Responding to allegations by Persad-Bissessar at a United National Congress (UNC) meeting in Barrackpore last Friday, Rowley said, “If ministers’ wives were fed as she is claiming, then she fed them because the contracts that she is pointing to, as far as I am aware, those contracts were not awarded by this Government.”

Describing Persad- Bissessar as “an embarrassment to this country,” Rowley told reporters during a PNM walkabout in St Joseph, “Would you believe that the numbers she is talking about are earnings of a previous period … some of which are contracts which these companies received under her administration?”

He continued, “She speaks now, amalgamating the earnings of these companies and deliberately giving the country the impression that those earnings, that those contracts took place under this Government.”

Saying Persad-Bissessar was trying to “find company for the government that she led,” Rowley quipped, “She seems to be mixing up earning money and tiefing money. The last government was thrown out of office for stealing money, the whole country knew the (PP) government was corrupt.”

The Prime Minister said Persad-Bissessar is now telling the country “that if somebody earns money or wins a contract, it’s one and the same thing.” Rowley said,

“We (PNM) make a distinction between a contractor of any ilk … doesn’t matter who the contractor is … if a contractor wins a contract and earns money … more power to that contractor.” However, he said what was happening under Persad- Bissessar’s watch was “that contractors were being overpaid, getting contracts in questionable circumstances and the Treasury was being raided.”

In his first interview since being elected as US President, Trump told a US television station that those persons, which he estimated at between two and three million people, would be deported back to their home countries.

“What we are going to do is get the people that are criminal and have criminal records, gang members, drug dealers, where a lot of these people, probably two million — it could be even three million — we are getting them out of our country or we are going to incarcerate.” Trump said.

In fact, residents confirmed that the ‘preacher’ conducted a ‘religious service’ a few months ago on the compound located at Erin Road, Cap-de- Ville, on the outskirts of Point Fortin. It lasted for about 30 minutes and there were scripture readings and singing of hymns, a resident said.

Residents explained that the plot of land was used as a military installation / barracks with cadastral maps showing the plot as being labelled “State lands”.

However, the status of the lands was called into question when several people began enquiring about the lands, some even claiming to possess “legal documents” as it related to its ownership.

Officers of the South Western Division confirmed that there were several reports of “disputes” over crops planted on the property between two men who are encroaching on State lands. They have responded to constant bickering between these two men in particular although several other persons had claimed ownership.

A police source confirmed that neither of the two men have produced any official documentation to show ownership of the land.

“One claimed that he received official documents from the Agricultural Ministry which state that he is allowed to plant crops.

He has not showed us any proof whatsoever of that. The other had a ‘vision’ from God,” a police officer noted.

“I do not know why these fellas are so interested in that particular plot of land. Maybe Mano buried gold there and we (police) don’t know,” another police officer said referring to the notorious Benjamin.

Benjamin, dubbed ‘The Beast from Biche’, sexually assaulted and enslaved two sisters whom he blinded in the 1960’s at Biche. The convicted man served 30 years in prison, following which he moved into the bunker, a World War II-era building used by American soldiers, in Cap-de-Ville.

He died in February 1998.

Prior to his death, no one overtly claimed ownership for the bunker and its accompanying plot.

Shortly after Benjamin’s death, thieves made off with several parts of the bunker, including windows and purlin, believed to have been sold as scrap iron.

Inspired by Eddie Murphy’s 1980s hit “Party All the Time”, the music video has quickly racked up more than 6.5 million views and 100,000 likes and reactions across Facebook and Instagram in just five days.

Bolt used his social media channels to unveil “Gifted” with his usual tongue-incheek bravado to fans on October 26. As the brainchild of Caribbean, Central American and Pacific communications and entertainment provider Digicel, “Gifted” is Bolt’s first collaboration with the company in his new role as its Chief Speed Officer.

Commenting on the video, Bolt smiled saying, “this is my Christmas gift to the world.

I wish I was as vocally gifted as the video made me look; a big thanks to auto tune for the help. Making it was a lot of fun. It’s like nothing that I’ve ever done before and I hope everyone enjoys it.” Bolt has been a busy man off the track as the sprinter will star in his own movie called “I am Bolt,” a documentary about the Jamaican’s life which is scheduled to be released on November 28.

Digicel’s Group Director of Marketing, Peter Lloyd added, “No one can get the internet buzzing like Usain. With the holiday season upon us, we wanted to have a bit of fun and play around with the idea of Usain being not just the fastest man in the world, but one of the most gifted. The real gift was how Usain embraced the idea and nailed his performance, and how people have responded.” “Gifted” is available as a free download and can be streamed on Digicel’s digital channels.

Digicel will also be hosting a #getgifted toy drive for at-risk children across its 32 markets and employees, and will use the “gifted” concept in its customer communications around great gifts for the holiday season: the latest phones and devices, the right mix of entertainment and content; better prices and a better network.

At a media conference last week, medical director (acting) at the Port-of-Spain General Hospital Dr Anthony Parkinson said the neonatal unit at the SFGH had been shut down after five babies contracted a bacterial infection, all of which occurred at the same time.

The neonatal unit of a hospital provides expert, round-the-clock care for newborn babies who are ill or are born prematurely.

In a telephone interview yesterday, SWRHA chairman, Dr Alex Sinanan, said the unit had been closed on October 22 but had since reopened after the necessary rehabilitative works had been done at the unit.

“The closure occurred in October, so the issue has been sorted out,” he said, adding, “it was closed at the time because of a couple of infections but the unit has subsequently been sanitised.” In a media statement yesterday, Barataria/San Juan MP, Dr Fuad Khan, expressed frustration that the current administration was undermining “decades of progress in the public health sector through negligence and mismanagement.” “The closure of the Neonatal Unit at the San Fernando General Hospital is only the latest in a series of gaffes by this Government that is severely affecting the health care services being provided to our citizens. What this has done is not only added further burden to the neonatal unit at the Portof- Spain General Hospital, which is now tasked with caring for the babies relocated from the San Fernando facility, but during the time that it takes for the San Fernando unit to be repaired, there are currently no neonatal facilities to service citizens south of the Caroni bridge,” Khan stated.

He once again pointed out that the Couva Children’s Hospital was “designed with fully-functioning and advanced Neonatal ward that could be used in the current situation to assist in not only treating the babies who are currently being relocated to Port-of-Spain, but can also relieve the workload from the other units across the island.” Khan also alleged that there had been a “sharp decrease in the number of qualified neonatal nurse and midwives” at the public health facilities.

The event, described as “undeniably beautiful” by American space agency NASA, is due to the moon coming closer to earth than it has done for 69 years. A similar phenomenon last occurred in 1948.

The next supermoon coming so close to earth is next due on November 25, 2034.

According to NASA, the gap between the earth and the moon came close to its shortest point, known as ‘perigee,’ a distance of 356,510 km at 11.23 am (United Kingdom time) yesterday.

The online Telegraph said although last night’s supermoon was a once-in-a-generation sight, four other supermoons have already occurred in 2016, and another supermoon will be seen on December 14.

The Telegraph quoted astrologers as saying that if someone struggled to fall asleep during a supermoon, there was no need for alarm as there could have been a “perfectly scientific reason” for the insomnia.

The Telegraph said that for some, a supermoon is simply an intensified new moon or full moon, a time to focus on new beginnings, while some see them as omens of impending disaster, or a warning of something momentous coming towards us.

Apart from mythical meanings and unfounded alarmist proclamations, there are numerous reports that full moons on the whole have long been seen as having the ability to trigger emotional reactions and extreme behaviour.

The Telegraph reported that a study published in the World Journal of Surgery in 2011 found that more than 40 percent of medical staff believed lunar phases had an impact on human behaviour. In 2007, Sussex Police announced that they would put extra officers on patrol on nights when the moon was full, following research that showed “a correlation between violent incidents and full moons.”

Norma Edwards,a resident of Haig Street for more than 30 years, told Newsday she tried raising the matter with the councillor for the area and the corporation, but the matter is yet to be addressed.

“I have tried everyone I think could help us with this problem and no one came to see how bad the garbage bins are affecting us. When the bins are filled and rain falls, the garbage gets all over the place.

I can’t open my doors or windows due to the stench of the rubbish.” She continued, “People can get sick…the garbage trucks don’t come on time to take the garbage, and it is a breeding ground for maggots, roaches and rats. After rain falls you can actually see all the rodents and maggots crawling in the road way along with the garbage,” she lamented.

