Black Immigrant Daily News
Guyana has recorded 47 new cases of the novel coronavirus, taking the total positives detected to date to 70,888.
There are 11 persons in the hospitals, two of whom are in the ICU while 296 individuals are isolating at home.
Recoveries stand at 69,301 while the death toll is 1,278.
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On June 19, 2021, the North Ruimveldt Secondary School was destroyed by fire. On that day, Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand said that the school will be rebuilt. Today, a contract with a project sum of $566.9M was signed for the reconstruction of the school.
Following a public tendering process, the project was awarded to Kares Engineering Inc. Permanent Secretary, Mr. Alfred King signed on behalf of the Ministry of Education. The Project Consultancy was awarded to Marcel Gaskin.
Minister Manickchand said today that every time a school is destroyed, there is a domino effect of actions that have an adverse effect to learning. She said that ordinarily 150 students are placed at the school every year following the National Grade Six Assessment but due to the classrooms being destroyed the placement total was reduced to approximately 50 students.
“This is the top school for South Georgetown. So, it means many families in South Georgetown whose children ordinarily could have come here will have to travel further to access the quality of education that was being delivered here,” she noted.
She explained that from the day of the fire, some sections of society contiuously doubted that the school will be rebuilt. However, she reminded those in attendance today that on the day of the fire, even while the building was still burning, the Government of Guyana and the Ministry of Education committed to rebuilding the school which she said was the first school to have a smart classroom installed back in 2014.
Moreover, the Education Minister said that though the project will be supervised by the consultant and the Ministry of Education, she wants the South Georgetown community to play an integral role in ensuring that the work is done according to contract.
In the presence of representatives of the contracting firm, Minister Manickchand said that when contractors fail to do what they are supposed to do, children and communities suffer.“It is very important that we complete this at a high quality in the time that we said we woulsd complete it so that we can make sure that the children of South Georgetown see what we intended for them to receive,” Minister Manickchand said.
Further, she said that moving forward, wherever there is a school being built, it will not be the engineer’s responsibility alone to ensure work is done properly. She said that each project will have an Education Officer attached to the construction of that building who will stress the importance of the project being completed on time and at the highest quality. Further, she said that the details regarding construction will also be made public so that members of the community can also hold contractors accountable.
With Education Month 2022 about to begin, under the theme “Transforming Education”, Minister Manickchand said that this project will have significant and that she hopes to see its completion so that learners can benefit.
Special Projects Officer, Mr. Ron Eastman said that the Ministry is happy to arrive at the juncture where the contract has been awarded following a competitive tendering process. He thanked Minister Manickchand for driving the project forward so that today work can begin. He said that the Buildings Department of the Ministry will play its role to ensure that what is built is exactly what was designed and that students and teachers receive the school they deserve.
Headteacher of the School, Ms. Allison Cosbert said that many persons had doubts about the project. However, she said that on many occasions she had to assure persons that the Education Minister promised the it will be rebuilt. “I can stand here today to see that promise is now a reality. So, today’s turning of the sod and contract signing is something that I welcome, and I can speak for my staff,” she said.
The building will measure 432ft (length) x 30ft (width) x 42ft (height). It will have three storeys and will accommodate 450 to 500 students. The school will be fitted with science laboratories, Information Technology Laboratories, new classrooms, teacher accommodation, a sanitary block and a modern external structure. The project period is 14 months.
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The Royal Saint Lucia Police Force (RSLPF) is concerned over the presence of illegal high-powered weapons on the Island, two of which Customs and Excise officials discovered in a barrel at Port Castries on Monday.
The Customs officials found two AR 15 rifles, a 9mm Taurus pistol, and ammunition, including thirty 5.56 rounds.
One man is in police custody in connection with the find, but police say it’s early days in their investigation.
And they have not yet announced charges.
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The Head of the Major Crime Unit, Superintendent Luke De Freitas, declared on Wednesday that ‘serious carnage’ could result from high-powered weapons in the wrong hands.
De Freitas spoke during an appearance on the Hot 7 Television programme ‘Good Morning Saint Lucia’ with Host, Shannon Lebourne.
