SRI LANKA: FREEDOM OF THE WILD ASS VS. FREEDOM OF AMBITIOUS BUREAUCRATS

Editorial, The Sunday Leader.-01/05/2016

More laws – less Justice: Marcus Tullius Cicero, Roman philosopher, politician and a great orator of his time.

We need to find refuge in the words of such wise men, even 2000 years after they were made, to overcome the stupidity of our modern day rulers who try to fashion our lives through their directives and even legislation.

A hitherto unknown bureaucrat, recently appointed the Parliamentary Reforms and Media Secretary, Nimal Bopage, issued an astounding press release on Thursday warning the media engaging in ‘illegal and unethical’ use of the words to promote a section of MPs belonging to one main governing party, who call themselves the ‘Joint Opposition’. The Joint Opposition created by several MPs is without the input of either the Leader of the Opposition or the Joint Opposition Whip, he has said, claiming that according to reports the Joint Opposition is engaged in organising political propaganda and some media are aiding the promotion of it. Bopage has said that even the Speaker has pointed out to the faulty concept of a Joint Opposition and that the professional integrity of experienced journalists would be severely damaged. Misuse of media in such a manner sets bad, illegal precedents and journalists could be personally liable. Various persons would attempt to accomplish their narrow gains through misuse in the future. The secretary has requested journalists to follow their conscience to put an end to media misuse and to preserve the ‘thriving media freedom’.

While taking note of the gratuitous advice of this neophyte in the media on wellbeing of journalists, more important is what law would be transgressed if the words ‘Joint Opposition’ are used as he contends?

Whether a media secretary should be considered the patron and the guardian deity of journalistic ethics and morals, only journalists and their institutions can decide. Besides the issue of a ‘Joint Opposition’ is one that concerns parliament and parliament only. The parliament is not only the supreme legislative body in the land but also the supreme court as was evident when it impeached a Chief Justice recently – for wrong or right reasons. Why then is this newly appointed panjandrum taking on not only the onerous duty of advising the Fourth Estate but that of parliament as well? Clearly he is rushing in where wiser men would fear to tread. In our opinion, any group of legislators in a parliament has a right to group together and give the group a name. We have heard of a ginger group, a Dudley faction and JR faction and different factions of many splinter parties. Since in this instance there will be two oppositions (though each definitely distinguishable) it should be an issue for the Speaker together with parties to decide.

The Sirisena-Wickremesinghe government should take care to prevent involvement of bureaucrats in politics which could lead to allegations of political partisanship of the government.

Most governments, though carried to power virtually on the shoulders of the media, have a habit to kick their carriers once in power. The media, due to the very nature of political developments, begin to criticise those whom they have helped into power. No politician will like biting criticism and thus by almost reflex action lash lusty kicks on their former supporters. That seems to be the affliction of theYahapalanaya government too.

Undoubtedly there has been some harsh criticism – on some very grave mistakes or frauds – by the media that has embarrassed some politicians. But that is the duty of the media which has to be appreciated.

The Yahapalanaya government had decided to re-invoke the Press Council Law – the law enacted by the United Front Government of Sirima Bandaranaike and the Marxists to tame the press after taking over the then independent group of Lake House newspapers. That law had draconian measures such as: Preventing any government employee talking to the press without sanction of a ministry secretary and the appointment of a Press Council devoid of representatives of the press – save one pro government journalist who happened to be more pro-government than the government.

The press has not caused any embarrassments to the new government other than to report on the embarrassments caused by its members to government. Though the Press Complaints Commission now appears to be functioning satisfactorily sans some Machiavellian characters whose shadows darkened it, has been considered necessary to bring back the Press Council law that was opposed vigorously by J. R. Jayewardene.

Now it has also been decided to establish a body similar to the Press Council Act to control the electronic media which also played a decisive role in bringing the Yahapalanaya to power. The usual carrots are being offered such as: the stake- holders will be consulted on vital issues. Once controlling institutions are established the faithful bureaucrats’ concern will be only for themselves and a cracking down on independent journalists to impress bosses.

Ranil Wickremesinghe, during his premiership during 2001- 2004, was closely associated with the establishment of the Press Complaints Commission and the scrapping of the Criminal Defamation Act, which was being used to virtually threaten the media into submission.

It is admitted that the best form of governance in a democracy is to have no control of the media at all but to establish strong binds of friendship and understanding between politicians, proprietor and journalists for the practice of free and fair journalism.

The freedom of the ambitious political stooge and the bureaucrat is much more disastrous to a democracy than the freedom of the proverbial Wild Ass.
Sunday Leader

Yoshitha says ‘those properties are Aunt’s not mine; shocked Daisy Aunty tells CID plainly ‘those are not mine’..!

