GNN Online Newspaper - Dec 07, 2015

Monday December 07, 2015

WELCOME TO ESSEQUIBO PRIME MINISTER...

Prime Minister and First Vice President Moses Nagamootoo being garlanded upon arrival in Region Two over the weekend (GINA Photo)

Four arrested for attempted robbery in Berbice

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ANOTHER SUICIDE ROCKS LGBT COMMUNITY -PAGE 8

Specialty saga continues…

Fedders-Lloyd produces equipment list submitted to tender board

Part of the list Fedders-Lloyd says it submitted

Documents which Fedders-Lloyd were deemed not to have produced during the bidding for the Specialty Hospital, and had been the alleged cause of their disqualification from the process surfaced earlier today, though there is still no proof that these were submitted within the given timeframe.

GNN secured part of the list, which, according to the company’s representative, accounts for 60 per cent of the total cost of the project, which makes it impossible for the company to have forgotten to present this to the tender board during the bidding process.

The company came under fire from the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) recently after inking a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Government.

The opposition PPPP had deemed the move a “massive act of corruption” since the project was not retendered after folding temporarily last year.

The opposition party is arguing that

the hand-picking of this contractor screams corruption, since the company will also be responsible for evaluating the current state of the project. In addition, Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo had revealed that the company was disqualified from the bidding process due to its failure to comply with the stipulated requirements.

He then called on the Government to release the evaluation report of the tendering process, which he says, will expose the fact that the company was indeed disqualified and on what grounds they were.

However, local daily print, Stabroek News, was successful in securing a copy of the report, and alleged that the company had indeed been disqualified due to their failure to submit their list of equipment for the project.

Refuting these claims however, the company’s regional representative, Ajay Jha told GNN that the equipment list accounts for 60 per cent of the total cost of the project and

had this not been submitted, then the company could not have estimated what the project cost would have been.

He argued that no indication had been given from the tender board that FeddersLloyd’s actions had constituted noncompliance with any of the requirements necessary for the project.

“I wasn’t even aware that we were disqualified because they didn’t tell it. It is only in the Stabroek News that I learnt that we were disqualified because we didn’t submit the equipment list. We did submit it because the tender board never told us that we didn’t, nor did they say we were disqualified for this reason” Jha said.

He reasoned that there is a possibility that some individual might be creating strife since there has to be a reason to say why FeddersLloyd was disqualified.

The company representative further revealed that the multi-million-dollar company went as far as creating 8-9ft length

Ajay Jha seen next to Former President Donald Ramotar in India

and 3-4 ft width model of the hospital which cost them thousands of US dollars to ship to Guyana. “Why would we go so far to ship this model here, when it wasn’t even necessary, and not have our equipment list which is 60 per cent of our total cost?” he questioned.

He concluded by reiterating that the company stands solidly behind its argument that it did submit all the required documents needed for the tendering

process since it was even confirmed by the tender board during the bidding process.

The Ministry of Finance has stated that procedurally, there is no impropriety in the method used by government in entering the Memorandum Of Understanding (MOU) with Fedders Lloyd with regards to Specialty Hospital. It was previously pointed out by the government that it was MOU that was signed and not the awarding of a contract.

It stated that “the advantages of proceeding in this manner, rather than going out for a new tender are many, including the fact that Fedders Lloyd expressed in the MOU its intention to hold its prices expressed in its original bid made some four years ago.

In addition to being time consuming, a new tender will result, obviously, in price escalation due to inflation.”

Four bandits arrested for attempted robbery in Berbice

[FILE PHOTO]

‘Operation Dragnet’ continues drag in success as Berbice and East Coast Police today captured four bandits

who attempted a robbery shortly before. Having attempted to rob a Berbice business and eluding the Police for a

while, the four bandits were eventually arrested at various locations.

The police say at about 1000h. today, a

Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Legal Affairs was sent on leave to facilitate the ongoing audit into the disappearance of millions of dollars in law books and computer parts.

According to the Ministry; Ms. Indira Ananjit, was working at the Ministry during the period when

$2.5M Commonwealth Law Books and over $2M in computer parts went missing.

She was sent on 52-day administrative leave almost three weeks ago pending an investigation.

The Ministry uncovered the missing books and computer parts as result of an audit

currently being carried out by the Auditor General’s office. The audit covers from 2013 to now and Ananjit served the Ministry since July 2012.

It was stated too that Melissa Tucker is currently serving as the acting Permanent Secretary.

taxi, HC 4442, with four men inside, drove up to a grocery shop at Liverpool Village, Corentyne. Two of the men, one of whom had a bag with a long object inside, went into the shop and confronted the 53 year-old businesswoman during which they demanded cash while assaulting her.

The woman was able to raise an alarm causing the men to run back to the car and escaped.

Ranks of a police motor cycle Anti-Crime patrol were informed along with other patrols and Police Stations.

Sometime after, a Corporal armed with a service shotgun, stopped the vehicle outside the

Albion Police Station, where the suspect with the bag managed to run away while the three others fled in the car.

The man with the bag was pursued and apprehended by the Police Corporal.

An unlicensed sawn off shotgun and 6 cartridges were found in his possession.

Two of them were later arrested in another taxi at a police roadblock along the approach to the Berbice River Bridge.

The fourth suspect, who was driving the getaway vehicle, was later arrested by the police at a roadblock at Mahaicony, ECD, after he had driven through

one at Weldaad, WCB. The four men are in police custody assisting with the investigations.

The arrest of the men followed similar success by the Police on Saturday when a Lance Corporal from the Guyana Defence force and three other men were nabbed after unlicensed guns and ammunition were found in their possession at Regent Street and Avenue of the Republic. According to information, the men were reportedly targeting a City store.

Prior to that, on Friday, three men were captured after they robbed the A H & L Kissoon’s outlet on Main Street.

Legal Affairs PS Sent On Leave

Indira Ananjit

PPP and GECOM to meet to iron out issues Clement Rohee

The Peoples Progressive Party is expected to meet with the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) shortly where it will continue to raise its concerns regarding the hosting of the upcoming Local Government Elections (LGE).

This is according to General Secretary of the PPP, Clement Rohee.

Speaking at his weekly media conference today at the Party’s Robb Street Headquarters, Rohee said the party has received a number of complaints with regard to the March 18 polls which leads to the conclusion that the Commission is not prepared for the election.

On Saturday last, PPP Commissioner at

GECOM, Bibi Shaddick in no uncertain terms said the Commission is not prepared for LGE.

Among the issues cited by Shaddick is that of the mechanism that is in place to facilitate the disciplined services voting, outstanding laws to be passed in Parliament, “there are still laws that have to be passed in Parliament and amended that I don’t think our Minister is aware of and GECOM infact haven’t gone to the Minister to discuss some of things that we are raising at our Commission meeting.”

