Dillon quoted the reason directly from the Global Peace Index 2017 report at page 17 which gave the ranking.

Asked during yesterday’s sitting of the Senate what urgent measures Government was taking to address this negative image of the country, Dillon said the report over the past ten years had ranked TT in 2007 at 98; 2008, 98; 2009, 87; 2010, 94; 2011, 79; 2012, 94; 2013, 90; 2014, 89; 2015, 97; and 2016, 84 considered fairly good ranking.

He listed this year’s ranking at 97. However, the report ranked this country at 65 out of 163 countries.

The matter of the country’s image, he said, is the responsibility of no single ministry, department, agency or person.

“Consistent with our development thrust and overall objectives to improve the quality of life of all citizens,” he said, “Government remains committed to a whole Government approach to achieve its Vision 2030 objectives.

“TT will continue to collaborate with key international partners and agencies to benefit from technical assistance, training, equipment, and the exchange of best practices aimed at enhancing the criminal justice system.” The Global Peace Index which ranks the countries on 23 indicators based on levels of safety and security in society, the extent of domestic and international conflict, and the degree of militarisation ranked TT at 67, Jamaica, 72, Cuba, 76, and Haiti, 81. Guyana was ranked at 83.

I read in the print media that the TT MA distributed food hampers to flood victims in Caparo, Endeavour, Las Lomas, Rio Claro and Brazil.

And yesterday it was due to distribute an additional 400 food hampers in a continued effort by its membership to assist the impoverished flood victims.

Thus I take the opportunity once more to call on the corporate citizens who control the food industry to donate food hampers to the flood victims.

Bermudez Biscuit Co — the “vital” supplier — could donate a couple thousand packages of its new Crix biscuits — and throw in a few hundred blocks of cheese. It does not have to be cheddar.

Massy Stores, which boasts that it made billions of dollars over the years, is the ideal conglomerate to provide a few thousand food baskets. Naipaul’s Extra- Foods, TruValu Supermarket and all other stores should contribute.

By the way, this was a good opportunity for the “most powerful group in TT , well almost the most powerful,” to put its money where its mouth is and show that it really cares and is concerned not only with profits. Donate coffee, donuts and pizza and throw in a couple hundred pieces of chicken — small stuff man.

I wait with bated breath to see whether the new monied capitalists in TT will be enlightened and thus become a little bit humanitarian towards the impoverished flood victims. Talk is cheap.

So put your money where your mouth is, Mr “most powerful group, well almost the most powerful.”

ISRAEL B RAJAH-KHAN via email

Meteorologist at the Meteorological Office in Piarco Akil Nancoo said Tobago was feeling the effects more than Trinidad.

“We anticipate that the conditions would continue overnight and even tomorrow (today) with showers and thundershowers, but that would be more ITCZ (Inter Tropical Convergence Zone) related,” he said.

Nancoo said they have not received any reports of flooding, however, South Quay in Port-of-Spain was flooded for a while as heavy rains drenched the city with afternoon showers, adding there were reports of thunder by several people.

He said sea conditions were slight to normal, but in the areas experiencing showers and thunder showers, the water may become choppy at times especially out at sea in the Gulf of Paria.

Qurux Africa 3, which took place on July 2, blended African style and fashion with the vibrancy and wealth of Caribbean style and fashion.

The colours lighted Under the Trees at the Hotel Normandie, St Ann’s, at the event put on by the Emancipation Support Committee.

Designers such as The Nubian Experience, Deron Attzs Designs, Donna Pemberton, Relate Johannes of Ethiopia, Afrikan Ark, The Cloth, Haylooks Design of Ghana, Charisma Fashions of Ghana and Imat’s Creations of Martinique brought the colour and style under the tress.

Photos courtesy the Emancipation Support Committee.

Cary’s son Khari told Newsday his dad was diagnosed with prostate cancer in the middle of last year and since then, though he has been continuing with his music, his condition becomes painful at times.

