According to police reports, Daniel Peters, 20, and Jamal Harris, both of Morvant, were walking along a track when they were accosted by a group of armed who fired fired several shots at them.

Residents heard the sound of gunfire and notified members of the Morvant Police Station.

Police responded to the scene and discovered Harris’ body slumped against a wall while Peters was taken to the Port of Spain General Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

Twenty-seven spent shells were discovered at the scene. Officers of the Port of Spain Divisional Task force are conducting further investigations.

An intro to beetroot Like many modern vegetables, beetroot was first cultivated by the Romans. By the 19th century it held great commercial value when it was discovered that beets could be converted into sugar. Today, the leading commercial producers include the USA, Russia, France, Poland and Germany. Many classic beetroot recipes are associated with central and Eastern Europe including the famous beetroot soup known as borscht. Beetroot’s earthy charm has resulted in its ubiquitous influence on fashionable menus and recipes. Its delicious but distinctive flavour and nutritional status have escalated it to the root you can’t beat.

Belonging to the same family as chard and spinach, both the leaves and root can be eaten –the leaves have a bitter taste whereas the round root is sweet. Typically a rich purple colour, beetroot can also be white or golden. Due to its high sugar content, beetroot is delicious eaten raw but is more typically cooked or pickled.

Beetroot is of exceptional nutritional value; especially the greens, which are rich in calcium, iron and vitamins A and C. Beetroots are an excellent source of folic acid and a very good source of fibre, manganese and potassium. The greens should not be overlooked; they can be cooked up and enjoyed in the same way as spinach.

History of health Beetroots have long been used for medicinal purposes, primarily for disorders of the liver as they help to stimulate the liver’s detoxification processes. The plant pigment that gives beetroot its rich, purple-crimson colour is betacyanin; a powerful agent, thought to suppress the development of some types of cancer.

Beetroot is rich in fibre, exerting favourable effects on bowel function, which may assist in preventing constipation and help to lower cholesterol levels too.

Beetroot fibre has been shown to increase the level of antioxidant enzymes in the body, (specifically one called glutathione peroxidase), as well as increase the number of white blood cells, which are responsible for detecting and eliminating abnormal cells. Beets are also one of the richest sources of glutamine, an amino acid, essential to the health and maintenance of the intestinal tract.

Other studies have looked at the effect of beetroot juice on blood pressure. A reduction in blood pressure is beneficial for the avoidance of heart disease and stroke. Studies state that nitrate rich foods like beetroot may help in heart attack survival.

Beetroot juice has gained popularity since Paralympic gold medallist David Weir announced that a shot of the juice was his secret to success.

How to select and store Good quality, fresh beetroots should have their greens intact.

The greens should be fresh-looking with no signs of spoilage. The beetroot should be firm, smooth, and a vibrant red-purple, not soft, wrinkled or dull in colour. Fresh beets with the greens attached can be stored for three to four days in the fridge, but beets with the greens removed can be stored in the fridge for two to four weeks. Raw beets do not freeze well since they tend to become soft on thawing. Freezing cooked beetroot is fine as it retains its flavour and texture.

Wash beets gently under cool running water, taking care not to tear the skin. It is this tough outer layer that helps keep most of the beetroot’s pigments inside the vegetable. The leaves can be steamed lightly to retain their nutritional quality. When boiling beetroot, leave the beets with their root ends and one inch of stem attached and don’t peel them until after cooking since beet juice can stain your skin.

Tip: If your hands become stained during preparation and cooking beetroot, rub some lemon juice over them to help remove the colour.

Safety For some people, eating beetroot may induce beeturia; a red or pink colour in the urine or stool. It is totally harmless.

Beet greens and, to a lesser extent, the roots contain high levels of oxolate. Individuals with a history of oxalate-containing kidney stones should avoid over-consuming beetroot.

The members believe constant rains will bring the tree, loosening soil and shrubs down on the house due to poor water run-off.

