GNN Online Newspaper - Nov 11, 2015 by Guyana News Network

Wednesday November 11, 2015

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Part of the Guyana Hindu Dharmic Hindu Sabha annual Georgetown motorcade held last evening. (Amanda Richards photo)

BAGOTSTOWN HOUSE BURNT FOLLOWING SHOOTING TO DEATH OF WANTED MAN -PAGE 9

Guyana's participation at ASPA summit “fruitful and a success” -President

President David Granger, who is currently in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia at the Fourth Summit of the Arab and South American Countries (ASPA), has called for peaceful settlement of disputes while emphasising the importance of cooperation between Arab and South American countries. I n h i s presentation at the Summit which ends today, he stated that “We support the thrust of the Arab and South American partnership, which was initiated by former President of Brazil, Lula Da Silva 12 years ago. We feel that it a very useful forum for building i n t e r n a t i o n a l cooperation,” President Granger said. He described Guyana's participation at the Summit as “fruitful and a success,” noting that it is an important forum for Guyana to advance its

interest with some of the major states in the Arab world and South America. Meanwhile, on the sidelines of the summit, the President and his delegation held a meeting with the Secretary General of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Iyad Ameen Madani. This is the s e c o n d l a rg e s t i n t e rg o v e r n m e n t a l organisation after the United Nations which has membership of 57 states spread over four continents. Among its main objectives, the OIC aims to promote respect the right of self-determination and non-interference in the domestic affairs and to r e s p e c t s o v e r e i g n t y, independence and territorial integrity of each of its Member State and develop science and technology and encourage research and cooperation

among its members. Guyana is currently working to join the membership of the Islamic Development Bank. Last month, President Granger met with bank's senior economist, Dr. Salman Syed Ali and its Division Manager of Advisory Services, Yahya Aleem ur Rehman, where he was updated on the bank's activities in the region and discussions were held on Guyana's potential for ﬁnancing. “These are two initiatives that we will continue to work on to strengthen economic relations,” President Granger said. The resolution of the on-going crises in Yemen, Palestine and Libya dominated the discussions from the Arab side. President Granger expressed Guyana's support for the call for Palestinian sovereignty

His Excellency, President of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, Brigadier David A. Granger with His Highness, King of Saudi Arabia Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud at the Fourth Summit of the Arab and South American Countries (ASPA)

and statehood. With regard to the Syrian crisis, the tremendous loss of lives and the prolongation of the conﬂict remains a matter of concern; both the Arab and South American countries agreed that a peaceful resolution should be sought in accordance

with the Geneva Communique. Similarly, calls were made for Yemen to fully implement the resolutions adopted by the UN Security Council. President Granger informed that from the South American side, the main issue that was raised was that of

Argentina's claims on Falkland Islands and said that Guyana reserved its old position in this regard. The next summit will be held in another three years in neighbouring Venezuela.

Several homeless in mid-afternoon fire A fire of unknown origin has left several persons homeless and pondering their next move. The fire is said to have started sometime around 14 hours and destroyed the upper flat of a two-story house

located at Pere Street Kitty. Reports are that the fire fighters arrived on time and were able to contain the fire from spreading to nearby buildings. In addition, residents in the area who formed bucket

brigades were able to bring the ﬁre under control. The origin of the ﬁre is yet to be determined.

Development of farm access roads gets US$2.4 boost Minister of Finance, Winston Jordan today signed an agreement with the Caricom Development Fund's (CDF) Chief Executive Ofﬁcer Rodinald Soomer to access an additional US$2.4m under the Country Assistance Programme. According to a release from the Ministry, this agreement will see approximately 12 km of asphaltic concrete roads constructed and another 13km of all-weather roads upgraded to farmlands Parika, Laluni, Ruby and O n v e r w a g t . Tw o reinforced concrete bridges will also be built. It noted that these upgrades will help alleviate many of the

problems hindering access to the backlands which are often impassible as a result of damage caused by adverse weather and heavy duty machinery. The roads which are expected to be completed by August 2016 along with bridges which have been compromised, will directly beneﬁt from access to prime agricultural backlands in all seasons as government aims to help farmers in these areas increase production, incomes and exports in cash crops. This in turn will contribute to price stability for green vegetables mainly on the domestic market the Ministry says. T h i s n e w

allocation supplements US$9.1m that Guyana received in July 2013 and follows government's ability to complete previous works on schedule. Having paid up its full assessed contribution to the Fund, Guyana can benefit from more resources to finance other projects in agriculture and other sectors as it automatically qualifies for further support. The CARICOM Development Fund provides technical assistance to disadvantaged countries, regions and sectors in the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) to enhance their prospects for

successful competition within the Community, and to redress any negative

i m p a c t o f t h e establishment of the CARICOM Single

Market and Economy (CSME).

Deputy Speaker has to be a MP - Ramkarran

-Govt. hints at a Civil Society member

Ralph Ramkarran

Former Speaker of the National Assembly, Ralph Ramkarran has clarified that the person selected to be the Deputy Speaker of the House has to be a Member of Parliament (MP). The Peoples Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C's) recent announcement that it is not interested in the post. Procedure is for the Opposition to nominate the Deputy Speaker and it was anticipated that one of its members would be appointed to the post. However, it was declared by the Party's General Secretary on Monday at a press briefing that the party was not interested in nominating anyone. “No we are not, we are not interested in that,” Rohee told the media. During the sitting of the National Assembly on August 17, PPP/C's Chief Whip, Gail Teixeira told the House that the party had no nominee to fill the position. Notably, it was

the same PPP/C that criticized the A Partnership f o r N a t i o n a l Unity+Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) for taking up both the Speaker and Deputy Speaker post in the last Parliament under the Donald Ramotar Administration. The Party had argued that it was a gross violation of an established convention and was not a healthy development in that new dispensation whereby the government did not have a majority in Parliament. The argument was put forward that when the PPP/C had an outright majority over the combined Opposition, they were magnanimous by allowing the Opposition to hold the position of Deputy Speaker based on its respect for Parliamentary democracy. APNU+AFC's Chief Whip, Amna Ally was quoted in the media as saying that someone will be appointed to the post if the PPP/C does not take it up. She said the

National Assembly cannot continue like that. In addition, she was quoted as saying that when the time is right, the post will be opened for nomination, giving the PPP/C an opportunity to nominate someone. However, if the party fails to nominate an individual, the APNU+AFC will make a collective decision to either nominate one of its members or a member of civil society. Ramkarran clariﬁed that unlike the S p e a k e r, t h e D e p u t y Speaker has to be a MP. The Deputy Speaker is elected in a similar manner to the Speaker, except that the S p e a k e r, i f p r e s e n t , presides over the elections. The Deputy Speaker replaces the Speaker when the latter is unavoidably absent. In the 10th Parliament, the late Deborah Backer and Attorney-at-Law Basil Williams, who is currently the Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister, served as Deputy Speakers.

Fatal Mahaicony accident…

POLICE ISSUE WANTED BULLETIN FOR ALLEGED DRUNK DRIVER Following the death of 45 year old Irene Ramsey following an accident last Saturday evening, November 7, at Mahaicony, East Coast Demerara, a wanted bulletin has been issued for the alleged driver, Altab Bacchus. Bacchus, of lot 29 Block 3, Craig Mill Cove and John East Coast Demerara, is said to be the driver of the vehicle which was responsible for the death of the mother of seven and injuries to three

others. According to police reports, the errant driver reportedly ﬂed the scene of the two-vehicle accident on Saturday evening since he was believed to be under the inﬂuence of alcohol. Since then, the police have not managed to make contact with him. However, on Monday last, he contacted the police and committed to turning himself in, but never did. As a result, the

police is pleading with persons who would have information on his whereabouts to provide this information which they say will be treated with conﬁdentiality. According to reports reaching GNN, Bacchus is employed with a government agency. R a m s a y, a mother of seven, was killed when a car slammed into a group of persons standing on the side of the road in Harmony, Mahaicony.

The accident took place reportedly after two cars traveling in opposite directions crashed when one ended up into the lane of the other. The impact the caused one of the car to spin and to end up on the other side of the road hitting those standing on the parapet. One of the drivers is in custody assisting with the investigation.

