GNN Online Newspaper - Dec 18, 2015

Friday December 18, 2015

SAYING THANK YOU...

President Granger receives a hug during a function to honour senior citizens today at State House

PUBLIC SECURITY MINISTRY WARNS OF SOFTWARE ATTACKS Gov’t commends sugar workers; NO $50,000 bonus -PAGE 6

-PAGE 7

President joined soldiers for annual Christmas lunch President David Granger yesterday further emphasised the importance of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF). Speaking before the merriment of the soldiers’ annual Christmas lunch at Base Camp Stephenson, the President said, “This is a day when the whole country would recognise the worth of the Defence Force.

Guyana would have been a different place were it not for the GDF.” Referencing Operation Dragnet, the President noted

that next year will be a busy year for the GDF even as they remain on guard to ensure the security of Guyana.

Granger, who was once a Platoon Commander and Base Commander at Camp Stephenson, said being there yesterday, was a moment of nostalgia for him. He added that the base has a rich history and was the base from which troops took off from to quell the rebellion in the Rupununi in 1969.

Chief of Staff of the Army, Brigadier Mark Phillips told the

President, “The troops at Timehri remain steadfast in our operations towards enhancing defence and security throughout Guyana. At present we are positioned at our frontiers at different locations in our hinterland and our coastland. We are on Operation Dragnet, an operation that is aimed to enhance security throughout Guyana and we remain ready for any other operation that you and your Defence Board would direct to us.

The President wished the Guyana

President Granger serving lunch at Base Camp Stephenson

Defence Force Troops a Merry Christmas, and kept the traditional of serving of lunch to soldiers at Base Camp

Stephenson. He also used the opportunity of being at Camp Stephenson to tour the Civil Defence Commission’s

Emergency Operation Centre and Warehouse.

In excess of $133M spent on gov’t allies for forensic audits -credibility of audits questioned

Finance Minister Winston Jordan

The A Partnership for National Un it y + A l l i anc e for Change (APNU+AFC) government has finally come out with the figures spent on the ongoing forensic audits conducted on a number of state agencies.

Efforts by the media to get the government to disclose the figure being spent on the audits were dodged on previous occasions.

Several weeks ago the question was posed to Minister of Governance Raphael Trotman who

promised to provide the answer via email to all the media houses, but which never materialized.

D u r i n g yesterday’s sitting of the National Assembly, Finance Minister Winston Jordan made the disclosure while responding to questions posed by People’s Progressive Party/Civic Member of Parliament (PPP/C), Juan Edghill in relation to the audits.

With regard to the procurement process followed in the award of the audit contracts, Minister

Jordan agreed that government single-sourced the forensic auditors in accordance with the Procurement Act.

Jordan in his written response said “in accordance with Sections 28(b) of the Procurement Act 2003, Act No. 8 or 2003, the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board awarded the contracts on a single source method. The government decided to use this method for a number of reasons including the fact that there is a limited number of Chartered

Accounting firms in Guyana, and not all of them offer forensic auditing services.”

Based on the document circulated, the majority of the contracts went to Ram and McRae Chartered Accountants which amounted to some $37M, while Nigel Hinds Financial Services got $25M, and Anand Goolsarran, the former Auditor General was awarded some $7M. T h e outstanding $64M in contracts were awarded to Nizam Ali and Company, H a r r y m a n Parmeswar, HLB Seebarran and Company, and TSD Lall Company.

However, with $133M being spent from the state purse is in contradiction with the announcement by the coalition government shortly after it assumed office that the past administration left an empty treasury.

In addition to this the government has embarked on a massive spending spree as pointed out by the PPP/C. This has been severely criticized by the opposition since it claims that more spending is being done as opposed to the generation of income.

The audits which the opposition dubbed as being politically motivated are supposed to be completed by the end of the year.

T h e government was also criticised for handpicking the auditors who are known to be their friends.

With that being said, Opposition leader Bharrat Jagdeo said the credibility of the audits are cause for concern. He deemed this an act of corruption by the government.

During the debates for the 2015 National budget Jagdeo told the House that he is in support

Juan Edghill

of any audit but the right procedure must be followed.

He had also recommended that international auditors be brought in to conduct the audits since the credibility of those hired will be questioned given that they are friends of the government.

“We can support the government on any audit, providing that there are clear terms of reference and the process through which the auditors is hired is a transparent one and that we should seek skilled people, not people who were part of your campaign on your side,” Jagdeo had said.

Preparations ongoing for the declaration of 3 new Towns Lethem

Three new districts are preparing to contest the 2016 Local Government Elections as towns after being gazette as such on October 21, Bartica Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni) and Lethem, Region Nine (Upper TakutuUpper Essequibo) is preparing for township status in 2016.

GNN spoke to the Regional Chairman for Region Seven; Gordon Bradford (in which Bartica is slated for township status) who noted that there are several projects are ongoing, however the Region is awaiting its 2016 budget.

He said “we are looking at the

construction of a town hall, we have to upgrade our roads, our postal services; new post office, as a matter of priority we have to upgrade our solid waste management by preparing our landfill site, works have started at our stelling by Transport and Harbors Department, upgrading our recreational facilities; playgrounds, we also thinking of constructing a cultural centre, upgrading Bartica hospital to a regional hospital…we are looking to equip the schools with wifi and upgrade them…we have started in all aspects but some we have to wait on our budget for next year.”

The Bartica

sub-district is also working to develop green energy by looking at solar energy, hydro and wind energy with help from the Ministry of the Presidency and CARICOM among other partners.

Meanwhile in Lethem, Region nine Chairman; Bryan Allicock said the authorities are concentrating heavily on infrastructure d e v e l o p m e nt .

“Works are ongoing to upgrade the roads; to get contractors to see how much we can do before May, 26, 2016.

We also looking at the possibilities as to where we will put the fire station, where we will put the Mayor and councilors’

Compound…we are trying to have proper alignment of the drainage, the water supply system, the power supply; we are already looking at how we can improve our energy source using Hydro; actually there are a lot of expressions of interest by companies…work is ongoing for the children’s play field as well to keep out animals” He said Allicock added that there are efforts to regularize the housing within the region and clean-up the environment while the German Government is working with the Guyana Government to provide support hydro projects within the region.

However in Mabaruma, Deputy

Chairperson of Region one; Sarah Browne stated that the district is not preparing for the new developments as no response has been received from the government on its proposals.

She previously told GNN that “We would have proposed buildings and infrastructure that we want to be upgraded; we sent that to the Ministry of Communities, however we would have gotten no response as yet, as to when these projects will commence and if we would get all of the stuff done. We want for example; upgrade of

roads, an immigration office here, Guyana Revenue Authority and all of these different agencies to come into our region, however we have not gotten any definite word.”

She said too that while the Guyana Elections Commission is conducting its activities in the region, many communities are not educated on the meaning of township status and what it will do for them.

Browne noted that after the demarcation process, no consultations were hosted with the residents.

Keith Scott explains repossession -Nandlall cries discrimination of core homes

Minister of Communities Keith Scott

Junior Minister of Communities Keith Scott has sought to explain the reason for the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA’s) decision to repossess some core homes from their owners.

