Wednesday November 25, 2015
FAREWELL
RASCHID -PAGE 7
President off to Malta for Commonwealth Summit President David Granger, this morning departed for the 2015 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), which will be held in Malta from November 27-29, 2015. According to the Government Information Agency (GINA), the President is expected to deliver a strong message on the security of small states, particularly in light of the resurgence of Venezuela’s aggression with the Heads set to consider and ratify a declaration in support of Guyana’s stance on the issue. While in transit in Trinidad and Tobago, the President said, “We have always been able
to enjoy the support of the Commonwealth and we will continue to work with our partners in the Commonwealth to ensure that their support continues undiminished and that we send a message to aggressor states, in this case Venezuela, that we are not alone.” He reiterated that if Venezuela believes it has a claim, that it should present the evidence to an international forum so that the matter can be resolved. “We feel that slowly world opinion is turning against aggressive solutions to conflicts or controversies and this is time when we have decided more
positively than ever before to have a juridical settlement. We’ve just had too many decades of harassment”, he said. With regard to the possibility of a Commonwealth Declaration in support of Guyana, the President noted that, “This type of declaration indicates that there is an intolerance in the world at large for settling conflicts by violent means”. In the lead up to the meeting, President Granger had indicated that that Guyana will give its full support to Antigua and Barbuda nominee, Sir Ronald Sanders, for the post of Commonwealth Secretary-General, when
President Granger preparing for Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting while in transit in Trinidad and Tobago
leaders of the 53-member association meet at the biennial meeting. First Lady, Mrs. Sandra Granger is also traveling with
the President and Guyana’s delegation to the Commonwealth meeting and will participate in the CHOGM 2015 Spouses programme.
The delegation, which also includes the Minister of Foreign Affairs, who is already in Malta, will return to Guyana on December 1.
Student whose Laptop was stolen, gets replacement from President A Fifth form student of Queen’s College, 16 year-old Terron Alleyne, was on Friday last, robbed of his laptop computer, School Based Assessments (SBA) and school books while on his way home from extra lessons. However, President David Granger, having learnt of the lad’s plight, presented him with a
new one yesterday. According to the Government Information Agency (GINA), the President said he wanted nothing to get in the way of Alleyne’s preparations for the upcoming Caribbean Secondary Examination Council (CSEC). The delighted young man received his new computer in the presence of his
father, Terrence Alleyne, and Minister of Finance, Winston Jordan, at the Ministry of the Presidency. The young Alleyne, who was attacked and relieved of his haversack containing the items, said that the new laptop will aid in his preparations for CSEC and that he will be sitting a total of ten subjects.
President Granger presents Terron Alleyne with a new laptop computer, as Minister of Finance, Winston Jordan, and the lad’s father, Terrence Alleyne, looks on
WOMAN FALLS DEAD AT AIRPORT; ALLEGED
DRUG INGESTION SUSPECTED Michelle Bristol a 17 year old woman who was getting ready to board a flight to the United States on Tuesday evening fell and died at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport. The woman was at the time preparing to board a Caribbean Airlines flight according to police sources. There are reports that the woman suffered a seizure and later collapsed. Persons however
rushed to her aid and she was immediately transferred to the Diamond hospital where she was pronounced dead on arrival. One senior police source who is close to the investigation informed this news site that the woman’s cause of death would be determined on Friday following a postmortem although it is suspected that she might have in-
gested pellets reportedly containing an illicit drug. That however would only be confirmed when the postmortem is completed. One source said that the signs and symptoms which the woman experienced on the night she fell and died are reportedly consistent with those suffered by persons who would have ingested pellets of an illicit drug.
Opposition bemoans slothfulness of the economy -Calls on govt to accelerate implementation plan Peoples Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) spokesperson on the economy and finances, Irfaan Ali, has lamented the slothfulness of the local economy. At a press conference today held at the party’s Robb Street, Georgetown Headquarters, Ali first pointed out that it is in the interest of all parties to ensure that the economy performs well and that his party is not set out to chastise anyone, but to bring the challenges to light. According to Ali, a high degree of slothfulness is being demonstrated by the government in the implementation of suggestions and even the proper examination of the economic strategy employed by the former administration. He said however, that the low level of confidence and good will is major cause for concern for the opposition. It was explained that if the confidence and good will in the economy is not there then there will be a lack of interest in terms of investment,
and a lack of interest in terms of both domestic and foreign investment. “If you look at the Bank of Guyana report you will see that that lack of interest in investment is clearly demonstrated,” said the former Housing Minister. He pointed to decrease in the various sectors, mainly agriculture, mining, and the forestry sectors. The overall decrease is having a severe macroeconomic impact on the economy itself. Ali said the volatile global environment where there is low prices for gold, sugar, rice will not help Guyana in terms of mitigating the challenges ahead. He spoke of global predictions of a collapse in the financial market. In some Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (NDCS) there is a decrease of 50 percent in terms of approved housing plans from the NDC compared to 2014, and in some cases there is a 65-70 percent decrease. Containers traffic (in and out) compared to the last year figure is about 37
percent behind. This, he said signals that the import and export levels are also affected. “As you know our growth rate has reduced tremendously, it has reduced to 0.7 percent and this is the lowest recorded growth since 2011. Our import bill also contracted by 8.8 percent or 74.5 million during the first half of 2015,” Ali further explained. The gross internal reserves of the Bank of Guyana has also contracted. A slowdown in term of foreign exchange transactions which mirrors the general slowdown in the economy. The Bank of Guyana statistics Ali said showed that “The overall volume of foreign exchange transactions was US$3.006M and US$148M so the slowdown so far in the year in terms of foreign exchange transactions was 4.7 percent.” D o m e s t i c investment also decreased by 2.7 percent during the first half of the year and has deteriorated during the last quarter.
Irfaan Ali
Another worrying sign in the economy is that of non-performing loans (loans not being repaid over a three month period) Ali said. Non-performing loans grew by 69 percent, from GYD$8.3B to GYD$20B according to the former Minister. This too he said has further deteriorated in the last quarter of the year. P o i n t s to slothfulness of implementation rate of the 2015 programme of the government that is contributing to the state of the economy. Ali said outside of Georgetown where there is a massive cleanup exercise being executed, there is not much happening in the other regions.
Rice
The situation in the rice industry is worrying for the opposition and according to the PPP/C Member of Parliament, there seems to be no clear cut strategy on the
part of the government for the rice sector. Ali pointed out that the government has clearly stated that rice is private sector business. However, he does not agree with this statement, since he believes that when rice is affecting 90 percent of a Region it then becomes government’s business. “When 90 percent of a region is affected, economic livelihood of the people in that region is affected then it becomes a national issue. So from that perspective it is the government’s business,” he stressed. The party believes that if the situation in the rice sector is arrested a host of other problems will be created, such as the banks will foreclose on the rice farmers. A lot of the rice farmers have huge loans and in some cases they have pledged their machinery to the banks. On that note, the PPP/C is urging the government to
implement the nine point plan for the rice sector that it has submitted.