In addition, she questioned the day identified for the election which is a Friday.

Shaddick questioned how possible is that given the fact that schools are being

used as polling stations.

“March 18 is about the time when children are writing end of term exams before the Easter break.” She added that the election should have been held on a Monday when there is enough time during the weekend before to prepare schools without affecting students.

The nonsettlement of areas for the boundaries for the areas where the election will be held and the listing of the three new towns as Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (NDCs) were also pointed out.

According To Shaddick, GECOM is not open up to suggestions and is stuck in doing things in the same old manner.

The PPP Commissioner

Dr. Steve Surujbally

also cited the need for increased public awareness campaign given fact that the process for the election is new.

The opposition party has been registering its concerns with the Commission for some time now but according to the Commissioner there seems to be a reluctance on the part of GECOM in addressing same.

The PPP has pledged to continue its picketing exercise against

GECOM until its concerns are addressed. The party has taken this course of action following the results of the May 11 general and regional elections.

It has been calling for GECOM’s Chairman Dr. Steve Surujbally to resign, however, he has said he will not bow to pressure from the PPP and will only tender his resignation on his own accord.

NO MORE EXTENSION FOR RODNEY COMMISSION REPORT

DR. WALTER RODNEY

The Walter Rodney Commission of Inquiry (WRCOI) is requesting to submit its report until February, 2016.

According to a press statement from the Ministry of Legal Affairs, “Chairman of the WRCOI, Dr. Sir Richard L. Cheltenham has written the President His Excellency, Brig. David Granger requesting yet another adjournment this time to February,

2016 to submit the Report of the Findings of the WRCOI.”

However the statement added that this request “could not be accommodated and that the Commission was given up to the 15th day of December, 2015 to render the Report” and this was conveyed to the Chairman by the President.

The report was expected on November, 30, however the Justice

for Walter Rodney Campaign presented a 1,000+ signature petition to Governance Minister Raphael Trotman three days before, calling for the inquiry to be extended to facilitate a more comprehensive closure.

The CoI was introduced in 2014, by former President Donald Ramotar to inquire into and report on the circumstances surrounding the

death of the late Dr. Walter Rodney that occurred on 13th June 1980 in Georgetown.

It ended after the APNU+AFC government took office.

Over $300M was spent to facilitate the CoI. Dr. Rodney was a prominent Guyanese historian, political activist (WPA Leader) and scholar.

President resounds call for national cohesion President David Granger while addressing the launch of the new Guyana Islamic Trust (GIT) Secretariat and the ISA Elementary School building on East Street on Sunday, once again resounded the call for national cohesion.

Referring to Guyanese, the President said “we are holding ourselves back because of that failure to come together to achieve that goal of national cohesion.”

Granger said while Guyana has a strong history of religious tolerance, the country has taken a long time

Independence in 1966, it was a broken State. “A major political party had boycotted Constitutional talks, Independence celebrations and the sitting of the National Assembly and Guyana was in a state of emergency,” He highlighted.

It is for this reason, the President said, Guyana’s 50th Independence Anniversary observances must be a time when the country celebrates a second Independence, one that marks the healing of the nation.

The President said that the Ministry of

national cohesion and for the major political players to sit down and engage each other in order for the country to move forward, it is evident that this is not being done.

The government has indicated that it is serious about holding national unity talks with the opposition PPP/C, however, that party has shunned such talks but instead registered some concerns that must be addressed before those talks are held.

Minister of State Joseph Harmon at a recent post-cabinet media

President David Granger handing over a donation to President of the Guyana Islamic Trust, Shaykh Abdul Aleem Rahim

to begin healing from the divisions of the past.

Making reference to difficult period in Guyana’s history, during the 1960s, the President noted that when the country gained its

Social Cohesion and his administration will continue to promote national unity so that Guyana can focus on national development.

However, as calls continue to pour in for

briefing stated that “the government continues to remain open to talks with the PPP/C.” With regard to the PPP/ C’s concerns, Harmon gave the assurance that “if there are conditions

President David Granger speaking at the launch of the new Guyana Islamic Trust (GIT) Secretariat and the ISA Elementary School building on East Street, this morning

which the PPP set out we will look at them. We will look at them objectively.”

Following the assumption into office by the coalition some six months ago, it appears that very little or nothing has been achieved between the major political players.

In a meeting between President Granger and Opposition leader Bharrat Jagdeo, it was agreed that the PPP/C would work with the government to defend its territorial integrity in light of the controversy with neighbouring Venezuela.

At that meeting the establishment of a border committee was touted.

However, the committee is still to be materialized.

While the government is saying that it is awaiting the PPP/C to

formally indicate that it will participate the opposition is accusing the government of too much formality, noting that it already indicated its readiness to contribute to the committee. Since then, there has been no further engagement between the President and Jagdeo on the Guyana/Venezuela issue.

In addition, as time draws near for the presentation of the 2016 National budget, the PPP/C has not being able to contribute to its preparation since it cancelled a meeting that was supposed to be held two weeks ago, blaming the government of sending late notices.

Recently, former President Donald Ramotar had suggested to President Granger that the army should come out

to assist in crime fighting as was done in the past.

However, the President in his response said that Ramotar should stay out of the administration of the army, noting that he should not be concerned about national security and military matters.

President Granger recently while in Malta attending the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting, had indicated that he is willing to sit down with Jagdeo to discuss matters pertaining to Climate change. Jagdeo at a press conference two weeks ago expressed similar sentiments and he indicated his willingness to share his knowledge and expertise on the issue with the government.

Region 8 agriculture sector being resuscitated Residents of Kato, Region 8 is presently seeking assistance to ensure that its agriculture sector is resuscitated.

This was disclosed during a recent outreach to the region by representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture, Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) and the Organisation of the American States (OAS) aimed at pushing agriculture the Region Eight.

Meetings were hosted with residents at Kato, Monkey Mountain and Paramakatoi s u b - r e g i o n s .

A resident of

Kato; David Jwalla said the soil types in the region are feasible for agricultural production of both orchard and cash crops. However, assistance is presently being sought to ensure that this vibrant sector is resuscitated.

In the past ground provisions were the only commodity group planted in the area. Today, crops such as boulanger, peppers, cabbage and rice are also grown he said.

At the meetings at Monkey Mountain and Paramakatoi, similar issues were raised along with access to market and employment

opportunities taking center stage largely due to infrastructure l i m i t a t i o n s .

According to residents oftentimes there are no access to markets for the produce. They made appeal to the subject Minister for assistance in marketing their produce.

Minister of Agriculture; Noel Holder stated that “Ensuring that Agriculture continues in the region remains an important pillar in our agricultural development….

