A pregnant teen and her 19-year-old common-law husband yesterday appeared before a San Fernando magistrate charged with possession of drugs. Selena Doonath, 18, and Akeem Mohammed appeared before Magistrate Cheryl-Ann Antoine. The charge read to the couple is that they had in their possession, 60 grammes of marijuana worth $1,500.
It is alleged the drugs were found in the couple’s Bayshore, Marabella home on Thursday. Doonath pleaded not guilty to the charge while her common-law husband entered a guilty plea. The drugs were also produced before the court. The magistrate heard that Mohammed had one previous conviction for possession of marijuana.
Court prosecutor Cleyon Seedan said the couple appeared in court last month for similar offences. Attorney Ainsley Lucky, who represented the couple, said Mohammed admitted to using the drugs for medicinal purposes. Lucky said his client was involved in a vehicular accident and used the drugs as treatment to help relieve pain.
The magistrate asked the attorney who prescribed the drugs to Mohammed and was told his client prescribed the drugs to himself. The magistrate said she was sure Mohammed could have found a legitimate way to relieve his pain. Lucky also told the magistrate his client is willing to undergo drug rehabilitation.
“He is an expectant father, his common-law wife is one month pregnant,” the attorney said. Doonath was granted surety bail in the sum of $30,000 or a cash alternative of $10,000. The magistrate ordered Mohammed’s criminal record be checked before sentencing. The case was adjourned.
Minutes later, before the same magistrate, another couple appeared charged with drug possession. Dwayne Lutchman and common-law wife Adanna Stuart were charged with possession of 130 grammes of marijuana. The two pleaded guilty to the charge laid by PC Lyndon Ramcharan of Gasparillo Police Station.
The court heard that a search warrant was executed at the family’s Tarodale, Ste Madeleine home and the drugs found hidden in the ceiling on Thursday morning.
The court also heard Lutchman has five previous convictions. He was remanded into police custody for tracing while his wife was placed on $20,000 own bail. The couple will be sentenced on Tuesday.
Kimberly Teelucksingh allegedly took her life on Wednesday afternoon after accusing her boyfriend of five months of infidelity. Investigators perused 24-year-old Teelucksingh’s cell phone records which revealed she had sent messages to a young man accusing him of being unfaithful.
She was found hanging from a rafter at her Princes Town home. It was previously reported she was expected to graduate from the Law Faculty of the University of the West Indies (The UWI) on Thursday. Her father Shannonsingh Teelucksingh said he has no idea why the aspiring politician and lawyer took her life. He said she had already purchased her graduation dress and was looking forward to receiving her degree.
The UWI, in a statement yesterday, expressed condolences to Teelucksingh’s family and friends on behalf of deputy principal Professor Indar Ramnarine.
“The news of Ms. Teelucksingh’s passing is extremely sad,” The UWI said.
“She was a young woman with obviously a lot of potential. We are saddened by her death but have used the moment to shed light on the counselling and psychological services that are available to students who are having a difficult time coping with their studies and university life in general.”
The UWI said, however, Teelucksingh was a former student of the Faculty of Social Sciences and was not a registered student since 2013/2014. She was not expected to graduate this year.
Yesterday, former Commonwealth youth ambassador Nicholas Morris said Government needs to do more to improve youth mental health. Morris said Teelucksingh’s death is cause for the nation to examine the efficiency and adequacy of the measures in place, both at a national and community level, to combat suicide as well as help youth deal with issues surrounding their mental health.
“It was only in June of this year our nation was rocked by the suicide of a 14-year-old at a Children’s Authority Safe House while weeks after, a young couple, both aged 20, also took their own lives. It is quite clear that our nation is battling a silent crisis of mental health issues amongst our nation’s youth from all walks of life, social standing and educational background.”
Head of the Prison Officers Association (POA) Ceron Richards says he is holding the Ministry of National Security fully accountable for the murder of prisons officer Glenford Gardener outside his Diego Martin home early yesterday morning.
Newsday spoke to Richards yesterday in which he said the State’s failure to address security threats against prisons officers was an open invitation for criminals to continue their attacks on members of the protective services.
“The murder of prisons officers has always been a major concern to the association and it’s only now we’re seeing how unresponsive the State has been in these matters. We have been in this situation not too long ago and we have made numerous attempts to meet with the Minister of National Security to address these issues but to no avail. They have essentially declared open season on officers.”