Scott in a statement today said that persons who were served with letters indicating intention to repossess have “breached the agreement which they signed and violated the principles

of fairness and equity.”

On Wednesday last at a press conference at Freedom House, former Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister Anil Nandlall alleged that the CH&PA had issued letters indicating their intention to repossess their homes.

Nandlall alleged discrimination against a particular group of people since the persons who were served with the letters are from one ethnicity. Asked which

ethnicity he was referring to, Nandlall was reluctant in being definitive, but opted to read the names to the media.

He implied that Indo-Guyanese are the victim since all the names he called are purportedly persons of Indian descent.

However, he is claiming that these persons were issued the homes under the past administration’s core homes project and are occupying their homes.

“I have here a series of letters sent out by the CH&PA revoking, purporting to revoke these certificates of title and take back these homes,” Nandlall told the media.

He contended that this is not only

unconstitutional once the certificate of title is in someone’s name it cannot be repossessed, even if the owner is not occupying the house. He however noted that in these cases the houses are being occupied.

Reference was made to article 142 of the constitution which protects ones property from being compulsory acquired by the state without the payment of compensation.

Howe ver, Scott said the CH&PA has noted recently, evidence of persons who presented information that allowed them to qualify and participate in the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB)/ Government of Guyana (GOG) subletting and in one instance attempting to sell one of the houses.

“CHPA was able to

Anil Nandlall

stop the sale and revert the property to the Authority,” the statement said.

The Minister continued “It appears that Mr. Nandlall and his group have no interest in justice and decency but seem determined to create a new group of exploiters, reminiscent of the old imperial type regime of

which he was a part.”

The CH&PA assured that it is committed to using the state’s resources and energies to provide housing for citizens, particularly low income groups.

It said it “deplores this cheap politicking and deception.”

Broomes to meet with Qualfon Managers to address working conditions

Minister within the Ministry of Social Protection; Simona Broomes

Following the discovery of several breaches of the labor laws at the Qualfon Guyana Incorporated, Goedverwagting, East Coast Demerara location, Minister within the Ministry of Social Protection; Simona Broomes said she will meet with the top management of the company to ensure that their policies are changed to comply with the Laws of Guyana.

The Mexicoheadquartered call centre employs thousands of young people. The Minister visited the center after receiving complains via letters, emails from employees of the company who did not state their names for fear of victimization.

“We did have a lot of anonymous complaints: persons called, persons sent letters, and I did mention that they write me and don’t sign names because of [their fear of] victimisation.

They complained about salaries, health…

We have to ensure compliance. Once we get compliance we would have better worker relationships, and that is what we hope to achieve.”

She said changes have to be made once inspections confirm that the allegation against the company is true, as such se will meet with the management of the company.

Among the complaints from workers are poor wages, abuse, unhealthy

CARICOM’s Secretary General, Ambassador Irwin LaRocque, today paid his first formal visit to Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo where they discussed ways where the bonds between CARICOM countries can be strengthened.

Prime Minister Nagamootoo who also has responsibilities for information said “we had a cordial and friendly exchange of views on major issues concerning the CARICOM Region; more particularly the promotion of Agroprocessing and the deepening exchange programmes

among Caribbean communication and information personnel.”

The Prime Minister also undertook to examine the promotion of the interRegional communication especially the reintroduction of the CaribVision programmes in Guyana and to have the programmes accessed by the Government Information Agency (GINA) through the Caribbean Communication n e t w o r k .

C ar i b Vi s i on is a 24/7 cable channel owned and operated by

toilet facilities, spreading of chicken pox at the facility and unsanitary food at the cafeteria.

During a private meeting with the junior staff of the company and the Minister, it was disclosed that the company pays $22,000 to just above $30,000 to the staff, time and a half for Sundays and are forced to work on all Holidays including Christmas. They said anyone who speak out is being victimized.

It was also noted that trainee employees are paid $16,000 a fortnight, but after tax, that amount is reduced to a mere $12,000.

“If you have a 100 per cent on your score card you’d get like thirty-something thousand a fortnight, if you don’t get 100 per cent, you’d get like $22,000, something around that,” an employee of the call centre, who has been employed there for six years, said.

One employee said it is mandatory for all employees to work on Christmas Day; something they (employees) feel is unreasonable.

A d d i t i o n a l l y, staff said while they work overtime to increase their salaries, the huge amount

of monies deducted in tax makes it meagre.

It was noted that there is just 25 minutes available for lunch- “We have issues with the canteen…

Food at the canteen is unacceptable for consumption, the man at the canteen sells spoilt food; the food is not fresh; the washrooms; you would have checked the washrooms and seen…it is ridiculous.

We only get 25 minutes’ lunch (break) but you need to get back to your system within 22 minutes, or you’d be disciplined,” another employee complained.

Another opined that the situation at Qualfon is appalling; “They have a particular time for us to go to the washroom… then every morning the washrooms are down” the woman said.

Additionally, the workers complained of the spreading of chicken pox at the location.

According to the workers, management of the Call Centre did not fumigate the location and press for the isolation of those with the infection.

M i n i s t e r Broomes explained that the Occupational and Safety Health Department of her ministry should have been notified of the spreading of the infectious disease, despite representatives of the company stating that the Ministry of Health was notified.

Almost all of the workers who met with Minister Broomes complained that they were not in receipt of copies of their contracts with the company even though they were promised

that they will be given a copy.

According to the employees of the call centre, they were “rushed” into signing the contracts.

It was observed by the Minister’s team of officials that there were limited documents relevant to the persons employed and working at the Goedverwagting location, something that Minister Broomes disapproved of.

“You must have the document for the persons who are stationed here…it must be here! Are you telling me that I have to go to Providence to get the information for this location?” she asked senior personnel of the company.

Qualfon has been operating in Guyana since 2005.

Nagamootoo and CARICOM Secretary General discuss deepening exchange programmes

Prime Minister Nagamootoo and Ambassador Irwin LaRocque

the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC).

Launched in 2006, CaribVision now airs

in over 22 Caribbean territories, the USA

(New York Tri-State Area: NY, NJ and CT) and in the providences of Ontario and Quebec in Canada, thereby promoting the Region in those territories.

Ambassador LaRocque also echoed the Prime Minister’s words noting that he discussed ways where the bonds between CARICOM countries can be strengthened.

He noted too that he used the opportunity to seek the views of the Prime Minister on international issues.

PPP/C to complain to Int’l community about “breached Parliamentary democracy” The opposition peoples Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) is calling on the Commonwealth to intervene in what it deems a situation whereby “Parliamentary democracy has been violated.”

According to the party’s Chief Whip Gail Teixeira, the Commonwealth has played a very important role in relation to parliamentary reforms.

Guyana and the Commonwealth has always shared a good relationship especially in the area of the conduct and management of elections. The group observed elections here in, 1992, 1997, 2001, 2006, 2011 and 2015.

G u y a n a also benefited from support from this group in the struggle for the restoration and strengthening of democracy and support of profound

parliamentary reforms (2005) through the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA).

Ms. Teixeira told media operatives that the party plans to take three steps in registering its concerns with regard to the breach of Parliamentary democracy by the A Partnership for National Unity+Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) government which enjoys a parliamentary majority.