Research remains another issue that is required and as such, we (Ministry of Agriculture)

Minister of Agriculture Noel Holder and other officials examine rice milling machine during visit in region 8

will be working to have Agricultural Research and Demonstration Stations developed in hinterland regions,” he said.

He told residents that the Ministry is presently looking at ways in which sustainable

food production systems within the communities can be developed.

In addition to dealing with the constraints affecting the production of the traditional crops, the ministry has also introduced some new

crops to the communities, particularly spices.

Additionally, the Ministry of Agriculture will be implementing, soon, a Pest Control programme in Region Eight targeted at the community’s acoushi ant problem.

persons, including any member of the staff who may be on earned vacation or sick leave.”

Further, the Former Presidents are subject to a financial limit of $200,000 per annum to cover medical expenses; however the reimbursement is only given if the said medical treatment is not available at local public health institutions.

M i n i s t e r Jordan had argued that the benefits Jagdeo awarded himself are unconscionable.

He contended that if Founder of the PPP and former President

Dr. Cheddi Jagan were alive, he would have been appalled by Jagdeo’s extravagance. Jagan was quoted as saying “we cannot have a Cadillacstyle living with donkeycart economies. Our leaders must set the example of democratic, accountable, clean and lean governance and efficient governance.”

Meanwhile, former Attorney General Anil Nandlall had argued that any attempt to use the new Bill as an instrument to deny and deprive Ramotar, Jagdeo or Samuel Hinds their entitlement under the 2009 Act,

would be unlawful, unconstitutional, null, void and of no effect.

In supporting his position he made reference to Articles 222 (1-4) of the Constitution.

He declared that the salaries and allowances of those holding such offices as the President are charged to the Consolidated Fund, hence they are not subjected to the approval or disapproval of the National Assembly.

The matters will come up before Chief Justice Ian Chang and Justice Narendra Singh on December 11, 2015.

Jagdeo, Ramotar file legal challenge against government

Former Presidents Donald Ramotar and Bharrat Jagdeo

Two Former Presidents under the Peoples Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) administration, Donald Ramotar and Bharrat Jagdeo have moved to the High Court over the coalition government’s decision to cap their benefits.

This revelation was made at a press conference today,

by Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs Basil Williams at a press conference.

He said that Ramotar and Jagdeo filed the applications seeking in effect to receive large sums of money in benefits and other facilities that were capped

on the coming into operation of the Former Presidents (Benefits and Other Facilities) Act No.3 of 2015.

In the lawsuit, the two former Presidents are contending that the new law would not affect them since their earnings had been accumulated before the passage of the new Bill.

R a m o t a r, when contacted by this publication admitted that he and Jagdeo have taken a decision to move to the Court. He declined to speak much about the matter but stated that “the Court will take it from there.”

The Former

Presidents (Benefits and Other Facilities) Bill was on July 09 passed by the A Partnership for National Unity+Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) Members of Parliament in the absence of the opposition PPP/C.

The bill was presented by Finance Minister Winston Jordan.

The Bill limits expenses incurred for utilities such as electricity, telephone and water to $25,000 monthly. It also states that “services of personal and household staff, including a gardener, provided that the total number of such staff shall not exceed three

New U.S. Visa Service Via DHL begins today Effective from today, approved visa applicants no longer have to return to the Embassy to uplift their approved visas.

According to a press release from the embassy, this notable change by the Consular Section of the U.S Embassy will see this service being provided

by the local DHL office, located at 50 E Fifth Street, Alberttown, G e o r g e t o w n .

“Applicants will be able to pick-up their passports at the DHL office Monday through Friday (except holidays) from 9:00am to 6:00pm” the statement said.

It added that at

the time of interview, the Consular Officer will provide a Visa Delivery Instruction Notice to all approved visa applicants advising the applicant of the pick-up information at the DHL office five (5) business days after the interview.

P i c k - U p Requirements for Adult Applicants: Applicants 18 years or older must present the Delivery Instruction Notice and their National Identification Card to the DHL office within 30 days of visa approval.

For those applicants who do not have a National ID Card, DHL will request supplemental identification such as an official driver’s license (with photo) or an original birth certificate.

The DHL agent will also review information from the passport or visa to validate the identity of the applicant picking up the documents.

DHL will require the applicant to record his/her name, ID document number, and signature as proof of receipt. Visas will only be given to applicants/ passport owners.

P i c k - U p Requirements for

time I came down from the Hotel he and a group of persons stormed me to ask about the Hospital and other things,” said Ramotar.

According to him, “any conversation I had with him was whilst walking along the Lobby area and I never promised him and I could not have promised to give him the contract.”

The former President maintained that he explained to the company’s representative that there would be a retendering process, given what was happening with the project at that time, and that if the company was still interested in the project, should bid when the time was right.

Jha also claimed that

former Attorney General, Anil Nandlall had met him on many occasions between December 2014 and April 2015, and had promised him that his company would be awarded the contract. Nandalll has since denied such claim.

He said that he was told by Nandlall to write the government indicating its interest.

He then presented the written documents which were sent to the Office of the President, the Attorney General’s office, and the Ministries of Finance and Health. However, there was no evidence to show that any one of the above mentioned offices responded to the company’s request.

In 2012, Surendra was awarded the multimillion-dollar contract by the PPP

Minor Applicants: Parents whom wish to pick up documents on their children’s behalf must provide proof of their valid relationship by presenting the following documents:

• The child’s original birth certificate or adoption decree, with at least one of the parent’s full legal name displayed on the document.

• The parent must prove their identity by presenting a national ID card or passport with a matching name on the child’s birth certificate or adoption decree.

The introduction of this offsite Document

Return Service is new to Guyana; however, this service has been implemented at U.S Embassies worldwide as part of the Global Support Strategy for Visa Services.

Visa applicants will benefit from the flexibility the service offers by being able to uplift documents at days and times that are convenient to them.

Questions regarding the DHL document return service, including questions about visa delivery status may be directed to the U.S. Embassy’s Visa Information Service telephone line at 592-225-8732.

“I did not promise Fedders Lloyd anything”-Ramotar Former President Donald Ramotar has rejected the accusation that he promised Fedders Lloyd the contract to construct the Specialty Hospital.

This is after Regional representative of Fedders-Lloyd Ajay Jha had revealed that the company, after losing the initial bid to Surendra Engineering Company Limited, was in constant contact with the Peoples Progressive Party (PPP) government after Surendra Engineering left late last year.

Jha told sections of the media that he had facilitated extensive discussions during this time on the future of the project.

He said

assurance was given by Ramotar that FeddersLloyd would be given the contract to continue the project after Surendra Engineering left.

Ho w e v e r, Ramotar told the Guyana News Network (GNN) that he never had promised any contract to Fedders Lloyd. “I want first of all to reject that, I never had a meeting with him,” the Former President said.