For his part, acting Commissioner of Prisons William Alexander said while he is concerned over the killing, he did not feel prison officers are being targeted any more than any other group in National Security.
“We need to realise that we as a country are facing a crime epidemic. Just last week a soldier was gunned down so I do not feel as if prisons officers are being singled out specifically. At this time we must all present a united front to deal with the threats against us as citizens,” Alexander said.
He also called on prison officers to find solace in God and urged them to find the courage and conviction to continue their duties as best as they can. Asked if there are any additional security measures in place at the Port of Spain Remand Yard facility after alleged threats were made to prisons officers after a search was conducted, Alexander said that the issue is being investigated. He urged all officers to exercise caution in their daily duties and also issued a warning to criminals to think twice before attacking prison officers.
“We heard the voice-note and while we are uncertain whether it was connected to the murder of Officer Gardener I can however confirm that an investigation is being launched into the matter. I would ask all my officers to be vigilant as you continue to engage with inmates and to those evil persons who may have intentions to attack prisoners, know that we are your caretakers when you live your life and come into our prison, we are the ones that need to feed you and seek your best interests.”
Yesterday the Minister of National Security issued a press release in which he condemned Gardener’s murder and said that such attacks against members of the protective services would not be tolerated. The release added that the Prison service and the Police Service were treating the matter with the utmost urgency.
Officers of the child protection unit have submitted a file to the DPP for instructions to charge a 20-year-old Caroni man with the rape of a seven-year-old girl.
The suspect has been in hiding since the alleged sexual assault. However the victim was examined by District Medical Officer Dr Indarjit Birja and a report obtained which confirmed that she was the victim of a sexual assault.
The incident allegedly occurred last Saturday at around 1.10 pm at the victim’s Caroni home.
It is alleged the girl was forcibly removed from a bathroom of her home by the suspect who committed two sexual acts against the victim.
The child’s grandmother who walked in while one of the sex acts was being carried out raised an alarm and the suspect fled the scene.
The victim was taken to the Chaguanas Health Facility by her 28-year-old mother but the examination of the child could not take place because the victim appeared to be in a hysterical state.
However, the examination took place on Monday and results were obtained.
Passengers using the the Public Service Transport Corporation (PTSC) bus service yesterday suffered significant delays in getting home as there were unconfirmed reports of drivers embarking on a go-slow due to late payment of their wages.
Newsday visited the PTSC City Gate hub in Port of Spain where there were long lines of passengers and no buses working for about 40 minutes. At 1.53 pm and then at 2.03 pm, two announcements over the public address system announced that the corporation was experiencing delays in all its services. Some passengers in the Montrose, Chaguanas queue told Newsday they had been waiting for as long as two hours.
A source told Newsday that fortnightly-paid drivers had not paid on Thursday in breach of their collective agreement. “People are in disarray, trying to find out where they can get a little something to eat,” said the source.
Presentation College San Fernando and Shiva Boys Hindu College, will aim to keep their slim chances alive of winning the Premier Division title in the Secondary Schools Football League (SSFL) when matches continue at 3.40 pm, today.
Today was scheduled to be the last match day in the league, but a number of matches were postponed during the season because of rain.
Third-placed Presentation will need to win their remaining three matches to stay in contention for the title, as they are seven points behind joint leaders St Anthony’s College and Naparima College. St Anthony’s and Naparima only have one match remaining, but they will not be in action today as the SSFL organisers want the title decided on the final match day.
Today, ‘Pres’ will fancy their chances against relegation threatened 11th placed St Augustine Secondary at Guaracara Park, Pointe-a-Pierre.
The bottom three teams in the now 15-team table will be demoted to the championship division alongside Fyzabad Secondary who have been kicked out the league. Fourth placed Shiva Boys, eight points behind the leaders, will also be favourites against ninth placed Carapichaima East at the latter’s school ground.
In the other three matches today, St Benedict’s College will play Trinity College East at the Darren Ganga Recreational Ground in Barrackpore, Signal Hill Secondary face Fatima College in Black Rock (Tobago) and San Juan North Secondary will tackle Speyside High at the San Juan North school ground. The postponed matches today are the St Anthony’s-St Mary’s contest and the Naparima-Trinity (Moka) encounter. Queen’s Royal College (QRC), originally scheduled to play Fyzabad Secondary today, will be on a bye. QRC are the only team to play all their league matches this season. Matches will also be played on Monday, before the final match day takes place on Thursday.
Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi yesterday declared, “It is no secret there are persons in the Opposition that are extremely uncomfortable with the anti-corruption work that is going down now.”
He continued, “Therefore it is not surprising that you will hear conspiracy theories materialise.” Al-Raw made these declarations at a news conference at the Ministry of the Attorney General and Legal Affairs, in response to claims that he was involved in an attempt to wire-tap the office of an Opposition senator.
“I have certainly not been contacted by the TT Police Service,” Al-Rawi told reporters. Noting Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley had “spoken quite well” to this issue on Thursday, Al-Rawi said, “I am absolutely confident that I am in the clear as I always am.” He reminded reporters, “I act with propriety in the discharge of my functions. I have done so for my entire life.” Al-Rawi said, “The law in this country also includes the ability to charge someone for wasting police time.Therefore you must not interrupt that process at times.”
He said the role of his ministry is not confined to civil law. “There is a role judicially recognised which also involves a certain amount of supervision,” he explained. Al-Rawi said this sphere of the ministry’s operations is carried out within “very careful parameters” of matters which involve corruption and certain aspects of criminal law. The AG promised his ministry would be making more statements on these matters in the near future.
At a news conference at Piarco International Airport on Thursday, Rowley said there was no evidence of any wrongdoing on Al-Rawi’s part. Rowley said the claims against Al-Rawi were similar to ones which were orchestrated by the United National Congress to discredit him as opposition leader. “I have lived it. I know the model and I think by now the country should know whose model that is,” Rowley told reporters. He added this was the “this was the “same people targeting someone who they are mortally afraid of.”
More than a year after being in the spotlight for serious indiscipline problems, El Dorado East Secondary School yesterday basked in the glory of having one of its students achieve a national scholarship in the 2017 CAPE exams. It was announced yesterday that Ajay Ramjit had won an Additional Scholarship in Natural Sciences.
Ramjit is one of 382 male and female students to earn national scholarships based on their 2017 Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examinations results; 153 open and 229 additional scholarships have been awarded. Education Minister Anthony Garcia praised the work being done at El Dorado East during a press conference to announce the President’s Medal winners, held at the ministry’s head office, St Vincent Street, Port of Spain.
“Last year February, we had cause to visit El Dorado East because of complaints from parents, teachers and even some students, about the high level of indiscipline. We had to remove 24 students and send them to learning enhancement centres. The responses of those students to the support that they were given has been excellent.
“Some of those who returned to the school continue to settle down but the school has seen a tremendous turnover, so that today, one of their own can be among the students who have received recognition by being awarded scholarships,” Garcia said. He also praised the academic improvement at other government secondary schools.
He highlighted Couva East Secondary School, Rio Claro West Secondary School, San Fernando Central Secondary School (Mod Sec) and Signal Hill Secondary School in Tobago for “stepping up to the plate” so that their students could be among this year’s scholarship winners.
Garcia said so “excellent” were the grades, that the ministry “had some challenges in ensuring that the (scholarship) cap of 400 was maintained.” Topping the list are this year’s President’s Medal winners Saanjali Maharaj of St Augustine Girls’ High School and Veshala Goon of Lakshmi Girls Hindu College (LGHC); both schools are located in the St Augustine area.
LGHC has something else to be proud about. “This is the third consecutive occasion that a student from Lakshmi Girls’ Hindu College has received the President’s Medal,” Garcia said. LGHC is the first Hindu secondary school run by the Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha (SDMS), whose Secretary General Satnarayan Maharaj told Newsday, “I am a proud man today.”
He added that he was just as proud of Lakshmi last year and the year before. “I am proud of all Maha Sabha schools year round,” he added.
“I feel our education model should be (emulated) because we know how to motivate the children, rather than condemn them. Veshala (Goon) said she prays every day in addition to studying hard. That ought to be emulated. At the SDMS, we believe secular and religious education must go hand-in-hand; teach children to respect the supremacy of God,” Maharaj said.