Sugar
The PPP MP chided the government for its unsure policy with regard to the sugar sector. According to Ali, “They would come out one time and say we’re looking as to whether these estates are feasible or viable” he questioned what signal the government is sending. He said government has to be clear on the path it is taking, noting that duplicity will decrease confidence in the economy. Ali said the previous government was at a stage in modernizing the sugar industry. This, he said would have been realised since former President Donald Ramotar on his last visit to India held talks with that country’s Prime Minister on the modernizing the industry.
Workers may lose benefits if they continue to strike- GuySuCo
The Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) was able to produce 2, 800 tonnes of sugar for this week, despite the ongoing strike across the estates. GNN spoke to Industrial Relations Officer at GuySuCo; Deodat Sukhu who noted that the corporation was able to put systems in place with the cooperation of some workers.
“The major part is Albion had produced over 1,100 tonnes of sugar before they joined the strike yesterday… We have been careful because the factory; when the strike call, the factories were still functioning so canes that were harvested, were grounded. Albion was working so canes at Albion was picked up completely, East Dem
canes were harvested by Wales and Uitvlugt because they came across with those that turn out and pick up those canes so there’s not any cane that is left to deteriorate or cause any major loss” he said. He stated that it is workers that stand to lose more than they are trying to gain from the Corporation at this point in time. He explained that “They are striking for four days now and they might disqualify themselves from the benefits because they have to qualify for this said benefit of Annual Production Incentive (API) which is; ‘80% of the days available they have to work’ and if they don’t achieve those qualifications, they
will not get the API.” He therefore urged the Union to better advise the workers. “At the end of the crop, they also get a week holiday with pay in leiu of leave, if they don’t get the same qualification, they will not qualify for that. There is also ‘a third week holiday with pay’ which persons working for over ten years will have if they also work 80% of the working days for both crops” the Industrial Relations Officer pointed out. Sukhu said the corporation is open to further meetings with the Union, however the strike action will have to be called off. He added that this has been communicated
to the Union. “However we have to meet under level circumstances meaning that you have to call off the strike and then we talk on the way forward. We are not going to discuss anything under the current undue process”. Workers at the various estates remained on strike today, with the exception of Skeldon, Wales and Uitvlugt workers who have completed their crop and came out back to assist in taking off the canes from the East Demerara Estates. While Skeldon, Albion and East Demerara Estates have three weeks
more for this crop, Rose Hall has four weeks and Blairmont has two weeks with the exception of this one as workers there are expected to be on strike all week. Sugar workers have embarked on strike action since last Saturday (November, 21), against an offer by GuySuCo to pay ‘a day’s pay for every 85,000 tonnes of sugar produced this year’ as API. The Union stated that the Corporation’s offer is miniscule as it was paid a day’s pay was given for every 48, 053 tonnes last year and is now offered less when the industry performed better in 2015.
Guyana signs Air Services Agreement
with United Arab Emirates
Minister Ferguson signing the agreement with an UAE official
Government on Tuesday (November, 24) signed an Air Services Agreement with the Government of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to allow for operations by airlines from either State. The agreement was signed by Minister within the Ministry of Public Infrastructure
Annette Ferguson who is currently attending the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) World Aviation Forum (WAF) 2015 at the ICAO Head Quarters in Montreal along with Director General (ag), Guyana Civil Aviation Authority; Chitrani Heeralall.
M i n i s t e r Ferguson alluded to the UAE being the home of two of the world’s best airlines, Etihad and Emirates and hopes that at least one will operate into ‘Destination Guyana’. The ICAO World Aviation Forum 2015, themed “Aviation Partnership
for Sustainable Development”. The event is deemed timely as the ICAO, the United Nations Specialised Organisation for civil aviation recently launched its’ No Country Left Behind initiative to better identify and coordinate assistance to States so that all States. Guyana will be seeking support from ICAO for technical assistance to improve the level of compliance with ICAO Standards. “Guyana like many States here, considers the growth and sustainability of aviation is a catalyst for improved social and economic activities and structures,” Hon. Ferguson stated. She also highlighted that “many States here share similar challenges in financing aviation
projects to enable their economic development and I am sure our esteemed panel will share perspectives on Global investment and aviation development and encourage donors to assist in enabling economic development through financing of various aviation projects so that the spirit of the No Country Left Behind initiative of ICAO can be realized for the positive impact on the economic and social development of all States”. Many of the developed countries and the donor community have applauded ICAO’s No Country Left behind initiative and have pledged their continued support for collaboration, for rendering technical assistance and for aviation development as a whole.
There was a similar call at the Aviation Conference held at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre in October 2015, for the recognition of aviation as the lifeblood of economic and social development in Guyana and for action to be taken to address the challenges the sector is facing including strengthening of the civil aviation safety oversight body. That conference also emphasised the need for a safe, sustainable and strong aviation sector for our national development for the benefit of all our people. Guyana’s two representatives at this Forum will continue their discussions to seek technical and financial assistance for Guyana’s aviation development.
Canada partners with Guyana to host
Sovereign Wealth Fund workshop Government is working to table a legislation in the National Assembly before the end of 2016 to create a Sovereign Wealth Fund (SWF). This was disclosed by Minister of Governance Raphael Trotman today during the opening of a two day workshop on the Sovereign Wealth Fund at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC). The workshop is being hosted by Canadabased University of Calgary, which has a significant expertise in SWFs. Trotman noted is a to introduce the policymakers to the existing models, to share experiences, both good and bad to prepare to effectively manage Guyana’s wealth.
He noted there are more questions than answers which “cannot be asked and answered behind closed doors, but are deserving of the full involvement of the people of Guyana” He added that “To this end, Government envisions that before the end of 2016, model legislation will be laid in the National Assembly for scrutiny and debate and those nationwide consultations will ensure before, and during, the process of finalizing this policy through necessary legislation.” The two day event will be filled with new information and interactions with and between experts and stakeholders in the field of resource management of the extractive industries.
“The truth is that extractive industries often generate large economic rents that governments can capture through taxes, royalties, and license fees. These fiscal measures, while allowing governments to capture a substantial share of the rents for the public, also need to be carefully structured to provide a stable and attractive investment climate.” He noted. Guyana has already received the commitment from the Canadian Government to help with such an initiative. G u y a n a ’ s Sovereign Wealth Fund will be created from the revenues gained within its Extractive Industries to allow for savings for the future generations; budget
Minister of Governance, Raphael Trotman delivering remark
support in times of economic downturns; and infrastructure development – such as roads to create better access and improve ease of trade and development within hinterland communities and across Guyana, and schools that ensure meaningful investment in our children. Par ticipants are drawn from the
Ministry of Finance, Department of Natural Resource and the Environment, Guyana Forestry Commission, Guyana Geology and Mines Commission, Bank of Guyana and the Environmental Protection Agency. The minister said “the number and size of sovereign wealth funds, globally, is only growing — and rapidly, but there
is evidence among the 46 odd countries with sovereign wealth funds that many issues arise concerning the governance and operation of these funds, including the funds’ objectives, savings rules, the timing of withdrawals, and the spending that they support.”
“We are not afraid of the PPP’S Motion”– Amna Ally
Minister Amna Ally
Government’s Chief Whip Amna Ally has assured that a date for the sitting of the National Assembly will soon
be announced. “We’re going to announce it shortly,” Ally promised. Speaking with the Guyana News Net-
work (GNN), the Minister rubbished claims by the Opposition Peoples Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) that the move
to postpone the sitting of the House was willful and that it is afraid of the party’s motion to annul the salary increases given to government Minister, Members of Parliament and other government officers. “Certainly not! We are not afraid of their motion and that is not the reason for us to postpone parliament.” Questioned on whether the government is setting a precedence that whenever Minister are out of the jurisdiction Parliament has to be postponed, Ally replied in the negative. “That is not fully the reason we postponed; because Ministers were out, we set a date when it is convenient for all of to be at parliament. Because Ministers were out is one of the things among others,” Minister Ally explained.
According to her, “Well we determine, we are the government, we determine when and what our agenda is. So we were not ready at that time.” Meanwhile, at a press conference today, Opposition Chief Whip, Gail Teixeira said she did not receive any word from the government on a possible time for the sitting of the House. She noted however that there will not be any sitting in the month of November and neither no time early in December. Ms. Teixeira disclosed that she has received a response from the Clerk of the National Assembly advising on the way forward with regard to its motion. She announced last week that the PPP/C was seeking clarity on
whether its motion could be retabled, since according to her, it will expire on December 1, some forty days after it was tabled. The PPP/C Chief Whip did not divulge any further information on the advice it has received, since she said it was only delivered “this morning” (Wednesday) and the party will now have to study it. The government took a decision to postpone the sitting of the House which was set for November 12 due to the fact that a number of Ministers were out of the jurisdiction on official business. In addition, the Clerk and a Parliament delegation were out during that period. There has been no sitting since October 22.
Implementation crisis looms with a Jan.
2016 budget presentation – Irfaan Ali
Irfaan Ali
The Opposition does not believe that it is prudent to present the 2016 National Budget in the National Assembly in January of next
year, as announced by the government. Peoples Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) Member of Parliament, Irfaan Ali
believes that should this happen, there will be an “implementation crisis,” since there will be two budgets in one year. According to Ali, the A Partnership for National Unity+Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) government is looking to spend its way out of a crisis. “From what we have been hearing and from the information we have, a substantial percentage of the 2015 budget has not been spent and you’re having
a budget coming in 2016 so you’ll have what we call a crisis of implementation,” he explained. Further, he explained that the implementation of 2015 projects have not fully taken off and should a budget come in January 2016 then the government will not have enough time to implement all of its programmes. Ali also said Finance Minister Winston Jordan has indicated to the National Assembly his plans to present the 2017 National budget
on December of 2016. According to the former Minister, having two budget in one year will create further chaos in term of implementation. He said while he is supportive of early budgets, however, under the circumstance of lagging behind with projects it is not a wise thing to do. “You will have an implementation crisis if you have all of the projects rolling over into 2016 and then you have an early budget, that’s
my fear. You will have a capacity overload” Last week Minister of State, Joseph Harmon told reporters that Finance Minister, Winston Jordan has already given the indication that Budget 2016 will see an early presentation. Fiscal budgets are constitutionally due to be presented by March. This year the budget was presented on August 10 due to the hosting of General and Regional Elections.
Dharmic Sabha making fundamental
error on Diwali date- Ramjattan -Controversy to be repeated in 2016
“It’s an identical situation to 2015”. That was the summation of Minister of Public Security, Khemraj Ramjattan, with regard to the celebration of Diwali 2016. Ramjattan, who has responsibility for the declaration of national holidays, told GNN that in an effort to avoid the 2015 controversy, he indicated the establishment of a Calendar Committee to foster consensus among all Hindu representative bodies pertaining to auspicious dates of the religion in 2016. He explained that such a committee would have taken into consideration the views of all of the representative bodies with their supporting information to derive unison on the dates for the printing of calendars. However, he said immediately after it was made known that the committee would
be established, the Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha (GHDS) announced that Diwali 2016 would be on October 30, and subsequently printed calendars to reflect same. Reports suggest that the GHDS has allegedly labelled October 30, 2016, a national holiday. If true, reportedly it would have without consultation with the government which holds that responsibility. According to Ramjattan, the GDHS was aware of the efforts to put the committee in place. He said the actions of the GDHS through its President, Dy. Vindhya Persaud, basically ended the efforts for the intended meaningful engagements in the interest for one date for Diwali which would have subsequently been reflected on all calendars.
Dr. Vindiya Persaud
“Dr. Persaud and her organization took an uncompromising position without wanting to give the calendar committee a chance in the interest of unity among Hindus pertaining to the date for Diwali, I have been advised that Diwali 2016 should be on October 29. As such I have indicated that the national holiday for Diwali 2016 will be October 29,” Ramjattan noted. He explained that his position is based upon the advice and credible information provided by many learned Pandits (Hindu Priests). “The call was made based on educated people from the religion and the traditional rules of the festival being observed in the darkest night of the year which is calculated to be October 29, 2016,” the Minister pointed out. Based on this scenario, it appears that the controversy that transpired this year over the date for Diwali, will be repeated next year. Regarding this year’s festival, Ramjattan declared November 10 as the national holiday while the GHDS insisted that November 11 should have been the
Minister Khemraj Ramjattan
date. It resulted in two observances for the first time in recalled history. R a m j a t t a n ’s declaration resulted after a number of leading Hindu organisations presented a petition citing a grave error in the November 11 date which was decided by the GHDS and which was declared a national holiday by former People’s Progressive Party (PPP) Minister of Home Affairs, Clement Rohee. Dr. Persaud is Member of Parliament for the PPP. Ramjattan said he will continue to make such decisions based on credible information from Hindu Priests. “Dr. Persaud and her organization is making a fundamental error with
regard to accuracy of the calculations which derive the date for the festival,” he added. It should be noted that during the controversy surrounding this year’s date, all of the Hindu organisations including the GHDS, agreed that the new moon would have been born at about 13:47 hrs on November 11. However, the GHDS remained adamant and celebrated Diwali on the night of November 11, which would have been during the new moon contradicting their position for the festival to be observed on the darkest night of the year. Based on that reasoning, many Hindu organistions and their
members observed Diwali 2015 on November 10 which is before the birth of the moon. Ramjattan had stated that the petition and its supporting documents which made the case for November 10 to be assigned as this year’s Diwali date, were based on “irrefutable evidence.” He had stated that, “It was credible information which could not have been ignored.” This makes 2016 a seeming carbon-copy of 2015 in this regard given what is already in the public domain. GNN made efforts to contact Dr. Persaud but were unsuccessful.
Opposition proposal for rice sector
stalled at GRDB The nine point plan to revamp the rice sector that was recommended by the Opposition Peoples Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) has been forwarded to the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB) for consideration by Agriculture Minister Noel Holder. The Minister confirmed this today when contacted by the Guyana News Network (GNN) on whether he has received the letter that was dispatched to him last month and what is the next course of action. “I sent it to the Rice Development Board for comments and their recommendations,” Min-
ister Holder stated. The board has a meeting next Friday during which it will be discussed, he said. This newspaper contacted General Manager of the GRDB, Nizam Hassan for a comment on whether the document was examined by his entity, which according to the Minister lies with him. However, Hassan could not say whether or not the board has looked at the document in an effort to offer recommendations for implementation. The Opposition PPP/C has been ranting and raving over the non-implementation of their proposals
for the rice sector by the government, given the importance of rice to the local economy. At a press conference today the party lamented the fact that it is still awaiting to see the outcome of its recommendations, whether or not government will take it into consideration for implementation. Among some of the recommendations is the call for government to resume negotiations with the Venezuelan Government with the intention of securing/ renewing a “rice for oil deal” or to strike another viable contract which could see Guy-
Minister Noel Holder
ana exporting rice again to that lucrative market that the Spanish-speaking country offers. The plan recommends that government work in close collaboration with the Commercial Banks to reschedule some of the loans belonging to farmers. The plan also
urged government to suspend all payments on leases for those who have leases with Government. It also urges that government issues a supplementary provision to the Parliament for rice farmers which can help them directly with the purchase of seed paddy and/or fer-
tilisers so they can return to the next crop. In addition, it recommends that government offer duty-free fuel and tax exemptions on equipment for rice farmers, particularly during this time of crisis. And finally it urges government to explore other markets around the world for rice.
WPO condemns violence against The Women’s Progressive Organisation (WPO) on the occasion of International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women calls on all stakeholders to work together in the fight against violence. Guyana joins the rest of the world in the observance of International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women today at a time when the issue needs ur-
gent attention locally. The WPO in a statement noted that violence Against Women continues to be a major cause of human rights violations against women in Guyana and around the world. It highlighted that during the past decades, several initiatives were taken by government and non-government organizations and individuals to reduce and/or elim-
inate this scourge from society. Yet, according to the WPO, it seems that there has been an increase in domestic violence incidence due to the reports in the media on a daily basis. “Too many women have been killed during the past five (5) years. Too many women have been maimed and brutalized. Too many women who are victims of domestic violence are afraid to
his many radio programs including Concert Hall. Glowing tributes were done by representatives from his workplace, family and church. The ceremony was conducted by reverend Raphael Massiah of the First Assembly of God church where Osman was a member and his wife a pastor. The body was first Open for viewing at the Merriam Funeral Home before being moved to the First assembly of God Church for Funeral service. He was laid to rest at Le Repentire Cemetery.
Among the features of the final sending off of Osman were scripture readings, worship, Eulogy which was read by his only daughter Ruth Osman Rose and followed by the final viewing. Raschid Osman served the media fraternity for decades and also twined that with several radio programs. He was also instrumental in several training sessions and workshops for young journalists in Guyana. Up to the time of his death Osman was still employed by the Guyana Chronicle and even covered an assignment, namely the opening of the drama festival the night he died.
come forward and speak out because of financial dependence and cultural practices,” the Women’s organisation said. The body is advocating for women’s human rights to be defended by creating awareness, especially among men who are the main of perpetrators of domestic violence. “The cost of domestic violence on the family and society is tremendous. When mothers are hurt, children suffer untold psychological trauma and grow up to become victims or perpetrators of domestic violence themselves. On the other hand, mothers themselves endure enormous physical and psychological pain.
women
When employees are hurt, companies suffer loss in production and downtime because of sick leave, etc. In the long term, the cost of domestic violence on the country is humongous,” the statement added. The WPO reiterated its call for families to reach out to their families and communities as well as counselors, religious leaders in an attempt to resolve some of these problems. It emphasized that “The cost of the fist is too high and this must stop. It stops with you, it stops with me. It must stops by all of us.
We have to do this together. We must stop domestic violence in our midst.” On this International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women the WPO says all must pledge to do their part to illuminate this scourge form society. On December 17, 1999, November 25 was designated as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women by the UN General Assembly. It is observed every year on November 25.
JOURNALISTIC ICON RASCHID OSMAN LAID TO REST Prime Minister, Moses Nagamootoo who is acting President, joined dozens of reporters and journalists today to pay final respects to former Editor in Chief of the Guyana Chronicle Newspaper, Mohamad Raschid Osman. Osman passed away peacefully in his sleep on Saturday morning and this afternoon was laid to rest amidst glowing tributes. Mourners also included members from the arts and theater fraternity, music industry and persons who also followed the work of Osman on
Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo viewing the body of the late Raschid Osman earlier today
GROVE RESIDENT SHOT BY BANDITS Fifty-seven year-old Patrick Ross, of Grove, East Bank Demerara, was early this morning shot in his abdomen when he was attacked by two men, one of whom was armed. According
to the police, at about 03:45 hrs this morning, Ross was attacked as was entering his premises. He raised an alarm and made an effort to get into his home, but was shot.
The men escaped. Ross has been admitted to hospital, as the investigations c o n t i n u e .
RAMJATTAN RELAXES 2:00 AM BAR CURFEW FOR OLD YEAR’S NIGHT Minister of Public Security, Khemraj Ramjattan said today that he is relaxing the stipulations which governs the closing times for bars and clubs for the Old Year’s Night observances. This means that these facilities would not have to close their business at 2:00 am which has been the case over the past few months. The Minister did not state a closing time for the last day of the year. Tr a d i t i o n a l ly, many entertainment spots, bars and hotels, host parties as part of the Old Year’s Night/ New Year’s day festivities. Also, the State’s Security Forces host similar celebrations which are usually attended by the Head of State. In addition, many hold the tradition of attending a church service and then
join one of the parties of their choice. The understanding is to “break” the New Year in Church and then join the celebrations that are associated with the birth of a new year. Over the years, many of the facilities stick to tradition and offer a New Year’s morning breakfast which indicate the party would extend to dawn. There has been concerns over what would obtain on Old Year’s night regarding the 2:00 am bar curfew. The announcement by Minister Ramjattan today has now addressed those concerns. He added that he is open to discussions pertaining to relaxing the 2:00 am curfew on Christmas Eve night and any other night or nights during the festive season based on
discussions and merit. Earlier in the month the Private Sector Commission (PSC) called on Ramjattan to rethink the 2:00 am curfew given the negative impact it claims it has on related businesses. The PSC said its position was based on what has been observed and reports received from its membership and that the 2:00 am closure for bars and night clubs is having a significant negative impact on businesses within the entertainment industry. It pointed out that many of the businesses are faced with the threat of closure and downsizing as a result of this decision.” In Response, Ramjattan, called on the PSC to show him the evidence that millions are being lost between 2-4
am. He said every study done by every major University has confirmed the linkage between heavy alcohol consumption and accidents and domestic abuse. “The PSC is claiming they are losing money but are not getting the message. Let them tell me how much more millions are being lost after the 2:00 am”, Ramjattan had stated.
