And what a result for Trinidad and Tobago: an early Independence Day gift. Or rather four: gold, gold, gold and gold! We hail the men’s 4 x 400m relay team for their victory at the just concluded 2017 IAAF World Championships in London, England.

The 58.12 seconds victory is the fastest time in the world this year and a new national record.

The quartet of Jarrin Solomon, Jereem Richards, Machel Cedenio and Lalonde Gordon brought joy to the nation. But they also gave us a demonstration of what is possible through teamwork and preparation.

No relay team wins a race without faith in something larger than the individual.

Each member builds on what has come before but must then push himself to his limit. He must also know how to surrender the baton to someone else.

Sunday’s race was won as a result of each member sticking to a strategy. Particularly crucial were the legs of Richards and Gordon.

Richards made it clear the team was not going to be satisfied with bronze.

And Gordon, in the final stretch, produced a startling burst of energy that surprised the race favourites, the US. Going into the race the team had discussed the need for precisely this approach.

So said, so done. It has been a long year for these athletes some of whom have suffered injuries and setbacks. That they achieved what they did on Sunday, and with such beauty and stealth, is testimony to their character.

“I want to say happy early Independence Day to Trinidad and Tobago and this medal is for you all,” Richards said. But the gift is not limited to Sunday’s victory.

Days earlier, Richards energised the nation by winning bronze in the men’s 200m event.

He clearly saved the best for last.

We praise the efforts of the entire contingent that represented the red, white and black at London.

This includes double-Olympic medallist Keshorn Walcott who finished seventh, out of 12 entrants, in the javelin final, with a best throw of 84.48 metres — on his first attempt. Though not the result he would have hoped for, it was nonetheless an improvement on previous world championship performances.

This year’s event was in many respects dominated by Caribbean athletes.

All eyes were on Jamaican Usain Bolt who said his final goodbye to athletics. Though he was defeated in his signature event, all the focus was on him and the legacy he leaves behind.

Bolt is the first person to hold both the 100m and 200m world records since fully automatic time became mandatory.

He also holds the world record in the 4 x 100m relay and is the reigning Olympic champion in these three events. Because of his dominance and achievements in sprint competition, he is regarded as the greatest sprinter of all time. He is certainly the most successful athlete at the world championships.

The beginning of Bolt’s career was somewhat controversial as many felt his style of running appeared unsportsman-like, trivialising the great effort required to take gold.

Over time, this style came to be seen as simply an expression of a new kind of exuberance in spiriting.

He exhilarated the planet with each race.

In the end, that charisma on the track is as much a part of the Bolt legacy as his records. His “Lightning Bolt” victory sign is iconic.

The Caribbean can stand proud. We continue to punch above our weight. All Caribbean nations share in the glory whenever one of our teams wins.

What the 2017 championships has demonstrated is that Bolt resignation notwithstanding, the sport remains a vibrant one, uniting all of us.

Alleyne, whose appointment becomes effective on September 11, 2017, formerly served as President and CEO of Sagicor General Insurance Incorporated.

In a statement about Alleyne’s appointment, the ANSA McAl Group of Companies; parent company of TATIL, said Brydens’ new GM “brings with him over 30 years of underwriting, claims management, risk management and reinsurance experience.” “He is well-informed on global conditions and respected by brokers, insurers and reinsurers worldwide.

Prior to that he worked his way up the ranks of United Insurance Company Limited, where he held the position of Chief Operating Officer until 2013. A past President of the Insurance Association of the Caribbean (IAC), Mr Alleyne has delivered papers at several regional/international forums including The National Hurricane Conference in the USA,” ANSA McAL stated.

Chief Executive Officer of ANSA McAl, Barbados, Nicholas Mouttet, also commented on Alleyne’s appointment.

“The insurance industry is more competitive now than we have ever experienced and I am delighted to welcome David on board.

We will certainly benefit from his extensive knowledge which will allow us to focus on our growth strategy,” Mouttet said.

Charles made this point when he addressed the opening ceremony of the 18th Biennial Conference of Presiding Officers and Clerks of the Caribbean, Americas and Atlantic Region of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, at the Magdalena Grand Hotel in Tobago.

A former THA presiding officer, Charles said, “For accountability to be done effectively, we must ensure that those tasked with the function of scrutiny are provided with the resources that they need to perform their function effectively.

He said people performing these functions must be held to the highest standards of accountability and integrity.

“In this regard, Charles said the work of parliamentary oversight committees “must never go unnoticed.” He said this was particularly important in the case of small island states like TT where the limited size of the legislatures results in these committees facing “crippling limitations in terms of members as well as time available to serve in the face of mounting concerns about accountability.