Gold mining company committed to work with Govt. Despite falling gold prices, ETK Inc/Sandspring Resources Ltd has committed to working with the Government to develop the country's Natural Resources. His pledge was made by Chief Executive Officer of ETK Inc/Sandspring Resources Ltd, Rich Munson who accompanied Minister of Governance, with responsibility for the Natural Resources and the Environment sector, Raphael Trotman and Minister of Public Infrastructure, David Patterson along with a team on a visit to the site yesterday. The CEO expressed optimism and confidence in having a successful venture in Guyana. After the visit which was aimed at having an overview of the company's operations, Minister Trotman said "Our job is to facilitate investments into the industry and the country and to ensure that the Essequibo is beneficially occupied and the resource base is explored and developed. I am equally excited about the prospect of the Hydro project that would accelerate development in the Region and even be able to

provide energy to the grid". G i v e n t h e government push for a green economy, Minister Patterson made the visit to have a look at the Hydro-power project being undertaken by the company to support the running its day to day a c t i v i t i e s a t To r o p a r u , Region Seven (CuyuniMazaruni). "I am looking at two things here in this Region; the roads and bridges, which come under my Ministry and the possibility of Hydropower here. My visit, however, was primarily to check on the roads. This company maintained it in the past but they have indicated that they cannot continue to do so, and so we are looking at the various options available to maintain the road because lots of miners use it but the Hydropower plan is very economical and very interesting," Minister Patterson said. In the meantime, however, the visit also provided the opportunity for the Minister of Public Infrastructure to determine the transport needs in the

area. In April 2013, Sandspring signed a M e m o r a n d u m o f Understanding with the then Government of Guyana granting the Company the exclusive right to develop the Kurupung River Hydroelectric Project (KRHP). Located approximately 50 km southwest of Toroparu, it is estimated that the KRHP can support more than 100 megawatts of run-of-river hydroelectric capacity. An initial 50megawatt run-of-river facility would support the Toroparu Project and other enterprises located within 120 km of the power plant. Sandspring estimates that the use of hydroelectric power could reduce its cash operating costs by US$60 to US$80 per ounce of gold produced. Such a reduction would not only result in signiﬁcant cost savings over the life of the Toroparu Project, but also increase the economic viability of mining additional resources not currently in its mine plan. The project which

Minister of Public Infrastructure, David Patterson and Minister of Governance, Raphael Trotman (centre) examine one aspect of the ETK Incorporated Mining operation is still in its exploration stages, is expected to be larger than the Guyana Goldﬁelds/ Aurora Gold Mines Project and Troy Resources, Karouni Gold Project. T h e To r o p a r u Project is a conventional open pit mine. The company's website says that it has a 4.1 million ounce

proven and probable gold reserve, 211 million pounds of economic byproduct copper, and a 16-year mine life. The ore processing facility is being designed to accommodate two ore types with varying amounts of copper. It will consist of ﬂotation and leaching circuits, and produce gold-

bearing copper concentrates for shipment to a smelter, and gold doré bars that will be poured on-site and ﬂown to a reﬁnery. This facility is expected to process an initial throughput of 19,000 tons per day, and increase to 22,500 tons per day in its fourth year of production.

DHARMIC SABHA'S MONOPOLY OF HINDUS APPEARS TO HAVE BEEN BROKEN -Political line seem to have been drawn over Diwali 2015 If the ﬂickering lights of the Diyas (earthen lamps) this year tell a story, it would be that the division in belief on which day the festival of lights, Diwali, should have been observed, cast a somewhat dark shadow over one of Guyana's most anticipated national event. Ironically, while Diwali is to be observed during the darkest night of the year, many areas were in “darkness” as a result of an absence of lighted Diyas. Clearly the public squabble did cause some confusion among ordinary

t h e C i t y, s o m e e v e n labelled the nights as a “government night” and a “PPP night”, with regards to November 10 and 11 r e s p e c t i v e l y. T h i s sentiment seemed to be derived following the intervention of Public Security Minister, Khemraj Ramjattan, in reassigning the holiday from November 11 to the 10 and the public support for November 11 by the People's Progressive Party (PPP). M i n i s t e r Ramjattan's decision

time in recollected history that Diyas will be lit on two separate nights for Diwali in respect to the holiday. On a lighter note, it was the ﬁrst time that the a n n u a l G H D S Georgetown motorcade was held on the Diwali designated holiday. While some expressed sadness over the division, the line of support was clear with regard to what they believe is a politicization of the issue. Some were blunt in noting that last night was a “PNC” Diwali while

The Alexander village Mandir last evening

severely affected last night. This was because only some endeavoured to light diyas thereby depriving onlookers from enjoying the usual spectacle in a holistic manner. Some who wish to

could have been done another night (tonight). That may in some explain why the expectation for enjoying the sight of many lit diyas last night may have fell short. Hindus who

enjoyment of onlookers. The challenge would be where to visit to be wowed. With two nights to choose from this year to light diyas, it points to new development. What appears to have come out

Part of the Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha Georgetown motorcade last evening

Hindus creating a position of choosing between the nights of November 10 and 11 to light the earthen lamps. While the public division here over the date made headlines for weeks, Hindus in neighbouring Trinidad and Tobago, were unanimous in their celebration last night, with yesterday being a national holiday like Guyana. From all reports, it appears that Suriname celebrated yesterday as well. Many locals lamented the division over this year's date. In parts of

followed what he deemed a credible petition presented by some ninety Pandits (Hindu Priests) who objected to the original date while the PPP stood by its Member of Parliament, Dr. Vindhya Persaud, who heads the Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha (GHDS) following the death of her father, late PPP stalwart, Pandit Reepu Daman Persaud. Last night, while lit diyas ﬂickered from many homes, there wasn't the overwhelming expectation. This is the ﬁrst

tonight will be the “PPP” Diwali. From all reports, M a n d i r s ( Te m p l e s ) afﬁliated with the two groupings that disagreed on this year's date, followed their respective directions. That meant the lighting of the Diyas was not homogeneous within the villages where Hindus reside. Areas, especially in the City, that are known for lighting hundreds, if not thousands of diyas, and which serve to attract visitors and Guyanese from all walks of life, were

A home with lighted diyas last evening

Part of the Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha Georgetown motorcade last evening

remain anonymous, stated that because the Dharmic Sabha's motorcade was held last night, the night of the national holiday for Diwali, people would have chosen not to miss out and therefore opted not to light the diyas knowing that it

didn't celebrate Diwali last night will do so tonight placing diyas at many vantage points. From all indications, it promises to be a repeat of what occurred last night; an absence of a holistic spectacle for the

from all of this among other things, is that the monopoly the Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha would have had on Hindus over the years, has been broken. That said, all eyes are already staring at next year's date.

Deepawali Messages FROM HIS EXCELLENCY BRIGADIER DAVID GRANGER, PRESIDENT OF THE COOPERATIVE REPUBLIC OF GUYANA I wish to extend happy Deepavali greetings to all Guyanese, but particularly to the members of our Hindu Community, on the holy occasion of this sacred festival. Deepavali – the Festival of Lights – is recognized by all Guyanese as one of the most joyous festivals in our multireligious calendar. It has, over past decades, enlightened and enlivened us all,

regardless of our place of origin, religious belief, occupation or ethnicity. Deepavali is a t i m e l e s s , inspirational and powerful force, which integrates communities, engenders goodwill and encourages friendship. It is the time each year when Hindus across the world celebrate the triumph of good over

evil and light over darkness. Deepavali, in its religious context, brings the blessings of the Goddess Maha Lakshmi – who is worshipped for s p i r i t u a l enlightenment and wealth. In its wider context in our country, all Guyanese can beneﬁt from the messages of light, prosperity and wisdom. Hindus across the country

light diyas to signify the strength of that inner light, which outshines all darkness. Let the light of the diya illuminate our homes as a beacon of hope and peace for our communities and our country. Let our thoughts and actions reﬂect the values of compassion and love. Let our lives be guided by kindness and tolerance towards

each other. Deepavali is an auspicious occasion and opportunity to rededicate ourselves to service to each other and, ultimately, to the development of our great nation. Let us all enjoy the goodness that comes with knowledge over ignorance, love over hatred and hope over despair. Happy Deepavali 2015!!!