Less than one month after the murder of prison officer Richard Sandy, another prison officer was gunned down outside his home in Sea Trace, Bagatelle in Diego Martin.
At about 7.25 pm on Thursday, Glenford Gardener, 44, was walking on the road outside his home when a white Toyota Corolla pulled up alongside him and the occupants opened fire hitting him several times. Residents reportedly heard the sounds of gunfire and found Gardener lying motionless on his back. Members of the Homicide Bureau and the Western Division visited the scene. A motive has not yet been established for the killing.
There is a theory, however, that Gardener may have been killed because of a search which happened at the Port of Spain Remand Facility resulting in the seizure of several smart phones and weapons.
Gardener worked at the Carrera Island prison and would often ferry officers to and from the island. Yesterday several of Gardener’s colleagues took to social media to express their outrage and sadness after learning of his death. One officer described him as hardworking and selfless and someone who maintained good relations with all his subordinates. He was a prison officer for 15 years.
Gardener’s murder has pushed the number of prison officers killed to 17 over a 15-year period. In an unrelated incident, at about 9 am yesterday, a prison officer and his girlfriend were driving through Cocorite when they were caught in the crossfire of two rival gangs. The back of the vehicle was shot, but both escaped unharmed. A report was made at the St James police station, but police do not believe either the officer or his girlfriend were being targeted.
Following the release of the annual budget earlier this month, the price of fresh vegetables went up in the local markets as the price of gas and diesel went up. According to businesswoman Joanne Gooding, whenever there is an increase in transport, fresh produce sells at a higher price.
She noted tomatoes went up from $12 to $16. Today, following the floods in south Trinidad, tomatoes are sold for $20 per pound. “Although, the price of tomatoes has gone up, vendors are not making a big profit out of this,” Gooding said, adding that vendors have to pay a high price for these goods. Gooding predicts a shortage in fresh vegetables and a bigger hike in the price of staple foods and dairy products for the upcoming Christmas holidays. “It is obvious that the floods have affected the price of local produce but prices will go up further,” Gooding said.
In San Fernando market yesterday, melongene sold for $14 while cabbage, ochros, bodi and pumpkin sold at $10 per pound. Peppers are sold at $2 for one and Callaloo Bush is sold at $10 per bundle.
Lisa Gunness, who was spotted shopping for vegetables and fruits at the San Fernando market, said she could not believe the price for tomatoes and cabbage. “Imagine I would get enough market products to feed my family of five with $200, but I have to put out another $200 to purchase vegetables and fruits,” she said.
Vendor, Linclon Lewis said foreign fruits such as apples, pears and grapes remain at a steady price while the price of local citrus fruits and vegetables keep rising. “Sales have been extremely slow due to the hike in the price of vegetables following floods in the southern districts.”
Lewis said vegetable prices will soar in the coming months since the recent flooding wiped out huge crops in Felicity, Caroni, Bonne Aventure, Aranguez and Talparo in the North and Valencia in the east and Oropouche, Penal and Debe in the south. “We have to brace for a shortage of fresh vegetables as corn, lettuce, cabbage and sweet peppers,” Lewis said, noting shoppers are already experiencing a sharp rise in staple foods such as flour but, he could see prices raising even higher.
Acting CEO of National Agricultural Marketing and Development Corporation (NAMDEVCO), Nirmala Debysingh-Persad urged farmers to desist from selling flood-affected crops to vendors.
Birthday preparations turned into funeral preparations for a Mayaro family after a father of two died after a vehicular accident on Thursday evening. Dead is Jerome Dhanraj of Kernaham Trace, Mayaro. Dhanraj would have been 30 years old yesterday.
According to a police report, at about 3pm on Thursday, the father of two was driving his vehicle along the Naparima/Mayaro Road in the vicinity of Mafeking Village when a trailer truck heading in the opposite direction collided with his car. Dhanraj’s vehicle landed in a bushy area off the roadway and he was rushed to the Sangre Grande District Hospital.
He died while undergoing emergency surgery. The driver of the truck survived the crash and was treated for minor injuries. An autopsy on Dhanraj’s body was expected to be performed today. Mayaro police officers are investigating.
Sailings for the MV Cabo Star this Sunday have been cancelled.
In a release yesterday from the TT Inter-Island Transportation Co, it was reported that maintenance will be carried out on the vessel over the weekend to improve performance.
All scheduled sailings on Sunday have been cancelled and the sailing schedule will resume from Monday as follows: from Port of Spain 2pm and from Tobago 11pm.
The release said any inconvenience caused is regretted.
Naparima Girls College Principal Carolyn Bally-Gosine yesterday was overjoyed on the news that 38 scholarships went to her school. Bally- Gosine said that 102 students sat the CAPE exam with 38 garnering national scholarships.
“I was expecting our students to excel this year as in every year and I am happy that the girls were able to be scholarship winners,” she said, adding that during the 2016/2017 term the emphasis was on discipline and she is satisfied her staff’s hard work and commitment to the students had paid off.
Bally-Gosine also congratulated St Joseph Convent in Port of Spain for their achievement of also securing 38 scholarships and also Saanjali Maharaj of St Augustine Girls High and Veshala Goon of Lakshmi Girls Hindu College for winning the President’s Medal this year.
Bally-Gosine urged her staff to use all the facilities available at the school to the fullest capacity. “We have an excellent library which is used for studies and also our multi-media room which is always busy,” she said, adding that she encourages field trips and recreational activities for her students as part of the school’s overall curriculum.
She praised Dean of Discipline (Form 5) Niomi Woodsley for playing a great role in preparing the students for CAPE as well as Sharon Sahadeo who is the head of the Multi Language Department at the school. In 2016 Naparima Girls High School received 37 scholarship winners . In 2006 and 2008 they had 45 winners and they also received gold medal that year.
Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi, yesterday, said Government would be bringing legislation to Parliament in two weeks to ensure that TT met its financial obligations to the Global Forum.
Addressing a news conference at the Ministry of the Attorney General and Legal Affairs Tower in Port-of-Spain, Al-Rawi said the issue was even more critical than the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) legislation which was passed in the House of Representatives and in the Senate on February 23 and March 7, respectively. “This is FATCA on steroids,” he declared.
Checks by Newsday indicated the legislation was proclaimed into law on July 6. Noting the Bankers Association raised concerns on this issue, Al-Rawi said he was directed by Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley to assure the population that Government was working “at break neck speed” to ensure compliance with the Global Forum’s requirements. While the former People’s Partnership (PP) government said TT would be compliant by September 2017, Al-Rawi said Government has “written and requested a deferral to September 2018.”
He said the Global Forum was, “warmed that TT has taken the kind of aggressive steps that we have.” Al-Rawi said that included applying to become a party to a multilateral convention on mutual tax assistance matters (MAC), laying the Administrative Assistance in Tax Matters Bill 2017 in Parliament on April 21 and preparing a double taxation agreements bill. Al-Rawi was confident that once those bills were passed in Parliament, the Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development would agree to TT’s membership to the MAC.
He said, because the tax matters legislation required a three-fifths majority for passage in the House and Senate, Government would need the Opposition’s support.
That majority is required because of the secrecy provisions in the legislation as it relates to the sharing of tax information. Al-Rawi said a balance must be struck in terms of investigations into potential money laundering or terrorist financing and ensuring ordinary citizens’ tax information remained confidential.
Al-Rawi did not rule out the possibility of the bill being sent to a joint select committee.
Recalling the original FATCA bill would have dealt with TT’s compliance with the Global Forum as well, Al-Rawi said that was,”destroyed by the Opposition’s view” that the bill only treat with compliance with US tax laws. He said loss of correspondent banking with the 142 member Global Forum was a real risk if the legislation was not passed.
Al-Rawi explained that TT’s compliance with the Global Forum is significant, with most of TT’s retail imports coming from the Far East. He also said TT’s commercial association with the European market could be “potentially prejudiced,” if the country was not Global Forum compliant. Al-Rawi said there was constant communication with the Global Forum, which had input into the legislation to come before Parliament. He also disclosed that he leaves today for Argentina to defend TT’s position on being compliant with the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) requirements on issues such as counter-terrorism and money laundering. Al-Rawi hinted there could be some “good news” coming out of FATF.
Opposition Chief Whip David Lee said the Opposition had not yet seen the legislation Al-Rawi referred to. Lee said the Opposition would be willing to support the legislation once it did not infringe the rights of citizens. However, he warned the Opposition was not going down the FATCA road again. Lee said the Government tried to scare the population about the sky falling if the FATCA legislation was not passed. Recalling the Opposition was criticised from several quarters for its approach to FATCA, Lee asked if any of the Government’s predictions had materialised.