“We must therefore seize all opportunities to question the effectiveness of our mechanisms for ensuring accountability.” He also said “effective partnerships” with traditional media (newspaper, radio, television) and with social media, “would undoubtedly help to maintain public trust in the legislature.”

In a statement yesterday, Persad- Bissessar said she was unimpressed with his apology over the Ocean Flower 2 ferry which failed to arrive in this country.

“Rowley’s apology was too little, too late and did nothing to comfort the people of Trinidad and Tobago,” she said.

Persad-Bissessar alleged the sea-bridge woes began under Rowley’s tenure and, over several months, he issued several apologies but failed to find a resolution in the interest of citizens.

“Rowley keeps apologising to the nation for the ferry problems and instructing his Minister of Works and Transport Rohan Sinanan to fix it not realising that his minister is the problem.

Rowley’s latest apology was a pathetic attempt at distracting from his incompetence in handling this situation.” She said Rowley failed to act on reports of possible corruption in the deal for the Ocean Flower 2 and showed contempt for citizens with his summons to stakeholders to a meeting next week Monday, shortly before proceeding on yet another vacation.

Persad-Bissessar said Rowley must deal with Sinanan and the Board of the Port Authority and take responsibility.

“It is clear that Rowley does not care about the crisis created by his Government, not only on the Tobago ferry, but in every aspect of governance.

“As a result of his incompetence and lack of a plan to take the country forward, citizens are suffering.”

Gorkin appeared before acting Chief Magistrate Maria Busby Earle- Caddle charged with manslaughter arising out of the death of his son.

His attorney Samuel Pete Thomas requested that his client be granted bail as he was the bread-winner of his family and was struggling to come to terms with his son’s death. He said Gorkin’s experience has been made even more traumatic since his arrest last Tuesday.

“Your worship while my client may have had matters before the court in the past, these matters have been resolved and all but two were ruled in his favour.

“He is employed with the Port-of Spain City Corporation.

“He is still in a state of grief and shock and I am making this bail application so that he has the opportunity to catch himself.” However Prosecutor Inspector Dillon objected to the bail application and suggested that if granted, Gorkin may use the opportunity to interfere with witnesses.

Several of his relatives who were in the public gallery expressed their discontent prompting Earle-Caddle to intervene.

“Listen if you all don’t know how to behave in this court, well then I suggest you don’t stay here for the remainder of the proceedings,” she said. In response to Dillon’s objections, Thomas argued the offence was bailable and said the claims of potential witness interference were baseless.

Earle-Caddle granted Gorkin bail in the sum of $75,000 and he is expected to reappear in court on September 11.

“Drivers have to cool themselves on the road,” said one relative.

“There are other drivers on the road so you have to take precautions.

Even if you get in an accident, stop and sort it out.” Other relatives begged the driver to consider relatives are searching for closure. Reports are that at about 2.45 am on Saturday, Simeon, a 37-year-old PTSC bus driver of Malabar, was driving his motorcycle with 39-year-old Anton, an ambulance driver of Arouca as the pillion rider. They were heading in a westerly direction on the Eastern Main Road near Red Hill, D’abadie when a car hit the motorcycle.

The brothers were thrown several feet into the air, hit the side of the road and died instantly. The driver of the car fled the scene.

Relatives described the relationship between the brothers as “very close.” Simeon, a father of two, and Anton, a father of six, did everything together, they said.

“Wherever you see one, you would see the other and they were very nice, family-oriented men.” They said Simeon was an avid motorcycle rider who would frequently ride with local clubs.

“He used to ride since I was a little girl,” a relative said. “I remember seeing him with a dirt bike when I was younger, and he would ride everywhere with it.”

The theme was “Youth Building Peace”.

The walk was punctuated by stops where individuals and representatives of various groups brought messages to the participants. In his address to the youths Bodoe said, “We recognise that the youth are the future and in effect it is about protecting the future of Trinidad and Tobago.” Bodoe also went to say, “The valiant effort of young Fyzabad resident David Sancaro, who lost his life trying to protect a woman from abuse, must not go unnoticed.” On July 16, Sancaro was run over by a vehicle after he intervened in a quarrel to stop a man from beating a woman in South Oropouche.

Bodoe called on participants in the peace walk to “engage, support and partner with young people within Fyzabad and Trinidad and Tobago and seek solutions to rampant crime, high unemployment, violence against and by young people and frustration caused by difficult economic circumstances.”

So he broke down the top half of the house.