Minister khemraj Ramjattan
The Private Sector body highlighted the concern the curfew could have on the country’s developing Tourism Industry and pointed out that there has been no definitive study on the social impact of the later closure on crime and accidents and this tends to be notional. According to Ramjattan, “These are the same people who
when in the United States abide by the laws that govern the closure of bars. We must live by the law. The law here says 2:00 am closure, at that will be enforced. I would not, absolutely not, give in to their demands”. The PSC had recommend an extension and relaxation of the 2:00 am edict to facilitate visitors for Christmas and into the New Year.
will be working to ensure that similar incidents do not occur even as students were assured that the appropriate procedures were followed after the fire alarm was raised. Additionally they were assured that the faculty will be rebuilt “Our Safety and Security Advisor immediately initiated clearance of non-essential personnel from campus. The Fire Service, with four engines, quickly contained and then extinguished the fire. The Fire Service and Police are conducting routine investigations” the release added.
Comfort was taken in the fact that no one was hurt as a result of the fire and at the moment the administration of the campus is in the process of determining the extent of the material damage and loss as a result of the fire. The students were assured too that the campus is safe and secured and that all other buildings are safe to access. The police have since cordoned off the destroyed area.
UG CAMPUS BACK TO NORMAL FOLLOWING FIRE
Vice Chancellor (ag) of the University of Guyana Dr. Barbara Reynolds, has advised that the operations of the University is back as per normal except for the Faculty of Natural Sciences at the University’s
Turkeyen Campus, following a fire last night. In a press statement to students on Wednesday the acting VC said that no access will be granted to the affected area until the police and fire service
is finish with its investigation and the building handed back to the University administration. She added that any student who may information and or might have been in close proximity to the build-
ing before the fire started on Tuesday evening to come forward and share whatever information they might have. “We know experiencing a fire at close quarters can be a traumatic experience. We are therefore securing support for any student or staff member who wishes to debrief with a professional. Students should contact the Registrar; staff members should contact the Personnel Office, attn. Ms Mona Roopsind” the VC stated in the press release. It was also noted that the University
AMIR KHAN CRITICIZED FOR SPEAKING OUT AGAINST RELIGIOUS INTOLERANCE Bollywood actor Aamir Khan, who is a Muslim, took a stand against religious intolerance in India, and his remarks were quickly met with backlash from other Bollywood celebrities a n d government figures. At a recent function he said that he sympathized with his w i f e’s desire to leave India. “She fears for her child. S h e fears about what the atmosphere around us will be. She feels scared to open the newspapers every day,”
Khan told reporters. He praised Indian scientists, filmmakers, and writers who have returned awards given to them by the country, a form of protest against India’s alleged religious discrimination. The circumstances surrounding Khan’s statements and the following backlash are the latest in what some have called India’s “rising climate of fear.” Earlier this month, roughly 200 people, including author Salman Rushdie, wrote an open letter to British Prime Minister David Cameron, asking him to address India’s “climate of fear” with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Khan also referenced an incident in September, when a 50-year-old Muslim man was beaten to death, apparently because of rumors that he had butchered a cow and saved the meat in his refrigerator. Cows are sacred to Hindus, and a mob of people became angry when they heard
Dorothy, living on a Kansas farm in the 1930s, probably never would have imagined her dress traveling to Oz -- let alone New York, where decades later it would be valued at over $1 million. But the iconic blue gingham apron and shirt costume that Judy Garland wore as Dorothy in the 1939 classic “The Wizard of Oz” did just that Monday, selling for $1,565,000 at a New York auction. Three
“Judy Garland” inscribed inside, according to Bonhams website, the auction house who sold the costume. The costume’s sale surpassed its presale estimate by the auction house of $800,000 to $1.2 million. “As we witnessed today in the Bonhams saleroom, the dress is considered a true and timeless icon of classic Hollywood,” said Catherine Williamson, Bonhams’ director
that the man’s family had allegedly eaten beef. Anupam Kher, Ramgopal Varma, and Raveena Tandon, who are all Bollywood celebrities, criticized Khan shortly after his remarks. The backlash only got worse from there. The ruling Hindu nationalist party even spoke out against Khan’s comments, reminding Khan he’s lucky to be Indian. Shahnawaz Hussain, a spokesman for the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), directed some harsh words at Khan during a press conference. “Don’t forget, India made you a star,” Hussain said. He added that it was “not all right to malign our incredible India.” And activists in several cities nationwide actually burned Khan’s effigy on Tuesday — The Malaysian Insider reports that dozens of people set fire to posters featuring the actor’s photo. (Yahoo)
DOROTHY’S DRESS FROM ‘WIZARD OF OZ’ SELLS FOR A PRETTY $1.56 MILLION competitive bidders fought for the iconic piece of movie history via phone, according to a news release. The winner was not immediately identified. The costume consisted of the blue and white gingham pinafore with a fitted bodice and a full skirt with ‘Judy Garland’ inscribed on the inside as well as a short cream-colored cotton blouse with a high neck that also has
of entertainment m e m o r a b i l i a . The dress is one of two Dorothy costumes in existence, according to Williamson. One of Garland’s “Wizard of Oz” costumes was sold in 2012 for $480,000, according to Julien’s Auctions in Beverly Hills, California. The costume sold Monday was part of lot featuring 400 classic film pieces that were sold in conjunction with Turner Classic Movies, a
sister company of CNN. Other items included Steve McQueen’s iconic racing suit from Le Mans and scripts from “Casablanca.” In 2014,
Bonhams sold the Cowardly Lion costume worn in the film by Bert Lahr for over $3 million dollars, a record price for a costume from that film, according to Bonhams’ website. (CNN)
DAVID CANARY, WHO PLAYED CHANDLER TWINS ON ‘ALL MY CHILDREN,’ DIES David Canary, who played twin brothers Adam and Stuart Chandler on the ABC soap opera “All My Children,” has died at 77. Canary died of natural causes on November 16, according to a Bouton Funeral Home obituary posted Tuesday. He is survived by wife, Maureen, and two adult children. Canary delighted audiences in the dual roles of diabolical businessmen Adam Chandler, patriarch of the wealthy Pine Valley family, and his kinder counterpart Stuart, who spends years locked in the west wing of the Chandler mansion thanks to his twin brother. Canary made
his debut as the Chandler brothers in 1984, earning five outstanding actor daytime Emmys and 16 nominations before retiring from acting full-time in 2010. He returned to the role briefly before the show’s final episode in September 2011. Canary was born on August 25, 1938, in Elwood, Indiana, and grew up in Massillon, Ohio, where he seemed destined for a career on the gridiron. He played football in high school and earned a football scholarship to the University of Cincinnati, where he graduated with a major in music, according to his obituary. He turned down an offer to play with the Den-
ver Broncos to move to New York pursue an acting career. His film roles included “Hombre” with Paul Newman and “The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre” with Jason Robards. He broke into television with a stint as Mia Farrow’s physical therapist in the popular soap “Peyton Place” followed by roles in the popular Westerns “Gunsmoke” and “Bonanza.” In the latter, he played ranch foreman Candy Canaday. Fans and “All My Children” co-stars mourned his death. (Adapted from CNN)
MAN GETS JUDGEMENT AFTER LOSING TESTICLE A Connecticut man who sued a hospital after losing a testicle following vasectomy surgery has been awarded $386,000 by a judge. According to court records reported by the Hartford Courant the 42-yearold man underwent the procedure at the UConn Health Center in 2013.
His lawyer says after three days of intense pain, the man went to another hospital where it was determined the testicle had not been getting enough blood and was necrotic. Doctors surgically removed it. The judge determined that the original doctor had injured the testicular
artery during surgery. The judgment says that the man still suffers from psychological trauma and has required “extensive therapy.” UConn Health Center said in a statement that while it feels sympathy for the patient, it denies responsibility and is considering an appeal. (Fox Health)
PEOPLE WHO EAT MORE YOGURT
HAVE SMALLER WAISTS
A review of previous studies suggests that people who eat yogurt have lower body weight, less body fat and smaller waists - but it’s
not clear if the yogurt is the reason. “Studies that look specifically at weight loss are very limited,” said coauthor Irene Lenoir-Wijnkoop
of Utrecht University in The Netherlands. “S cientifically speaking, based on this it cannot be concluded that yogurt causes weight loss, even if the tendency in this analysis is promising,” she told Reuters Health by email. The researchers reviewed 22 studies. Thirteen of the studies observed people at one point in time and compared their yogurt intakes, finding that those who ate more yogurt had lower body
Depression and low quality of life may contribute to erectile dysfunction in men with sleep apnea, a Korean study suggests. Sleep apnea, a common disorder that leads to disrupted breathing or shallow breaths during slumber, has long been tied sexual health problems, researchers note in the Journal of Sexual Medicine. But the current study focused on why
some men with sleep apnea may have more difficulty getting or maintaining erections and found the severity of sleep problems may not matter as much as whether the men were suffering from depression. “Although the severity of obstructive sleep apnea is one of the risk factors for erectile dysfunction, the depression is likely to have a bigger impact,”
said senior study author Hyun-Woo Shin of Seoul National University. “Doctors should worry about erectile dysfunction if men show depressive symptoms, even in mild or moderate obstructive sleep apnea patients,” Shin added by email. To understand what might contribute to erectile dysfunction in sleep apnea patients, Shin and colleagues
weight or healthier body composition. More rigorous studies, in which subjects were randomly assigned to eat yogurt or not and their weights were monitored, had mixed results. One found significant weight loss in the yogurt group but did not rule out the possibility that differences in calcium intake were responsible, as reported in the International Journal of Obesity. “Yogurt has several micronutrients
which may have potential beneficial effects, for instance calcium is involved in the metabolism of fat,” said Dr. Nita Forouhi of the University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine in the U.K. “As yogurt is a fermented product, there are likely effects on obesity also through its effect on the gut microbiome, which is a field that is gathering more research attention now.” If yogurt does lead to weight loss, it
could be because people who eat it regularly use it to replace less healthful foods, she said. “Yogurt consumers tend to eat less fast food, French fries and fried foods, processed and red meats, pizza, snacks, regular soft drinks or alcohol,” she said. Adults who eat yogurt also tend to be more active and are less likely to smoke, she said. (Adapted from Fox Health)
reviewed data on more than 700 men treated at Seoul National Hospital for snoring or daytime sleepiness from 2006 to 2014. On average, the men were around 45 years old, and 93 percent of them were diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea. Men with more severe sleep apnea were more likely to be older and more overweight than those
with milder apnea. Researchers didn’t find a connection between the frequency of erectile dysfunction
and the severity of obstructive sleep apnea. (Adapted from Fox Health)
DEPRESSION LINKED TO ERECTILE DYSFUNCTION IN SLEEP APNEA PATIENTS
ISIS ‘poster girl’ reportedly beaten to death in escape bid
Samra Kesinovic
One of two Austrian teenagers dubbed “poster girls” for ISIS was beaten to death after she was caught trying to escape the terror group’s de facto capital in Syria, according to published reports. Two Austrian newspapers reported Tuesday that Samra Kesinovic, 18, was murdered. One of the newspaper reports cited a Tunisian woman who lived with Kesinovic and her friend, Sabina Selimovic, before managing to escape. The
Austrian government declined to comment on the reports, with Foreign Ministry spokesman Thomas Schnoll saying, “We cannot comment on individual cases.” Kesinovic and Selimovic have now both been reported killed since they left their home city of Vienna to join ISIS in April 2014. Late last year, David Scharia, an expert on the U.N. Security Council’s counterterrorism committee, said he had been told that one of the
girls was killed during fighting in Syria, while the other had disappeared. The Osterreich tabloid reported that Selimovic was killed in December of last year. At the time of their disappearance, they left a note for their families saying “Don’t look for us. We will serve Allah and we will die for him.” The Daily Telegraph reported that Kesinovic confirmed in a phone call to her sister that she had joined up with the terror group.
In October, it was reported that both girls had grown weary of ISIS’ strict enforcement of Islamic law and had written to their families saying that they wanted to return home. The girls’ families have made no public comment on the latest report of their deaths. Both girls’ families settled in Vienna after fleeing Bosnia-Herzegovina to escape that country’s war during the 1990s.
7 children killed after playing with rocket
Violence ripped through Afghanistan’s capital on Tuesday in multiple ways -- from a pressure-cooker bomb to a shooting to a rocket tip that exploded while children were playing with it. The latter incident was the deadliest, killing seven children between ages 10 and 14 and wounding two others, Kabul police Chief Abdul Rahman Rahimi said. They had been playing with the head of the rocket,
which had been left behind a long time ago -- wrapping it up in a cloth and throwing it -- when it went off, according to the chief. Elsewhere in Kabul, three people died when a pressure-cooker explosive detonated near a roundabout, Interior Ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqqi said. Seddiqi also said that Afghan political analyst Ahmad Saeed was rushed to a hospital after unknown gunmen
shot him Tuesday afternoon in the volatile Asian nation’s capital. It was not immediately clear who was behind the bombing or shooting. Violence has plagued Afghanistan for years, pitting the government and its allies against the Taliban, the extremist group that led the country before the U.S.-led assault following the September 11, 2001, attacks. (CNN)
The king of Sweden doesn’t want you to bathe
“I really felt ashamed then, I really did,” King Carl XVI Gustaf
of Sweden confessed to Swedish-language newspaper Svenska
Dagbladet in an interview published Saturday, the Local
reports. The source of the monarch’s shame? He took a bath. In the king’s defense, however, he had little choice. The room in which he was staying the day prior to the interview had no shower. “It took a lot of fresh water and energy,” he said, and the experience seemed to him “not wise.” Hence the king’s conclusion: “All bathtubs should be banned. Just imagine it!” While he conceded that his ban-the-tubs suggestion was somewhat
tongue-in-cheek, the king did say that such small details could have a big payoff when it comes to protecting the environment. Carl XVI Gustaf isn’t the only royal to take an interest in environmental issues, the Telegraph notes. Prince Charles is known for his environmental advocacy, and has even put “eco” toilets in his family residence. During his interview, Carl XVI Gustaf, who plans to attend the upcoming
UN climate change conference in Paris, goes on to further establish his environmentalist cred: •“Stockholm held the first big [UN climate change] conference” in 1972. •“I car
have a right
hybrid now.”
•“I am eating less meat.” The king said he took an interest in environmental issues around the same time as Al Gore, “but he beat me to it.” (Fox News)
Trinidad invokes terror laws the November 13 ISIS attack in Paris which left over 130 dead and many hundreds injured. While the Attorney General did not disclose details of the application, one unconfirmed report indicated the application relates to the individual known as Kareem Ibrahim, a Trinidadian who was sentenced in 2012 in a New York court, to life in prison, for conspiring to commit a terrorist attack at John F Kennedy International Airport in Queens, New
York, by exploding fuel tanks and a fuel pipeline under the airport. If the judge is satisfied the person or entity has knowingly committed or participated in the commission of a terrorist act or has acted on behalf of any known terrorist organisation, the judge must order the entity to be listed as a terrorist. A terrorist act is one that will cause or is “likely” to cause harm and destruction. The judge’s order must, by law, be made public
through publication in the Gazette within six days, if granted. The entity then has a right of appeal within 60 days. However, the effect of any order would be to freeze the funds of the listed entity pending this appeal process. It is expected the matter filed yesterday will be dealt with as a matter of urgency in court. But the Attorney General made it clear that while the State is considering the question of enacting specific legislation to tackle
the global terrorist environment, which has seen the emergence of ISIS and the problem of the recruitment of Foreign Terrorist
Fighters (FTFs) through the internet and other means, it will work with what it already has on the books. (Adapted from the Trinidad Newsday)
Argentina’s presidentelect Mauricio Macri said Monday he would call for Venezuela to be suspended from the South American trade
bloc Mercosur over its government’s alleged rights abuses against political opponents. “We are going to invoke the
democratic clause against Venezuela,” Macri told reporters. That protocol allows a Mercosur member to be suspended with the agreement of all the others if it is seen to have violated democratic principles. Macri added: “It is appropriate because of the abuses and the persecution of the opposition”
in Venezuela, where right-wing rivals of President Nicolas Maduro have been imprisoned and barred from elections. The marketfriendly conservative forced a political shift in Argentina by winning a runoff election on Sunday, ending 12 years of leftist government. A r g e n t i n a’s
outgoing President Cristina Kirchner is a Maduro ally. Ve n e z u e l a holds legislative elections on December 6 that opinion polls show the opposition could win, raising the prospect of a broader rightward trend in Latin American politics. WICB Mercosur’s full members are
Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and Venezuela. Venezuela’s opposition MUD coalition hailed Macri’s victory as an encouraging sign that change could follow in their country too. Macri’s win “goes hand in hand with the imminent victory of the Venezuelan people on December 6,” it said in a statement. (Yahoo)
San Fernando Mayor, Kazim Hosein, was left fuming mad and demanding a complete revamp of the local health care system after a man who collapsed mere walking distance from the San Fernando General Hospital, lay on the ground for 45 minutes awaiting the arrival of an ambulance. He was later prounced dead at the hospital. “ T h i s is absolutely
unacceptable,” Hosein said. “He fell basically at the doorsteps of the general hospital which is just a few footsteps away, yet we waited 45 minutes for an ambulance to come. If I did not order a driver (from the San Fernando City Corporation) to take the man to hospital, he would be still on the ground,” the mayor fumed. Police later told Newsday that the man was identified
am, he still lay on the road. Eyewitnesses said at the time of his collapse, Seetahal was in the company of a female relative on their way to the general hospital to attend a clinic. As the minutes ticked by and no ambulance could be seen, Hosein became angrier and angrier. He then contacted Health Minister Terrance Deyalsingh. “I had to call the Minister who was
quite in Port-ofSpain to ask for an ambulance which is right here in San Fernando to respond. W i t h i n minutes an ambulance arrived. But by that time the man had already been taken to hospital by one of our drivers from the city corporation. This is just unacceptable,” Mayor said. (Adapted from the Trinidad Newsday)
For the first time, the State has invoked powerful provisions of the Anti-Terrorism Act 2005, seeking to have a High Court judge deem an individual or entity as a “terrorist” and to freeze the assets of that person or entity. A t t o r n e y General Faris Al Rawi said an application was lodged yesterday under Section 22B of the Anti-Terrorism Act, as he promised the State would use existing laws to fight the scourge of terrorism in the wake of
Attorney General Faris Al Rawi
Argentine’s new President rallies Mercosur against Venezuela Mauricio Macri
Mayor fuming over 45-minute wait for ambulance
Mayor, Kazim Hosein
as Keith Seetahal, 63, of Williamsville. He fell on the Harris Promenade, a stone’s
throw away from hospital shortly after ten o’clock yesterday morning. At 10.45
Canada to resettle 25,000 Syrian refugees Justin Trudeau’s newly elected government has confirmed it will resettle 25,000 Syrian refugees in Canada within three months, giving top priority to those who are a lower security risk. The plan as outlined prioritizes families and vulnerable individuals, including those from the LGBT community. S i n g l e unaccompanied men will be excluded from the government resettlement program
for now. However, government officials say those individuals can still apply to come to Canada through private sponsorship programs or could possibly be resettled through a government-sponsored program later in 2016. “I’ve been saying time and time again, that yes, we want to bring them fast, but we also want to do it right,” Canada’s Immigration and Refugee Minister John McCallum a. “I’ve
heard Canadians across this country saying, ‘yes you have to do it right, and if it takes a little bit longer to do it right, then take the extra time.’ “ Prime Minister Trudeau had promised during the election campaign to resettle 25,000 refugees by the end of year. Trudeau says he extended the deadline because of operational and security challenges. In an interview with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Trudeau admitted that the Paris terror attacks had an influence on public perceptions and
that his government decided it would be best to do all security checks on the ground in Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey before allowing refugees to board planes to Canada. Two recent polls conducted in Canada after the Paris terror attacks indicate that a small majority of Canadians oppose the plan to resettle refugees mainly because of security concerns. Despite that, every province in Canada has agreed to take in refugees and charity organizations have been inundated
with offers from private citizens eager to welcome and help resettle refugees. Canadian government ministers tasked with screening the refugees called this “a big When they arrive in Canada, refugees will temporarily be housed in former military barracks,
vacant hospitals or hotels and also with families who have volunteered to sponsor refugees. The first plane load of refugees is expected to touch down in early December. (Adapted from CNN)
is linked to a stab in the back delivered to us by accomplices of terrorists. I cannot qualify what happened today as anything else,” a visibly angry Putin said in televised comments. “Our plane was shot down over the territory of Syria by an air-to-air missile from a Turkish F-16 jet. It fell in Syrian territory four kilometres from the border with Turkey. Our pilots and our plane did not in any way threaten Turkey.” Russia has been carrying out air strikes in Syria since September, saying it is targeting ISIL and alNusra Front. The Syrian
opposition and Western powers, however, say the Russian strikes have mainly targeted rebel groups fighting the Syrian regime - an ally of Moscow. Putin also sharply criticised Turkey for establishing contact with NATO to discuss the incident, prior to contacting Moscow. Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, however, said Turkey had a duty to act against anyone violating its borders. “Everyone must know that it is our international right and
national duty to take any measure against whoever violates our air or land borders,” Davutoglu said in Ankara. “Turkey will not hesitate to take all steps to protect the country’s security.” Following the incident on Tuesday, Russia’s defence ministry announced that it is suspending its military cooperation with Turkey and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov cancelled a planned trip to Turkey on Wednesday. Russia also warned its citizens not to travel to Turkey,
saying it was unsafe, and deployed a warship to the coastline near where the plane crashed. President Barack Obama said while the US did not have enough information to form conclusions about the incident, similar confrontations could be avoided if Russia stopped attacking “moderate” Syrian rebels who are battling forces loyal to the government of President Bashar al-Assad. (Adapted from Al Jazeera)
so far have either been French or Belgian nationals, a fact that increased scrutiny of Muslim communities in both countries. Yasser Louati, a spokesman for the Collective Against Islamophobia in France, told Al Jazeera that he did not see how the move would counter the appeal ISIL has to some French Muslim youth. “I don’t see any added value in this announcement, the people who did it [the Paris attacks] were not
religious and were not radicalised in mosques. “We already have a curriculum in place where imams get what’s called an ijaza (permit) so there is nothing new to add. Who will license this? It is not for the government to interfere in the religious affairs of Muslims,” Louati said. The CFCM, though not a state body, serves as the main representative of the Muslim community to the government. Felix Marquardt, a
Parisian Muslim and cofounder of the alKawakibi Foundation, which works towards Islamic reformation, said that the move was a “normal reaction” to the attacks but questioned its effectiveness. “To think this is product of some kind
of slow radicalisation in a mosque is wrong, it’s simply not the case,” Marquardt said, adding that did not mean the Muslim community could distance itself from the attackers. (Adapted from Al Jazeera)
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
Turkey and Russia in war of words over downed jet
Turkey, Russia and their respective allies have entered a war of words about the downing of a Russian warplane near the Turkey-Syria border - raising tensions in a region struggling to cope with the ongoing Syrian conflict. The Russian
Sukhoi Su-24 warplane was shot down for violating Turkish airspace on Tuesday morning, Turkish officials said, angering Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, who likened the incident to being “stabbed in the back”. “Today’s loss
France’s leading Islamic body has called for imams to be licensed before being allowed to preach, a move that has prompted criticism from voices within the country’s Muslim community. Anouar Kbibech, the president of the French Council for the Muslim Religion, known as the CFCM, has called for imams to be tested on their knowledge of Islam and French values before being allowed to preach, the AFP news agency
reported on Tuesday. During a meeting with the Bernard Cazeneuve, the French interior minister, in Paris, Kbibech said that the move would ensure religious leaders promoted a tolerant version of Islam. The proposal follows attacks by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group on the French capital, which left 130 people dead. All those identified as having taken part in the attack
French Muslim activists debate licences for Imams
WICB backs down; to meet CARICOM committee on Dec. 4
Dave Cameron
The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) has acceded to the call of the CARICOM Cricket Governance Committee for an urgent meeting to discuss the state of
the Caribbean game. The calls, which were made two weeks ago, come in the wake of the recently released CARICOMcommissioned Cricket
The jury in the Chris Cairns perjury trial has retired to consider its verdict and will reconvene at Southwark Crown Court on Friday to continue its deliberations. The presiding Judge, Mr Justice Sweeney, concluded his two-and-a-half days of summingup at 1.02pm this afternoon, at which point he advised the jury that they should feel under no time pressure to return a verdict in a case that is already
into its eighth week. C a i r n s denies two counts of perjury and perverting the course of justice, relating to his successful libel action against Lalit Modi, the founder of the IPL, at the High Court in 2012. His co-defendant and former legal advisor, Andrew Fitch-Holland, denies one count of perverting the course of justice, after allegedly attempting to secure a false witness statement from Lou Vincent
Governance Review, which, among other things, recommended “immediate dissolution of the board and appointment of an interim board”.
“I would not, and have never disrespected any leader of the region,” stated Whycliffe ‘Dave’ Cameron, WICBpresident, in response to recent comments made by chairman of the CARICOM Cricket Governance Committee, Dr Keith Mitchell. “The letter that we (the WICB) published is simply to outline a process that we felt is a reasonably one. “I needed time to talk to the shareholders, what we would call the constituent members of the WICB, before actually meeting with our leaders. “If it caused any offence, I sincerely
apologise ... again. “I am now scheduled to meet the ministers on the 4th of December in Grenada,” he added. Mitchel l, speaking at an Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States meeting last week, described Cameron’s initial reactions as “quite amazing” and “quite frightening” in response to the heads of government request. “I expect the president of the WICB to respect the leadership of the Caribbean, the leadership of the people of the region, and, to give effect to an urgent meeting. “I hope and
pray that what we saw was a rush of blood and not his (Cameron) real intentions. “I expect to see a meeting very, very soon ... , and, we are waiting for that answer to meet quickly to move cricket forward in the region,” Mitchell, the Grenadian prime minister, had said. C ameron, elected head of the WICB since 2013, and re-elected earlier this year, however, used the occasion to point out the autonomous nature of the WICB and the need for it to remain that way. (Adapted from the Jamaican Gleaner)
Cairns jury retires, will reconvene on Friday
Chris Cairns
to support Cairns’ case against Modi. If the jury finds Cairns guilty of perjury, in relation to his statement at the High Court that he had “never”
cheated at cricket and would not contemplate doing so, then they can move onto the charge of perverting the course of justice, in which Fitch-Holland
is considered the primary perpetrator. If Fitch-Holland is found not guilty, then Cairns must also be acquitted of that charge. If he is found guilty, the jury
can then consider whether Cairns had conspired with Fitch-Holland in a “joint enterprise” to obtain the statement. (Adapted from Espncricinfo)
Wednesday November 25, 2015
WICB BACKS DOWN