertaking to provide USL with a statement of the debt that is owed to Government for the Clico bailout and on its undertaking not to dispose of the assets of the group pending proposed discussions. Imbert told T&T Guardian on Wednesday that he will deal with the matter when he returns from his foreign assignment. In USL’s earlier April 25 letter to Imbert, they noted a call on April 20 by Imbert to USL chairman Kirk Carpenter and Imbert’s request to identify “what the CLF shareholders want and expect, and what has been previously discussed with the Government.” In that letter, Duprey stated, “We agree Government needs to have a firm plan for full and final settlement of this long outstanding matter which started in 2009. We’ve prepared the following points that will not only give the shareholders’ views, but also ensure Government is repaid in the soonest possible time.” The letter noted that in an effort to formulate a debt repayment plan on the agreement, the USL, acting on behalf of CLF and its shareholders—and after resolutions of CLF shareholders of May 2012—held discussions with the Finance Ministry on this. But parties were unable to reach consensus on the final amount of the Government debt. In May 2013, a third extension of the shareholders’ agreement was done. It was envisaged that a new shareholders’ agreement would have been finalised, but this was delayed up to the September 2015 general election. It was noted that the current Government, “in order to give itself time to consider the economic situation of the country, requested a six-month extension to April 30th, 2016.”

The letter added, “USL, upon consideration of that extension request, needed to have it made clear that neither party to the shareholders’ agreement could veto the other party’s director nominations.That matter was never addressed and accordingly, the shareholders never signed the extension that was sought. It is our

understanding this matter will be resolved soon. “In any event, it was the shareholders’ understanding that purpose of any extension of the shareholders’ agreement was to facilitate the completion of negotiations in relation to a new shareholders’ agreement and the implementation of the Heads of Agreement. (HOA). “We, shareholders, were therefore somewhat taken aback by the Honourable Minister of Finance’s plan for CLF as articulated in the recent midyear budget review. A plan which does not reflect the substance and tenor of previous discussions between Government and CLF Shareholders or the concrete proposals contained in the HOA, but which articulated the sale of certain CLF assets, including its interests in Angostura Holdings Limited and land assets of Home Construction Limited. “Such sales being contemplated as they appear to be, in the midst of an economic downturn, cannot be in the best interest of CLF, its shareholders, creditors and other stakeholders, including the taxpayers of T&T whose objective is and in whose best interest it is to maximise the amounts obtained from any sales of assets.” CLF shareholder representatives therefore obtained a meeting on April, 13 2016, with Imbert, newly-appointed Government representatives to the CLF Board and Central Bank representatives. The letter added, “Despite the lengthy period of time over which the CLF Shareholders’ requests have been made, shareholders have not been able to fully quantify the actual debt owed to Government and have been unable to reach agreement on a timeline for repayment on the amounts owed by the company. “This has hindered shareholders in their ability from using their voting powers to assist CLF and its affiliates in taking steps to ‘correct’ the financial position of Clico, Clico Investment Bank and British American by its repayment to Government so that funds advanced by taxpayers can be paid in full.”

Joint approach on Clico future The USL group submitted a repayment plan for Imbert’s “consideration.” They also requested a joint approach to steer Clico’s future. USL also asked that several points on CLF management be incorporated into the next extension of the shareholders’ agreement.

They were: (a) That any sale of the assets of CLF, and also the assets of any of the subsidiaries, would require the approval of at least one shareholder director; (b) That the appointment, and/or dismissal of senior management, and/or executives of CLF, and also all of its subsidiaries would require the approval of at least one shareholder director. (c) That appointments to subsidiary boards at all levels would require the support of at least one shareholder director; (d) That Government would instruct Clico to put on hold the transfer and/or sale of any shares it owns in CL World Brands, Angostura and HCL and any land or buildings it owns, until the final quantum of debt owed by CLF to Government is resolved, and a repayment agreement is in place, or until there is agreement by CLF, which agreement must be supported by at least one shareholder director. (e) That Government and shareholders meet to discuss the proposed sale of the Clico block of business as well as CLF representation on the board of Clico. The letter noted that “only recently, with the strong guidance of the shareholders directors,” CLF was able to turn around the Tobago Plantations Limited subsidiary, ...

and we expect with the proposed new land valuation, this company will be among one of the most highly capitalised companies in the group.” The letter ended, “...As you know, a strong CLF group ensures that no monopolies take hold in the various industries in which we compete in, with the consumer being the ultimate beneficiary, especially in this current low growth period before us.”