When Newsday visited the home yesterday, some of the family members said they had not slept since Monday because of the worrying situation. The home has eight people with three being children.

One family member, Jerome Neptune said, “As the rain comes there could be further landslides.” Dion Rogers, another family member, said he too did not sleep as he was worried of another possible landslide bringing the tree down on the house.

Althea Norman says the problem has been like this for the last five years with each year becoming “progressively worse.” She said the family has made numerous calls and visits to the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Management (ODPM) which, through the Tunapuna/Piarco Regional Corporation, came to cut down one of the trees but was told by tenants residing on the adjacent property that they did not want them on their property. One tree was cut down but the others were not.

“This is dangerous to life and property,” Norman said.

The family has once again reported the matter to the ODPM which said the corporation was responsible for removing the tree.

However, when the corporation was contacted via telephone in Newsday’s presence, an official said to Norman that he was unable to send a worker out as it would be a risk to the worker’s life. Norman was advised if she was willing to pay someone to do it, then the corporation could assist.

Norman said the family’s next step is to apply for a grant to construct a retaining wall.

ODPM’s relief officer Capt Neville Wint told Newsday the matter was a local government issue.

Beverly David, 37, of Russo Lane, Wallervale, Guaico was granted bail in the sum of $100,000 but was taken to the Women’s Prison as no one had posted bail for her.

Should she be able to raise the bail, she would be required to report to the Sangre Grande Police Station once a week.

Newsday was told the child is in the care of his paternal relatives.

David is scheduled to return to court on July 18.

Thong was ruthless during the tournament, not dropping a set on his way to the title. In the final, Thong defeated Guyanese Mohryan Baksh 11-0, 11-2, 11-9.

After earning a first round bye, Thong defeated American Jaydon Williams 11-2, 11-1, 11-2 in the quarter-finals, before outlasting Barbadian Zishan Motara in the semi-finals 11-6, 11-6, 11-4.

Christopher Anthony earned silver for TT in the boys Under-15 category. Guyanese Shomari Wiltshire got past Anthony 11-1, 9-11, 11-1, 11-2 in the final.

Anthony was resilient throughout the tournament coming from behind in the quarter-finals and semi-finals. He came from two sets down to win in five sets in the quarter-finals, then bounced back from 1-2 to win 3-2 in the semi-finals.

Joshua Poon also represented TT in the boys Under-15 category but lost in the first round.

In the boys Under-17 category, Seth Figueria lost in round one while Kobie Khan advanced to the quarter-finals before being eliminated.

Nicholas Caddle, Nicholas Shaw and Jonathan Blanc represented TT in the boys Under-19 category. Shaw and Blanc were eliminated in round one, while Caddle progressed to the quarter- finals before being defeated.

Among the girls, TT were guaranteed a medal in the girls Under- 19 category as Alexandria Yearwood and Marie Claire Barcant squared off in the third place playoff. However, up to press time it was uncertain who copped the bronze medal. In the first round (quarter-finals), Barcant defeated Emma Turnbull of Cayman Islands 11-4, 11-8, 11-6, while Yearwood got past Guyanese Rebecca Low 11-4, 11-1, 11-3.

In the semi-finals Barcant lost in four sets, while Yearwood lost in five.

In the girls Under-17 category, Jinan Al Rawi lost in round one while Chelsea Lequay lost in the quarter-finals after getting a first round bye. Chloe Walcott and Aimee de Verteuil lost in round one of the girls Under-15 category, while Sigourney Williams also could not past round one in the girls Under-13 category.

There were no abstentions.

According to the explanatory notes, the Bill allows a prosecutor and an accused person, which includes a person suspected of committing a criminal offence and a defendant in proceedings before the court for criminal proceedings (whether on his own or represented by an attorney), to engage in plea discussions aimed at arriving at a plea agreement.