The action did not go down well last week with a High Court judge who has ordered a valuation of the property located in Penal in order to bring an end to the family feud. It all began when the sister Khusmawatie Harripersad, 55, filed an injunction against her brother Amardeep Singh, 49, restraining him from breaking the house which their mother Chandardaye Singh left for both of them to share. The mother died in April 2006. Harripersad and Singh left Trinidad to live in Florida.

In court documents filed in the San Fernando High Court, Harripersad said there was a small wooden structure on the land and whilst she and her brother lived abroad, she allowed a cousin and his mother to live on the property.

A concrete structure was then built after the wooden house burned down in April and the cousin and his mother continued living there.

The house is located at Lalbeharry Trace, Penal, and according to Harripersad’s injunction, filed by attorney Ravi Mungalsingh, she received a telephone call in early July, while in the United States, from a relative in Trinidad, that her brother was demolishing the top part of the house.

Harripersad she immediately made arrangements to return to Trinidad.

She said upon her arrival, she visited the property on July 24 and saw Singh had broken the top portion of the house.

There were construction materials in the yard. She said there was a confrontation and a heated argument ensued.

She then took legal action against her brother and Mungalsingh wrote to Singh about his alleged trespass to property.

He was ordered to cease all work on the property.

The injunction hearing came up before Justice Devindra Rampersad in the San Fernando High Court last week Thursday. Attorney Jeevan Andrew Rampersad represented Singh who consented to resolve the matter amicably.

By consent between Singh and Harripersad, Rampersad ordered a valuation be done on the property and that Singh be given the first option to buy his sister’s half.

The order, however, stated that if Singh fails to buy Harripersad’s share within 30 days after the valuation, his sister should be given the option to buy his share.

The judge ordered Singh to pay Harripersad compensation for trespass only to the upstairs of the house.

Merritt raised the issue at a hearing before High Court Judge Justice Joan Charles two days after granting a writ of habeas corpus instructing the Defence Force to release the soldiers. Merrit said while he understood the need for military investigators to establish a board of inquiry and interview witnesses, it did not negate the fact that his clients were also entitled rights under the Constitution.

“Keeping someone 18 days without any actual charge was unreasonable,” he said.

“They are saying their investigation process, because they have 26 witnesses to take statements from, is what kept them from doing anything further.

“They said they were awaiting the chance to convene a board of inquiry but our position is that the board of inquiry does not negate the process of letting the men have their liberty.” Merritt said the men were not allowed to communicate with their attorneys during the period of their detainment and this amounted to a violation of his clients’ Constitutional rights.

“They also said they had warrants to execute at banks but I don’t understand how keeping my clients inside would affect that.” Ravi Rajkumar, attorney for the Defence Force, said the matter was one for internal investigations and felt the court should not interfere in the proceedings.

However Charles told Rajkumar while the soldiers may be subject to military law, they were still citizens of this country and are granted certain rights under the Constitution.

Hearing of the matter continues today.

In a statement, BPTT reported Juniper has started production on schedule and within budget.

BPTT is a subsidiary of energy multinational company (British Petroleum-BP). Juniper is BP’s first sub-sea field development in Trinidad and is located 80 km off the south-east coast in water approximately 110 metres deep.

The platform produces gas from the Corallita and Lantana fields.

In a subsequent statement, Energy Minister Franklin Khan said the project represents an investment of approximately US$ 2 billion by BPTT.

He said Juniper will have a gas production capacity of 590 million standard cubic feet per day (mscfd). Khan said Juniper’s gas production will augment BPTTs gas production and the company’s gas production was boosted in April with the start of the Trinidad Onshore Compression Project (TROC).

The TROC has provided incremental gas volumes of approximately 100 mscfd.

Khan said the Juniper and TROC projects are examples of BPTT’s commitment to improving the domestic gas production. He said both projects will assist in alleviating the current gas shortfall.

He said the ministry is also working closely with BPTT with respect to the timely development of the Angelin gas field. This field is estimated to come on stream in late 2019 with an estimated gas production capacity of 600 million standard cubic feet per day.

Khan also said there are ongoing discussions with the company on development plans for recently announced gas discoveries in BPTT’s offshore, Macadamia and Savannah field. The gas reserves are estimated at two trillion cubic feet. Khan said to monetise these and other resources, BPTT will invest approximately US$5 billion over the next five years. Khan was confident BPTT would build on the Juniper success and about similar successful developments in the near future. BP’s chief executive (upstream business) Bernard Looney said Juniper is a major milestone in BP’s over 50 years of investment in TT.BPTT’s regional president Norman Christie said Juniper, “further demonstrates our commitment to helping improve production capacity for TT.” Juniper was BPTT’s 14th offshore platform in Trinidad and its sixth to be constructed at the fabrication yard in La Brea.