The senior police officer indicated that the importation of and access to high-powered weapons is a matter of grave concern.
“We are not seeing these weapons coming in you know, just a single weapon but what we have seen, people seem to have access to these weapons by the numbers, by the dozens and our intel would tell us that these weapons are here on Island in large numbers,” De Freitas explained.
He said in cooperation with other agencies the RSLPF is trying its best to curb the weapons influx.
However, De Freitas indicated that criminals and ‘bad elements’ find ways to go around systems that are in place.
“So we too need to be very innovative,” he asserted.
Nevertheless, he told ‘Good Morning Saint Lucia‘ that Saint Lucia could not go it alone.
“We need to also combine our efforts with our regional partners, with our international partners to deal with the situation,” De Freitas declared.
“The ideal would be to have these weapons intercepted even before they were to come on Island where we would not need to actually go looking for it here in Saint Lucia, but that we have the ability, with the assistance of our regional and international counterparts, to intercept these weapons, I suppose in the course of the importation or export from whichever country,” he told Host Shannon Lebourne.
Headline photo: Internet stock image
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Fifty-year-old Michael Salmon, otherwise called ‘Chaplin’, a construction sub-contractor of Love Lane in Canaan Heights, May Pen, Clarendon, has been charged with illegal possession of firearm following the reported seizure of an illegal weapon at his home on Monday, August 22.
Reports from the May Pen police are that about 2:45 pm., investigations led officers to carry out an operation at Salmon’s home.
A Lorcin .25 pistol was reportedly found inside a jacket in a room at the home.
His court date is being arranged by the police.
Morant Bay High School, located in the cool hills of Highbury, St Thomas, will welcome many new faces when the 2022/23 academic year begins this September, and one of those will be 12-year-old Alex Ta
High school teacher, Asheka Headley, was invited to a function and wanted to find the perfect purse to complement the shoes she planned to wear.
Frustrated with going from store to store and findin
Attorney Christopher Townsend has chided the prosecution for its failure to disclose key documents in the Noel Maitland murder case, which has frustrated his firm’s attempts to file a bail applica
…developer who had a remake of his life in the Cadet movement wants to help inner-city youth
An elderly woman was reportedly bitten to death in the parish of Trelawny by dogs between Monday night and Tuesday morning.
The police have given the identity of the deceased as 73-year-o
Jamaica Public Service (JPS) customers will see an average increase of approximately 0.7 per cent on their bills next month.
This follows the Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR) assessment of the
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Life coach and gender specialist, Carla Moore is encouraging people to practise more self-care by learning to accept assistance from others instead of trying to do everything on their own.
“Self-care is recognising that my dreams are bigger than this fear [of asking for help]. So, I’m going to ask for what I need so that my dreams can come out of my chest and begin to live in the world. Self-care is about having the courage [to admit that you need support],” she said, as she noted that one cannot expect to accomplish everything on their own.
Self-care is the process of taking care of oneself with behaviours that promote health and active management of illness when it occurs.
Moore was a guest on the JN Circle Thrive Together Life Class series, where she was participating in a discussion on the topic: ‘Me, myself and I: Selfishness or Self-care?’
“Self-care is a part of your personal greatness,” Moore noted, then continued “because one form of self-care is allowing other persons to add their energy to what you are trying to [achieve].”
She broke it down… “think about it this way, one person trying to launch a business on their own, has a very different experience from a person who has a team of five,” she noted.
She further pointed out that it is important for people to be honest with themselves and seek external help.
“It is a deep and pure honesty to say ‘Am I caring for myself if I continue to act in the way that I’m acting? And if I continue like this, will all of the greatness in me make it out in this lifetime?’ If the answer is no, then you need to change tactics”.
Dania Beckford, publicist and chief executive officer of Broadtail Designs, who was also a guest at the session, said that communication is a key factor of self-care.
“Sometimes, your family members and your circle want to support you but might not be able to do it at that particular time, so that is why it is important that it is communicated that they are unable to do the task right now and indicate when they can…communication is ‘part of how we self-care and how we care for others,” she explained.
Season four of the JN Circle Thrive Together Life Class, started on July 22 and will continue until September 7.