FROM THE PEOPLE'S NATIONAL CONGRESS REFORM (PNCR) On this Happy and Joyous occasion of Deepavali, the People's National Congress Reform (PNCR) wishes to extend special greetings to the members of our Hindu community, especially the

religious leaders, and to all Guyanese. This year's observances are occurring at a very important moment in the history of the nation when there is a clear need for p e a c e , understanding,

stability and social cohesion. These values are common to all the religions in Guyana and assume p a r t i c u l a r signiﬁcance in respect of the D e e p a v a l i celebrations. The idea of

the triumph of light over darkness, symbolically and otherwise, carries a powerful message for the Guyanese nation. The PNCR, therefore, joins with t h e H i n d u community and the

rest of the nation in celebrating this important event. A HAPPY AND JOYOUS D E E PAVA L I TO ALL GUYANESE!

Deepawali Messages

FROM THE ALLIANCE FOR CHANGE (AFC) Bring healing to our nation in the light of Diwali As we prepare to celebrate Diwali, the Festival of Lights, the Alliance For Change sends special Diwali greetings to our Hindu brothers and sisters, and to all Guyanese. The Festival

of Diwali, or the Festival of Lights as it is also known, is of special religious signiﬁcance to Hindus, as it marks the return of Lord Rama after 14 years of exile.

This year, as we light d i y a s commemorating the return of Lord Rama, let those little lights kindle in our hearts a huge commitment to ensure the darkness of ignorance is replaced

with the light of knowledge. Let us use this time to forgive and bring healing to our nation so that t o g e t h e r, a s o n e people with many customs and

religions, we can move forward towards a bright future. Happy Diwali!

FROM THE PEOPLE'S PROGRESSIVE PARTY (PPP) Let's remain cognizant of the threat of darkness T h e P e o p l e ' s Progressive Party (PPP) takes this opportunity to extend Diwali greetings to all Guyanese, especially the Hindu community. It is the Party's fervent hope that the pertinent messages associated with this sacred festival, be heeded for the beneﬁt of all mankind. The underlying theme of Diwali is the triumph of light over darkness which serves to banish ignorance and hatred. Our Party would like on this auspicious occasion to renew its call for evenhandedness to be meted out to all Guyanese regardless of e t h n i c i t y, r e l i g i o n ,

g e n d e r, e c o n o m i c status and political persuasion. We urge that all be enlightened and be guided by fairness and respect in the discharge of duties towards the Guyanese people. During this festival, Hindus establish new accounts and relationships are renewed and fortiﬁed. We t h e r e f o r e o n c e again urge a genuine effort with the involvement of all, to help forge unity among our people. As our Party is in another phase of it

continuous struggle for the enhancement of the lives of Guyanese, we are cognizant of the stringent and sometimes deliberate attempts to derail these efforts and to vilify those involved. These sustained attacks would only serve to strengthen our resolve in working to achieve equality for our people. T h i s commitment is rooted in our Party and manifested through the vastly improved and modernized country we all share. Our efforts over the years to enlighten Guyanese and

to remove the veil of darkness that prevailed, is evident through the freedoms that we restored exemplifying that light will eventually triumph over darkness. However, there are renewed attempts to once again cast a shadow of darkness over our people and country. In this regard, we stand resolute in our efforts to ensure that our country would not be engulfed in darkness again and call upon all Guyanese to be cognizant of the current threats faced. Our people must safeguard their hard won freedom

and not to allow darkness to be forced upon them again. As the earthen lamps (Diyas) are lit to illuminate darkness, we hope that this would in many ways serve as an opportunity to reflect on the importance of light and the need for it to prevail. Such reflection would reaffirm beliefs regarding the threats and impositions pose by darkness. May we all endeavor to remain enlightened and may the flickering lights be a reminder and a beacon guiding us to prosperity and for the preservation of our freedoms. Once again we extend best wishes to all for this the festival of lights which Diwali is known.

Wanted man dead after shot in Bagotstown Jermaine Simon

Police investigations are ongoing into the murder of twentyfour year-old Jermaine Simon of 46 Norton Street, Bagotstown, East Bank Demerara. According to the police, Simon at around 20:30 hrs last night, was riding a

bicycle when he passed in front of the suspect's house and was shot to the forehead with a handgun after the man suddenly rushed out of the yard. Simon died while receiving medical attention at the Georgetown

Public Hospital Corporation. The suspect remains at large as investigations continue. No motive for the murder has been ascertained. On March 16, 2015, police had issued a wanted bulletin for Simon in

connection with the murder of Providence teen, Ryan Sooklall, who was shot and killed while with friends a short distance from his home. He was killed on March 1.

Man killed in Campbellville accident Another person has been killed following a road accident even as Road Safety Month continues. The latest road fatality is fortyseven year-old Julian Leitch of “C” Enachu Street, Bel Air Park. According to a police statement, Leitch was struck by motorcar PRR 8181 which was at the time being driven by Keisha Chase. The statement noted that Chase claimed that as

she was proceeding east at a normal rate of speed on Duncan Street,when suddenly she saw Leitch on the center of the road in front of her vehicle. However due to the closeness, he was hit. Leitch died at the Georgetown Public Hospital while receiving treatment. Chase is in custody assisting with the investigation.

Persons trained to treat those who ingested poison Persons are being trained to treat individuals who would have ingested or been exposed to toxic chemicals by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) in collaboration with the Government of Guyana and the Pesticide a n d To x i c C h e m i c a l Control Board (PTCCB). This is one of the many initiatives being put in place to address the issues being faced by

Guyanese as it relates to the importation of illegal chemicals and the improper use of other toxins according to the Government Information Agency (GINA). While delivering remarks at the recent commissioning of a Chemicals Storage Facility in the compound of the National Agriculture Research and Extension Institute

( N A R E I ) , FA O representative to Guyana, Mr Rueben Robertson says the organisation has a project running to get rid of illegal chemicals across the region. “We consider the challenges faced by each member state of CARICOM by ensuring the proper registration, storage, use and distribution of these chemicals,” Mr. Robertson said. He also stressed the need for more education

and promotion of the proper use of pesticides as this is only done during pesticides week. He stated that “it is moral responsibility to inform our fellow man on the harmful effects of toxic chemicals.” During his address, Minister of Agriculture Noel Holder mentioned that “using improper storage procedures is an open invitation for a disaster to happen. Nearly threefourths of all pesticide

accidents are non-use accidents, often involving children less than 10 years of age. Improper pesticide storage is therefore dangerous to your health, your family and can harm the environment.” “Pesticides have been linked to a wide range of human health illnesses, ranging from short-term impacts such as headaches and nausea, to chronic impacts like cancer, cognitive disorders, reproductive

harm, and endocrine disruption. It is important to note that these health impacts are inherently linked to use practices,” said Minister Holder. It was also highlighted that very little was done to educate persons responsible for treating those who would have ingested or had been exposed to these toxic chemicals, as well as the availability of antidotes to effectively treat these persons.

Police clamping down on sale of ﬁre crackers The Guyana Police Force says it has embarked on an aggressive zero tolerance campaign in all Policing Divisions across Guyana, to clamp down on the sale and use of Fire Crackers and other illicit Explosive Devices.

The force in a release noted that the initiative has already seen positive results where ranks have swooped down on several stalls in the Stabroek and Bartica Markets, where several large quantities of various kinds of

illicit Explosives were discovered, s e i z e d a n d destroyed. The police say several persons are in custody and charges are already instituted. They are to appear in Court shortly.

Bagotstown house burnt following shooting to death of wanted man

Shortly after wanted man Jermaine Simon was killed in front of a house in Bagotstown, East Bank Demerara, the house was burnt down. The suspect who has not been identiﬁed is wanted in connection with the shooting of

Simon and arson of a home in Bagostown. H o m e o w n e r, Odessa Phillips, said she was at work when she got a call from her neighbour about the ﬁre. She is of the view that the ﬁre was deliberately set.

The woman is counting her lucky stars since her children were in the house at the time of the ﬁre but managed to escape unhurt. Following Simon's shooting on Tuesday night there was an argument with the

tenant who occupied the lower half of the house. She believes that the tenant allegedly committed the arson act. Tw e n t y - f o u r year old Simon of 46 Norton Street, Bagotstown was shot at approximately 20:30

hours on Tuesday November 10, at Norton Street, Bagotstown. Simon was reportedly riding a bicycle and as he was passing in front of the suspect's house, he rushed out of his yard and discharged a round

at Simon, hitting him to his forehead. He was rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital where he died whilst receiving treatment.

Gopaul mum on taking government job Former Labour Minister under the Peoples Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) government DR. N K Gopaul says he cannot conﬁrm that he was o ff e r e d a j o b b y t h e coalition government. Speaking with the Guyana News Network (GNN) today, Gopaul stated that “I cannot conﬁrm that I was o ff e r e d a j o b b y t h e government. I will not comment further on the matter.” Following the May 11, 2015 General and Regional elections, reports surfaced that two PPP/C former Ministers would be joining the coalition government. Those were believed to be Gopaul and former Foreign Affairs Minister Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett. Minister of

Governance, Raphael Tr o t m a n , o n a r a d i o programme a few months ago expressed admiration for Rodrigues-Birkett and Gopaul. “I've always admired the style of former Minister of Foreign Affairs, I thought that she had panache, she had grace and she has really done well to reposition our image. The Minister of Labour was another one,” Trotman stated. Shortly after the government was installed former Minister of Natural Resources and the Environment, Robert Persaud was touted as another who would possibly be joining the coalition. Persaud has apparently severed all ties with the PPP since he has not been active in the

work of the party since it was defeated by the A Partnership for National Unity+Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) in May of this year. P e r s a u d , according to reports was seen on many occasions exiting the Ministry of the Presidency where he apparently attended meetings. He attended a government function last month which was held at the Arthur Chung convention centre. Efforts to contact Persaud proved futile, since his phone went straight to voicemail. Media reports indicate that Persaud is tipped to be given a job in investment promotion. On the other hand, Gopaul could be heading a US$30 million project

Nanda Gopaul

to develop the former D'Urban Park Racecoursethe large swathe of vacant land aback the 1763 Slave Rebellion 'Cuffy' Monument between Homestretch Avenue and Hadﬁeld Street. Gopaul's ties with

Robert Persaud

the coalition administration became visible when he attended the swearing in ceremony of President David Granger at Parliament Buildings on May 16. He was quoted as saying that he was invited and was

present to witness the national event. Gopaul and Persaud were among the ﬁrst from the PPP camp to accept a defeat at the 2015 General and Regional Elections.

Speaker not certain on his ruling to reschedule Parliament -No big issue - Ramkarran

Speaker of the National Assembly Dr. Barton Scotland

Speaker of the National A s s e m b l y, B a r t o n Scotland is not deﬁnitive on his recent move to approve the rescheduling of Parliament as requested by leader of the House, Moses Nagamootoo. Government recently requested to have the sitting of the National Assembly scheduled for

November 12, 2015, rescheduled to a later date, which was approved by the Speaker. Nagamootoo said government sought a reschedule because of Guyana's attendance of the Summit of South American-Arab Countries (ASPA) which is currently being held in Saudi

Arabia. According to the government, during this period, several key g o v e r n m e n t functionaries, Members of Parliament and the Clerk of the Assembly will be travelling to attend important conferences and training courses. H o w e v e r, t h e

Opposition Peoples Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) was disturbed over the issue, saying that it was a clear move by the government to avoid the debate on the salary increases that was scheduled to appear on the November 12 sitting. GNN spoke with Opposition Chief Whip, Gail Teixeira who made reference to a case in the past when the PPP/C was in government its request to reschedule a sitting was turned down by then Speaker Raphael Trotman. He said a motion had to be m o v e d f o r t h e postponement of the sitting, Teixeira told GNN. “When we were in government there was an

incident in the last parliament where we wanted to postpone a sitting that already had a date to it and the then opposition protested that we had no power to do that and that we would have to go back to parliament, sit, and then postpone the date.” This newspaper sought to find out whether the standing order speaks specifically to this issue from the House Speaker who was not definitive in his answer. Mr. Scotland noted that he did not wish to comment on the issue until he had all the information at hand. He could not say definitively that his ruling was not outside of the norm.

GNN spoke with former Speaker of the House, Ralph Ramkarran who explained that there was no clause in the standing order that dealt speciﬁcally with the issue. However, he noted that it has happened in the past while he sat in the chair as Speaker. “During my time when the PPP government wished for Parliament to be rescheduled it was rescheduled, I don't recall the Opposition making any objection, said Ramkarran. Meanwhile, the House Speaker has conﬁrmed that a date is still yet to be set for the next sitting.

River accident claims lives of father and son

A thirty-eight year-old father and his three yearold son were killed on Monday following an accident in the Essequibo River in the vicinity of the Falls Top. D e a d a r e Michael Dyal and his t h r e e - y e a r- o l d s o n , Randolph Dyal. According to reports, the boat in which the two were travelling capsized reportedly due to

mechanical problems. Reports also indicate that Michael's body was found at the bottom of he falls while his son's was discovered in the vicinity of Mabura, Region 10. It is believed that seven persons were in the boat at the time of the accident, including three of Michael's children. Reportedly, the eldest held on to

another sibling and made their way to safety. Michael and his son perished after he went to assist the lad and both went under. Investigations are ongoing.

Gov't to make home ownership easier Government is working with ďŹ nancial service providers to facilitate affordable loans to home builders. This is according to Minister of Communities Ronald Bulkan while addressing the close-out ceremony of the Government of Guyana/Inter-American Development Bank (GOG/IDB) Second Low Income Settlement Programme recently. He added that it will also be seeking to give tax incentives to encourage home builders to use locally produced Minister Ronald Bulkan

materials. This comes as the government is working to make the process easier for home owners. The Minister says Government will also standardise building and safety codes and support volunteerism to help those in need of assistance to build homes. It will also build starter homes across Guyana, for those in need of transitioning from rented homes to home ownership. He stated that focus will also be on

ensuring that basic infrastructure, (electricity, roads, water, drainage) are in place, as house lots are issued. In this way, communities will develop in tandem with individual dwellings, he explained. T h e government is working to establish building z o n e s w i t h i n communities, to allow for comfort and easy access to industries and c o m m e r c i a l establishment.

JOHNNY DEPP: 'ALL MY CHARACTERS ARE GAY' Twelve years ago, Johnny Depp claims he was almost fired from the first installment of what would become the hit "Pirates of the Caribbean" series. D i s n e y executives were apparently concerned about Depp's portrayal of Captain Jack Sparrow. “It trickled back to me somehow that, 'Goddammit, Johnny Depp's ruining the film! What is that thing? Is it drunk, is it gay?” Depp

told the Guardian. He ultimately had to meet with a top executive who asked him what was going on. “When they asked if it was gay, I said: 'Didn't you know all my characters are gay?'” Indeed, in 2013, the actor talked to the U.K.'s Metro about the confusion caused by his ﬂamboyant performance. "I'm very happy to explore all possibilities of a character and really, you know, dive into the

role,' the actor explained," he said at the time. "They couldn't understand what I was doing. You know? To the point where Disney wanted to -- wanted to ﬁre me. They didn't understand the character. They were actually contemplating subtitling the ﬁlm." (Yahoo)

Johnny Depp

JOHN LEGEND SHOWS OFF WIFE'S UNDERWEAR DRAWER John Legend

Some things are not for the public eye, but that doesn't seem to matter to John Legend! The singer surprised his pregnant wife Chrissy Teigen during a segment on her show, FABLife, and her reaction is absolutely priceless. What started out as a seemingly innocent video of the Grammy winner showing off his leading lady's closet (an impressive closet, we might add), quickly turned into an expose that no one anticipated. Teigen joked that she's "not

good with homework" so she had her famous hubby send in a clip for the show—lesson learned! She also added that the footage was Paranormal Activitylooking and that Legend isn't "the greatest narrator" before letting the audience take a peek. Cut to Legend taking his hand-held camera into the model's couture-filled closet, which upon first glance, is mostly filled with shoes! Glorious shoes! The singer pokes fun at how many pairs she

has—ranging from boots to heels to ﬂats, and more—as he carefully inspects every corner of her wardrobe. "What's in these little drawers," he's heard saying, before opening a top drawer. Uh-oh, we're nearing dangerous territory! "Oh, I forgot, the underwear drawer!" he says as he makes his way across the closet. Everyone, including Teigen, has a memorable reaction to what he reveals next in the video. (Yahoo News)

WHY SALMAN KHAN WON'T COMMENT ON SHAH RUKH KHAN Salman Khan may have embraced Shah Rukh Khan on the latter's birthday on November 2. But he won't speak up on the issue of Shah Rukh's run-in with radicals regarding the growing intolerance in the country. When asked to comment on the issue Salman Khan shrugged and said the platform to comment on the issue was not right. Sources close to Salman say he has been advised to steer clear of all

political comment. A close friend of the superstar reveals that Salman is angry and upset over the way Shah Rukh was targeted by radical elements. "But he can't speak because of his pending legal cases. These cases are weighing him down and taking away from his happiness and his freedom to speak his mind. The lawyers have advised him to steer clear of all political comment. So if Salman Khan is not

speaking up it is not because he is a fencesitter like another Khan superstar who likes to sheds tears only when there is a camera watching. Salman needs to maintain peace for the sake of his parents who can't bear the thought of the legal repercussions that may be waiting for their son," says the star's buddy. (Bollywoodhungama)

HEALTH

Holy smokes! Snoop Dogg launches line of cannabis products Has there ever been a more natural union than Snoop Dogg having his own line of pot products? The rapper has announced Leafs By Snoop, a branded line of cannabis products. It includes edibles (foods infused with cannabis extracts), hand-weighed marijuana ﬂowers and concentrates that are now on sale in several medical and recreational dispensaries in Colorado, which legalized recreational marijuana use in 2013. "It's a true blessing that I can share the products I love so much with y'all today,"

Snoop said in a statement. "From the flower, to the concentrates, and edibles it's all hand-picked by yours truly so you know it's the hottest product out there. It's the real deal and you gotta get out to Colorado to try it first!" Snoop has long been open about his love of weed, though it's caused him some legal issues. He even claimed to have smoked pot in the White House. According to the news release, the rapper was deeply involved in the development of the products that bear his name (we can only imagine). The flowers

come in eight strains: four indica-dominant hybrids, three sativa-dominant hybrids and one highcannabidiol strain that he personally selected based on their taste, effect, aroma and bud structure. The edibles include handmade, fair-trade premium chocolate bars made with activated cannabis oil, peanut butter gems, gummies, drops and fruit chews. The new line is just the latest venture for the star, who also acts, produces and appears on reality TV. In September, Snoop launched a potfocused media company called Merry Jane. (CNN)

Improve your memory in 40 seconds

Have you ever seen or heard something amazing – a scene in a ﬁlm, a joke or a song – only to forget it later on? Instead of the crystal clear images you wanted to recall, you're instead left with scraps of images and mangled sentences, or more frustratingly still, nothing at

all. Even monumental events, like meeting a ﬁlm star, can sometimes fade surprisingly quickly. There may be a disarmingly simple way to cement those memories, however. According to research by Chris Bird at the University of Sussex, all it

requires is a few seconds of your time and a bit of imagination. Bird recently asked some students to lie in a brain scanner and view a series of short clips from YouTube (involving, for example, neighbours playing practical jokes on each other). Straight after some of the clips, they were given 40 seconds to replay the scene in their minds and describe it to themselves. For the others, they just moved onto a new video. It turned out that simply describing the event to themselves massively improved their chances of remembering it accurately a week or so later: on

average, they were able to remember twice as many details. Want to prove it for yourself? Take a look at the short video below to test this simple principle of memory improvement, and you will see how powerful it can be. Bird also found that his brain scans appeared to reﬂect the strength of the memory: when the activity during their descriptions closely mirrored the activation as they watched the video itself, the students seemed to have built particularly strong foundations for later recall. T h a t m a y, perhaps, be a sign of just how much effort and detail they were imagining as they

described the scene. It could also be that it allowed the students to peg the events to other memories; one student compared a character in the clips to James Bond, for instance – instantly making him more memorable. In other words, if you want to make sure something sticks in your mind, just take a minute or so to describe it to yourself, consciously and deliberately picking the most vivid details. Bird can see how it might be particularly important in the courtroom. “The ﬁndings have implications for any situation where accurate

recall of an event is critical, such as witnessing an accident or crime,” he says. “Memory for the event will be signiﬁcantly improved if the witness rehearses the sequence of events as soon as possible afterwards.” But it could be equally helpful for anyone hoping to cling to something worth remembering. Interested to learn more ways to boost your memory? Here are BBC Future's guides on "How to learn like a memory champion" and "How to learn 30 languages" . (BBC)

Belly fat may be worse than obesity for survival People with a "normal" weight but extra pounds around the middle may have lower long-term survival odds than individuals who are obese, a U.S. study suggests. What's considered a normal weight for adults is often based on a measurement known as body mass index (BMI), which assesses weight relative to height. For the current study, researchers focused on people's waist-to-hip ratio,

which measures whether they're storing excess fat around the middle. The found that men with a normal BMI but central obesity, the clinical term for belly fat, had twice the mortality risk of men who were overweight or obese according to BMI. Normal weight women with belly fat, meanwhile, had a 32 percent higher mortality risk than obese women without excess pounds around the middle. "Waist size matters,

particularly in people who are a normal weight," said senior study author Dr. Francisco Lopez-Jimenez of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. "The lack of recognition of this leads people with abnormal distribution of fat to have a false sense of safety or reassurance that they don't need to exercise or they can eat whatever they want because they are "skinny" when in reality, if a person has a normal BMI and an

abnormal waist size the risk is worse than if they have a high BMI." To understand the connection between waist s i z e a n d m o r t a l i t y, researchers analyzed data on more than 15,000 adults surveyed from 1988 to 1994 and then followed through 2006. Based on BMI, about 40 percent of participants were normal weight, while 35 percent were overweight and 25 percent were obese. According to World Health Organization

(WHO) criteria, about 70 percent of participants were centrally obese, meaning their waist-to-hip ratio was at least 0.85 (for women) or at least 0.90 (for men). Over an average of about 14 years, there 3,222 deaths, including 1404 due to cardiovascular disease. A man with normal-weight central obesity had a 78 percent higher risk of death from cardiovascular disease than a man with a similar BMI but no fat around the middle, the study found.

For women in this same scenario, normalweight central obesity more than doubled the risk of death from cardiovascular disease. (Adapted from Fox News)

OUR WORLD Teacher ﬁred for refusing to address girl, 6, as transgender boy

A federal discrimination complaint has been ﬁled on behalf of a Katy-area educator who says she was wrongly terminated for refusing to address a 6-year-

old girl as a transgender boy, the teacher's attorneys said Tuesday. Madeline Kirksey, of Houston, who worked at the Children's Lighthouse

Learning Center location on Clay Road, was ﬁred Nov. 3 after she would not agree to treat the child as a male and call the child by a new male name, according to a copy of the ﬁling with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Attorney Andy Taylor pointed to Kirksey's protected class as a black female over 40 who holds religious convictions. "All of those rights were not vindicated but destroyed," Taylor said. T a y l o r represented the plaintiffs who challenged the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance,

which was originally passed by the city council but was repealed by Houston voters last week. Taylor is joined in Kirksey's case by attorney Briscoe Cain. Kirksey's pastor also attended and spoke at a morning news conference at a Galleria-area hotel. Reached by phone Tuesday, Jamie Izaks, a spokesman for the Children's Lighthouse Learning Centers, said Kirksey was not ﬁred because of the matter relating to the transgender student. He said he could not comment on matters related to employment. Taylor stressed that

the child had been attending school since the start of classes as a "little girl." Using fake names, Taylor said that the child left school Friday as "Sally" and returned on Monday going by "Johnny." "They had a real issue on their hands," Taylor said of the school staff. Taylor maintained the child's gender identity wasn't set in stone. He said the child continued to use the girls' bathroom. The 6-yearold also played football with the boys and, when hit hard, cried and said, "I'm really not a little boy." Taylor likened the

imposition of such a decision over gender on a child to "child abuse." At such a young age, he said, kids haven't even decided what ice cream or cereal they prefer. The attorney praised Kirksey for standing up to protect the child from ridicule, as well as keeping the other children at the school in mind who would have been "mightily" confused. T h e E E O C enforces federal discrimination laws on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability or genetic information. (Adapted from MSN)