LeN ‘s timely exposure saved Daisy ‘s life !!

(Lanka-e-News- 30.April.2016, 7.45PM) Yoshitha Rajapakse has purchased 15 plots of valuable land in Colombo 05. All these lands  belong to Daisy Forrest , a lady who is over 80 years old residing at 210 /12 , Torrington Mawatha , Colombo 7. Daisy Forrest is none other than the elder cousin sister of Shiranthi Rajapakse , the wife of ex president Mahinda Rajapakse. These details have been uncovered by the CID. However , Daisy Forrest  suddenly went missing .

The court ordered before  the New year to Yoshitha to produce this lady in court , but it was the plan of Yoshitha Rajapakse and his clan to liquidate her during the New Year period , and paint the picture she died of natural causes. Unfortunately for Yoshitha following Lanka e news’ exposure ahead of  this wicked criminal  plan in a report dated 4 th April  under the caption ‘Yoshitha in fear that ‘Daisy loku amma’ may let the cat out of the bag plans to liquidate her’, Yoshitha’s plans went awry.
  
Subsequently , instead of producing his aunty Daisy in court , after admitting her to the Nawaloka hospital on that day , he told court that she is hospitalized , whereupon  the court ordered the CID to record a statement of hers. Yoshitha after coming out of court related to the media via a ‘voice cut’ that the court inquired from him about the properties of Daisy aunty , and he is innocent.

When the CID went to Nawaloka hospital on the same day to record Daisy ‘s statement , what they beheld was a diametrically opposite scene. Daisy was hale and hearty , and she had no disease to make her bed-ridden. She had been admitted with a headache in  the morning of the day Yoshitha attended court .

It was professor Arjuna De Silva the son of younger brother of ex chief justice Sarath N De Silva ( best noted for the worst habit of washing away even the most stinking excreta on behalf of the Rajapakses if that would earn him sordid gains stench notwithstanding) who had got Daisy admitted after misleading her regarding her medical condition. Pro. Arjuna is one who faithfully follows in the footsteps of his shameless and unscrupulous uncle Sarath N.De  Silva . Therefore he would even ‘sell’ his medical ethics and betray the  sacred professional oath for the sake of the mendacious ,Machiavellian, murderous Rajapakse and the family. He is the one who undertakes to treat any disease afflicting the Rajapakse family.

In any event , when the CID questioned Daisy regarding the properties , she had told ,those don’t belong to her and knows absolutely  nothing in that regard.

Hence , those who eagerly obtained the ‘voice cut’ of Yoshitha should also eagerly question Yoshitha about his profusion of lies. 

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by     (2016-04-30 14:42:50)

Special audit report warns about the budget

SATURDAY, 30 APRIL 2016

A special audit report has revealed that the budget deficit during the last five years has exceeded the government income. This tendency has been noticed during the period from 2011 to 2015.

According the report the annual deficit is as follows:

The total income for the year 2011 had been Rs.974000 million while the budget deficit was Rs. 987000 million. In 2012 the total income of the government was Rs.1094000 million while the deficit was Rs.1098000 million. In 2013 the total income was Rs.1230000 million and the deficit was Rs.1333700 million.

By 2014 the total income of the government was Rs.1229000 million and the budget deficit was Rs.1432000 million. In 2015 the income was Rs.1530000 million and the deficit was 1808000 million.

The audit report has made an important observation. It states that immeasurable economic progress could be achieved only by stopping wastage and fraud and improving the projects qualitatively.

However, from the day the present regime came to power it has been accused in Parliament as well as outside it that there have been frauds committed such as the bond deal of the Central Bank, selling of paddy in Paddy Marketing Board, releasing taxes of motorcars by Customs, renting a building for the Ministry of Agriculture, a building for the Ministry of Rehabilitation and Prison Reforms etc.

Also, certain organizations have taken legal action based on frauds and corruption committed during this period.

Russian puppy to governor’s son-in-law from Rajapaksas!

 Apr 30, 2016

The Rajapaksa family has gifted a highly-valuable Russian puppy to Arjuna Aloyceus, the son-in-law of the Central Bank governor, say sources close to the Rajapaksa family. The governor’s son-in-law has a special liking for puppies, and he gave a warm hug to ‘Chichi’, the youngest in the Rajapaksa family, who took the puppy to him.

Thereafter, the other two Rajapaksa sons met the governor’s son-in-law and got some money to be used purportedly on May Day, reports say. In words of gratitude, Namal the eldest has told him, “Machan, tell your uncle that we will come to power soon. And, that he will not face any problem even if there are 10 bond frauds in the Central Bank.