Lakshmi Girls’ Hindu College can now boast of achieving a hattrick of President’s Medal winners.
It was announced yesterday that the school’s very own, Veshala Goon and St Augustine Girls High School’s (SAGHS) Saanjali Maharaj both won the prestigious award for academic excellence in the 2017 Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Exam (CAPE).
An elated Goon yesterday thanked God, her family and teachers of Lakshmi Girls’ Hindu College for her success.
“I still can’t believe it. This is taking a while to sink in, but I feel so proud. I really can’t believe it,” Goon said. Asked the secret to success, Goon said: “I prayed every day and the support from my family, my teachers and everyone who believed in me, played a major role in my achievements.”
Goon got distinctions in all subjects she sat: Accounting, Management of Business, Economics, Caribbean Studies and Communications. But it was not all work and no play for her. During her secondary school life, Goon said, she did something different every year including board games, martial arts and yoga.
Wanting to pursue accountancy, Goon has already registered with the School of Business and Computer Science (SBCS) in Champs Fleurs, to be a chartered accountant.
“I have a real passion for accounting but at first I had trouble deciding what I wanted to do. Last year in lower six, I placed first in the region for CAPE Accounting 2 and I think it was because of this, I decided to go on that path of accounting.”
Goon also had a short stint with accounting firm Ernst and Young in the last two months and said she thoroughly enjoyed the experience.
Goon, who turns 19 on December 22, said that for the next few days she will be celebrating with friends and going on a special dinner with her family.
Veshala Goon
Asked what advice she had for fellow students she said: “Just keep praying and believe in yourself. Family plays a big part in this success.
Parents need to support their children and the family must all pray and things will work out,” Goon said.
Her father Naarad Goon, a car park security with Extra Foods Supermarket, Grand Bazaar was emotional yesterday as news of his daughter’s achievement sank in.
“I feel too proud for words. I can’t express my feelings in words.
It is something so wonderful and she just keep making us happy. She is simply amazing,” Goon said. Mother, Parbatee Goon chimed in,”I’m happy and proud. I don’t know what else to say.”
School Principal Sonia Mahase-Persad yesterday said Goon’s success is a reflection of the school’s deep-rooted policy of taking a holistic approach to education, grounded in balancing intense academics with a myriad of extra-curricular activities.
“It was not totally unexpected to be honest. We have several students who were up there in contention for the President’s Medal.
Veshala is a balanced, all-round student and on behalf of the entire school staff, I offer her warmest congratulations. We are all very, very proud of her. We are elated with her achievement which has brought further glory to Lakshmi Girls’ Hindu College,” Mahase-Persad said.
Lakshmi in 2015, won the President’s Medal for Business; Science in 2016 and Business this year.
SAANJALI KEEPS RISING
SAGHS past pupil Sanjali Maharaj, the other President’s Medal winner, yesterday said she is not stopping with this achievement and aims to go further in her goal to pursue studies in aerospace engineering. Maharaj said she was deeply honoured by the award and credited her success to her parents.
Saanjali Maharaj
Also crucial to her success was a tireless work ethic and balanced schedule.
“I’m really over the moon right now, which is in keeping with the SAGHS motto of ‘Per Ardua Ad Astra’, which translates, ‘Through Work to the Stars’. I’ve worked hard and sacrificed tremendously and I’m very satisfied with the results,” Maharaj said.
Maharaj, a year one student at the University of Toronto in Canada advised students to incorporate extracurricular activities into their schedules to allow for more balanced development.
“I’ve studied classical Indian dance and playing the guitar for a while.
It’s something that really relaxes me and I feel that it’s important for everyone to find a hobby that they are comfortable with that relaxes them and stick with it. I never focused entirely on academics. I always found a way to incorporate both.
Saanjali’s mother Sandra Maharaj said she is very proud of her daughter’s accomplishments and added that in her experience, crucial to the academic success of a child, was involvement from parents. She said that while parents should encourage their children to succeed, it is important they be left to enjoy their childhood.