“We have been pointing out since the previous parliament that Parliamentary democracy was under threat and we have

been exposing this and we will continue to,” said Teixeira.

She added that “we went through the era of rigged elections and an undemocratic rule for twenty-eight years and we constantly exposed it.

This time it is not going to take twenty-eight years I can assure you of that, our Guyanese people are much too wise right now.”

According to the party’s Chief Whip the PPP/C will not sit down and continue to be “railroaded” by the government.

She highlighted steps that the party will be taking to reverse what it deems dictatorship trend.

The first step is

to inform the public, “if the public don’t know and this is where it is very important for the media whether you like the PPP or you don’t like the PPP that the people have a right to know and make their judgment,” Ms. Teixeira declared.

Further, she explained that the party plans to inform civil society about the dictatorship. This will be done through consultations, bottomhouse styled meetings, discussions, meeting and outreaches across the country.

The party also plans to complain to the international community about their issues. “We are calling on the international community, particularly Commonwealth that has played an important role with regard to parliamentary reforms to say something about this or at least to stand up and

protect the parliamentary gains that we have made,” Teixeira added.

Opposition leader Bharrat Jagdeo at a previous press conference promised that his party will be pressuring the coalition government and to expose its wrong doings.

He also promised to draw the attention of the international community on the unlawful actions of the government.

Since in the 10th Parliament the PPP/C which was the then government had accused the APNU+AFC then then opposition who held a parliamentary majority of violating parliamentary d e m o c r a c y .

However, with the PPP/C being ousted from office, and the APNU+AFC holding a majority in Parliament, those complaints have increased.

The most recent incident is whereby the government sought to rush three bills through the National Assembly on Thursday December 17 after it postponed sitting for several weeks to allow its Members of Parliament to attend overseas business.

The government is also accused of not consulting on the bills.

Ho w e v e r, Leader of the House and Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo rejected statements that there were no consultations on the Bill. “Statements that there were no consultations on the bills are not only misleading statement, it flies in the face of truth,” said the Prime Minister.

He also rejected Teixeira’s allegation of the government “bulldozing” the House.

He argued that it is totally irresponsible to come into this August Assembly and make baseless allegations.

“The question of bulldozing has no merit whatsoever. They want to use the Parliament to frustrate the people’s business – the government’s business,” said the Prime Minister.

Holiday business appears to be improving

With one week left to Christmas, there has been some improvements in the business climate in parts of the country.

Chairman of the Trade, Intelligence and Investment Committee of the Private Sector Commission (PSC) Ramesh Dookhoo also stated that feedback from the business sector shows more money is circulating as persons are being paid. The PSC had previously predicted that business will improve as public servants are paid.

“There has been an improvement in consumption and the retail trade, that’s the feeling we

are getting, based on feedback from Businesses” he noted.

Chairman of Region Seven; Gordon Bradford said the Region’s economy was hindered by

the low gold prices since it’s dependent on the mining sector, however business is picking up in Bartica as well.

During a telephone interview

today, he noted that “things are gradually picking up, only yesterday I was remarking while standing on the road, there is an increase in traffic,

there is an increase in persons frequenting stores and so on so it is picking up and we hope that, that trend will continue into the New Year.”

P r e v i o u s l y

business persons especially in Georgetown were complaining that “business is moving slow when compared to the same period in previous years.”

Beware! Your computers and files at risk from ransomware attacks The Guyana National Computer Incident Response Team (GNCIRT) wishes to alert the general public of the sudden surge in ransomware attacks being experienced globally.

Security researchers are reporting that ransomware attacks have increased nine-fold in a two-week period.

Regionally, Paraguay has recently experienced a ransomware campaign against its citizens.

G N C I R T has had one recent report of ransomware that infected several computers at a prominent government agency in Guyana and caused irreparable damage to important data files and inconvenience to users.

Given the global trend, GNCIRT has reason to believe that Guyanese users, especially organisations and businesses processing financial transactions via email, are at high risk.

A statement from the Ministry of Public Security noted that Ransomware is a type of malicious software that encrypts your data files and demands payment in return for the key to decrypt your files. A successful ransomware attack will encrypt your data files and make them unavailable to you.

When an individual or member of staff tries to access the data files, they are pointed to a ransom note with directions on how to make a payment in order to regain

access to the data files.

GNCIRT advises that a payment should never be made as there is no guarantee that the attackers will provide the decryption key. Instead, all precautions should be taken to prevent a successful attack.

The current trend is for the malware to be propagated via spam email with malicious attachments.

The subject of the emails relate to alleged ‘Invoices’, ‘Payments’, ‘Payment Notices’ or ‘Wire Transfers’ and typically

have a ‘Reference# or Invoice#’ followed by random numbers to appear legitimate.

The emails have an accompanying malicious attachment which is typically a zip file and include the reference number and words such as ‘invoice’ or ‘info’ or ‘note’. The use of these keywords suggest that the attackers are targeting businesses and organizations involved in processing financial transactions.

GNCIRT advises that all staff accessing

emails on their desktops or on their mobile phones be made aware of this threat. They should be alerted not to click on any suspicious emails or download any suspicious attachments.

While the immediate threat is against Microsoft Windows desktop users, mobile phone users are also at risk for ransomware.

For persons who are using a personal computer at home, they are advised to delete any suspicious e-mails and to be on the alert for future threats.

For persons using an organization’s e-mail service, they are advised to immediately report these spam mails to their System and Network Administrator or any such person(s) who may be administering the network and email services.

GNCIRT asks that this advisory be taken seriously, as failing to do

so may make you or your organization the next victim of ransomware.

If infected, GNCIRT recommends the following steps be taken to mitigate the impact: 1. Do not pay any ransom demand.

2.

Disconnect the impacted system/s from the network immediately and quarantine same in a secured location.

3.

Halt usage of impacted system/s to minimize loss of data.

4. Attempt to identify which variant of ransomware you are infected with.

5. Notify the Guyana National Computer Incident Response Team

Lands and Surveys cannot disclose details on Jagdeo/Ahmad land deal

Ed Ahmad Minister of State Joseph Harmon

The Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission (GLSC) says it cannot disclose details surrounding the land agreement between former President Bharrat Jagdeo and Ed Ahmad of Ozone Park, New York.

Minister of State Joseph Harmon last week at his postcabinet media briefing that the government has scrapped the 3.41 acres land deal between the two

which was leased for GYD$500,000 yearly to Generation Complex Inc, whose head is Ahamad for the construction of a 150 room Hotel, including Bars, and a Casino.

H a r m o n accused the former President of entering a “backdoor arrangement” with Ahmad and of fasttracking the procedure which he said concluded on one week.

The Minister

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo

has since said that the government will be moving to recover some GYD$3.7M in arrears from Ahamad for a piece of land, located at Thomas lands and Vlissengen road. “I have asked lands and surveys to demand arrears payment from the company from 2009 to 2015 and the lease is now terminated from December 1st 2015,” the State Minister said.

Following

H a r m o n ’ s announcement, it was subsequently reported that the deal was cancelled since in 2009. Those reports were carried in the Kaieteur News and the Guyana Chronicle.