 

Delighted by that, the governor's son-in-law gave Namal a hug that was similar to the one given to ‘Chichi.’

ALLEGEDLY FUNDING RAJAPAKSA POLLS CAMPAIGN: FCID TO PROSECUTE CHINESE COMPANY

01/05/2016

The Financial Crimes Investigations Division (FCID) will file legal action against the China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) for allegedly funding the election campaign of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, in January, last year.

An authoritative police source said the FCID would file a B report in court in this regard within the next three weeks.

The FCID had probed 11 ‘suspicious’ financial transactions – amounting to a staggering Rs. 3,117 million conducted by the CHEC, shortly before the last Presidential election.

The Criminal Investigations Department (CID) has also launched a separate investigation.

“The investigations were first launched months after the Presidential election last year. After nearly one year, we have now ‘shortlisted’ 11 suspicious transactions by the Chinese company. We have already recorded statements from multiple parties and found enough evidence to proceed with the inquiry,” a highly placed police source told the Sunday Observer.

According to the FCID investigation, the company had allegedly given three cash cheques on December 12, 2014, and January 7, 2015, to a company whose office is in the Gampaha district. The police had received evidence to suggest that the money had been used to purchase caps and T-shirts for the supporters who campaigned for the former President.

Meanwhile, another cash cheque of Rs. 5 million had allegedly been given to a prominent bhikkhu in Colombo who openly supported former President Rajapaksa’s political campaign. The FCID had already recorded a statement from the bhikkhu who had admitted that he invested the money in a fixed deposit account.

However, the bhikkhu had told the investigators that the money was offered to him by some ‘Chinese gentlemen’ as a donation and he was not aware of an involvement of any Chinese company. When the allegations first surfaced last year, the Chinese company vehemently denied them, calling the allegations ‘false’ and ‘baseless’.

“The CHEC calls on all the relevant Sri Lankan officials and parties not to misunderstand their responsible and cooperative partner, and not to send a wrong signal to the investors from China and all other countries,” the CHEC said in a statement, in July, last year.

“We also urge them not to hurt the company which has worked so hard for Sri Lanka’s development and prosperity during the past 17 years,” the statement said.

Sunday Observer

Two victimized DIGs under Rajapakse lawless era duly promoted ; ex IGP must be held responsible for Thajudeen murder

(Lanka-e-News- 30.April.2016, 7.45PM)  Two DIGs who performed their duties duly and lawfully , but were shunted and sidelined based on various crafty schemes of the former IGP during the ‘nefarious decade’ of the lawless Rajapakses were yesterday(29) promoted to the rank of senior DIGs. Their  names are : S.A.B.F. Gunawardena  who was DIG in charge of Galle district , and M.R. Latheef who was in charge of physical training Institute of the police. These promotions were granted based on recommendations made by the Police Commission.

Gunawardena was compelled to seek redress from the Human Rights Commission (HRC) then because  ex IGP Ilangakoon obstructed Gunawardena from securing  the promotion. Owing to the  action filed by Gunawardena in the HRC to restore to him all the promotions he was  entitled to , in itself underlines that  the promotion scheme of the Police was lop sided and not impartial. Following the establishment of the Independent Police Commission by the government of good governance  under the 19 th amendment and action taken ,that unfair situation ebbed away.

Meanwhile , Sujeewa Senasinghe the minister of State announced , since  ex IGP Ilangakoon must hold himself responsible for the suppression of information pertaining to Thajudeen’s murder , the law must be enforced against him.
 

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by     (2016-04-30 14:39:00)

Corrupt ex-Army officers to top govt. positions?

Apr 30, 2016

During the last presidential election, several Army officers openly engaged in politics on the instructions of Gotabhaya Rajapaksa and ex-Army commander Daya Ratnayake, used Army personnel, vehicles, state property and money to campaign on behalf of Mahinda Rajapaksa and against Maithripala Sirisena. 

Foremost among them were eastern  province security forces commander based in Welikanda Maj. Gen. Lal perera and central province SF commander based in Diyatalawa Maj. Gen. Mano Perera, who had blatantly violated the military law and were a bad example to their junior officers and other ranks, abused power and used them for various illegal activities during the election. They made soldiers wear T-shirts with Mahinda Rajapaksa’s name and take part in political rallies, supply accommodation and food for politicians, organize political sermons of Uduwe Dhammaloka Thera, and they also held seminars for families of members of the Army and spread falsehoods that Maithripala Sirisena’s election would divide the country and that they would stand to benefit if Mahinda Rajapaksa was re-elected, and gave various things to monks of temples in their areas in order to lure them towards Mahinda Rajapaksa.