The session, which is moderated by Kamala McWhinney, associate clinical psychologist, seeks to empower interested parties – primarily JN members and customers.
The discussion topics have so far included, ‘Spotting a Tinder Swindler: The Dos and Don’ts of Online Dating in Jamaica’ and ‘Vow: Yours? Mine? Ours? – A Look at Boundaries within Marriages’.
Persons can register to join the sessions here, or they can watch and participate via JN Group on Facebook.
The next session is scheduled for Wednesday, August 31 at 6:30 pm and the topic will be: ‘The Battle of the Sexes-What a woman wants (Part 1)’.
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The family of 71-year-old Gweneth George of Bolans, is breathing a little easier, after a medical emergency demanded that their loved one be airlifted to Barbados’, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, for specialized attention over the weekend. Thanks to the Calvin Ayre Foundation (CAF), which funded the US$31,500 flight, George was able to undergo emergency surgery on Tuesday, August 23, and is now in recovery.
Recounting her aunt’s ordeal, George’s niece, Rolanda Prince said that her aunt was visiting a family member’s home, when she started complaining of an excruciating headache, numbness in her left leg, intense nausea, and elevated blood pressure.
By the time she arrived at the Sir Lester Bird Medical Centre (SLBMC), by ambulance, Prince said her aunt’s pain and nausea had gotten worse, as she was experiencing what doctors refer to as “Thunderclap” headaches. A Computed Tomography, or CT scan, revealed she had suffered an aneurysm, which doctors confirmed required medical attention outside of Antigua.
According to CAF’s Media Relations Specialist, Jamilla Kirwan, the initial distress call on behalf of the family, came from a concerned Samantha Marshall, MP for St. Mary’s South, which prompted her to connect with George’s niece, Rolanda Prince. Prince was then able to quickly produce her aunt’s medical records detailing the urgency of the matter, and a submission was made to the Foundation’s board to fast track an approval. George was airlifted over the weekend and underwent surgery on Tuesday.
An update on Tuesday evening from George’s son, Carlton Henry, who accompanied his mother to Barbados, confirmed that the surgery went well. He also confirmed that she is responsive but that he is anxious to see her more active.
“Without the Foundation’s assistance, I don’t know how mom would have gotten the medical help she needed,” he said. “We are forever thankful!”
George’s niece, Rolanda Prince, also expressed gratitude. “The nature of her condition required speedy attention and getting the approval to airlift her that fast…we really appreciate it. We would not have been able to come up with those type of funds.”
According to Kirwan, Social Development, Sports & Education and Emergency Response, are the specific areas the Foundation chooses to support. “Truthfully, it is terribly difficult to make these kinds of decisions because we are not always able to help every cause,” she said. “But whenever we can, we are happy to see the difference we make in the lives that we touch. On behalf of Ambassador Calvin Ayre and the Calvin Ayre Foundation, I wish Mrs. George a speedy recovery.”
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Minister of Health Terrence Deyalsingh. Photo by Ayanna Kinsale
HEALTH Minister Terrence Deyalsingh is confident that Trinidad and Tobago is more than ready to deal with the monkeypox virus.
He made this declaration during the virtual covid19 news conference on Wednesday.
Noting that Guyana reported its first case of monkeypox on Monday, Deyalsingh said, “We can’t be any more vigilant than we are.”
In May, he continued, “I took a note to Cabinet to have Her Excellency (President Paula-Mae Weekes) declare monkeypox a dangerous infectious disease.”
This allowed the ministry to deal with monkeypox under the public health regulations and the Quarantine Act.
Deyalsingh said the Caura Hospital has been designated as a treatment and isolation centre for monkeypox patients.
He added, “We are making steps to get the (monkeypox) vaccine in.”
The public has also been advised of countries with confirmed monkeypox cases.
He reiterated, “It is difficult to be any more vigilant than we have been since May 20.”
Deyalsingh reiterated that 12 samples sent overseas to test for monkeypox have all returned negative. He was hopeful that a 13th sample now being tested would also prove negative.