F o r m e r Attorney General Anil Nandlall on Wednesday December 16 explained that the plot of land was handed back to the state because it was too small for the

intended purpose.

Harmon has since challenged Jagdeo to bring the evidence that the land deal was cancelled in 2009. However, the PPP/C fired back saying that the evidence is at the Lands and Surveys Commission and that Harmon should check there.

The party said Harmon “jumped the guns” and was trying to prove that Jagdeo was involved in corruption.

A m i d s t

the back and forth between Harmon and the opposition, this publication sought to verify for itself that the deal was cancelled as claimed. However, the Commission said it cannot disclose the details since it needed permission from the Minister.

With that revelation and policy in place this publication was unable to verify whether the deal was cancelled in 2009 or not.

Gov’t commends sugar workers; but still not getting $50,000 bonus Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo

Government is happy that the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) has exceeded its 2015 production target and commends the workers for their efforts, however it has not agreed the pay sugar workers a $50,000 bonus as requested by the Guyana Agricultural Workers Union (GAWU).

Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo stated that “I am very pleased that they have all worked diligently and as hard as they usually do and to help realize the target” attributing the success to the innovations implemented by the new management of GuySuCo.

“They have been coming up with innovative measures to have the factories perform better, and some of those innovations are showing the independence of the management of GuySuCo which is free from political interference and dictatorship” he said.

Noting that the sugar workers must be cognizant that the nation is behind the industry as the Government is determined to save it, he alluded to the bailout that was given in previous years and will also have to be given to the industry in 2016.

The company

is indebted to the tune of $82B and, “therefore if it hasn’t become viable over the medium and long-term it’s going to be a millstone around the neck of the sugar industry,” the Prime Minister stated.

He contended that while the government also wants to see production increase, and that attention is paid to sugar workers’ conditions among others, there is the longing desire to see the industry start making profits and not go under because of indebtedness.

A d d i t i o n a l l y, Agriculture Minister Noel Holder credited this success to the new management and the government’s ‘hands off ’ approach.

On Monday last, GuySuCo surpassed its 2015 production target of 227, 443 tonnes; on the same day that the government announced a $50,000 bonus for all public

servants earning below $500,000 per month.

One of the union representing sugar workers; GAWU on Thursday in a statement noted that it has written the Finance minister asking for sugar workers to be given the bonus, however the Minister told online news; Demerara Waves today that “the money that we have paid to the public servants is more or less all that we had and we thought that they needed to benefit…We don’t have any more money – not that this stage.”

GAWU in its statement noted that given the Annual Production Incentive (API) will be paid until March next year, it wrote to the Minister of Finance on (Tuesday) December 15, 2015 requesting that the $50,000 Christmas Bonus award to Public Sector employees be awarded also to the sugar workers who are employees also of a

CineGuyana gets $1M from PM’s office

The office of the Prime Minister, through Prime Minister, Moses Nagamooto earlier today granted $1M to CineGuyana to aid in the production of a local film which will be done in Essequibo.

Receiving this sum was President of CineGuyana, Phillip Williams who noted

that the organization had approached the PM, given the fact that they have had financial constraints and welcome any amount of fund to push local productions.

“We wanted to do a project which represents Guyana. We are very passionate about telling stories about Guyana and in the interest of

creating unity, solidarity and nationalism” Williams said, adding that the film will be produced in Essequibo.

He revealed that CineGuyana currently facilitates over 800 members and that number is growing daily.

And while funding has been a major challenge in this industry, he noted

that the organization has a special talent of making any amount of funds do, to execute their projects. However, he called on corporate Guyana to follow suit and support the film industry which is in need.

Prime Minister, Moses Nagamootoo who officially handed over the $1M was clear

state-owned enterprise.

Sugar workers began protesting on December 16 for their wage increases and the Union said it is likely to continue into the New Year as “They feel justifiably that they have been singled out for discrimination notwithstanding the acknowledgement of their hard and dedicated work which has led to the industry breaking new records including the surpassing of the Corporation’s production target for the first time in eleven (11) years.”

Opposition

leader; Bharrat Jagdeo also called for the sugar workers to benefit earlier in the week, noting that he is “disappointed at the fact that the year is almost to an end and sugar workers have not been paid any wage increases, nor an Annual Production Incentive (API) – despite the fact that Government has announced that the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) has surpassed its production target.

This is the first time in several years that sugar workers have been treated in this manner.”

in highlighting that the money was not a donation or a gift, but rather something tangible that was earned

by CineGuyana for their continued efforts in pushing the film industry.

Nagamotoo also explained that this initiative was one which he had wanted to do for many years, since he made the first draft of the broadcast legislation in 1993-94. “I had included that a percentage of the revenue from broadcasting, must go to local producers to encourage them to make local programmes, films and documentaries” the PM revealed.

However, having in their composition, persons who possess the talent that is recognized beyond the borders of Guyana, Nagamootoo hinted at the possible creation of fund that will come out of the National Broadcasting authority revenue to benefit the local producers; a defined percentage, he said.

“It must not be left to chance that if this Government changes, they could kick it off.

It must be a defined

and fixed percentage.

The committee will be set up and the rules as to who can apply will be established so it must be opened to all producers” he noted.

The Prime Minister also underscored the need for local production to dominate local industry which he said, relies heavily on foreign programmes. “We can have local programmes with humour, created by Guyanese for Guyanese” he said, adding that this would lead to the buying in by companies which would provide an advertising market.

Ultimately, he added, this would lead to development of CineGuyana.

CineGuyana is a film organisation that was founded by local artists, and aims to promote Guyana’s culture through film. The organisation has been making strides for the past five years, during which it has produced 11 short films, eight of which has been shown internationally.

President and First Lady fete senior citizens

His Excellency, President Granger shares a token with one of the invitees at today’s lunch, which was held on the Lawns of State House

First Lady, Mrs. Sandra Granger, today, hosted a Luncheon on the lawns of State House, to honour over 200 senior citizens from various homes across Georgetown.

The Government Information Agency (GINA) stated that President Granger, who joined his wife at the Luncheon, thanked the senior citizens for their contributions

over the years, while noting that the country’s 50th anniversary was approaching and they like him must remember that feeling of pride they felt at the birth of the nation.

“I would like to thank you for everything you have done this year. It has been a very important year in Guyanese history and I am sure you all share the joy of Christmas.

Being here is a part of that sharing. Next year we celebrate our 50th anniversary and those like me, who are over 50 would know how it felt 49 years ago and we want to ensure that next year is not just a big party but a time of healing, a time of coming together, a time of sharing…and maybe we can enjoy that second independence,” Granger said.

First Lady Sandra Granger serving lunch to the senior citizens

The First Lady said that the aim of the exercise was to make the seniors feel special since most of them are from Homes across the town.

“It’s Christmas, the season of sharing and giving. I think we need to strengthen the habit of honouring our seniors and I think one of the least things we can do at this time of the year is to honour them and since its Christmas,

share a meal with them.

So that’s the aim of it; pure and simple. To give them a day out of their respective homes, bring them out and have them enjoy a good afternoon, with good food and good music,” Mrs. Granger said.

