A policeman who  assaulted his girlfriend on New Year’s Eve was arrested by fellow officers of the law. Police Spokesman Milton Kensmil told Times of Suriname that the policeman has been suspended due to the fact that he has to stand trial. The spokesman explained that the policeman and his girlfriend started arguing and that the heated argument quickly turned violent when he started assaulting her.

Witnesses told the police that the policeman had hit his girlfriend multiple times and that he also shot at her car multiple times. It is still unclear how many shots were fired. Reports indicate that the woman was referred to the hospital for medical treatment.

Kensmil made it clear that the investigation into the incident that took place along the Anton Dragtenweg is ongoing and that the Police Force Suriname (KPS) does not tolerate misconduct and that strict disciplinary measures would be taken.

Representatives from the various children’s homes and retirement homes that received state-funded bread from the bakery of Stichting 1 voor 12 have not received any deliveries since January 1 due to the fact that the foundation has run out of funds for this program.

The director of Huize Campagne told Times of Suriname that she would have no choice but to keep the children home next week if no solution is presented. She hopes that the government will start paying at least some of the money that it owes 1 voor 12 so that the deliveries can be resumed. “Yesterday I gave the children rice but that will deplete our budget faster because we haven’t received any money for food from the government for the past couple of months,” said the director who added that she is thinking about going to the government agencies with the children to ask for help.

An employee from the Esther Stichting explained that “it is a heavy blow because the foundation currently has to buy its own bread for its residents.” Last Thursday the residents received some bread that was left in the freezer. The employees warmed the bread in the over and also cooked some porridge for the residents. “But cooking porridge is not the solution because not everyone likes it. I deem it awful that the delivery of bread has stopped,” said the employee.

The employees at Huize Albertine also made it clear that they need bread for the residents. The representatives from the children’s homes and the retirement homes that received state-funded bread via Stichting 1 voor 12 are praying for a miracle and hope that the government will transfer the funds so that they can once again receive bread.

“We hoped that the deliveries would not stop because mister Vismale had repeatedly announced that he would stop but he started using his own funds to finance the deliveries. It is painful when the delivery van does not show up to deliver bread,” said the representatives.

Louis Vismale, chairman of stichting 1 voor 12,  deemed it painful that  he had to stop delivering bread but explained that he currently lacks the funds. The government stopped paying for bread 9 months ago. Because of this children, senior citizens and people with a disability can no longer receive bread. “I had hoped that the government would at least pay the subsidy for the past 5 months so that I could keep delivering bread.

PORT OF SPAIN –  At the end of a press conference in Tobago on Friday afternoon, Prime Minister Keith Rowley disclosed that he would not be offering himself as a candidate in the upcoming general election. Also, he said he would resign before the general election, constitutionally due before the end of the year, is called.

The prime minister said his first job on the public payroll was to plant grass on the Hope Estate in Tobago at seven dollars a day, and then he taught school before entering the political arena in 1980. “This year would be 45 years that I have been in public life in Trinidad and Tobago I offered myself for serve in Tobago in 1981 and in Trinidad in 1987, to now. And at the last election, 2020, when I announced the PNM victory in Baliser House, I said to this country, I will not be doing that again. And I meant it. And I’ve kept it.”

He said that he brought into the political area a number of young people who are still in government and about to complete a second term. He said these people were now prepared to take the country forward. Rowley, 75, said he would be at the PNM’s Parliamentary retreat this weekend.

“I am here with my colleagues this weekend and one of the thing that they would be told is that I would not be offering myself again to represent anyone either in Trinidad or in Tobago. Forty-five years is a long time and I would like at this time to say thank you, appropriately along the way to all those who have supported my effort and to have benefited from, I hope I would have positively impacted this country somewhere, sometime,”.

He continued “As we settle Tobago’s screening tomorrow, I continue to be the political leader of the PNM. We will call for nominations where I represent the people of Diego Martin West who have supported me resolutely from 1991 to now and I will thank them appropriately and ensure that they are not left adrift but I would not be offering myself as I have just said. And I would say something else before the end of the legal limits of this term I will resign this office and go off to my family. Thank you all very much and see you all again sometime soon.”

The Prime Minister walked away and entertained no questions after his statement about his retirement. Rowley has served as Prime Minister for two consecutive terms since winning the general election in 2015. He said of the country “I could see a deterioration of the quality of the society fueled by the availability of the mechanism to spread your bile, the absence of certain kinds of civilities, and of course, more me than us”. (Stabroek News)

ETHIOPIA – More than nine million children are out of school across Ethiopia due to man-made and natural disasters, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has disclosed. In its latest Ethiopia Humanitarian Situation Report released late Thursday, UNICEF said that more than 6,000 schools have been closed across the East African country due to climate shocks and conflicts.

The report further noted that over 10,000 schools, representing 18 percent of schools across the country, have been damaged by conflicts and climate shocks, further reducing the availability of safe and functional learning spaces for children. Highlighting the ongoing conflict situations in different parts of Ethiopia, particularly in the country’s Amhara and Oromia regions, UNICEF said the education sector has been “devastated.” Over nine million children are currently out of school due to conflicts, natural disasters, and displacement. The Ethiopian government often blamed “extremist groups” for obstructing vital services, such as education and development initiatives, in areas where armed groups are present.

Meanwhile, UNICEF warned that funding shortfall is hampering its humanitarian response in Ethiopia as the country encounters mounting humanitarian needs. “UNICEF continues to appeal for support to ensure that children and their caregivers receive lifesaving support in 2024 and beyond,” it said.  (Xinhua)

SOUTH KOREA – South Korean investigators left the official residence of impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol after a near-six-hour standoff on Friday during which he defied their attempt to detain him.  It’s the latest confrontation in a political crisis that has paralyzed South Korean politics and seen two heads of state impeached in under a month. The country’s anti-corruption agency said it withdrew its investigators after the presidential security service blocked them from entering Yoon’s residence for hours, due to concerns about their safety. The agency said its outnumbered investigators had several scuffles with presidential security forces and expressed “serious regret about the attitude of the suspect, who did not comply with the legal process.” It said detaining Yoon would be “virtually impossible” as long as he is protected by the presidential security service. The agency plans to “strongly demand” that the country’s acting leader, Deputy Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok, instruct the service to comply with their execution of the detainment warrant. (The Gleaner)