He said the ministry had received correspondence from the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), which is taking the lead role in negotiating with Bavarian Nordic, the only company worldwide that is manufacturing a monkeypox vaccine.
Deyalsingh explained, “Bavarian Nordic will not be negotiating with individual countries.They will be negotiating with PAHO, and individual countries in the Americas will go to PAHO (to procure their monkeypox vaccines). TT was one of the first countries to sign (for this).”
He said Attorney General Reginald Armour, SC, is reviewing the documentation on procuring the vaccines.
The process will be the same one used to procure covid vaccines, Deyalsingh said.
There are 38,888 confirmed monkeypox cases in 93 countries to date. Europe constitutes 51 per cent of those cases. There are 48 cases in the Americas and there have been two deaths.
About monkeypox
Monkeypox is usually a self-limited disease, with the symptoms lasting from two-four weeks. It may be severe and lead to a range of medical complications. In recent times, the case fatality ratio has been around three-six per cent.
Typical symptoms are fever, rash and swollen lymph nodes.
Caused by monkeypox virus, the disease is spread to humans from animals and then from one person to another by close contact with lesions, body fluids, respiratory droplets and contaminated materials such as bedding.
It occurs mainly in tropical rainforest areas of Central and West Africa, but is occasionally exported elsewhere.
Source: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/monkeypox
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THA Deputy Chief Secretary Watson Duke. FILE PHOTO/JEFF MAYERS –
THA Deputy Chief Secretary Watson Duke is calling for self-determination for Tobago.
Duke, the electoral representative for Roxborough/ Argyle, was delivering the feature address during the Caribbean Diaspora Investment Forum’s Invest Tobago town hall meeting at the Brooklyn Museum, New York, on Monday.
He said there is a need for Tobago to be on equal status with Trinidad.
“Tobago is not an equal island with Trinidad. Since 1889, we have never been – and that is a legal issue – we are never equal: we are a ward of Trinidad.”
“The Tobago problem is not Trinidad, because our families exist there. They are our brothers and our sisters. The Tobagonian problem is the PNM.
“We want equal rights and justice. Give us our equal rights and justice with Trinidad.
“Although we are a ward of Trinidad, what that simply means, they take care of us. If we want an ID card, that has to be made in Trinidad. If you want a glasses, that has to be made in Trinidad – anything (imported), it has to come through Trinidad. The flour you eat: it comes through Trinidad. The sugar you eat: it comes through Trinidad.”
He said deep within him, there is a dream for Tobago to be equal.
“I never wanted to be the normal politician, I wanted to be myself I don’t want to be no ANR Robinson, I don’t want to be no Patrick Manning, no Eric Williams, I don’t want to be no Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela – I just wanted to be myself.”
He said in his mind, independence in 1962 and Republic status in 1976 should have elevated Tobago.
“Then again, the PNM was in charge, they don’t care.
“As long as we are one, we can’t plan our budget, we can’t do anything. They have to give us whatever they feel to give us, whenever they feel to give us – that is what they’re going to do.
“But as an island on (an) equal footing, we may just have the right to solicit elsewhere. We may have the right to come up with our own economic plan, our own social development, etc.”
He said as a result Tobago needs self-determination.
“Self-determination is really a cardinal principle rooted in international law. Self-determination really says that the people of Tobago…would sit and could determine for themselves their political status.”
“Whether we want to be fully independent, we have that right– whether we want to be in a relationship: interdependent like Trinidad and Tobago, or whether we want to have an association like the European Union – they are an association; the UN – they are an association. We never had the chance to decide.”
He said all of the diasporas must stand and say to the PNM in Trinidad,“It is time to free our people back home.”
“We are not asking for separation. We are not asking to go alone. We want to be linked to Trinidad, if possible linked to the rest of the Caribbean.
“(But) we must have the right to determine ourselves, our political status. We must have the right to freely develop our economic, our social and cultural development – we must determine that.”
In 2019, Duke said at a press conference it was time to free Tobagonians from “bondage” – not through internal self-governance, but through full independence from Trinidad. He said this separation was not a call for war, but instead for Tobago to have the chance to unlock its ability to grow its economy.