Among the homes which were invited and present are the Uncle Eddie’s Home, Archer’s Home, Dharma Sala, St. Joseph’s Home

for the Elderly and the Palms Geriatric Home.

The First Lady said that the Regional Democratic Councils in Regions Three, Four, Five, Six and Ten were also asked to send senior citizens from their regions to be a part of the event.

Mrs. Granger said that she will be using her office to ensure that more focus is placed on the vulnerable group in the coming months.

CJIA spreadS holiday cheer

Two sisters are pleased with their presents A CJIA staff handing out gifts

The Cheddi Jagan International Airport’s 5th annual Santa parade culminated with 3,000 presents which included teddy bears, candies, trucks, board and educational games distributed to eager children along Soesdyke on December 16, 2015.

The event saw participation from Minister of Public Infrastructure, David Patterson. The fun-

filled parade kicked off from St. Mary’s Primary, Soesdyke and made its way to CJIA’s ground, Timehri.

Chief Executive Officer of CJIA; Ramesh Ghir, said “Part of our mandate is to give back to the community, and I am pleased that Minister Patterson was able to take time out from his busy schedule to be part of this occasion.”

A mini concert

was also held at CJIA’s ground with some of CJIA’s staff revealing their hidden talents including singing and dramatic poetry.

The CJIA management applauds the contributions from Digicel, Digital Technology, Thrill Drinks and Beharry Sweets.

Hon. Patterson with some young fans, who sang ‘Santa Looking for a Wife”

Cabinet to deliberate on NICIL audit report Cabinet will be examining the forensic audit report conducted on the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) at its meeting next week.

This move is taken after the report was completed in October of this year and has been the centre of controversy following reports carried by sections of the media with regard to its content. Daily reports are being churned out by the media on various aspects of the report and recommendations.

The forensic audit report was prepared by Chartered A c c o u n t a n t , Anand Goolsarran.

Minister of

Governance Raphael Trotman confirmed that Cabinet members will review the document and will offer their comments at the next sitting scheduled for next week.

Minister of State Joseph Harmon at a recent post-cabinet media briefing denied that there is any delay in the releasing of the reports even after it was put to him that the NICIL report was completed some weeks ago. He however assured that when the reports reach Cabinet they will be deliberated on.

“I don’t know what you perceive to be delays, but I can say that when they get to Cabinet, we will get to

them. Let me explain that when an audit is done, the audited entity receives the report and does some evaluation.

The Board has to have an opportunity to study the report and then it is taken by the subject Minister to Cabinet. I do not understand that there is any delay in it. The audit work is not something you rush. Sometimes you have statements that are made which need to be followed up and this is my experience in looking at these things, because the auditors may come to certain conclusions without the benefit of all of the information,” said the Minister.

Junior Finance Minister Jaipaul Sharma

Minister Raphael Trotman

who is in charge of the audits told this publication that he is looking to put a wrap on all the audits by year end.

Minister Sharma conceded that there has been some delays in some agencies due to the

fact that some heads were on annual leave, hence the reports were stuck with the agency awaiting perusal and response.

He said the audit reports are coming, however, he explained that “there is a time that

limit in which you give the agency to respond so I cannot send it anywhere unless they respond. However, if they don’t respond I will have to forward the report.”

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‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ Hits $50 MillionPlus Thursday Night in U.S The Force is already setting a U.S. record with “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” taking in $50 million to $55 million in opening Thursday-night shows, preliminary estimates showed. If the estimates hold, “The Force Awakens” will easily beat the previous Thursdaynight record of $43.5 million by Warner Bros.’ “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2” in July 2011.

The U.S. showings of D i s n e y - Lu c a s f i l m’s “The Force Awakens,” directed by J.J. Abrams, began at 7 p.m. The cast includes Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Adam Driver, Lupita Nyong’o and Domhnall Gleeson

along with original “Star Wars” stars Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher.

In a sign of sky-high anticipation, the seventh film in the iconic science-fiction franchise had set a record by selling more than $100 million worth of advance tickets domestically as of Tuesday — raising expectations that “The Force Awakens” will do more than $200 million worth of business on its opening weekend domestically.

The current record for a launch weekend was set in June by “Jurassic World” with $208.4 million.

The marketing campaign has triggered plenty of

pent-up excitement for the return of Luke Skywalker, Chewbacca and Han Solo, plus the new characters and story line. Disney, which paid more than $4 billion for Lucasfilm in 2009, had been downplaying expectations, but rival studios and industry analysts believe that “The Force Awakens” will open to $210 million or more.

“The Force Awakens” is set 30 years after the events of 1983’s “Star Wars: Return of the Jedi.” The film will be in a total of 4,134 locations on Friday — a record for a December opening.

(MSN)

Local doctors to benefit from training by Chinese medical team China is willing to assist in training Guyanese doctors in various specialist/post-graduate disciplines as well as provide short term training to Guyanese medical personnel.

The team further highlighted that training in the medical sector is crucial to the development of Guyana’s Public Health care system, and because of this reason, the Government of China will continue to extend its support in this regard.

To support this, the Chinese Government is expected to develop an agreement with the Government of Guyana in 2016, to offer training to Guyanese

doctors. But not limited to training, the team also indicated that they are expecting Laser equipment in April, 2016 at the GPHC to perform various eye surgeries.

Offering brief comments on this much welcomed move, Public Health Minister, Dr. George Norton expressed his thankfulness for such support, while noting that the third world country will continue to look forward for the continued support from China.

A formal invitation was also extended to the Minister by the team, for him to visit Jiangsu Province, China, next year.

Local doctors and doctors from the Chinese Medical Brigade are expected to benefit significantly from one week of medical training provided by a five-member Chinese Medical Specialist team which arrived in

Guyana on Monday last.

The specialist team which is attached to the Health and Family Planning Commission of the Jiangsu Province of the People’s Republic of China is headed by Dr. Shu Yusheng and are expected to depart

the shores of Guyana on December 20.

Geared towards further strengthening China- Guyana Health Cooperation, the team will assist in providing training for local doctors as well as doctors from the Chinese Medical Brigade

at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC).

During their visit, the specialist team will be performing vascular surgeries, surgical operations for Glaucoma, as well as Ophthalmology related operations at the GPHC. Additionally, the team consists of a bio-medical engineer who will be performing maintenance and repairs to various medical equipment at the GPHC, including the Orthopedic C-Arm donated by the Government of China in October of this year.

The team, which has willingly lent support to Guyana’s health sector, also noted that

When Amy Anderson lost her newborn Bryson in 2010 when she was 20 weeks pregnant, she was numb. As she grieved the passing of her stillborn son, her body continued to produce milk that Bryson would have used for nourishment if he had lived.

But instead of taking Sudafed and binding

her breasts to suppress lactation as her doctors recommended, Anderson did the opposite. She let her body take its natural course, and then she donated her breast milk to other preterm children like little Bryson, who lost his life Oct. 30, 2010 after suffering a lower urinary tract infection in utero.

“Though [preterm breast milk donation] not the best choice for

everyone, it can help to foster healing and gratitude in an otherwise dark and desolate time,” Anderson, 34, told Fox5Atlanta.com.