The plea discussions may be initiated by either the accused person or prosecutor in both summary and indictable offences. Under the plea agreement, the accused agrees to plead guilty to a specified offence or undertakes to perform any other obligations contained in the plea agreement in exchange for the prosecutor’s undertaking to take a particular course of action.

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We are becoming deafened by the sound of breaking glass from the three political houses. The main accusers appear to forget that citizens are cognisant of the facts behind every political appointment. What we do best in a small society and with good/ bad effect is personal character-bashing of candidates for political mileage.

Is it politically correct to appoint anyone to senatorial positions, regardless how talented, if there are outstanding court matters? Is it acceptable to have changed ministers like sweaty tissues when in government and when in opposition to find fault if others do the same? TT is a very small country with a limited pool of qualified, experienced people with consummate political talent. Discard such rare talent at your peril.

When a general election is on the horizon.

Political talent of the highest quality is a rare commodity in a country of roughly 1.4 million people.

No present or past prime minister can afford to throw stones at each other. They have to agree/disagree as to the extent of culpability that can be excused.

Apart from the gross obfuscation of facts, it is only allegations of murder and sexual molestation that should raise eyebrows. And even with eyebrows raised to the hairline, allegations of sexual molestation have been ignored because of political opportunism.

In other words, unless there is strong provable evidence, the political pot cannot call the political kettle black. A definite straight case of “do so ain’t like so.”

LYNETTE JOSEPH Diego Martin

The clinic was conducted by the TTFA zonal coaches and overseen by TTFA technical director Muhammad Isa.

Paul Decle, one of the coaches who participated in the TTFA Grassroots coaching course conducted by Anton Corneal recently, was present and involved in Saturday’s session. Decle is also the founder of Pro Series Events.

“I was really impressed with the level of participation and players coming from all over Trinidad to be part of the Grassroots festival,” Decle said. “Despite the hot weather, the children had great fun, learning news skills and getting a chance to play matches. It was a great event with an excellent group of coaches and a pleasure to be a part of.” At Saturday’s session, the participants included youngsters came from the Glencoe Football Academy and Petit Valley United.

Cocorite Government Primary, Dunross Primary and other areas such as La Puerta, Sagangar Trace, Cocorite, Diego Martin and Carenage.

Visiting coach Jamie Harris, who is the Under-11 coach at English club AFC Bournemouth, was also in attendance as an observer at Saturday’s session This Saturday, the Festival rolls into Moruga with another session starting from 9 am at the Grand Chemin Ground.

So far the year the TTFA Grassroots Festival has also been staged in La Brea, Chaguanas, Blanchisseuse and Palo Seco.

The clinics cater for boys and girls between the ages of six and 11. The kids are taught the basics of the game with an emphasis on player participation and enjoyment as coaches, who have all been trained by the TTFA coaching instructors and been part of the recent TTFA/CONCACAF Grassroots coaching course, are utilised to guide the youngsters during the sessions.

In a video that was posted online by another patron, Olivia could be seen lying on his back before Destra told him, “If you’s a bad boy I will treat you bad.

Treat him bad allyuh?” before dropping herself onto his pelvis.

Olivia was then seen getting up from the floor of the stage but did not appear to be in any immediate discomfort.

Sources however revealed that once off the stage, he complained of a pain in his midsection and had to be rushed to hospital for emergency treatment.

Tests at the hospital revealed that Olivia had suffered a ruptured bladder from the impact.

Justice Courtney Able delivered his ruling after Olivia’s lawyers argued that Destra’s move on stage was less like a soca dance and more like a wrestling move.

The court granted a default judgement against Garcia as she did not enter a defence and lawyers confirmed that they are currently in talks with local attorneys to have the order enforced in this jurisdiction.

Newsday spoke to attorney Christophe Rodriguez who, along with Shane Kingston, will act for the Belizean national locally to enforce the order.

Rodriguez, whose law partner Steve Perera handled the case in Belize, explained the first course of action he intends to follow is to approach the High Court to have the judgement recognised. “We will be asking the court to have her pay the amount of damages (compensation) ordered by the Belizean court.