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Minister of Health Terrence Deyalsingh. –
HEALTH Minister Terrence Deyalsingh has said county medical officers of health (CMOHs) are responsible for advising any person or entity about what to do either to prevent a covid19 spread or deal with a spread after it happens.
During the virtual covid19 news conference on Wednesday, the media asked Deyalsingh whether the ministry hadcommunicated with or advised the Judiciary about how to deal with a reported superspreader event at the Hall of Justice in Port of Spain that resulted in the building’s being closed from August 16-22.
He said, “Any event in any location, the protocol is for the event or the issue to be under the management of the county medical officers of health, not the Ministry of Health.”
Deyalsingh said the CMOHs “will liaise, whether it is a business place or whatever, advise them what to do to prevent superspreader events or, if there is an event, as is alleged (in the case of the Hall of Justice), what to do.”
He added that the CMOHs give this advice once they have been invited in or asked to give that advice by any person or entity wanting to prevent covid19 spread or dealing with one after it has happened.
Deyalsingh made no comment as to whether or not this had happened in the case of the Judiciary.
In a letter to Chief Justice Ivor Archie on August 20 , High Court Justice Carol Gobin claimed the temporary closure of the Hall of Justice directly interfered with her judicial independence.
In a brief response to questions from Newsday on Tuesday , the Judiciary’s Court Protocol and Information Unit said, “Please be advised that that the Judiciary has no comment on this issue. There is no news in this matter. “
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Barataria/San Juan MP Saddam Hosein. –
THE rejected bail bill which Attorney General Reginald Armour, SC, is seeking to resurrect is not the answer to controlling spiralling crime, says Barataria/San Juan MP Saddam Hosein.
“What we need is a working minister of national security, a working commissioner of police and a competent prime minister.”
Hosein was speaking at Monday night’s United National Congress (UNC) virtual report meeting and was responding to statements by the AG that a new bail bill is being framed, in consultation with criminologists, to ensure its passage when he takes it back to the Parliament.
Independent and UNC senators rejected the bill when it was taken to the Senate in July.
During an interview on TTT over the weekend, Armour admitted insufficient consultations were done, and this time around he wants the process to be more engaging with both the opposition and independent senators.
Hosein rejected the idea.
“While this bail bill was law, 450 of our citizens died. While this bail bill was law, we lost Andrea Bharath. While this bail bill was law, we lost Ashanti Riley. The bail bill simply does not work.”
On the issue of staffing shortage at the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Armour also spoke about the hiring of 20 new state prosecutors during his interview.
“I hear the AG boasting we hire 20 prosecutors. Get real, you spent over $400 billion and come to boast you hire 20 prosecutors?
“Where are you going to put them?” Hosein asked, referring to his brief stay at the DPP’s office when he had to share a small cubicle with three prosecutors.
The opposition MP said while staffing is important, space constraints must also be addressed.
He said buildings were being rented to accommodate the Office of the DPP at Park Street, Port of Spain; Gulf City Mall, San Fernando; and Gulf City Mall, Tobago, “and up to now you cannot relocate these offices there.
“I am beyond tired of the PNM’s bag of tricks. I am sick of hearing the PNM party spewing nonsense about how the country is getting better when indeed things are getting worse.
“On the eve of the 60th anniversary of Independence, when this country should have been proud to boast that crime is down, food prices are low, the cost of living is affordable, and of a technology-based government system and national unity, the alternative is the reality.
“Instead, the PNM has given us a runaway crime situation, a population living pay check to pay check and a divided nation.”
Amidst a public outcry for safety, “The issue of national security has fallen on deaf ears as the crime rate continues to raise just like the price of flour.
“Safety is a right every citizen should be afforded despite socio-economic status. People want to feel safe. People are locked up in their homes because they are afraid of being gunned down.
“Every year, billions are allocated to fund the protective services, yet the murder toll cannot seem to go down. Business owners operate in fear, homeowners spend thousands on home security systems and or fashion their houses with impenetrable burglar proofing.
“We have the worst minister of national security – Fitzgerald Hinds – in the history of this country.
“Fitzgerald Hinds you need to go. You have no plans to fight crime.”
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