“As a parent I can say its very important that parents show an interest in their child’s education and progress at school. When it comes time to choosing their subjects in secondary school, talk to them and don’t force them to do subjects you want them to do. Find out their passion and what they are interested in.
Be there for them, not just when they are in the exam room,” Maharaj said.
Saanjali said she intends to continue her undergraduate degree in Engineering and is optimistic she would continue to make her parents proud. She is expected to return to Canada later today.
Two brothers yesterday appeared the Princes Town magistrates court, one charged with the murder of a soldier and the other charged with wounding another man at a wake in Moruga almost two months ago.
Vincent Brown and 30-year-old Victor Brown appeared before Magistrate Michelle Maharajh-Brown.
The charges read to Vincent alleged that on September 4, he murdered Cpl Marcus Gay of the TT Regiment, wounded another man with intent to do him grievous bodily harm and illegally having in his possession a gun and ammunition. Victor was charged with assaulting a man and attempting to steal a firearm belonging to a member of the TT Regiment.
Reports are that police responded to a shooting at Dougla City, St Mary’s Main Road. When they arrived, they saw Gay’s body with gunshot wounds.
Attorney Vishan Girwar, who represented the brothers, said Victor lived at Moruga with his common-law wife and their 11-month-old baby. He told the magistrate his clients were also shot during the incident and their wounds were treated but they have had no follow-up medical attention. The case has been adjourned to November 24.
Two individuals who were involved in a row that disrupted Thursday’s sitting of the Senate have been banned from the Parliament.
In a statement last night, Speaker of the House of Representatives instructed that Maxine Gonzales and Robert Sagramsingh not be admitted into the Parliament’s precincts. Photos of Gonzales and Sagramsingh accompanied the statement.
The statement said the ban prevented Gonzales and Sagramsingh from accessing the Parliament Chamber, public gallery, media gallery and all other rooms in the Parliament Building used for committee meetings. All police officers employed at the Parliament are empowered directly and/or through the Office of the Marshal, to remove Gonzales and Sagramsingh from the Parliament’s precincts, in compliance with the order, should they attempt to enter.
The order was issued in accordance with Section 6 (1) of the House of Representatives (Powers and Privileges) Act and Standing Order 123 of the House.
The Trinidad and Tobago men’s hockey team are looking ahead to the 2018 Indoor Hockey World Cup in Berlin, Germany.
And there may be plans for the team to engage in a tour of Canada before the February 7-11 World Cup, according to assistant coach Darren Cowie.
Last Saturday, the TT team booked their ticket to Germany after trouncing Argentina 7-0 in the final of the 2017 Indoor Pan Am Hockey Cup in Georgetown, Guyana.
With regards to the team’s pre-World Cup plans, Cowie said, “The coaching staff — myself, Raphael (Govia, coach) and Kirth Davis (manager) — would have to have a meeting with the Trinidad and Tobago Hockey Board and then they would let us know how we move forward, where our training sessions are concerned.
“Then, from there, we’ll probably go back to the players, maybe bring in a few more players to bolster the training squad and then get ready for Berlin.
“I know we want to get some pre-tours as well,” Cowie added. “Right after the finals, Canada’s coach (Scott Sandison) came and told me that he would allow us to come up there and play some practice matches to get acclimatised to the European weather.”
Looking back on the team’s 100-percent record in Guyana, Cowie said, “The guys played out of their skins especially in the final.
“It’s something that all of us were talking about, not just the players, not just the coaches, but all of us collectively, having that collective energy and that consistency.”
Cowie, the ex-national player, said, “It wasn’t something what we really planned on.
It was one by one, one game at a time and, as the results started to flow, we said, ‘you know what, let’s not get carried away, we still needed to focus on performances and then results would start to come after’.
And that’s what pushed us through.” Cowie took over as coach after Raphael Govia had to return home midway during the competition, following the death of his father Winston.
“When I got the news of my father, I called a team meeting with Darren (Cowie) as well as two senior players, Solomon Eccles (captain) and Dwain Quan Chan.
I got the manager (Kirth Davis) involved as well. I basically told Darren that ‘I got some bad news today’.”
Govia admitted that he was informed about his father’s failing health, hours before the October 16 opener against Argentina, a game which saw TT prevail 5-2.
“(On) Tuesday morning I got the news that I needed to come back home and Wednesday I left.”
Govia, whose son Jordan Vieira was an instrumental member of the squad, acknowledged, “It was hard not being there, but with the communication with Eccles and Darren, it was a lot easier because I knew I left them in good hands.
“The team is closely-knit so it was not really an issue. It was not surprising that the boys won this tournament.”
The TT men’s coach pointed out, “This team started training on July 24.
This unit came on board together and we never looked back.
We rode the little challenges that we had and we dealt with it. We kept this team together and the boys were really fired up.
“There was never any negativity.
Everything was positive about this whole camp. It’s not surprising that the boys went undefeated in this tournament, and got a berth into Berlin.”
The massage therapist who accused West Indies cricketer Chris Gayle of exposing himself to her is “plainly neurotic”, “bitter” and “vengeful”, his barrister has told the jury in the sportsman’s New South Wales Supreme Court defamation trial.
In his closing address to the jury of three women and one man, Bruce McClintock, SC, accused Fairfax Media of publishing “tabloid trash” by reporting the allegations in The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and The Canberra Times.
Gayle, 38, is suing Fairfax for defamation over a series of reports in January 2016 which were published following his famous “don’t blush baby” interview with sports reporter Mel McLaughlin, then at Network Ten.
Leanne Russell, the massage therapist at the centre of the reports, gave evidence on Wednesday that Gayle exposed himself to her in a dressing room at Drummoyne in Sydney’s inner west during the Cricket World Cup in 2015.
Russell told the court the alleged incident, which took place in the presence of Gayle’s teammate Dwayne Smith, left her “crying uncontrollably”.
“I saw the top half of Chris’ penis, I apologise, and I thereafter shielded my view,” Ms Russell said.
Fairfax Media is defending the articles on two bases, including that the reports are true.
McClintock told the jury yesterday that Fairfax editors and journalists “weren’t interested in the truth”.
He said Ms Russell was “plainly neurotic”, “bitter” and “vengeful”.
Gayle’s evidence was “eloquent and moving”, Mr McClintock said, and “he said it did not happen and I say you should accept that”.
“Everyone agrees sexual harassment is wrong,” Mr McClintock said.
“This case is not about sexual harassment.”
Fairfax Media’s barrister, Matthew Collins, QC, delivered his closing address to the jury on Thursday.
He said it was “impossible not to be moved yesterday when Russell gave her evidence” and she had bared her soul to the jury.
“You have the best seats in the house in this courtroom. Raw, honest and candid emotion [came] flooding out from Ms Russell,” Dr Collins said. Dr Collins said Gayle’s legal team had “tried to discredit Ms Russell in every way imaginable” but her evidence was “the story of a victim” and she had “no motive … other than to tell you the truth about what happened to her”.
The jury is expected to begin its deliberations on Monday after a short summing-up from Justice Lucy McCallum. (The Sydney Morning Herald)
It was a tough start for former boys singles Under-10 champion Zachery Byng, when the third annual Subway Junior Tennis Tournament 2017 served off at Trinidad Country Club in Maraval, yesterday.
Byng, who is competing in an older age group this year, lost his opening match in the boys Under-12 group stage category against Marcos West 2-4, 4-5. Byng is still in with a chance of winning the title as the early stages of the tournament is being played in a group format with the top players advancing to the knockout phase.
In other boys Under-12 group matches, Declan Sheppard defeated Tim Pasea 4-0, 4-0, Beckham Sylvester outlasted Joshua Nancoo 4-0, 4-1 and Alexander Chin got past Jason Brathwaite 4-1, 4-0. Daniel Jeary defeated Kale Dalla Costa 2-4, 4-2, 10-3 and Nathen Martin was a 4-2, 4-1 winner over Alexander Merry.
In the girls Under-14 group stage, Aalisha Alexis was off to a winning start with a 5-3, 4-1 win over Cameron Wong, while Keesa Lee Young got past Charlotte Merry 4-0, 4-0.
In the boys Under-10 group stage, Dylan Boocock was victorious over Kayden Siewrattan 6-4, while Isaiah Boxill and Logan Hamel-Smith earned walkover wins over Yeshwah Smith and Jarryd John respectively.
The opening ceremony will take place at 8.30 am today, followed by matches at 9 am. The main draw will start tomorrow.
The Under-16 and Under-18 players will be in action from November 3.