He disclosed that there was no formal meeting between himself and Jha. Further, he told GNN that while he was in India earlier this year Jha staked out at the Hotel he (Ramotar) was staying at in an effort to initiate talks on the construction of the Hospital. “Every

Student arrested for chasing teacher with knife A student from the St. Georges Secondary School was arrested

by the police earlier today for chasing a teacher with a knife around the school.

According to reports reaching

the Guyana News Network, the young man who was at the time being cautioned by the teacher for unacceptable

conduct, whipped out a knife from his bag and advanced towards the teacher.

The ordeal caused the teacher to rush for cover in a room at the school while the other students attempted to wrestle the knife from the child.

The police were informed of the matter via telephone and they quickly raced to the area and arrested the student.

The young

Former President Donald Ramotar

government to design and build the hospital earmarked at Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown.

However, the agreement fell through since it was discovered that the company was engaged in fraud.

The coalition

government revived the initiative, and signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Fedders-Lloyd for the completion of the hospital.

man is presently in the custody of the police. The Ministry of Education was briefed the matter and

the welfare section of the ministry has since launched a probe into the matter.

Vincent Alexander accuses PPP Commissioners at GECOM of “hypocrisy” Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) Commissioner representing the coalition government, Vincent Alexander, has deemed statements made by his colleagues from the Peoples Progressive Party (PPP) “concocted, conflictual and hypocritical.”

On Saturday December 5, PPP Commissioners Sase Gunraj, Bibi Shaddick and Robeson Benn at a press conference at Freedom House revealed that a motion was tabled at GECOM’s Statutory Meeting on Tuesday, December 1, 2015, to instruct the Chief Elections Officer, Keith Lowenfield, to withdraw the application to the Courts to strike out the Elections Petition.

However, the motion was negativized

after equal division by the casting vote of the Commission’s Chairman, Dr. Steve Surujbally. The Elections Petition was filed by Ganga Persaud with respect to the May 11, 2015 General and Regional Elections.

But Lowenfield in an affidavit had said that the statements in Persaud’s petition were inadequate to establish a case.

Commissioner Benn said the move by the GECOM Chairman to vote against the petition suggests that the Elections Commission is not open up for public scrutiny by way of a court process.

Having said that Benn believes that GECOM is not in a position to deliver free, fair and transparent elections.

According to him, “the studied refusal

by GECOM to provide

any report on the conduct and results of the May 2015 elections is of great concern and undermines the commission’s ability to make recommendations and changes which will positively impact on the conduct of future elections.”

However, in a letter to the Editor, Alexander roasted the three Commissioners over their duplicitous actions, according to him.

Alexander said GECOM’s records will reveal that it has no history of requiring the CEO to seek guidance on the construct of any case, once the initial go ahead had been given to respond to any motion brought against it. “Once Counsel was retained the CEO/GECOM relied on Counsel to determine its response based on

Vincent Alexander

the material facts availed to Counsel and the case that could be built on those facts and the related legal provisions and arguments,” Alexander said.

He continued “it can be no less than conspiratorial for Commissioners to want to play the role of Counsel and more than that deny the CEO the means of responding that the Justice System avails to him. It is even more glaring that two practicing lawyers would propose such a non-

law approach to legal matters. The issue of fee is but a red herring. This has never, never being the concern of GECOM when the beneficiaries of GECOM’s response were those who are now the Petitioner.”

The government Commissioner said what he finds to be a conflict of interest is the fact that two of the commissioners “who are seeking to determine GECOM’s course of action are members of the list which is bringing the petition.” One of

the Commissioners Alexander said is an originator of the petition but withdrew after he became a Commissioner.

He questioned how can one be party and have an interest in the petition and want at the same time to determine the response? This would be the perpetration of crass conflict and a conspiracy to disable the respondent,” said Alexander.

Political will needed to develop the aviation sector- GCAA Guyana today joins with the rest of the world to observe International Civil Aviation Day, under the theme “Working towards Ensuring No Country Is Left Behind”.

In her message to mark the occasion; Acting Director General of the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA); Chitrani Heeralal called for “political will” by all involved, starting with the recognition of aviation as a catalyst for economic and social development.

This she said will support poverty eradication, job creation, access to better education and health facilities,

and other benefits to the entire nation.

Noting that aviation is no longer only a national matter but a global phenomenon that connects the world, completely transforming the ways in which travel, tourism, and trade and commerce are accomplished, she said the growth of the system have presented many challenges which must be addressed to build a safe, secure, economically viable, and environmentally friendly aviation system.

Heralall added that the theme was chosen to transform the aviation sector over the next four years, adding

that within this period, Guyana has to improve its level of compliance with International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs), which will aid in the attainment of the Federal Aviation A d m i n i s t r a t i o n’s International Aviation Safety Assessment Category 1.

“The surge in aviation activities on the national scale requires an increased number of technically trained and qualified personnel to support the industry through safety and regulatory oversight and enforcement” the acting Director General highlighted.

It was further noted that the negligence in addressing this ongoing increase in requirements, while not peculiar to the Guyana

situation only, continues, and has placed our country, a contracting State to ICAO, below 50% compliance.

Heralall further called for a robust regulatory and safety oversight body is much more needed to sustain a safe, secure and vibrant industry.

The ICAO also issued a statement today on the occasion of International Civil Aviation Day, 2015 in which it was pointed out that “given the established pattern whereby the global air transport network doubles in flight and passenger volumes every 15 years, and its significant importance to the prosperity of societies and businesses all over the world, the commitments and actions on behalf of world States and

organizations toward modernized and expanded civil aviation infrastructure and capacities have never been more important.”

Under its ‘No Country Left Behind’ programme, ICAO says it is working to raise global awareness on the fundamental importance of the effective implementation of ICAO

Standards and Policies.

ICAO and its Governing Council also recognize that cooperation and consensus have been the most important qualities contributing to air transport progress since the dawn of the civil aviation era.

Harmon donates $215,000.00 to Angoy’s Avenue residents In keeping with the promise made to donate his November salary increase to the community of Angoy’s Avenue, New Amsterdam, Minister of State, Joseph Harmon, yesterday kept his promise and handed over $215,000 in cash to the residents to be used to provide support for senior citizens within the community.

According to the Government Information Agency (GINA), his visit to Angoy’s Avenue followed one he made earlier in the day to the Crane Housing Scheme WCD, to inspect lights which had been installed after he had donated his October salary increase to that community

for that purpose. He donated $217,000.00 to that community.

H a r m o n was accompanied by Chairman of the Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI), Dr. Van West Charles and Chief Executive Officer of the 50th Independence Anniversary celebrations Committee, Larry London, during his visit to Angoy’s Avenue.