I was raped 43,200 times Karla Jacinto is sitting in a serene garden. She looks at the ordinary sights of flowers and can hear people beyond the garden walls, walking and talking in Mexico City. She looks straight into my eyes, her voice cracking slightly, as she tells me the number she wants me to remember -43,200. By her own estimate, 43,200 is the number of times she was raped after falling into the hands of human traffickers. She says up to 30 johns a day, seven days a week, for the best part of four years -43,200. Her story highlights the brutal realities of human trafficking in Mexico and the United States, an underworld that has destroyed the lives of tens of thousands of Mexican girls like Karla. Human trafficking has become a trade so lucrative and prevalent, that it knows no borders and links

towns in central Mexico with cities like Atlanta and New York. U.S. and Mexican officials both point to a town in central Mexico that for years has been a major source of human trafficking rings and a place where victims are taken before being eventually forced into prostitution. The town is called Tenancingo. Even though it has a population of about 13,000, Susan Coppedge, the U.S. State Department's Ambassador at Large to Combat Human trafficking, says it has an oversized reputation when it comes to prostitution and pimping. Karla says she was abused for as long as she can remember and felt rejected by her mother. "I came from a dysfunctional family. I was sexually abused and mistreated from the age of 5 by a relative,' she says. When she was 12

she was targeted by a trafficker who lured her away using kind words and a fast car. She says she was waiting for some friends near a subway station in Mexico City, when a little boy selling sweets came up to her, telling her somebody was sending her a piece of candy as a gift. Five minutes later, Karla says, an older man was talking to her, telling her that he was a used car salesman. Karla tells how she was attacked by her trafficker after a john gave her a hickey. "He started beating me with a chain in all of my body. He punched me with his fists, he kicked me, pulled my hair, spit at me in the face, and that day was when he also burned me with the iron. I told him I wanted to leave and he was accusing me of falling in love with a customer. He told me I like being a

- Human trafficking survivor whore." One day, when she was working at a hotel known for prostitution, police showed up. They kicked out of all of the customers, Karla says, and shut down the hotel. She thought it was her lucky day -- a police operation to rescue her and the other girls. Her relief turned quickly to horror when the officers, about 30 she says, took the girls to several rooms and started shooting video of them in compromising positions. The girls were told the videos would be sent to their families if they didn't do everything they asked. Karla gave birth at 15 to a girl -- a baby fathered by the pimp who would use the daughter to tighten the noose around her neck: if she didn't fulfill his every wish, he would either harm or kill the

baby.He took the baby away from her a month after the baby was born, and she was not allowed to see her again until the girl was more than a year old. Karla Jacinto was ﬁnally rescued in 2006 during an anti-trafﬁcking operation in Mexico City.Her ordeal lasted four very long and tormenting years. She was still a minor, only 16,

when it ended -- but she has endured a lifetime of horror that will stay with her as long as she lives. Karla is now 23 years old. She has become an outspoken advocate against human trafﬁcking, telling her story at conferences and public events.She told her story to Pope Francis in July at the Vatican. She also told the U.S. Congress in May. (Adapted from CNN)

AI robot ﬁguring life out just like humans do

There are so many precious moments in a newborn's life that parents love to capture on film: The first time their child sits up on her own, the first time she stands, her first cautious steps. Igor Mordatch, a robotics postdoctorate student at the University of California, Berkeley, has been doing similarly for a humanoid robot, called Darwin, which

he programed to learn just like a human child might. Mordatch and his team at Berkeley's Robotics lab started out by working for two years on a computer system that simulates how a robot might act in certain situations. The system is a group of neural networks—computer algorithms modeled after the structure of a human brain.

In the last few months, his team has been transferring that system over into Darwin itself. There, the simulations act like a gameplan that Darwin can use to ﬁgure out how to perform tasks on its own—much as a child sees other people walking and ﬁgures out, gradually and with lots of mistakes, that she can do it too. “The neural networks act as a map, a way to make decisions,” Mordatch told Quartz. Darwin has multiple sensors that feed data to the neural networks—the position of its limbs, the amount of pressure on its feet, the load on its joints, for instance—and the system outputs what actions the

robot should be taking. “The robot only knows where it is, where it wants to be, and the the neural networks output the actions it should take to keep achieving the action it wants to do,” Mordatch added. Right now, Mordatch is working on taking the data from Darwin's walking tests and feeding that back into the simulations to make them more accurate. The goal is to create a machine-learning system that could theoretically allow Darwin to wander around on itsown. Mordatch said that the team is working towards being able to potentially have Darwin walking around the Berkeley campus on its own in January (presumably with a handler explaining the

situation to passers-by), and tackling more complex tasks, like recognizing and picking up objects, in June. Although we're starting to see more and more robots entering homes and workplaces—from vacuum cleaners to robot butlers—most of them tend to be shaped more like trash cans or other blocky objects. Scientists and engineers have shied away from building robots that walk, like us, on two feet, as it's very hard to keep them from falling over. Mordatch points out, however, that we have constructed an environment in which human-shaped beings thrive, so it makes sense to make humanshaped robots. While we're

still a way from having our own versions of Star Wars' C-3Po, Mordatch believes that programming robots to ﬁgure out how to get around using neural networks and simulated experiences will b e c o m e m o r e commonplace. In the future, Mordatch said, he'd like to see robots go places that humans can't, or shouldn't—like toxic-waste facilities, or other hazardous environments. But right now, that'd be like learning how to run before you can walk—which Darwin is still struggling with (Adapted from MSN)

Regional

Guyanese and Latin women in high demand Deputy Director of the Counter Trafficking Unit (CTU) Alana Wheeler believes that human traffickers often use the same entry route as drug and gun smugglers to bring in foreign women for the sex slave industry. “Some drugs and arms traffickers have graduated to trafficking women and girls, as human trafficking is more profitable and also less risky for some criminal networks,” Wheeler told the T&T Guardian. While selling cocaine was a one-off trade, Wheeler said, a woman could be sold by her pimp/manager to clients

repeatedly, which was far more lucrative. “That woman does not have a choice to whom she is sold. Unfortunately there are vulnerable people in society. It's a push and pull f a c t o r. Tr i n i d a d i s a n attractive economy for the Latin American and Guyanese women,” Wheeler said. Wheeler described human trafﬁcking, which has been in existence since the 19th century, as “modern day slavery.” She said Guyanese were exploited for forced labour because of job opportunities in our country. “There are

university students and graduates (foreigners) who are unable to get jobs and they grow frustrated and there are opportunities in Trinidad where they earn US dollars. There are young women who would not have a problem prostituting themselves because in their country this trade is legal,” she said. “Prostitution is not equal to human trafficking. Trafficking does not equal prostitution. Often, victims of human trafficking do not admit what they are doing is wrong because it's an embarrassing and humiliating situation to

admit that you were duped or deceived.” She said soliciting in prostitution was illegal. What made the situation worse, Wheeler said, was our porous borders which allowed human trafﬁckers to gain entry with their victims at several points.Wheeler said there must, however, be an element of exploitation for a case to be considered human trafﬁcking. “Exploitation means some kind of force or they were coerced into doing it. We have cases where girls were locked in a room or apartments and were denied communicating with

relatives, friends or the public. Also their movement is monitored. “They don't have a choice with who they sleep with and their earnings are t a k e n a w a y. T h e r e a r e

T r i n i d a d a n d To b a g o nationals who are being trafﬁcked in and outside of Trinidad in the area of sexual exploitation. We are looking at some investigations right now.” (Trinidad Guardian)

Diwali too commercialized

DiwaliI, the Festival of Lights is celebrated by Hindus the world over and today is a public holiday locally, has lost its religious signiﬁcance and has now become commercialised, said High Court judge, Justice Devindra Rampersad as he delivered the feature address

yesterday at the Legal Aid and Advisory Authority's (LAAA) Divali celebration at City Hall. He said fewer people are really interested in the true meaning of Divali, “All they want to hear about is food, clothes and what sweets they could get. How did we get to this?

Diwali is really about hope and we live in a society where we see a woman being beaten in such a vile manner and we wonder what hope does society have, if that is the way people are treated or allowed to be treated, We wonder if that is the way people speak about women being treated like that...what hope do we have as a society,” Justice Rampersad asked. Rampersad was referring to a video on social media which showed a woman being kicked and beaten by a m a n , The man later surrendered to police. His attorney demanded that he be set free as the woman in the video, which has gone viral, indicated she did not want to press charges. The

attorney remarked that though social media was making a big deal out the incident it was only a “storm in a teacup.” But at the Diwali function, LAAA Director Israel Khan SC, in his opening remarks, called on that lawyer to, “apologise to all women in Trinidad and Tobago”, for his statements. Khan also said he hopes the LAAA, of which the man's lawyer is a member, would ﬁnd some way to sanction him for s u c h r e m a r k s , Rampersad said during the four years he spent in England while studying, observance of Divali was celebrated in a much different way. “It was a whole different ball game. There were parties and a lot of gambling. People thought because of

Lakshmi Mata, if they gambled on Divali day they would get rich. It is something that is unique to those who have come from India, but this is the tradition that we have created for ourselves,” he said. Rampersad said the essence of hope was symbolised by the diya, “We now have electric diyas, but think about the traditional clay diya. Each aspect of the diya is as a result of change from negativity to positivity. The clay was dug from the earth, puriﬁed and molded. The ghee comes from the cow's milk which is heated continuously. The wick comes from cotton and to crown all of this, is the ﬂame,

“Dwvali is about communities, society and nation, but more importantly, it is about ourselves, How can we transform the negativity within ourselves? How can we transform the negativity and destructive behaviour which engage us and burn in our hearts into something as positive as the light of the diya?” he asked. He told the gathering to rid themselves of jealousy and hatred, and make their hearts clean again. (A Carol Martoo article that appeared in the Trinidad Newsday on Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2015)

TWO DROWN AT SEA Faced with death while at the mercy of violent waves at sea, Mayaro ﬁsherman Wayne Krishnie Samaroo, 53, called out to his son and instructed him to 'hold on' to the boat for safety during a ﬁshing expedition which turned tragic on Monday evening. The son, Kowayne Wayne Samaroo, 23, held on for dear life and managed to survive the ordeal. However, the incident claimed the lives of the elder Samaroo, aka Toolman, a father of 15, as well as, father of one, Larry Phillip, 30, plunging the

entire Ortoire Village into mourning. Samaroo's godson, Rendell Jack, 23, dubbed a “champion swimmer” also survived and received high praises from relatives for ensuring that the younger Samaroo did not give up under the pressure. A police report stated that the four fishermen went to fish at sea on Monday in a fishing vessel named Blessings Flow. While at sea they encountered strong currents and violent waves which caused water to enter into the

boat. The boat capsised, and Samaroo and Phillip disappeared under the choppy waters while Kowayne and Jack swam to safety. A few hours later Samaroo's body washed up on shore at about 8.30 pm. Yesterday at about 7 am, Phillip's body washed ashore. Recalling the tragedy, Kowayne said at about 4 pm on Monday all four ﬁshermen left “to pick up two ﬁshing nets” at the Ortoire River. Successful with their task, they were

returning when on reaching the mouth of the river, problems began. “The tide was low and the boat started grounding up. It appeared the engine was touching the sand. The current in the water pushed the boat back out at sea. Wi t h t h e h u g e waves and strong current, the boat started to take in water and the engine cut off,” Kowayne said as he shook his head in the negative. Frantically, the ﬁshermen attempted in vain to restart the boat but was stopped when a towering wave

slapped into the vessel. “Another came and we just missed Larry. The wave bat him out of the boat and into the sea. We started to call him out but got

no answer. Another wave came and threw all of us out of the boat and into the w ater,” K ow ayne s aid, adding that the waves damaged the boat. (Adapted from the Trinidad Newsday)

INTERNATIONAL

Myanmar's Suu Kyi wins seat, demands military meeting

Aung San Suu Kyi

Opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi was ofﬁcially re-elected to her seat in the lower house of parliament o n Wed n es d ay as h er National League for Democracy party continued to steam towards

victory in the country's historic elections. Suu Kyi called on leading members of military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) to meet and discuss what she said

would be a decisive win for her opposition party. The Union Election Commission (UEC) said on Wednesday the Nobel peace laureate had won her seat, and that the NLD had now

captured 135 lower house seats in the national parliament out of the 151 ofﬁcially declared. The opposition has also taken 29 out of 33 seats announced in the upper house. With the NLD saying it expects to win about 80 percent of the seats up for grabs, Suu Kyi called on President Thein Sein, Shwe Mann, the speaker of the house, and General Min Aung Hlaing to meet with her to discuss the outcome of the elections. "It is important to implement the people's will in a peaceful manner for the sake of the country," she wrote in letters addressed to the three men. A spokesman for

the USDP said on We d n e s d a y t h a t Myanmar's president and the military would respect the results of Sunday's vote, but added he would meet Suu Kyi only after those are announced by the election commission. The military government handed power to a semicivilian government in 2011, but the army still dominates politics after d e c a d e s i n p o w e r. Twenty-ﬁve percent of seats in the parliament are reserved for the army. The Associated Press, citing an NLD statement, reported that President Thein Sein congratulated Suu Kyi and promised a peaceful transfer of power. It said a message was received

We d n e s d a y f r o m Information Minister Ye Htut on behalf of the president. The President is quoted as saying: "In accordance with the Union Election Commission's election results announcement, I would like to congratulate you, the NLD, for leading the race for parliamentary seats." Even with a win for her party, Suu Kyi cannot become president under the country's constitution as she is married to a British citizen and her children have UK passports. Suu Kyi has said that may change. (Al Jazeera)

Afghans protest beheadings of seven ethnic Hazara persons T h o u s a n d s o f demonstrators took to the streets of Afghanistan's capital on Wednesday with cofﬁns carrying the bodies of seven ethnic Hazara demanding justice after their beheadings. The protests included women and men from Afghanistan's different ethnic groups Pashtun, Tajik, Uzbek, and Hazara - as they marched on the Presidential Palace to urge the government to take action against rising violence against Afghan civilians. Four men, two women, and a child had been beheaded with razor wire, ofﬁcials said. The

Hazara hostages were abducted in Ghazni and their bodies were later found in Zabul province. "We will continue to ﬁght for the safety of our f a m i l y, " c i v i l r i g h t s activist Shahzaman Hashemi told Al Jazeera. "This is our right to feel safe. Whatever happened to those women and children can happen to us as well." The Afghan government announced a national day of mourning on Wednesday over the killings. Maryam Jamal, who also took part in the march, said it was important to pressure the

government to halt the escalating violence in the country. "They've now started killing women and children," she said. "It can be me tomorrow, can be my children. This protest is historic and we are adamant to not back off until something is done about this. We've had enough." Kabul Police Chief Abdul Rahman Rahimi told Al Jazeera security ofﬁcers had taken control of the protest area and were making sure no one gets hurt during the demonstrations. "There are thousands of people here and the number is expected to increase.

People from far off places have come to Kabul to take part in the protest today," Rahimi said. "We are making sure the protest doesn't get violent. So far people are protesting peacefully."

Demonstrators chanted "death to Islamic State" on Tuesday in Ghazni province as a van carried the cofﬁns covered by Afghan ﬂags. Ghazni police blamed the Islamic State of Iraq and

the Levant (ISIL) in Afghanistan for the grisly killings. The Hazara have long suffered oppression and persecution in Afghanistan. During the 1990s. (Adapted from Al Jazeera)

France won't dine with Iran unless wine is served menu.

Guess who's not coming to dinner — or even breakfast or lunch? Ahead of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani's landmark European trip kicking off this weekend, French ofﬁcials reportedly nixed plans for a formal meal in Paris with President François Hollande following a dispute over the

The Iranians, according to France's RTL Radio, insisted on a winefree meal with halal meat — a request based on Islamic codes that amounted to culinary sacrilege in France, a nation that puts the secular ideals of the Republic above all else. The French, RTL said, counter offered with a presumably alcohol-free breakfast — which the Iranians promptly rejected because it appeared too “cheap.” The two leaders will now reportedly settle

for a face-to-face chat next Tuesday. The food fracas comes as Rouhani is staging his ﬁrst ofﬁcial trip to Europe as president, one meant to herald Iran's economic coming out after a long period of international sanctions. Rouhani will meet with Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, Pope Francis and Italian companies in Rome on Saturday before moving on to France, where he is set to deliver a speech at the United Nations Educational,

Scientiﬁc and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), and meet with French ofﬁcials and companies. For French industry, the stakes are high. Following the sweeping deal that would lift international sanctions in exchange for limits on Iran's nuclear capability with strict monitoring, European companies and governments are tripping over themselves to court the Iranians. Italy, Germany and other nations have already dispatched trade missions and senior

ministers to Tehran in preparation for what they hope will be a green light to turn on the spigots of investment early next year. During a French trade mission to Iran in S e p t e m b e r, h o w e v e r, French execu ves complained that Paris's hard stance had made it harder for them to win a piece of that pie. But France is also in the grips of a domestic culture war, with its right wing raising alarms over “Islamiﬁcation” that has spilled into its deep national

relationship with food. The far-right National Front, for instance, has railed against the rise of kebab stands in the country of quiche. By the same token, hardliners in Iran are pushing back against any suggestion that the nuclear deal will promote a broader opening with the West — making any photo ops showing the consumption of alcohol and non-halal meats out of the question. (Adapted from MSN)

Pacquiao: I want to ﬁght Mayweather again before I retire In the latest twist of one of boxing's longest-running sagas, Manny Pacquiao says he wants another crack at Floyd Mayweather before he quits the ring. Although Mayweather has already hung up his gloves, with a 49-0 unbeaten record, this hasn't stopped his Filipino rival of dreaming of a rematch of the most lucrative bout in boxing history. The 36-year-old is hoping for one more ﬁght before he ends his d i s t i n g u i s h e d c a r e e r, having been a champion in eight weight divisions, and

Manny Pacquiao

he insisted that Mayweather could be his opponent. “It's possible -very much," he told CNN World Sport at a charity event in Abu Dhabi on Saturday. "I would love to have a rematch if he wants i t . ” Pacquiao's trainer Freddie Roach suggested this week there may be a repeat of May's long-awaited megamillions encounter, but Mayweather has made it clear on several occasions that he has ﬁnished with boxing, and has no

intention of beating Rocky Marciano's record. "Of course we hear from him many times that he has retired. It's not new for him," Pacquiao said of the American. He was dogged by a shoulder problem when he took on Mayweather in Las Vegas, w h e r e h e l o s t unanimously on points to give him a career record of 57 wins, six defeats and two draws. Pacquiao said he hoped to announce his next opponent "late next month." (CNN)

Simmons reinstated as West Indies coach Phil Simmons has been reinstated as West Indies' coach by the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB). Simmons was suspended as coach in September after he had expressed his unhappiness with the OneDay International (ODI) squad selected for the Sri Lanka tour. His reinstatement, the WICB said in a statement, was “conditioned upon” two criteria: “issuance to him of a letter of reprimand for his inappropriate public comments”, and his “making a public apology to the WICB and persons whom he may have offended”. The WICB said it w i l l , h o w e v e r, a l s o investigate the allegations made by Simmons, and take action as required against any parties found guilty. “I regret my public outburst during a press conference on the 25th of September 2015 in Barbados, called to announce the West Indies Cricket Board men's senior team selected to

tour Sri Lanka in October and November, and the revelation of the voting that took place at the team selection meeting,” Simmons said. “I extend a public apology to all whom I may have offended, I have personally apologised to my fellow selectors and the West Indies Cricket Board and now do so again publicly. I am looking forward to putting this behind me and doing the job I enjoy with the West Indies senior men's teams, to continue heading towards the goal that we have in sight and towards which we have started working.” Simmons had alleged outside interference in the selection of the ODI squad for the tour of Sri Lanka, saying he had not been given the best ODI squad. Before the squad

Phil Simmons

was ofﬁcially announced by the WICB, he said that even though he and the captain Jason Holder wanted allrounders Dwayne Bravo and

Kieron Pollard in the team, they were left out. He said that Bravo and Pollard also had the backing of Clive Lloyd, the chairman of selectors, but he and Lloyd

were outvoted 3-2 in the selection meeting. Besides Lloyd, the other selectors on the panel are: Courtney Walsh, Courtney Browne

and Eldine Baptiste - the last of whom was asked to oversee the team temporarily after Simmons' suspension. (Adapted from the Tr i n i d a d N e w s d a y )

Old Fort; GCC, Hikers register wins as GTT indoor Hockey continues Old Fort first division midfielder Aderemi 'Dove' Simon shrugged off an injury received earlier in the tournament to stage a dominating performance against the Pumas on the second night of the GT&T National Indoor Championships being held at the National Gymnasium at Mandela Avenue. While the young Pumas certainly had fitness and foot speed on their side, the Old Fort experience and skill

proved too much to handle. With Simon launching several attacks from deep in his own half, it took the ﬁrst eleven minutes before Old Fort made their breakthrough as a certain goal was prevented by the foot of a defender resulting in a penalty stroke before Simon converted for the lead. John Abrams and Jason Clarke threatened the area a lot before the later made it 2-0 and

Simon closed off the game with the third 7 minutes before time. G C C maintained their strong standing in the men's ﬁrst division competition with a dominant performance over Jaguars by 5 to 3 while Phoenix enjoyed a goal-fest against Saints in winning their match by 9 – 3. The GCC Tigers registered the largest goal tally in the ladies competition to date as they routed Old Fort by 6

to 1. Ashley DeGroot was the leading goal scorer for the Tigers with a penalty stroke and two powerful penalty corners while sisters Kerensa Fernandes and Sonia Jardine added one each. Carol Caine opened the Old Fort account in the very ﬁrst minute of the match, capitalizing on a Tigers defense error but Old Fort failed to muster any further goals. Meanwhile the Hikers taught the young

under-21 girls a lesson in hockey as they secured a 3-1 victory. Nicole Eastman scored the goal of the match with a powerful ﬂick into the roof of the net from the baseline on the right before adding a second to join a single from teammate Latacia Chung. Aliyah Gordon led a brave performance by the under-21 and was rewarded with a single goal for her efforts. GCC and Old Fort continued to

dominate the men's second division competition with victories over Saints (2-0) and P h o e n i x ( 4 - 1 ) respectively. The Hikers meanwhile recovered from a narrow loss on the previous evening to upstage Saint Stanislaus College by 5-0. M a t c h e s continue throughout the week with the four ﬁnals set for Sunday from 17:00hrs.

Old Fort's Aderemi Simon splits two Puma defenders

West Indies level T20 series

After being described as r u s t y, t h e D a r r e n Sammy led T20 outfit responded emphatically and clinically by beating the Sri Lankans by 23 runs in the final game of the two match series on Wednesday. Batting first the Maroon side mustered up a casual 162 for the l o s s o f 6 o ff t h e i r allotted 20 with openers Johnson Charles and Andre Fletcher putting on a 61 run partnership before the later fell on the second ball of the 6th over for 23

M a r l o n Samuels came in but lasted just one delivery for his run while Charles departed off the last ball of the 8th for 34. A run a ball 31 from Dwayne Bravo and a late onslaught from Denesh Ramdin 43(22) helped the Windies reach the 162 score which they gainfully defended. L a s i t h Malinga's 2 for 16 off 4 a n d M i l i n d a Siriwardana's 2 for 17 off 3 were the chief

destroyers while D u s h m a n t h a Chameera's 1 for 36 off 3 was a bit costly. In their response Sri Lanka could only muster 139 all out in 20 overs in spite of a crash and bang 50 (38) from Tillakaratne Dilshan and Shehan Jayasuriya who scored a patient 30(32). The in-form Dilshan, who ended as man of the series said, I'm disappointed I didn't ﬁnish the game. It was a gettable target but

the bowlers used the pitch really well. I'm enjoying every single ball, every single moment.” Bravo returned with his variations and cutter to pick up 4 wickets from his 4 overs and the man of the match award which went for 28 runs while Ravi Rampaul snared 3 from his maximum allotment for only 20 runs. Bravo added “My role is to stabilise things from one end. It was not a 200 wicket.

Once we bat ﬁrst and bat properly, we have a very good bowling line up to defend. Sammy was good again, clear messages to the b o w l e r s . We h a v e batters who can chip in. Our ﬁelding display was very good.” Captain Darren Sammy, Keiron Pollard and Sunil Narine each picked up one wicket to ensure that the West Indies did not leave Asia empty handed. Sammy, during the post-match interview said, “We had

a good discussion in our team meeting and we played really well. It was good to see the team learn very fast. We have good memories here. “ “The guys who batted said we should take pace off the ball. We were desperate to get this win. The World T20 is a long way and that was our last game. Guys play around the world so they have to take something from there,” he continued.

Wednesday November 11, 2015

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GTT INDOOR HOCKEY CONTINUES