We will be approaching the court within the next two weeks.” Attempts to contact Garcia or her publicist were unsuccessful.

Newsday understands that she left the country for Miami earlier yesterday.

Some people might choose this period to complete short courses, online degree programs, or projects around the home.

Whatever goals people may have in mind or how they choose to spend their time, the focus should be to improve the quality of life.

Therefore, be determined to adopt a healthier lifestyle, relieve stress, and enjoy family and friends, as well as children. For this cause adolescents, parents/guardians and community volunteers can come together to participate in food and nutrition activities. Such planned programmes can be probably conducted at the local, regional, and international levels engaging businesses, faith-based organisations, and communities. Today’s article will focus on interactive food and nutrition activities that can probably contribute to preventing disease, and promoting health and wellness among children and their families.

Healthy habits Helping children and adolescents to maintain their health is essential; this of course should include bringing together parents, caregivers, members of the extended family, and community residents.

You will find that they form the supportive network to assist the children and teens in not only making wise food choices, but also in promoting and developing healthy habits to last a lifetime, such as choosing nutritious foods and beverages to enhance growth and development, and regular participation in physical activity.

Moreover, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics supports this view; they documented in their position statement the significance in maintaining the health of children. For example good eating habits in children within the age group two to 11 years as well as their engaging frequently in physical activity can be beneficial in achieving optimal physical health and good cognitive development and function, maintaining healthy weights, enjoying food, and lowering the potential risk for developing chronic diseases.

Some challenges Although, it is critical to implement the healthy practices, however, according to studies conducted, there might be some challenges. These can include, but should not be limited to lack of income, food availability and access, long working hours of parents/guardians perhaps contributing to greater consumption of meals and snacks prepared outside of the home, or more convenience foods. Add to that list, increase portion sizes, preference for foods high in fat, sugar, and salt, lack of basic cooking skills, food and nutrition knowledge deficit, and the availability of cooking and storage equipment – all of which may tend to negatively impact health.

Children and teens who prefer to remain indoors and play video games, along with environmental concerns such as a safe place for play, violence in communities – such factors, may more than likely have a negative effect on physical activity level.

Simple practical approach Teaching children and their parents/ guardians how to prepare nutritious meals and snacks can be beneficial. For example, the registered dietitian and public health nutritionist can plan interactive food and nutrition activities focusing on the following themes; keeping food safe and basic sanitation principles, the nutritive value of foods, the Caribbean Food Groups, basic functions of nutrients and good sources, which foods to limit or omit containing high amounts of fat, sugar, and salt, benefits of adding fruits and vegetables to the diet, omitting sugary beverages – choose water instead, healthy fats, the importance of breakfast and examples of nutritious food choices, the food label, healthy cooking – working with recipes using local produce, planning a balanced meal and healthy snacks, and how to prepare, store, and package food.

This, of course, can be a collaborative approach involving food demonstrators; the caterers or chefs/cooks for school meals programme, cafeteria operators, and community residents or church associates responsible for planning pot luck dinners can also be invited to participate.

Also, to achieve and maintain a healthy weight, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicated that children should be encouraged to enjoy play; physical activities selected should be age-appropriate and enjoyable. The recommendation is that children and adolescents should do one hour or more of physical activity each day. Furthermore, ensure children and adolescents participate in the three types of physical activity: aerobic activity should make up most of the one hour of physical activity daily, example moderate-intensity activity such as brisk walking, and vigorous-intensity activity for example running (at least three days per week); muscle strengthening such as gymnastics or push-ups, three days per week, and bone strengthening such as jumping rope or running, three days per week, to be included as part of the one hour.

Nutrition message: participation in food and nutrition activities can benefit children and their families.

Claudette Mitchell, PhD, RD is an Assistant Professor, University of the Southern Caribbean, Department of Family and Consumer Sciences