He told the residents that the government was serious about providing a good life for all Guyanese and the donation was a personal contribution to the community to support this goal.

He also asked the community to get involved in the countrywide

cleanup campaign.

He encouraged those present to become their brothers’ keeper and to assist the government in the pursuit of its goal of national unity.

“You need to start the cleanup. You need to understand that Guyana is one nation and we must work together. If Guyana is to develop, we have to work together. No one is going to come here and help develop Guyana.

We have to do it,” he said.

Meanwhile, Larry London, who also serves as the Chairman of the People’s National C o n g r e s s / R e f o r m’s North American Committee, committed a further $200,000 to the community, which will go towards the

Minister of State, Joseph Harmon handing over the $215,000 to Patricia Lynch of Angoy’s Avenue, New Amsterdam

provision of water services to those families who cannot afford to pay for the connectivity.

M i n i s t e r Harmon used the opportunity to hear from the residents, their concerns and issues.

These issues include the lack of running water, electricity and telephone services. Dr. Van West Charles was on hand to address the issue of water and promised that the company is working to ensure that all residents

can be able to access water by May 2016.

M i n i s t e r Harmon promised that a meeting will soon be set up with the other utility agencies so that the residents concerns can be addressed.

Another suicide rocks LGBT community

Desmond Lyken

Being stocked in a relationship filled with abuse and competition, a member of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community (LGBT) decided to ingest several carbon tablets which are generally used to kill rats.

Dead is Desmond Lyken who had preferred to be called “Desiree” among the gay community. According to information received by the Guyana News Network, “Desiree” took the pills sometime last week and rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital

and died yeaterday.

Friends from within the LGBT Community said that “Desiree” has been enduring an abusive relationship at the hands of the man with whom he shared a relationship and who was allegedly involved with a young lady.

According to information, things got very rocky in the relationship after the young lady in question

began contacting “Desiree”. This apparently led to a war of words overt the phone and reportedly a recent face-off.

Having learnt of the reported exchanges, the man allegedly intensified the abuse against “Desiree” and according to reports, even threw missiles at him from time to time.

Un c o n f i r m e d reports said that the man struck “Desiree” to the hand with a wood

not so long ago causing him to be hospitalized.

This is the second such suicide case to have hit home close to the LGBT community within two months.

In October, Zenita Nicholson ingested ten carbon tablets and died on her way to the hospital.

She was reportedly in an abusive relationship that led to depression.

Charandass’s Remark does not require disciplinary action- AFC leader The Alliance For Change (AFC) is not of the view that remarks made by AFC Parliamentarian, Charandass Persaud, allegedly nin reference to Head of the Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha, warrant “some disciplinary action at the level of the Party.

This is according to Leader of the AFC; Khemraj Ramjattan, who told GNN that

the issue, despite being condemned by several women’s advocates, has not been engaging the attention of the party.

Ramjattan said “No, it has not been engaging the attention of the AFC…I read the letter that he wrote in the newspaper and he intended nothing damaging against (Dr.) Vindhya Persaud”.

He added that

“He simply said and from what I know, that she should be hauled down from the stage, I didn’t see anything, it might be inelegant language but it was not language that we have to offer some disciplinary proceeding against him”.

It was reported that the Parliamentarian wrote a Letter to the Editor stating “Dr Vindhya Persaud so

Minister khemraj Ramjattan

Charandass Persaud

disgusted me that I felt like hauling (her) off the stage.” This drew

several criticism from women’s advocates who deemed the utterance as

“Disrespectful”, “abusive” and “irresponsible” and called for a public apology.

‘The Assassin’ named Best Film for 2015 Movie critics from around the world have been polled on their best movie of 2015, but chances are you’ve not seen it yet - and possibly not heard of it. ‘The Assassin’ has topped the list, a martial arts drama directed by Taiwanese helmsman Hou Hsiao-Hsien.

It was premiered at the Cannes Film Festival this year, where Hsiao-Hsien won the gong for best

director, and it’s been selected as the Taiwanese entry for Best Foreign Language Film at the Oscars next year. But it will not be released in the UK until January, 2016.

The annual poll was conducted by the British Film Institute, and pulled in the opinions of 168 critics from around the world.

Second on the list is the acclaimed drama ‘Carol’, also likely to feature at

the Oscars this year, and starring Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara.

Third is ‘Mad Max: Fury Road’, fourth is Portuguese-produced drama ‘Arabian Nights’, and fifth is ‘Cemetery of Splendour’, a Thai movie about an epidemic of sleeping sickness.

Here’s the top 20 in full: 1. The Assassin 2. Carol 3. Mad Max: Fury Road 4. Arabian Nights 5. Cemetery of Splendour

6. No Home Movie 7. 45 Years 8. Son of Saul 9. Amy 10. Inherent Vice 11. Anomalisa 12. It Follows 13. Phoenix 14. Girlhood 15. Hard To Be A God 16. Inside Out 17. Tangerine 18. Taxi Tehran 19. Horse Money 20. The Look of Silence Last year, Richard Linklater’s Oscar-winning ‘Boyhood’ won the critics over in the BFI list.

(Yahoo)

Abhishek stranded in Chennai, returns to Mumbai by bus Abhishek Bachchan was caught in the deluge in Chennai.

In the city for some work, he was trapped right in the middle of the rains, with all communication links snapped.

Says a source, “Abhishek was to return on Wednesday

to begin shooting for Housefull 3. But, the rains made it impossible for him to travel as the airport was shut. For a while, the family was not able to reach him also.”

Not that the family was worried.

“Abhishek knows how to take care of himself.

He was comfortably sleeping in his hotel waiting to find a way back. He left Chennai by bus and was back in Mumbai on Friday.”

(Bollywoodhungama. c o m )

Actor Morgan Freeman in plane scare A private plane carrying Oscar-winning actor Morgan Freeman was forced to make an emergency landing, but the star and his pilot were unhurt. The plane blew a tyre on takeoff from Clarksdale, Mississippi, on Saturday.

The SJ30 jet made a forced landing in Tunica, about 40 miles (65km) away, where it went off the runway.

In a statement, the Shawshank Redemption star said: “Sometimes things don’t go as planned and a tyre blew on take-off, which caused other problems.”

He continued: “But thanks to my excellent pilot Jimmy Hobson we landed safely without a scratch. “I cannot say the same about my plane. I appreciate the concern and prayers for our safety.”

The 78-year-old has been nominated for seven Oscars for films including Driving Miss Daisy, Street Smart and Invictus, and won in 2005 for his role in Million Dollar Baby. (BBC)

Jimmy Carter Says His Cancer Is Gone Jimmy Carter is cancer free. The 91-year-old former president made the announcement at the Sunday school class he was teaching at Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains,

Georgia, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

“He said he got a scan this week and the cancer was gone,” Jill Stuckey, a friend and fellow churchgoer, told

the Journal-Constitution by phone. “The church, everybody here, just erupted in applause.”

Carter was diagnosed with melanoma earlier this year and has undergone several radiation treatments. Last month, doctors said the former president was responding

well to treatment and the cancer was showing no signs of worsening.

S p e a k i n g about the cancer in August, Carter seemed resigned about his fate.

“Now it’s in the hands of God,” he said. “And I’ll be prepared for anything that comes.” (MSN)

New study finds that office air is slowing your brain function

As if you needed an excuse to get away from your desk every once in a while. In a recent study published in

Environmental Health Perspectives, researchers at Harvard and Syracuse Universities placed subjects in

What if there was a way that you could have more and better sex— and all it would take is a few minutes a day?

Plus, you’d also end up with a stronger immune system and more restful sleep. Sound too good to be true? It isn’t. In a word: meditation.

“Ask yourself why aren’t you having as much sex as you want to,” meditation expert Emily Fletcher, founder of the New York- and Los Angeles-based Ziva Meditation Center, tells Health. “For one in four cohabitating adult couples in the U.S., the

reason is they’re too tired.”

And it’s no secret that being tense can kill the mood. We actually have a “fightor-flight” response to stress programmed into our brains, as Fletcher explained in a recent speech at the Bulletproof Biohacking Conference in Pasadena, Calif.

Our bodies release cortisol and adrenaline to help us fight or outrun our attacker.

This increases blood pressure and blood sugar levels and suppresses not only the immune system, but our libidos as well.

So how can

an environmentally controlled office space for a week, exposed them to different conditions, and observed

their performance.

What they found was that carbon dioxide levels in offices, though not deadly, are still harmful to your health and negatively affect cognitive function. Blame it on poor ventilation and all that CO2 being exhaled by your coworkers (and you).

While the Mayo Clinic recently constructed an officeenvironment laboratory to investigate the health impact of the white collar workplace, this study focused solely on air quality. The environments used in this study were made to simulate indoor

environmental quality conditions (IEQ).

The conditions in the “green” building environment had low volatile organic compound (VOC) concentrations, while the VOC concentration in “conventional” environments were high. There were also conditions categorized as “green+,” which had a high outdoor air ventilation rate, and another where CO2 levels were raised artificially.

“We didn’t want to test the exotic or extreme, we wanted to test conditions that most of us find ourselves in,” Harvard assistant

professor Joseph Allen told FastCoDesign.

In some office spaces, there are a lot of people breathing in and out, and when the ventilation rate is not quick enough to move in fresh air from outdoors, the indoor CO2 levels become more concentrated.

The results suggest that we need to rethink what we’ve long considered harmless levels of CO2. Moreover, the problem may get worse as CO2 levels increase outdoors, because it then becomes harder to keep them lower indoors.

(Adapted from MSN)

The morning habit that boosts your libido big time

meditation help? For one thing, this ancient practice has been proven to improve sleep and mood. Researchers at Harvard found that

people who meditate report less insomnia, depression, and fatigue.

If you’ve tried to zen out in the past and thought you

“failed” because you couldn’t shut off your thoughts, don’t worry.

“Forget about clearing your mind,” Fletcher says. “The brain thinks

involuntarily, just like the heart beats involuntarily.”

To give it a whirl, sit with your back supported, then repeat the word “one” in your mind over and over, “almost like a mantra,” Fletcher advises. “When you realize you’re on a thought field trip, gently bring yourself back to ‘one.’” Start with 5 minutes a day: “Do it before breakfast, before getting on the computer.” As you get more comfortable, increase your session by one minute at a time.

(Fox Health)

Police arrest mother of newborn

baby who was buried alive Authorities have arrested the mother of a baby who was buried alive near a Southern California bike path.

Los Angeles County Sheriff ’s Sgt. Bob Boese said Sunday the woman was arrested late last week. He declined to release the woman’s identity, citing the ongoing nature

of the investigation.

Boese said tips from the public and media coverage of the baby’s rescue led to the arrest.

The girl was believed to be 24 to 36 hours old when she was found Nov. 27. Two sisters walking on a bike path near a riverbed in Compton

heard the child’s cry.

Two deputies found her wrapped in what appears to be a hospital blanket, buried in a hole under loose dirt and piece of asphalt. She was taken to a hospital in stable condition.

(MSN)

her training,” he said.

Scicluna didn’t notice any signs of trouble. But as the mother and daughter were preparing to leave just before 8 p.m., Obeshaw, who had registered the handgun in his name in Belleville in September, shot them in their vehicle, then killed himself, police said.

The gun was recovered, according to police.

Scicluna said he had been coaching Emma, who plays as part of the Waza F.C. soccer club, for about two

months. She was always smiling, he said. “She was a fun, excited girl,” he said. “As time went on, she developed her soccer skills very rapidly, and was showing a lot of enthusiasm for the game. She had a bright

future ahead of her.”

Scicluna is starting a GoFundMe page to raise money for Emma’s family. He said players will honor her with a moment of silence at soccer games this weekend.

(Adapted from Yahoo)

Man hugged girl, 7, at soccer practice, then killed her Emma Watson Nowling took a quick break from soccer practice Thursday night to greet a man walking by the sidelines.

“Little Emma went up and gave the guy a hug,” Emma’s soccer coach, Mario Scicluna, said.

Later that night, that man, Timothy Nelson Obeshaw, shot 7-year-old Emma and her mother, 37-year-old Sharon Elizabeth Watson, in the parking lot of the Taylor Sportsplex before turning his 9mm pistol on himself, according to Taylor police. Authorities

described Obeshaw as a family friend. Emma died from her injuries.

Watson is in serious condition at a local hospital, police said.

Police said family members described the 57-yearold Obeshaw — who had lived with Watson and her boyfriend at their home in Belleville before recently moving to a home in Taylor — as mentally unstable.

A motive, though, remains unclear, according to police.

Police said the

girl and her mother were at the Sportsplex for soccer practice.

Obeshaw was there, too, and “there was what appeared to be friendly interaction between the three at the start of practice,” the release says.

Scicluna said Obeshaw had attended Emma’s games before.

Obeshaw arrived about 15 minutes after practice started at 6:30 p.m., Scicluna said. “As he was walking by the sidelines, (Emma) went up and gave him a big hug and went back to

Colombia says it found Spanish galleon; U.S. firm claims half of treasure

Colombia says it has found a Spanish galleon sunk 300 years ago in the Caribbean with treasure estimated as high as $17 billion in gold, silver and gems. “Great news: We found the galleon San Jose!,” President Juan Manuel Santos tweeted.