Clico shareholders’ repayment plan includes: n Full claim by Government—approximately $23.5b.

Figure needs to be verified and accepted by CLF and the shareholders and agreed to by Government. n Residual debt—Angostura, CL World Brands and HCL shares (in Clico). The cost of the shares held by Clico in Angostura, CL World Brands and HCL are currently valued at approximately $1.7b. n To meet Government’s need for funds “sooner rather than later,” it’s proposed to settle the residual debt now. This can be achieved in several ways upon final determination of the debt. n Some of the ways are sale of certain lands of HCL to the GORTT (already noted

by Government as an interest); sell down of “our equity position” in the residual companies; raising of additional debt from the companies; injection of new capital into the group by new investors; obtaining a reasonable credit for the loss of premium associated with the sale of the controlling interest in Republic Bank Limited (51.37 per cent) owned by the Group in 2009; income from the Clico block of business. n The residual debt plan, which the group intends to settle now, envisaged CLF would remain with varying percentages, but retain control of Angostura Holdings Limited; Home Construction Limited; CL Marine Limited; Colfire Limited; Caribbean Petrochemical Marketing Limited and CL World Brands Limited. n Clico Closed Block of Business—Both Government and CLF should test the viability of retaining the Clico block of business. A sale price of between $300-400 million is projected. It is believed from historical data and comparisons to other closed blocks that the Clico block will generate considerable profits that will be able to contribute to repaying any final residual amount. n Republic Bank Premium—can be between 15 per cent to 30 per cent based on various factors, in terms of today’s share price of $111.00.

Colm Imbert

REGIONAL

GUYANA DAILY NEWS Prakash: I’m not crossing the floor St Augustine MP Prakash Ramadhar says he has no intention of St Augustine. I am voted in on a ticket and I will never betray that trust.

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crossing the floor in Parliament and joining the PNM Government.

Ramadhar said that during a news conference at his St Augustine constituency office in Tunapuna yesterday. The allegation arose following his visit to Jamaica as part of an official delegation led by Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley and including three government ministers earlier this month. Opposition Leader Kamla PersadBissessar said Ramadhar did not consult her before accepting an invitation from Rowley to travel to Jamaica. Couva North MP Ramona Ramdial, who was also invited by Rowley, declined. The visit was intended to resolve certain immigration issues which could have resulted on a boycott of T&T goods by Jamaicans. The matter arose after Jamaicans claimed they were being unfairly denied entry in this country. Ramadhar said the visit was very successful as many of the concerns were resolved. Asked about his relationship with PersadBissessar, Ramadhar said as far as he was aware it remained cordial.

“We have had difficulties from time to-time but we had been able to overcome them,” he added. He said he attempted to contact her before the visit but was unsuccessful, adding that they have still not yet discussed the matter. Ramadhar said Persad-Bissessar was entitled to her views on the matter, adding that “it was not without precedence that efforts had gone without success in the past.” He said while some “maybe preparing to firm up in Opposition, I am preparing for future governance.” Ramadhar smiled when asked if there was any truth to the claim that he was likely to cross the floor and join the PNM Government. He said he remained “committed to the constituents of

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The issue of crossing the floor has never crossed my mind. That is pure fantasy.” He said it was only a few people on social media that have called for his resignation. He said his visit to Jamaica was to help constituents of St Augustine w h o d o business with Jamaica.

Ramadhar said businessmen at the Macoya Industrial Estate met with him prior to his visit and requested his assistance with the Jamaicans who were threatening to boycott their g o o d s .

(Trinidad Guardian)

Nation is crying The nation of T&T needs to be fixed from its head straight down in light of its poor judicial system. These were the words of Pastor Kelvin Bhagwandeen yesterday, as he delivered a fiery, dynamic and “real” message to the scores of mourners who turned up to pay their last respects to slain MTS security guard Carlene Grant at the Carapichaima Community Centre. Grant, 45, was on night duty at the Waterloo Community Centre on Tuesday night when she was confronted by a man who stabbed then beat her with a sledgehammer. In delivering his sermon yesterday, Bhagwandeen, pastor of the New Beginning House of Praise, said it was a sad thing where “straight forward” cases enter the justice system and are faced with many obstacles, including long trial periods. “Cases like this (referring to Grant’s murder) should not have to go through no trial when there is all the evidence and witnesses. It is a sad thing when the courts will decide to send them (accused people) to St Ann’s for evaluation to determine if the person was crazy or not. But they surely knew how to premeditate on it,” Bhagwandeen said. He questioned how many people ever got prosecuted for their crimes, adding in most cases years pass and nothing comes out of the matters, while grieving families are not be able to get the justice they truly deserve. “When they write up that the person is crazy, they will get a good lawyer to get the person out. But I tell you today, it is the act of the Devil. I believe in when you do the crime, you pay the time. I believe in touch not the Lord’s anointed. We don’t have to take revenge, God will,” he added. Bhagwandeen said that it was time for the country to get a wake up call. “The laws of the land are slacking, but the laws of God are still operating and they will never escape.” People who tote the Holy Bible and go to church also got a shake up from the pastor. He said carrying a Bible in their hands and dressing up to go to church will not get them to heaven. “What makes you a believer and a child of God is your lifestyle. Develop a praying relationship with God. Your heart must be pure and your mind must be fixed on God. God will teach you not to hate your

neighbour but to love them, so the more you pray in this country the less crime it will have,” Bhagwandeen said. “There is no more sweet T&T. The nation is crying and there is need for a change, a turn around of the country.

No new political party or new government can do that. Humility is everything.” Bhagwandeen, who knew Grant very well, described her as the perfect example of how a parent should be. “She worked hard for her children and encouraged them to pray and go to church,” he said. In delivering the eulogy, Grant’s mother, Ingrid Driggs, said her daughter always wanted to see her children happy. Grant’s daughter, Milikka, meanwhile said the situation was a hard one to face but promised to always remember that special joy that her mother had and gave them. (Trinidad Guardian)

MTS Estate Sergeant Gemma Ottley cries as she views the body of her murdered colleague, Carlene Grant, at yesterday’s funeral service at the Carapichaima Community Centre.

PHOTO: ABRAHAM DIAZ

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GUYANA DAILY NEWS

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Protest greets ministers at PTSC’s Wi-Fi launch Angry employees of the Public Transport Service Corporation (PTSC) yesterday up-staged a slew of government ministers who had gathered to launch the Government’s Wi-Fi on Buses service at the City Gate hub, as they demanded to speak with line minister Fitzgerald Hinds about monies owed to them. The protestors, led by the Public Services Association branch chairman Darryl Lamy, said they wanted to “remind” the Government that close to 300 workers were to receive arrears, gratuities and payments in lieu of vacation leave. Promised that they would have been paid by last November, Lamy said the workers had been waiting patiently for the monies which spanned 2011 to 2013. The workers made their presence felt just as Public Administration and Communications Minister Maxie Cuffie took to the podium to deliver the feature address on the theme “From Drums to Wi-Fi” during which he spoke of the free service being provided by telecommunications giant Digicel.

Barred from entering the area where the formal event was being held, the group grew larger as word spread of what was happening; prompting Lamy to move the protest to the southern side of the facility where the loading bays are located. In full view of seven Cabinet ministers and members of the public, the group refused to be appeased by PTSC general manager Ronald Forde and several other communications officials who appealed to them to desist from engaging in industrial action, promising that Hinds would hear them out later. During an unplanned meeting with Lamy and a contingent of the workers following the event, Hinds said, “They are satisfied with what I have told them and I am satisfied with what they have told me.” Declining to reveal what was discussed, Hinds would only say the meeting was cordial, disciplined and productive. Regarding the payment of outstanding monies, he pointed out the difficult economic times that T&T was currently experiencing but assured that as soon as the Finance Minister could source the necessary funds, the workers would be paid. Unwilling to let the mid-morning hiccup derail government’s plan to increase internet connectivity across the nation, Cuffie praised PTSC for partnering with them to ensure the public could stay connected while en-route to their various destinations. Claiming that City Gate could now be referred to as the gateway to the information superhighway, Cuffie said persons traveling from Port-of-Spain to Arima, Sangre Grande, Chaguanas, San Fernando and Diego Martin could now enjoy the free online service. Adding that Cabinet’s agreement to reconstitute the E-business round-table was evidence of their commitment to ensure the process was well planned and organised, Cuffie stressed that there were limits to what the public could access on the internet. He said, “This service was not designed to stream movies or television shows. It was designed for real-time experiences such as checking your email, downloading a map of the city or making a quick Skype call.” TTWi-Fi does not allow users to access Web

sites that may be deemed inappropriate or unsuitable such as pornography, gambling or sites that promote hate and or acts of crime. The current fleet of buses outfitted with Wi-Fi include seven Higer deluxe coaches and six Sunlong CNG-fully airconditioned buses. PTSC officials have promised that the service will soon be expanded to include Point Fortin and Tobago. Cuffie said while there were was a limit of two one-hour sessions per day, it should be ample time for commuters to conduct their business. Quoting from a Global Information Technology Report compiled by the World Economic Forum which ranked T&T as 67 out of 139 countries in the Network Readiness Index, Cuffie said this reflected an improvement of three places from 2015. In the category of individuals using the internet, this country was ranked 47; while in the category of households with internet access, it was ranked at 64. T&T was also ranked number one for Mobile Network Coverage out of the 139 countries. Declaring that, “We cannot develop a digital economy until we develop a digital government,” Cuffie said yesterday marked the city’s journey to position itself to join the ranks of first-world status in the area of internet connectivity.

Excited over the introduction of free Wi-Fi, Hinds said the time had come for T&T to step up its game in the area of cutting edge developments. Questioned later on as to why Digicel was chosen as the service provider, Cuffie explained that a competitive bidding process had been conducted and they were found to be the most suitable. Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh, who was also in attendance, confirmed there were two cases in which pregnant women had been diagnosed with the Zika virus. However, he declined to provide any more information as he cited the issue of patient confidentiality.

(Trinidad Guardian)

Government Ministers, from left, Public Administration and Communication Maxi Cuffie, Sport, Daryl Smith, Health, Terrence Deyalsingh, Works and Transport, Fitzgerald Hinds, and Chief Executive Officer Digicel Trinidad and Tobago Ltd Sacha Thompson test the Wi-Fi in a PTSC bus after the formal launch at City Gate, Port-of-Spain, yesterday.

PHOTO: SHIRLEY BAHADUR

INTERNATIONAL

GUYANA DAILY NEWS France church attack: Kermiche friend 'detained before assault’ PAGE 94

A friend of one of the two men who killed a French priest in Normandy was detained only days before the attack took place, reports say. The 17-year-old tried to travel to Syria last year with Adel Kermiche, French and Swiss media say. The unnamed teenager was reportedly arrested in Geneva earlier this month and handed over to French authorities. Days later, on Tuesday, his friend Kermiche went on to kill Father Jacques Hamel in his church near Rouen. The news of the detention of a close friend of Kermiche, who pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group in a video, comes at a time when French intelligence services are under close scrutiny. Reports in Le Parisien and the Tribune de Geneve newspapers said it was not known why the 17-year-old, from northern France, went to Geneva earlier this month. He had already tried to fly with Kermiche to Syria via Switzerland last year. Both were turned back from Turkey. In the latest development, Swiss security services picked up the teenager, and another friend, on 20 July and handed them over to French authorities. A source told AFP news agency that "nothing suggests he was in any way implicated" in the church attack on 26 July. After trying to leave to Syria, Kermiche was released with a monitoring tag earlier this year, despite prosecutors' call for his continued detention. Kermiche and the other attacker,

SATURDAY, JULY 30, 2016

Abdel Malik Petitjean, were shot dead by police outside the church in St-Etienne-du-Rouvray. They had slit the throat of Fr Hamel, 86, and taken hostages during Mass. A French parliamentary report on 5 July called for a major revamp of the intelligence services, after an analysis of last year's Paris attacks which killed 147 people. The head of the inquiry, judge and politician Georges Fenech, said French intelligence was aware of the jihadists before the attacks, but the services had failed to exchange information about them. (BBC)

Locals remembered Kermiche as a "geek" who loved the internet

Syria conflict: 'Families leave' besieged Aleppo Dozens of families have left besieged eastern areas of the city of Aleppo along a humanitarian corridor, Syrian state media says. The civilians boarded buses and were taken to temporary shelters, state news agency Sana said. Some rebels had also surrendered to government forces, the report said. Russia, an ally of the Syrian government, announced on Thursday that four exit corridors would be opened in Aleppo for civilians and rebels. The move was welcomed cautiously by the UN, the US and some aid agencies. The US has suggested the plan may be an attempt to force the evacuation of civilians and the surrender of rebel groups in the city. On Friday, the United Nations envoy to Syria said the corridors should be administered by the UN and that there should be a 48-hour ceasefire for people to leave safely. About 300,000 people are trapped in rebel-held eastern Aleppo and the UN says food supplies are expected to run out in mid-August. "This morning dozens of families left via the corridors identified... to allow the exit of citizens besieged by terrorist groups in the eastern neighbourhoods," Sana reported. It showed pictures of people, mostly women and children, walking past soldiers and getting onto buses.

It said they were taken to temporary shelters but gave no details. The report also said some fighters had surrendered to the authorities. A Russian army spokesman said 85 civilians and 29 fighters had left via the corridors on Friday and 52 civilians and 24 fighters on Saturday. Lt-Gen Sergei Chvarkov told the state-owned Russian news channel Rossiya 24 that four more corridors would be opened up. He also said that six temporary shelters had been set up to accommodate at least 3,000 people. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has offered an amnesty for rebels surrendering within three months. UK-based monitoring group the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also said that "a number" of civilians had left eastern Aleppo through a passage in the Salaheddin neighbourhood. Some reports have said rebel groups are preventing civilians from leaving. The Syrian opposition, however, says the corridors are a government ploy to recapture all of Aleppo. "These corridors are not for getting aid in, but driving people

out," said Basma Kodmani of the opposition High Negotiations Committee. "The brutal message to our people is: leave or starve." Rebels have been in control of much of eastern Aleppo since July 2012 but the Syrian army, backed by pro-government militia and Syrian and Russian jets, has recently driven them back. The government recently seized the northern suburb of Bani Zeid after fierce fighting. UN envoy Staffan de Mistura said on Friday that the UN supported the humanitarian corridors in principle but it wanted Russia to provide more details on how they would work. "Our suggestion to Russia is to actually leave the corridors being established at their initiative to us," Mr de Mistura told reporters in Geneva.

"The UN and humanitarian partners know what to do." US Secretary of State John Kerry said that if the operation was "a ruse" it could disrupt USRussian co-operation in Syria. "On the other hand, if we're able to work it out and have a complete understanding of what is happening and then agreement on (the) way forward, it could actually open up some possibilities," he said. (BBC)

Thousands of civilians are trapped in eastern Aleppo and running out of food and water((AFP)

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GUYANA DAILY NEWS

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Hundreds rally in Australia over juvenile 'torture' footage Hundreds of people have rallied in cities across Australia following allegations of abuse against boys in juvenile detention. Demonstrators gathered in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane to express shock at footage showing indigenous boys being tear-gassed. The video also shows a boy wearing a "spit hood" while cuffed to a chair. Australia's Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull, has called for an investigation. However, he rejected calls for a broader national inquiry. Around 700 people rallied in Melbourne and 300 in Sydney, according to Reuters.

Footage of the abuse first emerged on national broadcaster ABC's Four Corners programme. Filmed at the Don Dale youth detention centre in the Northern Territory, the programme focuses on the treatment of Dylan Voller, who was assaulted, stripped naked and kept in solitary confinement aged 13 and 14.

At one stage he was strapped to a restraint chair while wearing a hood for almost two hours. He was also among a group of six children who were subdued with tear gas. The United Nations Human Rights Commission said it was shocked by the footage.

"We encourage the Government to extend the scope of the investigation... to establish that such appalling treatment is not

taking place in any other place of detention in Australia," it said in a statement - adding that authorities should compensate the children. The six boys are seeking damages for mistreatment, according to ABC. Indigenous people represent about 3% of Australia's population but are 26 times more likely to be in detention than non-Indigenous youth, according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. (BBC)

Demonstrators gathered in major cities across Australia(REUTERS)

Armenia police clash with protesters amid hostage crisis Riot police in the Armenian capital, Yerevan, have clashed with supporters of an armed group barricaded with hostages inside a police station. Dozens of protesters were hurt. Three gunmen were wounded in earlier clashes. The group stormed the building nearly two weeks ago seeking the release of "political prisoners" including opposition leader Jirair Sefilian. Mr Sefilian has strongly criticised President Serge Sarkisian's handling of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Police with truncheons and stun grenades charged at protesters shouting "Free independent Armenia" and "Serge, leave!". Sputnik Armenia news agency said as many as 60 people had been injured in the riots and about 40 were still being treated in hospital. Radio Liberty said three of its journalists were among the injured and that a camera was smashed. More than 100 people were reportedly detained by police. The three gunmen who were wounded sustained their injuries in a shootout earlier on Friday. They were apparently shot in the legs by snipers. Two of them were escorted to hospital under armed guard. The group seized the police station on 17 July, killing one policeman and taking several hostages. Some of the captives have since been freed. They released a video demanding the release of Mr Sefilian and a number of others, and urging supporters on to the streets. The CivilNet newspaper identified the group as the Daredevils of Sassoun. The group has been quoted as saying it will retaliate

if attacked and has no intention of surrendering. Mr Sefilian, a former military commander, has criticised the government's handling of the long-running conflict involving proArmenian separatists in the region of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Nagorno-Karabakh lies within Azerbaijan but has an ethnic Armenian majority. A bloody war erupted after the end of Soviet rule in 1988, and there has been frequent unrest since, the latest in April, when clashes left dozens dead. (BBC)

Protests have been held regularly since the police station was seized on 17 July(AP)

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GUYANA DAILY NEWS

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Texas hot air balloon crashes with 16 on board A hot air balloon with 16 people on board has crashed in the US state of Texas, local reports say.

The balloon came down near Lockhart, south of the city of Austin, after catching fire. It is not known whether there are any injuries or fatalities. A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) statement said the balloon came down in a field at about 07:40 (12:40 GMT). (BBC)

Russia cyber attack: Large hack 'hits government’ A "professional" cyber attack has hit Russian government bodies, the country's intelligence service says. A "cyber-spying virus" was found in the networks of about 20 organisations, the Federal Security Service (FSB) said. The report comes as Russia stands accused over data breaches involving the Democratic Party in the US. The Russian government has denied involvement and has denounced the "poisonous anti-Russian" rhetoric coming out of Washington. The FSB did not say who it believed was responsible for hacking Russian networks, but said the latest hack resembled "much-spoken-about" cyberspying, without elaborating. It said the hack had been "planned and made professionally", and targeted state organisations, scientific and defence companies, as well as "country's critically important infrastructures". The malware allowed those responsible to switch on cameras and microphones within the computer, take screenshots and track what was being typed by monitoring keyboard strokes, the FSB said. In the US, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee have both suffered hacks in recent weeks. Emails from the DNC were later distributed by the Wikileaks organisation, and showed party officials had been biased against Bernie Sanders in his primary race against Hillary Clinton. US officials believe the cyber attacks were

committed by Russian agents. The Kremlin has repeatedly denied being responsible, and Mrs Clinton's presidential rival Donald Trump said he had no ties to Russia. The Clinton campaign said on Friday that an analytics data program, which it shared with other entities, had been accessed by hackers. But, her press secretary Nick Merrill said, there was "no evidence that our internal systems have been compromised". The FBI said it was investigating the extent of any hacking. (BBC)

The hack reportedly targeted a number of government bodies(ALLSPORT/GETTY)

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Turkey-PKK conflict: Dozens killed in south-east clashes The Turkish military has killed 35 Kurdish militants who tried to storm a base in the south-east, officials say. The overnight attack, in the Cukurca district of Hakkari province near the Iraqi border, came hours after clashes between soldiers and militants left eight soldiers dead in the area. A ceasefire between Turkey's military and the banned Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) broke down in July last year. The army is reeling from a huge purge following a coup attempt two weeks ago. In the latest incident in the south-east, PKK fighters were spotted by aerial reconnaissance as they were advancing on the base overnight, the military said. An air operation was launched, killing 23 militants. Twelve more were killed in later clashes on the ground, the statement added. The PKK launched its insurgency in 1984, alleging widespread abuse and discrimination against Kurds by Turkish authorities. Since the ceasefire broke down a year ago, military operations in the south-east and retaliatory attacks by the PKK have left hundreds of people dead. On Thursday, Turkey announced an overhaul of the armed forces

following the coup attempt launched on 15 July. Nearly 1,700 soldiers have been given dishonourable discharges. About 40% of all generals and admirals in the military have been dismissed.

(BBC)

The Turkish military has been fighting the PKK insurgency for decades(AFP)