He praised the Barataria- based Carter Foundation, whose principals Mikhel, Nicole and Gennine Carter try to preserve and maintain local culture, and because of his dad’s contribution to pan they thought that they should assist, he said.

“My dad will be performing on Saturday despite the pain,” Khari said.

According to Nicole Carter their non-profit organisation was launched last year to assist those involved in the arts in need of scholarships, grants and donations.

She said: “The Codrington family is friends of the Carter family. When we became aware of his situation we decided to help him (Cary) out because of his vast contribution to the cultural landscape of the county.

“I think he greatly appreciates it because he did not expect it and with the outpouring of support since we brought it to the fore, he is okay with it.” The show will feature parang band Amantes de Parranda, local reggae fusion band Nex Chapta, spoken word artiste Omari Asson, Jerome Gonzales from Vizion the Band, dance group SOUL (Soul Oasis Cultural Ambassadors), vocalist Joseph Lopez, and of course, the Codrington Pan Family, featuring Duvone Stewart. Showtime is 7pm.

Codrington’s musical career began in Starlift Steel Orchestra in 1972, after which he ventured into the arranging business, working with the Woodbrook Government Secondary School, and took them to the School’s Panorama victory six years later. Then in 1987, he took another school to winner’s row –the St Augustine Senior Comprehensive School band, and after that Codrington arranged for the Success Laventille School Steelband, that twice won the School Steelband Festival, placed second on two other occasions and won Junior Panorama in 2003.

But in 1982 he decided to go into arranging for adult bands, his first conquest being City Symphony. Codrington followed with Birdsong, then Laventille Song Specialists.

However, with a love for imparting his musical knowledge to the younger generation, there were no better people to so do than with his own family. He founded the Pan Family in 1999 that now comprises his wife Karen and six children.

Codrington, the holder of a Grade II Solo Performance – University of the West Indies Creative Arts Centre, 1998 and a Grade V – Royal School of Music, 2000, has performed extensively, both locally and internationally, over his decades in the pan arena.

The decision was taken after Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley requested his colleagues at the Caricom Heads of Government meeting which ended yesterday in St George’s, Grenada, to include the issues facing Venezuela on the agenda.

Chairman of the conference, Grenada Prime Minister Dr Keith Mitchell was mandated to write to the parties in Venezuela making the offer. In a statement on the matter issued yesterday following a closeddoor session, the Heads reaffirmed Caricom’s “guiding principles of the adherence to the rule of law, respect for human rights and democracy, as well as for the fundamental principles of non-intervention and non-interference in the internal affairs of states.” The Heads continue to call for “all parties to commit to engage in renewed dialogue and negotiations leading to a comprehensive political agreement with established time tables, concrete actions and guarantees to ensure its implementation for the well-being of the nation.” Yesterday, Rowley also asked the conference to clarify whether Caricom was disengaged from “the troubling issues surrounding West Indies cricket.” He recommended “that we again empanel a committee on cricket and re-engage that issue and pursue it, in spite of the frustration, to bring some kind of resolution.

I do not think that it is helpful for us to concede that we no longer have an interest.” As a former member of the committee, he said, “I would like to make myself available and to encourage my colleague from Grenada to come back to the committee, so that we can have a team of members to stay engaged on the matter of West Indies cricket.” Outside of the meeting, Rowley met with met with representatives of the US State Department for talks on issues of mutual interest which included trade and security.

On security, the US acknowledged that it was capable of providing increased support to Trinidad and Tobago and pledged to do more. Rowley noted the need for a strengthened partnership, specifically in the areas of training, equipment and information sharing.

Yesterday, Rowley also toured the Sandals LaSource Grenada.

Sandals is expected to open a similar resort in Tobago.