“Finding the #GaleonSanJose marks an historic milestone for our underwater cultural patrimony,” Santos said Saturday, tweeting a video of the search team at sea. The discovery off Colombia’s coast is sure to intensify an

international dispute over the treasure.

The hunt for the San Jose has already been a long legal saga over how the booty should be split between the Colombian government and an American company based in Bellevue, Washington.

Sea Search Armada, a group of U.S. investors engaged in marine salvaging, claims it found the site of the San Jose in 1981 and contends the Colombia government has been trying “to illegally confiscate SSA’s finds.”

Indeed, the legal dispute is seemingly as dramatic as the sinking of San Jose itself, which was destroyed in 1708 by British warships thwarting Spain’s delivery of New World riches.

SSA filed several lawsuits in the United States and Colombia, and the American company contends it won a Colombian Supreme Court ruling upholding how the treasure should be split 50-50 between the government and the U.S. firm. Two lawsuits filed in U.S.

courts were dismissed, in 2011 and 2015.

“Without a doubt, without any doubt, we have found 307 years after sinking, the galleon San Jose,” Santos said The shipwreck “is one of the greatest finds and identification of sunken patrimonies, if not the biggest as some say in the history of mankind,” the President said.

“The Colombian government will continue its process of research, exploration and protection of underwater cultural heritage, in accordance with the laws and current public policy of the Colombian State.

“It is a scientific event that’s a reminder that Colombia’s history is made up of very different eras featuring people who are part of our national memory,” he added.

(Adapted from CNN)

Venezuela opposition thrashes “Chavismo” to win legislature set off in celebration in pro-opposition districts of Caracas when the results were announced, while government supporters dismantled planned victory parties.

Maduro, 53, quickly acknowledged the defeat, the worst for the ruling “Chavismo” movement since its founder Hugo Chavez took power in 1999.

“We are here, with morals and ethics, to recognize these adverse results,” Maduro said in a speech to the nation,

although he blamed his defeat on a campaign by business leaders and other opponents to sabotage the economy.

“The economic war has triumphed today,” Maduro said.

His quick acceptance of the results eased tensions in the volatile nation where the last presidential election in 2013, narrowly won

by Maduro, was bitterly disputed and antigovernment protests last year led to 43 deaths.

Opposition

leaders, who have lost over-and-over since Chavez’s first election victory 17 years ago, were jubilant, even though their victory was mainly thanks to public disgust at Venezuela’s deep economic recession.

The result could also embolden government foes to seek a recall election against Maduro in 2016 if they garner the nearly 4 million signatures needed to trigger the referendum.

The government’s defeat

was another blow to Latin America’s left following last month’s swing to the centerright in Argentina’s presidential election.

Ve n e z u e l a’s opposition will now

have the chance to break the ruling party’s control over the budget and seek amnesty for dozens of jailed activists, including hardline leader Leopoldo Lopez.

(Adapted from MSN)

A family’s weekend outing to the beach ended in tragedy when two teenaged brothers drowned at a beach in Balandra, Toco, Trinidad and Tobago, on Saturday.

The teens — Raphael Rambarran, 16, and his younger brother

Ricardo, 14 — reportedly got into difficulty while bathing at the beach.

Raphael’s body was recovered and up to late Saturday, the TT Coast Guard were conducting intensive searches for the younger boy’s body. According

to police reports at about 3.30 pm, Raphael, a Form Five student, his brother Ricardo, a Form Four student and a close relative, Quin Garcia, were seated on a rock close to the Balandra Beach Resort when they were hit by a wave. The brothers were swept into the waters.

R el at ives immediately began searching for the two teenagers and after a few minutes were able to pull Raphael’s body from the water. They tried to resuscitate him but were unsuccessful. At the family’s home at Cunjal

Trace, Barrackpore, yesterday, the brothers’ grieving parents, Jacklyn and Pramchan Rambaran cried openly.

The elder Rambaran’s, along with four year old Reynaldo and grandmother Parbatie, were all on the family outing to Balandra. The boys’ cousin, Amanda, said the incident has left the family devastated.

She said there was now a “hole in a heart and an emptiness which cannot be filled” with the brothers’ tragic deaths.

“I did not go and I did not know that

would have never seen my brothers again and it really hurts me to know that they are gone,”she wept. She said that Raphael and Ricardo were inseparable.

“Ever ywhere Raphael went Ricardo went. The only place they were apart was on school days as they both attended different schools. They were like best friends always together.

They ate, laughed and played football together. They

loved each other so much,” she recalled.

Trinidad and Tobago Meteorological Service on the weekend issued a rough sea bulletin advising of “moderate to rough” seas. Waves were also expected to reach 2.5 to three metres in open waters and up to one metre in sheltered areas. Investigations are continuing.

(Adapted from Trinidad Newsday)

The United National Congress’ Roodal Moonilal and Vasant Bharath — both of whom were unsuccessful in their campaign for the party’s leadership — have vowed to continue to work with former prime minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar.

Moonilal, however, still maintains that Saturday’s internal poll was riddled with problems. He says the party must examine the election process.

P e r s a d Bissessar, who was elected political leader of the UNC on January 24, 2010, emerging victorious over the party’s founder, Basdeo

Panday, was re-relected to the post on Saturday by a landslide. She received 15,477 votes, to Moonilal’s 1,466 and Bharath’s 1,102 votes.

In an interview yesterday, Moonilal said, “We continue to do our work in the constituency as well as the Parliament, so we will continue our work. We’re very proud of our efforts in the election, it was a very courageous team; and we have a lot of plans and programmes for our own constituency, so we continue doing that work. We have complained tirelessly about the electoral system, and we

thoroughly believe that it was an unfair process. So the process has been now tainted; it is completely unfair.

Even those people who have been victorious, they undermined their own integrity.

The party needs to take a look at its election system. In terms of those persons who have been victorious, notwithstanding the flawed process, they must have the room to manoeuvre and rebuild the party.

That is now their job, and we will assist in any way we can.” None of his slate members - which included Dr

Tim Gopeesingh who contested the post of chairman — were elected to office. Like Moonilal, former Communications Minister Vasant Bharath says he too will work with

Persad- Bissesar and her team to rebuild the party.

In the meanwhile, he has no concrete plans for his immediate political future.

Addressing

concerns that the election process was flawed, chairman of the election committee, Dr Rampersad Parasram said the internal election was conducted according to the rules. (Adapted from Trinidad Newsday)

Venezuela’s opposition trounced the ruling Socialists on Sunday to win the legislature for the first time in 16 years and gain a longsought platform to challenge President Nicolas Maduro’s rule of the OPEC nation.

The opposition Democratic Unity coalition won 99 seats to the Socialists’ 46 in the 167-national National Assembly, the election board said, with some districts still to be counted. Fireworks were

Brothers drown during family outing

Kamla wins leadership battle

White House own Intel says ISIS gaining strength A new intelligence report commissioned by the White House says that the ISIS terror group will grow in numbers and territory unless it suffers significant losses in Iraq and Syria.

The findings sharply contradict previous statements by President Obama and other White House officials that ISIS has been “contained” by a program of U.S.-led airstrikes and the deployment of approximately 3,500

U.S. forces to train and otherwise aid moderate Syrian rebels and Kurdish fighters.

On Sunday, a U.S. official told Fox News that ISIS has been able to effectively recruit and attract affiliates despite losses on the ground, and has now supplanted Al Qaeda as the primary global jihadist threat. The official said that going forward, the entirety of the ISIS threat must be addressed, and the

group’s main base of operations in Syria must be “degraded.”

The findings were first reported by The Daily Beast, which said the White House asked for the assessment prior to the Nov. 13 attacks in Paris, in which ISIS militants killed 130 people in a series of coordinated shootings and suicide bombings.

In response to the report, The Daily Beast said President Obama had directed

Defense Secretary Ash Carter and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Joseph Dunford to come up with new strategies against ISIS. O n e recommendation, announced by Carter Tuesday, is a special operations cell with the ability to capture senior ISIS leaders in the hope of finding out more about their networks.

However, the Daily Beast reported that Carter’s announcement took military planners by surprise, since they had yet to finalize important details, including the

rules of engagement under which such raids would be carried out.

The eight-page report was compiled by a team of analysts from the CIA, NSA, and other agencies, the website reported.

The report

also described how the terrorist group with aspirations of founding an extremist Islamic caliphate already has a network of groups that have pledged allegiance or are vying for membership in a dozen countries.

but those with Internet access were able to make things happen.”

She said people started collecting food and other supplies without knowing how it would be distributed.

Others had braved the waters to reach the dropoff points. “It’s been the people all the way, the average Chennai citizen,” Manivanan said. Lack of phone and Internet service left relatives outside of India worried about loved ones.

Many people took advantage of the Safety Check feature on Facebook, which allowed them to let family members outside the country

know they are safe.

The return of full air service to Chennai should make it easier for donations from outside nations to arrive. Most airlines were expected to resume normal service

by Sunday at Chennai International Airport, a huge gateway to the south of India and one of the country’s busiest airports.

“Drinking water is a megaproblem, then cooked food of any kind, followed by milk and baby food,” Srinivasan said. “Other supplies like blankets and sanitary napkins are also needed.”

(Adapted from CNN)

reflected in Federal Bureau of Investigation data on background checks for people seeking

to purchase guns.

(Adapted from MSN)

Hundreds killed in Chennai floods

Chennai, a city of 4.6 million people on India’s southeast coast, is reeling from some of the heaviest and deadliest rains in decades. Now, as the floodwaters appear to recede, a massive

relief effort is under way.

Since October, flooding killed at least 272 people in the region, according to the National Disaster Response Force. About 28,000 people had to be

rescued. The flooding knocked out government services, left people stranded and made small boats a commonplace sight in city streets.

The National Crisis Management

Committee recently said about 90% of the city has power and buses are running again.

Telephone services are not yet fully functional.

Train service is spotty but should be back to normal Monday. The recent weather has been especially grueling lately.

In early December, 397 millimeters (nearly 16 inches) of rain fell during a two-day period in Chennai. In November, 1,196 millimeters (47 inches) of rain fell.

“The value of WiFi access cannot be underestimated,” said Sharanya Manivanan of Chennai. “Phone lines were down for days,

Many Americans are stocking up on weapons after the country’s worst mass shooting in three years. Gun retailers are reporting surging sales, with customers saying they want to keep handguns and rifles at hand for selfdefense in the event of another attack.

“Everyone is reporting up, every store, every salesman, every distributor,” said Ray Peters, manager of Range, Guns & Safes, a company that sells

firearms and safes in Atlanta with an indoor firing range. “People are more aware of the need to protect themselves.”

In a country where more people own more guns than anywhere else in the world, the shooting has reignited a longrunning national debate over Americans’ constitutional right to bear arms and whether gun ownership should be curbed or expanded as a way to stop even more bloodshed.

A recent spate of mass shootings, capped by Wednesday’s massacre in San Bernardino, has pushed those issues to the fore in the presidential campaign.

We d n e s d a y ’s shooting follows an attack that killed three on Nov. 27 at a Colorado Planned Parenthood clinic and an Oct. 1 rampage by a gunman who killed 10 at an Oregon college, prompted Hillary Clinton, the leading candidate for the

Democratic nomination, to renew her call to “stop gun violence now” with new firearm purchase restrictions.

C o n v e r s e l y , those who top the polls for the Republican nomination, Donald Trump and Ben Carson, insist the answer to gun violence is to empower citizens to thwart such attacks by making it easier, not harder, to buy and carry weapon.

Gun sales have spiked after previous mass shootings, as

Americans stock up on weapons after California shooting

Monday December 07, 2015

India trash SA to seal 3-0 series victory

India overcame stubborn resistance from South Africa to win the fourth and final Test in Delhi by 337 runs and seal a 3-0 series victory. Resuming on 72-2 on the final day in pursuit of a notional 481, the tourists were bowled out shortly after tea for 143, made in 143.1 overs.

Hashim Amla fell early for 25 off 244

balls and AB de Villiers 43 off 297. The tourists lost their last five wickets for seven runs after tea as Ravichandran Ashwin claimed 5-61.

It was the off-spinner’s fourth five-wicket haul of a series in which he took 31 wickets at an average of only 11.12.

Ravindra Jadeja took 2-26 off 46 overs,

including 17 consecutive maidens, Umesh Yadav claimed 3-9 off 21 and Ishant Sharma conceded only 23 runs from 20 overs. Much of that time was spent trying to dislodge De Villiers, who was unbeaten on 11 overnight and carried on where he left off during a 345-minute stay at the crease.

After captain Amla was bowled by a wonderful delivery from Jadeja that turned to hit off stump, De Villiers was assisted by Faf du Plessis, who took 53 balls to score his first run and had made 10 from 117 when he was lbw to the slow left-armer.

De Villiers lost JP Duminy before tea -

lbw to Ashwin without scoring - and Dane Vilas after the interval, bowled

by Yadav for 13 off 57 deliveries. The crucial breakthrough, though, came moments later when Ashwin found turn and bounce to have De Villiers taken at leg slip off his glove.

It was the second wicket to fall in the space

of 27 balls as India ran through the tail, Ashwin sealing victory by bowling Morne Morkel.

Scores:- India 334 & 267-5 dec: Rahane 100*, Morkel 3-51 South Africa 121 & 143: De Villiers 43, Ashwin 5-61 India won by 337 runs; won series 3-0 (Adapted from the BBC)