 

Therefore, after Maithripala Sirsiena was elected, these two officers were removed from their positions with immediate effect. There was clear evidence to prove their wrongdoing, but no legal action was taken against them, and were allowed to continue in the service until the completion of 55 years of age, and to retire without any problem. They kept their silence for a short period after retirement, but now they are trying to secure top positions in two government institutions by misleading the president and the prime minister through several top government figures. It is surprising that such corrupt persons are being given top government positions at a time when those who had worked hard towards the election of the ‘Yahapaalana’ government are leveling accusations that the government disregards punishing the corrupt in the previous regime.

 

They are accused of having held staff postions for most of their service in the Army without having engaged in much of operational duties during the 30-year old war, deserted the soldiers and fled the battlefront (at Adampan), committed various financial irregularities in procurement and Army accounts, given to majors the Army circuit bungalows allotted for generals, used more vehicles and fuel than what was due for their ranks and continued to use Army vehicles after retirement. If such persons are given top government positions, officers (like Jagath Dias) who have received no government position after retirement following an unblemished career, during which they had won many battles, and officers who are due to retire (such as Gen. Prasanna Silva, Kamal Gunaratne, Sumedha Perera, Nanda Udawatte) could get discouraged. The most serious matter is that that will give the wrong message to the serving senior officers. The president and the government should be beware also of the persons who try to get positions for corrupt officers such as Lal Perera and Mano Perera, while there are many retired officers with unblemished records and better qualifications.

Russia defends intercept of U.S. reconnaissance plane over Baltic

An U.S. Navy picture shows what appears to be a Russian Sukhoi SU-24 attack aircraft flying over the U.S. guided missile destroyer USS Donald Cook in the Baltic Sea in this picture taken April 12, 2016 and released April 13, 2016.

REUTERS/US NAVY/HANDOUT VIA REUTERS

Sat Apr 30, 2016

Russia said on Saturday it had sent a fighter plane on Friday to intercept a U.S. aircraft approaching its border over the Baltic Sea because the American plane had turned off its transponder, which is needed for identification.

The Pentagon said the U.S. Air Force RC-135 plane had been flying a routine route in international airspace and that the Russian SU-27 fighter had intercepted it in an "unsafe and unprofessional" way.

An U.S. Navy picture shows what appears to be a Russian Sukhoi SU-24 attack aircraft flying over the U.S. guided missile destroyer USS Donald Cook in the Baltic Sea in this picture taken April 12, 2016 and released April 13, 2016.

REUTERS/US NAVY/HANDOUT VIA REUTERS

CNN reported that the Russian jet had come within about 100 feet (30 metres) of the U.S. plane and had performed a barrel roll.

"All flights of Russian planes are conducted in accordance with international regulations on the use of airspace," the Russian Defence Ministry said in a statement.

"The U.S. Air Force has two solutions: either not to fly near our borders or to turn the transponder on for identification."

Friday's incident underlines rising tensions between Russia and the United States over eastern Europe. NATO has said it plans its biggest build-up in the region since the Cold War to counter what the it considers to be a more aggressive Russia.

The Baltic states, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, which joined NATO in 2004, have requested higher and permanent presence of the alliance, fearing a threat from Russia after it annexed the Crimea peninsula from Ukraine in 2014.

The Kremlin denies any intentions to attack the Baltic countries, but it has often said that they have become an aggressive "Russophobic kernel" pushing NATO towards a consistently anti-Russian course.

"We are already starting to get used to the insults of the Pentagon regarding alleged 'unprofessional' manoeuvres when our fighters intercept U.S. spy planes at the Russian border," the defence ministry said in its statement.

(Reporting by Lidia Kelly; Editing by Robin Pomeroy)

Protesters Storm Green Zone in Baghdad

BY DAVID FRANCIS-APRIL 30, 2016

Hundreds of protesters stormed Baghdad’s heavily fortified Green Zone Saturday, the first time the safe area had been penetrated by angry Iraqis.

Supporters of influential Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr had been protesting the Iraqi government for months, staging sit-ins and demonstrations. But Saturday’s actions mark a steep escalation; the Green Zone is home to most Iraqi government buildings and foreign embassies.

The breach of the Green Zone was preceded by comments from al-Sadr earlier Saturday, in which he accused Iraqi politicians of blocking reforms to stop waste and corruption. He didn’t call for supporters to escalate their demonstrations, but soon after he spoke, protesters stormed the compound’s walls and pulled a section of it down. Videos of the breach are below:

The storming of the Green Zone is the culmination of weeks of political protests against the Iraqi government. Demonstrators entered the parliament building, where some broke into offices, while other protesters shouted “peacefully, peacefully” and tried to contain the chaos, according to AFP. Iraqi security forces were present, but did not try to stop the protesters.

The riots follow a car bomb that exploded earlier Saturday at a market in Nahrawan, east of Baghdad. The Islamic State claimed credit for the attack, which left at least 24 people killed and as many as 38 wounded.

It also comes as Iraqi government plans to liberate Mosul from the Islamic State have become bogged down in sectarian and ethnic rivalries.

Photo credit: HAIDAR MOHAMMED ALI/Getty Images

Hungary’s Unacknowledged Leadership

Accusing the Hungarians of inhumanity for their regulation of migration is unwise. To protect nations many walls have been built: just think of the Roman Hadrian or the Chinese Qin Shi Huang 2000 years ago. Walls are still being built today, by Austria, Serbia and now also by Turkey.

by Michael R. Czinkota

( April 30, 2016, Washington DC, Sri Lanka Guardian) Hungary has a strategic position in the heart of Europe. The country offers a highly developed logistics system. Its traditional role as a trading post make it important as a regional production and distribution center.  Porsche, General Motors, and Audi are now producing many of their cars in Hungary – with other suppliers working for and close by. A recent investment by Mercedes Benz re-affirms the auto cluster formation in Hungary. The significant development of industries like information technology, electronics and automotive has attracted Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) at a rising rate.  Hungary’s acceptance as a member of the European Union and the Schengen Zone further boosted its own and its European partners economic, social and political development and stimulated more R&D activities.

All this is now jeopardized because of major EU internal strife over immigration policies. I observed the early stage of human flow between Serbia and Hungary which was then a 200 kilometer long green zone. Groups of 30 to 50 men, women and children slowly walked across the border. The local chief of police shrugged, since he neither had the manpower nor the physical resources to round up or process the waves of humanity. In 2015, more than 400,000 people entered Hungary from Serbia, aiming to settle in Germany, France or Britain. The march through Hungary used to encounter an ostrich policy of “carry on and ignore”. But the people who immigrate were worn out and not any less hungry because they were in Hungary. To rest, or feed themselves, they trespassed on property and took fruits and other food. Locals were weary and talked about organized protection for their harvest. Pressures and complaints are like sparks in a tinder box.

The government of less than 10 million Hungarians has only limited resources to respond to the clashes. A wall has been built to stop the immigration flow across the most accessible border areas. The public response in Europe to Hungary’s defensive measures have been complaints, accusations of government over reaction, and lack of sympathy towards restriction of mobility. Prime Minister Orban, a democratically elected head of government was accused of a lack of sentimentality and guilty of behaving like a political winner (DUH)!

Today, Hungary is again encountering its traditional environmental ambiguity. In history, the country has been too far East to be part of the West, and too far West to be integrated into the East. There have been long term occupations by the Tatars, Ottomans and Austrians. The treaty of Trianon, removed large portions of Hungary’s population and resources. During the Cold War Hungary kept conditions at least lukewarm with its Gulyas communism, and was often at the forefront of clamoring for change, for example, with its 1956 revolution against the Soviet Union, and the 1989 opening of its borders to help escaping East Germans.

Again Hungary has been an early proponent of the need to monitor refugee access to a country for purposes of justice, information, planning and control. Given its small size and population, repercussions of new factors are simply felt more quickly and demand more rapid actions than for nations which have lots of reserve resources to deal with new conditions. Even those players eventually recognize the need for new policies.

Accusing the Hungarians of inhumanity for their regulation of migration is unwise. To protect nations many walls have been built: just think of the Roman Hadrian or the Chinese Qin Shi Huang 2000 years ago. Walls are still being built today, by Austria, Serbia and now also by Turkey. Doing so is not a disregard for human lives, but rather an institutional requirement for control of the distribution of resources. Even Herculean effort is to provide food, shelter and security for migrants can fail if there is no timely count and assessment of human needs and the direction of the massive flow of people. It has not been sensible to overburden Hungary with expectations and demands for accommodative actions which, as we can see now, has shaken up major countries as well. In today’s times, leaders are all-to-often confronted with asymptotic conditions, where they encounter major demands for actions by outsiders who are shouldering neither the political burden nor are paying for all their wonderful suggestions. Later on, those who earlier decried and dismissed responsible government action often turn about and imitate the once so deployed steps. Particularly in groups of nations which disagree about idealistic policies, one winds up with the unfortunate constant of politics: foresight and early implementation of corrective action has no international payoff. No gratitude, no memory, no long term, no acknowledgement, just like an unhappy couple.

MICHAEL R. CZINKOTA is a professor of international business and marketing at Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Busines. His book, International Marketing (with I. Ronkainen), is in its 10th edition with Cengage.

Cuba finds it hard to dampen afterglow of Obama visit

Residents watch the filming of a scene of the Hollywood action film "Fast and Furious" in Havana. Events on the ground are making it harder for Cuba’s leaders to portray the United States and capitalism as dire threats. (Ramon Espinosa/AP)

By Michael Weissenstein-April 30

HAVANA — Thursday morning was looking bad for Lazaro Martinez, who makes his living playing trombone for tourists on the Malecón, the sweeping boulevard overlooking the jewel-clear Florida Straits.

Police shunted everyone onto side streets as a sleek black helicopter filmed scenes for the eighth installment of “Fast and Furious,” the multibillion-dollar car-chase and bank-robbery franchise. The promenade was deserted, but Martinez said he didn’t mind.

“I never thought I was going to see a Hollywood production passing right in front of my eyes,” he said. “This is the start of what Obama said in Cuba. Step by step, we’re seeing the change. If Obama hadn’t come to Cuba, this never would have happened.”

[Cuba, through the eyes of American children]

More than a month after ordinary Cubans jubilantly welcomed President Obama to Havana, the communist government is finding it hard to dampen the afterglow.

On the morning of March 22, Obama declared from the stage of the Grand Theater in Old Havana that “I have come here to bury the last remnant of the Cold War in the Americas.” Calling for freedom of speech and democratic elections, Obama told Cubans live on state television that “it is time for us to look forward to the future together.”

[Smokey Robinson and other U.S. artists hail new ‘love’ with Cuba]

The next day, President Raúl Castro watched a baseball game with Obama and cordially saw him off at the airport. Then, after days of official silence, the Cuban government began to take a harder line.

Fidel Castro, who handed power to his brother in 2008, wrote a 1,500-word editorial on the front pages of the state-run media advising the man he sarcastically called “Brother Obama” to “not try to develop theories about Cuban politics.”

“We don’t need the empire to give us any charity,” he wrote.

Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez was blunter, telling Communist Party members on April 19 that Obama’s visit was “a deep attack on our political ideas, our history, our culture and our symbols.”

[The U.S. embargo didn’t push Cuba toward democracy. Neither will its end. ]

Although Cuba’s public sphere showed no signs of thawing after Obama’s departure — in fact it seemed to get chillier — few people interviewed around the capital this week showed signs of accepting government arguments that Obama was simply the expertly packaged spokesman for U.S. corporate interests that want to economically recolonize Cuba.

“The response that’s been given is the government’s, not the people’s,” said Barbara Ugarte, who runs a small shop selling party supplies in Central Havana.

She watched Obama speak live on March 22 and said she welcomed his words as a sign that things might be changing in a country where entrepreneurs like her find it frustrating to run a business.

A month of tough government talk has alienated her from Cuba’s leaders more than from Obama, she said.

“With this government, I don’t think there are going to be big changes,” Ugarte said. “I don’t think they want to open. They want to tighten down. We’re still very closed.”

“They don’t let you sell, they don’t let you get a license to import,” she said. “We aren’t changing.”

Other people were more optimistic, saying government actions since Obama’s visit show that it remains open to normalization with the United States, even as it warns its people that Washington remains a threat.

Last Thursday, the government lowered the prices of basic items such as chicken and cooking oil, making some highly priced goods slightly more affordable. A day later, Havana dropped a decades-old ban on Cubans traveling by cruise ships, with a prohibition on private boat travel to be dropped at an unspecified date.

For Yolanda Mauri, a 26-year-old computer programmer, it all feeds a mood of post-Obama optimism that has her hoping to start a family and find a well-paying job in Cuba rather than emigrating like so many of her friends.

“Two years ago, one couldn’t imagine even 30 percent of the things that have happened,” she said. “There’s an optimistic mood. It’s obvious.”

She said, however, that she disagreed with the government’s vision of Obama’s visit as an attack.

“That’s going against the whole process of normalization,” she said. “I’m not going to try to get closer to you and maintain the perspective that you’re still my enemy. That’s the traditional discourse of the past.”

Events on the ground are making it harder for Cuba’s leaders to portray the United States and global capitalism as dire threats to the island’s most dearly held values.

Cuba will hold nationwide marches on Sunday, celebrating International Workers’ Day. Twenty-four hours later, the first U.S. cruise ship in more than a half-century is scheduled to arrive at Havana’s harbor, heralding what is expected to become a new era of mass U.S. travel, with regularly scheduled flights set to begin as early as this summer.

On Tuesday, the city’s grand Paseo promenade will be shut to local traffic, converted into a giant runway for French luxury-goods label Chanel to show its 2017 cruise collection.

For many loyal Cuban communists, it’s not a betrayal of the past but a transformation of Cuba to a nation that draws desperately needed investment and income from the global market while maintaining state control of key industries and guaranteeing its citizens basic rights such as health care and education.

“I don’t see any contradiction,” said Esteban Morales, a Communist Party member, economist and political scientist. “We’re aware that these relationships and links implicitly carry dangers, but they’re necessary for the country.”

— Associated Press

Kitchener startup headed to Google Demo Day

James Francis, left, and Travis Rantam, are two of the founders of Knowledgehook, a startup that has developed software that helps teachers teach math to students from kindergarten to Grade 10.

Knowledgehook    -Peter Lee,Record staff

By Terry Pender-Apr 28, 2016

KITCHENER — Travis Ratnam is preparing a five-minute pitch before a who's who of Silicon Valley investors early next month after his startup was selected for the prestigious Google Demo Day at the tech giant's headquarters in Mountain View, Calif.

Ratnam is the chief executive officer and co-founder of Knowledgehook, a startup that has developed a web-based platform that helps teachers and students in math classes from kindergarten to Grade 10.

The Kitchener company is one of only two Canadian startups picked for the annual event on May 4 — the other is Halifax-based PACTA. Last year, Kitchener startup Bridgit was the winner at Google Demo Day with its mobile app for construction management.

"To be honest I did not know it was a big deal," Ratnam says. "Then I realized why it is a big deal — all the investors I had plans to eventually go to are at this event."

An early version of Knowledgehook's software was first used at Loretto College, a Catholic high school in Toronto, and math scores improved 14 per cent after one academic year. That grabbed the attention of the Toronto District Catholic School Board, and the startup hasn't looked back since.

The Knowledgehook platform was launched only seven months ago with 50 teachers. It was quickly adopted by thousands of others. The software is now used by about 4,000 teachers in Ontario at 11 school boards, including the Catholic and public systems in Toronto. It is being used at Jacob Hespeler Secondary School in Grade 9 applied math.

"And there are five more meetings coming up with other boards all over Ontario," Ratnam says.

Knowledgehook recently released free versions of its software to selected U.S. school boards as it seeds the market there, and prepares for major expansion. More than 1,000 teachers in the U.S. are using it now.

The rollout comes at a time when school boards across North America are under increasing pressure and scrutiny to improve education outcomes.

Essentially, Knowledgehook has gamified math teaching. The teaching tool includes individual and group assignments, homework and built-in rewards. Most important, the software helps teachers pinpoint the misconceptions students have about math, and helps them correct those misconceptions.

"If we can improve the quality of teaching we can improve outcomes," Ratnam says.

With ratios, students often confuse part-to-part and part-to-whole. They mix up the X and the Y axis on graphs. Understanding whole in fractions and per cents greater than 100 can be hard. Angles between arms are routinely confused with arm lengths. Area and perimeter get mistaken for each other.

There are about 2,000 misconceptions listed in teaching guides.

Experienced and specialized teachers often spot these misconceptions, but it is much more difficult for new teachers, or even math teachers who are teaching several different grades. Knowledgehook does that right away, for individuals and the entire class, and teachers then know exactly what areas need more explanation.

"You can actually pick up on patterns, the reasons why they are struggling," Ratnam says.

The 34-year-old University of Waterloo electrical engineering graduate actually struggled with math. Fortunately, his father was an experienced math tutor and patiently brought his son along. Eventually, Ratnam won the Governor General's Medal for his outstanding academic performance at Neil McNeil Catholic High School in Toronto.

After graduating from UW in 2006, Ratnam was offered jobs at Apple and Microsoft. He chose Microsoft and was assigned to the 2010 Microsoft Office team. While there, he solved the problem behind most calls to the support centre — recovering deleted work in Word, Office and PowerPoint.

"I read through a ton of customer complaints calls, I was obsessing over it, and I woke up one morning and it popped right into my head," Ratnam says.

Missing friends and family, he returned to Ontario and did his MBA at Queen's University. Ratnam wanted to create a startup that did a lot of social good. From his own experience, he knew about the impact a good tutor can have on a young person's life. So he was attracted to online tutoring.

He looked at tutoring apps for difficult university courses, but students were sharing accounts, so he scrapped that idea. After two more iterations, Ratnam made a pitch to the vice-principal at Loretto College, an all-girls school in Toronto. The vice-principal was intrigued, and approved the use of Knowledgehook.

That was the break Knowledgehook needed. Today, the startup is based out of the Accelerator Centre in Waterloo and the Communitech's Rev accelerator program in the Tannery building in downtown Kitchener.

The company's other founders are chief operating officer James Francis, product architect Arthur Lui and chief technology officer Lambo Jayapalan.

"It is really sophisticated," Ratnam says of the software. "Easy to use on the front, but a lot of code in the back end. The architecture is really complicated because when you start involving the principal, the board, the teacher, they are changing every year."

tpender@therecord.com

Kenya burns largest ever ivory stockpile to highlight elephants' fate

Kenyan president lights pyres in move some fear will drive further poaching by taking 5% of global stock out of circulation

Kenya burns largest stockpile of ivory

Dominic Smith-Saturday 30 April 2016

More than 100 tonnes of ivory has been set ablaze in Kenya, the largest ever such fire, in an attempt to shock the world into protecting endangered elephants.

Eleven giant pyres of tusks from around 6,000 elephants, a quantity seven times the size of any previous burn, were lit by the Kenyan president, Uhuru Kenyatta, at a ceremony in Nairobi national park on Saturday.

Kenyatta, who was joined by other African leaders and foreign officials, has demanded a total ban on the ivory trade to protect the future of wild elephants on the continent. The move has been supported by a range of conservation groups.

On the bonfire were tusks, ivory sculptures and rhino horn confiscated by the Kenyan authorities and said to be worth up to $105m (£82m) on the black market.

Speaking to a large audience before opening the ceremony, Kenyatta said: “Kenya is making a statement that for us ivory is worthless unless it is on our elephants. This will send an absolutely clear message that the trade in ivory must come to an end and our elephants must be protected. I trust that the world will join us to end the horrible suffering of our herds and save our elephants for future generations.”

The ceremony was designed to highlight the decline in Africa’s wild elephant population and the impact of poaching. Each year more than 30,000 elephants are killed for their tusks.

On Friday, Kenyatta said: “The future of the African elephant and rhino is far from secure so long as demand for their products continues to exist.” He will press for a ban at an international wildlife trade meeting in South Africa in September.

The director of the Kenya wildlife service, Kitili Mbathi, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “The reason is to make a statement to the world that we are committed to conservation, and to underline the fact that we don’t believe that there ought to be any value attributed to ivory and rhino horn but on elephants and rhinos.”

The burn was not universally welcomed, however. Mike Norton-Griffiths, an environmental economist, told Today : “I am very worried about it. I think it’s almost reckless of the Kenyans. The problem is it’s a very large burn of ivory, 5% of the global stocks of ivory, and when you take 5% of stocks out of a market like this, a resource market, something is going to happen.

“The traders will see 5% less ivory available to be released to them. Their response will be: ‘They’re taking this seriously, they’re never going to release this ivory to us, we must go and collect more from elephants.’”

Campaigners are keen for investment to reduce costs and increase benefits for conserving elephants, and global efforts to cut the demand for ivory products.

Cambodia: 5 human rights workers detained over sex scandal cover-up

(File photo) Cambodia National Rescue Party's Vice President Kem Sokha. Pic: AP

 30th April 2016 

FIVE human rights workers have been detained in Cambodia after it was alleged that they had helped conceal a sex scandal involving a woman and an opposition politician.

Cambodian authorities arrested the workers on accusations they helped cover up the woman’s affair with the deputy leader of the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party.

The action is the latest in a series by Prime Minister Hun Sen’s government putting legal pressure on its critics and political opponents.

Anti-Corruption Unit director Om Yentieng told reporters Friday that four ADHOC officials and a National Election Committee member who formerly worked at the organization were detained on charges related to corruption.

He did not elaborate, but the five were among suspects questioned by his office this week over allegations they had sought to convince a woman to deny having had an affair with CNRP deputy leader Kem Sokha.

She denied having an affair before later asserting she did.

According to Cambodia daily, the hairdresser at the center of the scandal admitted last week that it was her voice calling Sokha “lover” in audio recordings leaked online over the past two months, during questioning from a prosecutor.

“Yes, she admitted that the voices on the recordings really belong to her and Kem Sokha,” Phnom Penh Municipal Court prosecutor Sieng Sok was quoted saying, alluding to 25-year-old Khem Chandaraty.

Additional reporting by Associated Press