Opposition leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar, on Monday, cited a report by Moody’s Investor Services dated June 30 which stated, “Further pending reductions could materialise during the rest of the year as the government plans to cut three billion dollars from public salaries this year.” However the Ministry of Finance, in a media release yesterday, said Moody’s had “misconstrued” the absence of a requirement of a back pay allocation of $3 billion in fiscal 2018 to being a “cut” in “public salaries”.

And referring to the statement as quoted by Persad-Bissessar, the ministry said, “This statement by Moody’s has quite naturally caused some concern, but it is clearly a misunderstanding of the facts.

“The Minister of Finance wishes to make it absolutely clear that the Government has no plan to cut public servant’s salaries or public salaries by $3 billion.

The reality is that the Government is no longer faced with the $5 billion plus back pay bill for public officers which it was confronted with in September 2015, since most of this back pay was paid in 2016 and the first half of 2017,” the Ministry stated.

“Accordingly, in the next fiscal year, the Government will not be saddled with this huge liability. Moody’s clearly misconstrued the reference to the absence of a requirement for an allocation of $3 billion in back pay in fiscal 2018 and strangely characterized this reduction in back pay liability as a “cut” in “public salaries.

However, it is not a cut in salaries but rather a natural reduction in the requirement for back pay.” However, in a telephone interview yesterday Indarsingh, who is the Opposition party’s shadow labour minister, said government workers were being sent home at an unprecedented rate as moves were being made to reduce the public section wage bill.

“There is no hope as it relates to the creation of employment and that is why I am saying they are systematically dismantling the public service.”

One such example is the recent demolition of “The Hut,” Port of Spain, which was an officially listed national heritage building, previously occupied jointly by the Girl Guides and Caribs Rugby Club. No one will admit to having given instructions nor having paid for doing this, but Jennifer Johnson, who is president of the Girl Guides Association, is quoted in the newspapers as having said, “The fact of the matter is that the place was totally destroyed and you had to begin to clear up the mess and that is what happened this morning.” In reality, “the fact of the matter” is quite the opposite. The fact of the matter is that only the roof, windows and the contents of the building were destroyed by a fire in March — the solid, thick stone walls were not “destroyed” in any sense whatsoever.

The fact of the matter is that the structure was in much better condition when it was maliciously demolished earlier this month, than when Caribs Rugby Club entered into an agreement with the girl guides to re-roof and refurbish it in the early 1980s.

The fact of the matter is that the Zoological Society wanted the property for its own use and the Girl Guides Association, but not Caribs, was willing to give it to them. Be that as it may, enough is surely enough when people in authority who are expected to protect, promote and sustain our “special treasures” (be it wild animals, young girls, plants, trees, flowers, or historical buildings) openly flaunt the law.

That this cowardly act was committed early one morning, before action could be taken to prevent it, speaks volumes about these “exemplars.” Johnson is quoted as saying that she was not involved in the demolition “directly,” though supporting it, so she is not responsible. No one is accountable. Is it any wonder that so many of our young people are lost and resort to killing without thought or remorse when people who should be guarding our national heritage are actively engaged in destroying it?

BRIAN STOLLMEYER St James, PoS

This we have to believe as to do otherwise is to practically roll over and die.

I cannot fathom that among us are human beings with the capacity to sit down and plot the horrendous acts of violence against women and children particularly, as are being perpetrated now almost daily. But there are and they seem to appear as phantoms, leaving indescribable grief in their wake.

There is no logical reasoning to justify this behaviour. It cannot be explained that it is as a result of the drug trade, or poverty or the economic hardships facing us at this time. What is the emotional frame that could trigger such thoughts and lead to the cold, heartless and cruel act of slitting the throat of another as though this person was a fowl in the back yard? I challenge our esteemed psychologists to come up with a plausible explanation as indeed such is desperately needed, otherwise we are forced to conclude that the evil of a medieval past still exists in sweet TT .

Already we live in constant fear of our homes being invaded by masked or unmasked men, breaking down our doors and demanding our valuables; snatching and grabbing all they can find and driving away with our hard-earned belongings.