Edwards explained that over the years they have been pleading with the corporation, and after a while the corporation installed a cage around the bins to secured it from stray dogs pulling at the garbage, but due to the amount of residents in the community the bins over flows with garbage.

“Everyday I come out of my house I have to clean up garbage from in front my house and it is very unbearable now. We are at the corner and are terribly affected by the bins being at the corner. We would like the corporation to remove the bins and place them elsewhere,” she said. Another resident who only gave his name as Brendon said he too is affected by the terrible odour from the garbage bins.

“I have drawn up a petition for everyone who are immediately affected by the garbage bins to sign it, so I can address it to the Minister of Health. Christmas is coming and the build-up of garbage is going to get worse.” He further stated, “We need these bins to be removed from the corner of Haig Street immediately.

There are a lot of children in the area and we are trying to prevent them from contacting any diseases.

There are flies, rats and roaches all over the place.” When the DMRC was contacted, chairman of the Diego Martin Regional Corporation, Chairman Katty Christopher was out on the field for the day.

The announcement was made by the expert committee at the recent 55th Directing Council of the Pan American Health Organisation/World Health Organisation (PAHO/WHO) held in Washington DC, the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) said in a release.

“No local measles cases have been reported in the Caribbean Region since 1991,” CARPHA Executive Director Dr C James Hosepdales said.

He warned, however, that “we cannot become complacent, as measles still circulates in other parts of the world” and “due to the high intensity of international travel related to the large tourism sector, the Caribbean region remains at high risk for the importation of measles and rubella cases.” The region being declared free of local measles transmission, the release said, means children in the Caribbean are now less likely to be affected by measles, once they are vaccinated.

Measles affects mostly children and is one of the most contagious diseases.

The widespread use of the vaccine has led to a great reduction in measles cases in the region, the release said.

Between 1971 and 1979, more than 100,000 deaths in the Americas were attributable to measles.

Crosby was speaking at Scotiabank Reward Ceremony for students who successfully completed the fourth edition of the “Youth in the Community Developmental Programme,” held at MovieTowne, Portof- Spain.

He told the students, “To many, success seems to come suddenly.

When you observe others and what they have achieved you usually don’t appreciate what it has taken for them to get where they are, ultimately, in failing to do this you also fail to learn what it would take for you to attain the same level of achievement.” Crosby indicated that if they took the time to truly think about it, they will find that success is usually only a small step away.

After illustrating a short story of his success of becoming a national scholar, Crosby told the students that there is no secret to success but through hard work.

“Being persistent is what helped me to achieve this and not giving up on what I wanted.

“But what does it take to be a national scholarship winner? Well I will share my secret with you, well there is no secret it’s purely hard work.” He continued, “Whether it is doing your projects on time or studying six hours every night, Christmas included, for two years for the CAPE examinations, this is what is required. As you can see it is not easy but anything worthwhile is not.” Also addressing the students, Director, Scotiabank Foundation, Peter Ghany said private and corporate citizens who are in positions of authority have a responsibility to do what they can to give young people the opportunities that they deserve to succeed.

Yesterday, a 23-yearold man from Pleasantville, San Fernando, appeared before a magistrate charged with possession of a United States-made semi-automatic gun and five rounds of .40 calibre ammunition.

Christon Linsay, of Orchid Gardens, was arrested on Friday night by detectives from the San Fernando CID.

Yesterday, Magistrate Bramanand Dubay read the charge to the young man that he had in his possession a Springfield Armory XD semi-automatic pistol. He also had five rounds of .40 ammunition.

The charges were laid by Police Constable Kevin Crawford of the San Fernando CID and Lindsay pleaded not guilty.

His attorney Cedric Neptune made a plea for bail to be granted.

Prior to August 31, the Bail Amendment Act (2015) restricted a magistrate from granting bail for 120 days, to any person over the age of 18 charged with possession of a gun, or, committing a crime with the use of a firearm.

Neptune said Lindsay was relatively young and lived with his mother in Pleasantville.

His previous convictions had been for marijuana.

The black pistol and ammunition were presented to the magistrate who examined and noted its make and serial numbers. He granted bail to Lindsay in the sum of $140,000 and ordered the accused man to report to the Mon Repos Police Station every Friday.