Fox5Atlanta.com reported that Anderson, who is the mother of two living children ages 8 and 2, pumped for eight months and donated about 92 gallons of breast milk for distribution to five U.S. states and three countries. She pointed

out her breast milk is healthier than full-term breast milk because it contains the fat, protein and nutrient content that preterm babies need.

“Pumping milk in Bryson’s memory felt so very right,” she told the news station.She made her last preterm breast milk donation in person in June 2011, but she has since advocated for the right of grieving mothers to also consider donation

in spite of any taboos.

“I’ve shed tears reading beautiful stories of other bereaved moms completing acts in honor of their angels, shared in heartbreak for those moms regretting missed opportunities,

and offered information and references to professionals seeking knowledge about this unique form of ‘organ donation,’” Anderson said.

(Adapted from Fox Health)

victims in five years or less.

The region is inhabited by the Warao people, an impoverished tribe settled along the river banks or on wooden huts above the quiet waters that are also their main source of livelihood.

HIV entered the community approximately 15 years ago, researchers say, but alarms went off after a 2013 study on eight of the Warao communities

produced astonishing results: as many as 9.55 percent of the population tested came back HIV positive, in a country where the rate is 0.56 percent.

In one of the communities tested, Usidu, 21.6 percent of people were carrying the powerful HIV strain. About 30,000 people currently live in the delta area, a 16,000-square-mile stretch of wetland where the Orinoco meets the Atlantic.

It is unclear how HIV reached this isolated community. Scientists say

most of those infected are men — homosexuality is prevalent among Warao tribe members, as is a strong appetite for prostitution.

Experts say that the main reason behind the epidemic is related to poverty and its limited access to health care. The tribe made national news a decade ago because of its high prevalence of tuberculosis and hepatitis B, and in 2008 health officials reported an outbreak of a rabieslike disease that killed dozens in the delta region.

The fact that they live in isolation, between creeks and the open sea, does not help authorities implement effective health policies, experts say. “[HIV] can be particularly devastating in this Amerindian population,” the researchers wrote. The Warao, who pretty much live the same way the Spaniards found them in 1492, do not even have a word for HIV and know

very little about the disease.

Local media reported that tribe members began approaching health workers and religious missionaries in the area complaining of severe weight loss and dizziness – and that’s how health care workers discovered there was a rash of HIV cases among them. (Adapted from Foxnews Latino)

Public Health Minister, Dr. George Norton meets with the five-member Chinese medical specialist team

Mother donates 92 gallons of breast milk after pregnancy loss

The placid Orinoco River delta in eastern Venezuela is a pristine site rich with biodiversity, long favored by extreme sports enthusiasts and nature lovers alike.

But this unique piece of paradise, known simply as “El Delta,” is perplexing health officials because of its mysterious sky-high rates of people infected with HIV — a particularly aggressive strain that kills its

HIV mystery in Venezuelan tribe in Orinoco River baffles medical community

Delhi’s teenage rapist set to be freed following gang rape A legal challenge to stop the release of the teenage convict of the 2012 Delhi gang rape has been unsuccessful.

The petitioner, politician Subramanian Swamy, requested the Delhi high court to stop his release, due on Sunday.

The teenager, who cannot be named as he was a minor at the time of the crime, was sentenced to three years in a reform facility in August 2013 - the maximum term possible

for a juvenile. The rape and the subsequent death of the woman had caused global outrage.

Some activists and the parents of the victim also wanted the teenager to stay in jail, saying “he can be a threat to the society”. But on Friday, the court said the convict could not be kept in the correctional home because he had served the maximum term possible under the law.

“We agree it is a serious issue. But after 20

December, the juvenile cannot be kept at a special home per law,” the NDTV website quoted the judge as saying.

A 23-year-old physiotherapy student was gang-raped by six men on a bus in Delhi, her male friend is beaten up and the pair are thrown out after the brutal assault. She died in hospital in Singapore from injuries sustained during the assault.

Ram Singh subsequently died in Tihar jail; police

say he hanged himself, but defence lawyers and his family allege he was murdered.

The mother of the victim said she was “disappointed” with the ruling and that she would consider challenging the order in the Supreme Court.

With public outrage growing over his release and threats to his life, he will be handed over to a charity for his protection and rehabilitation.

Some reports had

claimed that the juvenile had been the most brutal during the crime and there were calls to try him as an adult, with many saying his punishment should be commensurate with his crime. But

during his trial, it was never proved that the teenager was any more brutal than the others, but this fact has been ignored by most people.

(Adapted from the BBC)

homework on Islam asked students to copy religious calligraphy.

It read: “Here is the shahada, the Islamic statement of faith, written in Arabic. In the space below, try copying

it by hand. This should give you an idea of the artistic complexity of calligraphy.” The illustrative classical Arabic phrase was the basic statement in Islam.

It translated to: “There is no god but Allah, and Mohammed is the messenger of Allah.”

When students took it home, it was like a spark hitting a powder keg.

Some of their parents saw the homework as an attempt to convert their children to Islam. Calls and emails flooded the school. Some of them demanded the teacher be fired for assigning it.

Cheryl LaPorte siad that

now her job is to get her students through Standards of Learning tests. It removed the shahada from world religion instruction.

“A different, nonreligious sample of Arabic calligraphy will be used in the future,” it said. And it issued a statement saying no one was trying to convert anyone to any religion.

“Neither of these lessons, nor any other lessons in the world geography course, are an attempt at indoctrination to Islam or any other religion or a request for students to renounce their own faith or profess any belief,”

Augusta County Schools official Eric Bond said

By Tuesday, like-minded parents and residents of the town of nearly 24,000 gathered in the sanctuary of Good Will Ministries to voice their grievances, including against the teacher. At the same time, former students have taken to Facebook to defend her.

On Monday, Augusta County issued a letter reassuring parents that schools in the county were safe. It did not refer to the homework assignment but did say that parents had become worried about security.

(Adapted from CNN)

All schools shut down in Virginia county over Islam homework

After a teacher at a Virginia school handed out a standard homework assignment on Islam, such an angry backlash flooded in that it prompted officials to close every single

school in the county as a safety precaution.

When the world geography class at Riverheads High School in Staunton rolled around to the subject of major world religions,

High school teacher had sex with 2 students at religious camp A 28-year-old former teacher at Westlake High School in Austin allegedly had sex with two different 17-year-old students several times after she met them at a school ministry program and summer camp, according to media reports.

The Travis County Sheriff ’s Office arrested 28-year-old Haeli Wey on two felony charges of improper relationship between an educator and student on Thursday.

One of the victims told police he had sex with Wey about 10 times beginning in August after the two met at a school ministry program and that she sent him photos of herself with “little to no clothing,” according an arrest affidavit obtained by the Austin-American Statesman.

The illicit relationship came to an end after the victim discovered Wey “went on a hike” with another student, who later told authorities he met Wey at summer camp and had sexual contact with her, the Statesman reported.

Wey allegedly told the second victim, also a 17-year-old, to delete messages she sent him and “don’t let anyone get a hold of ur phone,” the newspaper reported.

Wade said the affidavit would not be available until the Travis County Clerk’s Office reopens Friday morning. Wey was booked into the Travis County Jail on $150,000 bond, according to the Statesman, and faces up to 20 years for each charge. (Adapted from MSN)

Nephews of Venezuelan first lady deny US drug charges Administration agents.

They are sons of brothers of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s wife Cilia Flores. She also served as speaker of the National Assembly from 2006 to 2011.

The men appeared at a hearing before Two nephews of States. Efrain Antonio Judge Paul Crotty and Venezuela’s first Campo Flores, 29, denied charges they lady appeared in a and Francisco Flores had plotted to smuggle Manhattan court de Freitas, 30, were at least five kilos (11 Thursday and denied arrested in Haiti in pounds) of cocaine charges of conspiring November and flown into the United States. to smuggle cocaine to New York by US Campo Flores was into the United Drug Enforcement crying as he walked

into the courtroom.

The judge scheduled another hearing for February 29.

During Thursday’s session, defense and prosecution lawyers briefly discussed evidence presented by the government side, including hours of audio and video that allegedly implicates the two young men in drug smuggling plans.

Besides the Haiti case, the two men are accused of taking part in meetings to plan a

shipment of cocaine to the United States via Honduras. If convicted they face up to life in prison. The speaker of the Venezuelan National Assembly, Diosdado Cabello, has likened their arrest at a posh hotel in Haiti to a kidnapping by the DEA. Venezuela, meanwhile, lashed out at what it called “judicial terrorism” by the United States in another high-profile drug case, this time

against the chief of the Venezuelan National Guard, Nestor Reverol.

A soon-to-be-unsealed indictment accuses Reverol of taking bribes from drug traffickers to tip them off to raids and block drug investigations, The New York Times reported Wednesday.

Maduro’s government is on the defensive in Venezuela after suffering a landslide defeat to the opposition in legislative elections this month.

(Adapted from MSN)

warded and other members of the public.

Newsday was told that the entire hospital is in a disarray, as doctors went in search of the Tamiflu vaccine (which is used to combat the virus) while some nurses refused point blank to work on the ward where the man was placed.

Some warded patients, hospital sources said, became so agitated on hearing of someone exhibiting swine flu

symptoms, that they got off their beds, packed their clothes and left.

“This entire institution is contaminated,” said a concerned patient who spoke with Newsday yesterday.

“When that man came to the hospital, a lot of people were exposed. He was carried into Ward 6, but other persons were in the ward with him. Men in white suits sanitised inside the ward, but they cleaned only the

area where he was lying,” the patient said.

Earlier this week, it was confirmed that a person had died from swine flu at the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex in Mt Hope, while another person - a woman - remains warded at that institution in critical condition with the disease. Two other persons have

died in the southland from the disease.

Yesterday, the man’s condition worsened.

Doctors confirmed that he had contracted the deadly disease and was transferred to the Port-of- Spain General Hospital, where he remains in critical condition. (Adapted from the Trinidad Newsday)

Acting Police Commissioner Stephen Williams yesterday said that the country has seen a ten percent fall in serious crimes but added that murders remain on par with figures from last year. As of yesterday, he said, 400 persons were murdered so far this year compared to 398 for the same period last year.

For 2015 so far, according to Newsday’s

records, 405 murders have been committed.

Williams noted that the overwhelming majority of murders — some 83 percent — are committed by firearms.

He boasted that so far this year the police have taken off the streets some 655 illicit firearms, the highest number ever in any given year, exceeding the 586 firearms seized last year.

He described 2015 as

“a tremendous year” for the high level of support the general public has given to the police, but one also “dynamic and challenging” for the police globally.

Williams assured that the police will be out in full presence for the festive season, to secure the population, especially Christmas shoppers. He made an appeal for people not to drink-and-drive, but

saying that the police will be attending major events to proactively do voluntary breathalyser testing.

“It’s not just about prosecution but prevention,” said Williams, urging revellers to maintain “balance” and to realise that life is important.

(Adapted from the Trinidad Newsday)

Swine Flu causes panic at T&T hospital Nurses and even patients at the Sangre Grande District Hospital were left in a state of fear, with some patients deciding to discharge themselves when a Mayaro man was admitted to the Eastern Trinidad medical institution on Wednesday night, exhibiting symptoms of the deadly H1N1 (swine flu) virus.

Tests later confirmed he was suffering with the highly contagious

disease which has claimed three lives so far in this country, this year.

When news made the rounds that a man was brought in with swine flu symptoms, Newsdsay was told that many nurses began to panic as the man arrived at the institution which had no isolation area set aside or protective gear except latex gloves and masks, available to minimise exposure to health care workers, doctors, patients

Police confirms 400 murders in T&T so far this year

US evangelicals plead for solidarity with refugees Evangelical leaders in the United States have called on fellow Christians to welcome refugees from Syria and Iraq despite staunch opposition among many politicians and presidential candidates.

In a joint statement leaders of the Southern Baptist Convention, the Assemblies of God, World Relief, the Wesleyan Church and other Christian groups pleaded for solidarity with refugees. Referring to the displacement of

an estimated 60 million people across the globe, the statement said that “moments like these are when Christians cannot remain silent and still.

“In light of this crisis, we commit ourselves and our churches to actively care for and minister to global refugees with mercy and compassion, both here and abroad,” the statement read.

Churches and their congregations should “embrace refugees” by “providing for immediate and long-

term needs, such as housing, food, clothing, employment, Englishlanguage classes, and schooling for children”.

The statement also made particular reference to the plight of Syrians, some 4.3 million of whom have become refugees as fighting between the government and armed groups nears its fifth year, according to the United Nations refugee agency.

The call comes at a time when opposition to resettling refugees in the US is higher among

white evangelicals than any other religious group in the country, according to a recent poll by the Pew Research Centre.

Last month, governors of 31 states - only one of whom is not from the Republican party - declared that they intend to stop local state refugee resettlement programmes from accepting Syrian refugees.

Presidential candidate Donald Trump recently proposed a ban on Muslims entering the country. He also

vowed to expel Syrian refugees who are already in the country.

But the joint evangelical statement decried the anti-refugee attitudes gripping much of the US. “We distinguish

that the refugees fleeing this violence are not our enemies; they are victims,” it said, adding that they “cannot allow voices of fear to dominate”.

(Adapted from Al Jazeera)

a person for sainthood, an attributed miracle must occur after his or her death.

In this case, a Brazilian man with multiple brain tumors was healed after loved ones prayed to Mother

Teresa to heal him.Holy See spokesman Thomas Rosica said in a tweet that Mother Teresa should be canonized, or pronounced a saint, in September.

The nun renowned for caring for impoverished people in the slums of Calcutta, India, died in 1997 and was beatified in October 2003 by now deceased Pope John Paul II. He approved a first posthumous miracle.

A 30-year-old woman in Kolkata said she was cured of a stomach tumor after praying to Mother Teresa.

A Vatican committee said it could find no scientific explanation for her healing and declared it a miracle.

Mother Teresa knew poverty from childhood on. She was born in 1910 in Albania and baptized Gonxha Agnes, the Vatican said. When she was 8, her father died, leaving the family without a main bread winner.

At age 18, sure she wanted to become a missionary, she joined an Irish convent, where she received the name Sister Mary Teresa.

Months later, she left

for India, landing in Kalkota in January 1929, where she taught at St. Mary’s School for girls.

There she took her Final Profession of Vows and became Mother Teresa.

Nearly 20 years later, during a train ride in India, she felt a calling from Jesus to care for the poor, her Vatican biography said.

She established Missionaries of Charity to serve the poorest of all.

In 1948, she donned her iconic white sari with blue trim for the first time and walked out of her convent

to start her life caring for them. She washed the wounded, cared for the sick and dying and some of her former students joined her over time. She spread her work throughout India.

In 1979, she received the Nobel Peace Prize, which drew the attention of the media to the demur nun in blue and white.

By the time of her death, 4,000 Mother Teresa’s Sisters worked under her at 610 foundations in 123 countries.

(Adapted from CNN)

directly, and we will always stand for human rights and the universal values that we support around the globe,” the president added.

On Dec. 17, 2014, Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro announced the start of an historic process to normalize bilateral relations after more than half a century of enmity.

Today, the two governments announced that they had reached an agreement to resume direct commercial flights between the two countries, and last week they said they had agreed to reestablish direct postal service via a pilot

plan for transporting mail and packages.

However, very complex issues remain to be resolved such as mutual economic compensation and ongoing important

differences between the two countries in matters such as immigration and human rights.

Obama said on Thursday that “Congress can support a better

life for the Cuban people” by lifting the embargo.

(Adapted from Foxnews Latino)

Mother Teresa to become a saint

Pope Francis has recognized a second miracle attributed to Mother Teresa, paving her way to sainthood. On Thursday, he ratified a miracle attributed to her after her death. To qualify

Obama asks Congress to lift embargo on Cuba President Barack Obama said Thursday that the economic embargo imposed by the United States on Cuba in 1962 is “the legacy of a failed policy,” once again urging Congress to lift it on the first anniversary of the launching of a process of rapprochement and bilateral normalization of relations.

In a statement issued on the anniversary of the policy shift, Obama also reiterated that “change” in Cuba will not occur “overnight” and that full normalization of relations “will be a long journey.”

Obama emphasized the “important steps”

that have been taken over the past year to normalize relations, including reestablishing diplomatic ties with the opening of embassies in Washington and Havana, facilitating more travel and trade with Cuba and “connecting more Americans and Cubans.”

In addition, thanks to the change in U.S. policy toward Cuba, Washington is “in a stronger position” to engage “the people and governments of our hemisphere,” Obama said.

“We continue to have differences with the Cuban government, but we raise those issues

No trust between WICB and players says former Vice-Captain Former West Indies vice-captain Brendan Nash believes the poor standard of cricket facilities in the Caribbean has played a role in the decline of the game in the region.

The Australia-born left-hander, who played 21 Tests between 2008 and 2011 after qualifying to represent West Indies through his father who is Jamaican, said the quality of the facilities at all levels had fallen off and this had directly impacted on development.

“A lot of money was spent on the 2007 World Cup to increase the standard of

facilities,’’ Nash said.

“I know when I was there towards the end of 2010, the facilities really dropped off.

So within four years they just didn’t have the money to keep it going or it wasn’t run correctly.

“It starts with the facilities because training facilities are poor. Even club matches, facilities are terrible. So I can see it getting better any time soon, unfortunately.”

Much of the decline in West Indies cricket has also been attributed to the breakdown in the relationship between the West Indies Cricket Board and the players, and Nash

Brendan Nash

said this appeared to be the case.

“I’ve been out of it for two or three years but from an outsider looking in that there is just no trust between either party,” he said.

“I’m still available.

I’d like to think I can still move around the field quite well and I’ve been playing county cricket, which has its challenges over there, and done pretty well in the last four seasons.”

He added: “They (West Indies) still need that mix of experience and youth but they need the right kind of experienced players.”

Nash averaged 33 with two centuries and eight

half-centuries during his brief Test career.

(Adapted from the Trinidad Guardian)

In his heyday in the ring, there was nobody quite like Hector Camacho.

Now, three years after his untimely death, the “Macho” man has reached the pinnacle of his sport.

Camacho, who overcame the mean streets of Spanish Harlem to become a three-division champion, was among a group of nine inductees announced Wednesday for enshrinement in the International Boxing Hall of Fame.

Camacho, who was shot and killed three years ago at age 50 in his native Puerto Rico, heads the class of 2016, which also includes two-division champions Lupe Pintor of Mexico and Hilario Zapata of Panama.

Camacho learned to box when he was 11 and quickly became a star, winning

three New York Golden Gloves titles and fashioning a 96-4 amateur record before turning pro in 1980.

Camacho captured the WBC super featherweight title in 1983 with a fifthround knockout of Rafael Limón, added a second title with a 12-round unanimous decision over José Luis Ramírez in 1985 for the WBC lightweight belt, and made successful title defenses against Edwin Rosario and Cornelius Boza-Edwards.

He became a three-division champ with a 12-round, split decision win over Ray Mancini for the WBO junior welterweight title in 1989.

His lightning-quick hand speed, devastating

combinations, and the accuracy of his punches defined Camacho inside the ropes — he won his first 38 pro fights before losing a split decision to Greg Haugen in 1991 — as did his flamboyant style.

Few boxers grabbed more attention in the 1980s and 1990s.

Camacho, who fought drug and alcohol problems for years, was shot in the left side of the face in November 2012 as he sat in a Ford Mustang with a friend outside a bar in his hometown. He died four days later after being taken off life support and is buried at St. Raymond’s Cemetery in the Bronx. (Adapted from Foxnews Latino)

Hector ‘Macho’ Camacho inducted into Boxing Hall of Fame 3 years after death

Friday December 18, 2015

UDFA President Sharma Solomon receives the first place trophy from Ramesh Sunich of Trophy Stall while Jeoff Clement GT Beer Brand manager looks on

Trophy Stall sponsors GT Beer trophies Proprietor of Trophy Stall Ramesh Sunich on Friday presented the top place trophies to President of Upper Demerara Football Association (UDFA) Sharma Solomon during a simple ceremony at Trophy Staff main office at Bourda Market. Also present was Jeoff Clement , GT Beer Brand Manager.

Trophy Stall of Bourda Market has

signed on a sponsor for the 3rd Annual UDFA/GT Beer Knockout Football Cup being played at the Mackenzie Sports Club ground in Linden.

S o l o m o n expressed gratitude to Sunich for sponsoring the trophies for the 14-team tournament organized by the UDFA with the main sponsor being Banks DIH Limited through

its GT Beer brand.

The winning team will receive $800,000 and the GT Beer Trophy with the runner up taking home $500,000 and a Trophy.

Third Place will secure $300,000 and trophy while the fourth place finisher will capture $200,000.

There will also be prizes for the Most Valuable Player (MVP), Highest goal scorer,

Best goalkeeper, Most Disciplined team Best Defender and Best Coach.

Meanwhile, a double header card is slated for Sunday with Hi-Stars coming up against Netrockers in the first match at 18:30 hours.

The feature game will bring together Amelia’s Ward and Botofago at 20:30 hours.