We now have the added fear of being cruelly dismembered and or beheaded in the process, even though you may be old, infirmed or merely a child. The chilling fear that these thoughts conjure have become intrinsic to our daily existence. We simply are not safe anymore, not even in our homes.

Indeed, TT is experiencing its darkest hour. The recent attack on Fr Clyde Harvey, the cruel and senseless murders of Hafeeza Mohammed and Vedesh Subar clearly spell out the abject nature of what life has become in our country.

The sacred boundaries and the unspoken respect for the spiritual were defied, leaving no doubt that we no longer operate with a moral code or conscious.

Certainly there is no stopping the criminal element now; the fences have been cleared and no one is exempt from the scourge.

Hence my belief that a new day is coming soon, as there is no further to go in this dark and ruthless pit. We have hit rock bottom. The only way forward is up and as a society we have to take this bull by the horns and face the reality head on.

We must begin to instill hope where there is fear and replace the negative outlook with a positive resolve to join forces and push back against the criminal element.

We have many examples of the power of the masses and the victories that can be gained from a collective show of force against the enemy. A new dawn is near, but we have to create the sunrise by our response to this seemingly overwhelming darkness.

GARVIN COLE Tobago

The stage is already set in Russia, from where DIRECTV Sports broadcast all the games of the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup, including the final last Sunday.

As in the case of the Confederations Cup, DIRECTV’s production team will be among the first to set up shop in Russia in 2018.

Coverage will be produced by a group of well-known commentators, analysts and correspondents from different Latin American countries, led by Juan Pablo Varsky and Pablo Giralt.

Together, they will broadcast all of the action from the 12 venues where the tournament will take place.

They will report from the different venues and the national teams training sites through DIRECTV Sports exclusive programming, including two daily shows from Russia: Mundial Total and Central Deportivo.

“Our goal is for DIRECTV Sports viewers to experience the FIFA World Cup in 2018 as if they were there, enjoying all the action live. We will provide our viewers access to all the information and details that fans are interested in,” said José Rocha, vice-president of content development and general manager of DIRECTV Sports/ DIRECTV Latin America.

“We deliver the best sports experience, thanks to the many football fans and experts who are part of the DIRECTV’s team and the experience we have developed, with over two decades of continuous coverage of world-class events.” This complete coverage will be available on DIRECTV Sports and DIRECTV Sports HD. It will also be available on DIRECTV Play, DIRECTVSports.

com and the DIRECTV sports app, allowing viewers to watch matches on TV, computers, smart phones and tablets, from anywhere without missing a second of the tournament.

In addition, DIRECTV will offer once again its interactive mosaic technology, with a multi-camera system that will allow viewers to see different angles of the same match on a single screen.

Users will also have the option to listen to the narration of their favourite matches with the audio of their choice.

“DIRECTV Sports is the best place to experience sports, especially football. In addition to broadcasting all the matches of the FIFA World Cup, we are home to the European qualifiers, the Premier League and the Spanish La Liga,” said Guillermo Barreto, vice-president development and production, GM DIRECTV Sports/DIRECTV Latin America.

“We provide sports fans live coverage of the most anticipated competitions, many of them exclusively, and complement them with nearly 1000 hours of sports content in high definition.” The World Cup coverage, broadcast by DIRECTV Sports since 1998, is part of the most complete sports programming offering available, and positions DIRECTV as the leader in sports broadcasting in Latin America. DIRECTV’s sports programming includes more than 700 annual matches of major European football leagues and world class events in football, basketball, tennis, golf and baseball, among other sports, as well as interactive sports programming only available through the DIRECTV Sports channel.

The World Cup will be enjoyed in HD via DIRECTV Sports in Argentina, Chile, Colombia, the Caribbean, Ecuador, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela.

Also, spectators can view the tournament on DIRECTV Play, DIRECTVSports.com and the DIRECTV sports app in Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela