Fasting is not the law of the land but the law of Allah: Q2:181.

Fasting is a spiritual and physical exercise. It is a religious institution and universal as prayer.

It is also a hygienic maxim and an important observation. It is a basic and minimal requirement for the fulfilment of a Muslim’s faith.

Fasting enables one to attain a feeling of closeness to Allah. It is for Allah that Muslims fast.

The purpose of fasting is to learn piety, self-restraint, God-consciousness, to fear Allah, to do good deeds and to obey Allah.

The aim of fasting is to obtain Allah’s pleasure.

It makes a Muslim steadfast, disciplined and always conscious of Allah. The wisdom of fasting is to renounce the lawful satisfaction of one’s desires. Fasting strengthens the will of self-control and heals any pain. It prevents diseases, helps concentration and lays the foundation of moral purity.

May Allah reward Muslims who fast. Ramadan Mubarak.

AHAMAD KHYYAM Curepe

Villaroel — one of eight debutants in the hosts’ starting lineup — pulled a rabbit out the hat when he surprised all in the 11th minute with a cracker from almost 30-yards out to beat Civic goalkeeper Akini Adams for his first goal in thirteen months.

Ironically, the former Central FC and Puerto Rico Islanders left fullback’s previous goal was in a 4-0 Central win against his current employers.

Only a rocket of a volley by Elton John three minutes from the half could have outdone his teammate last night, but Adams produced an equally magnificent save to keep out the shot.

Jameel Neptune’s crosscum- shot which crashed off the Civic bar in the fifth minute, and a long-range effort from returning player Jomoul Francois which whisked past Adams’ crossbar five minutes later had provided early warnings for the visitors and excitement for the few hundreds of spectators that came to witness professional football in the heart of Arima.

It was a creditable opening display by a North East Stars team scrambled together following a failed attempt by multiple-time Pro League-winning coach, Englishman Terry Fenwick, to take charge for the new season.

Arima native Derek King, who had joined on as assistant coach, suddenly found himself in the role of head coach. But the former Trinidad and Tobago senior team assistant coach shook off the rust to piece together a team worthy of representing the 2004 league champions and the borough of Arima.

King holds the record as the youngest coach to win the Pro League, leading Joe Public to the crown in 2009 at age 29.

Now back at age 37, his first return since parting ways with Joe Public in early 2011, the former TT international defender still stands as the youngest coach.

King handed starting debuts to former Central players Villaroel, Rundell Winchester, Kishun Seecharan and goalkeeper Akel Clarke; former Morvant Caledonia United duo Jameel Neptune and Seon Thomas; Stars U-17 midfielder Keon Boney, and former Central and W Connection forward Dwight Quintero, who is coming off a lengthy layoff due to an ankle injury which required surgery.

Elton John, Adrian Noel, and second-half substitute Kerry Baptiste were the only surviving members of last season’s squad, while Francois has returned following a brief stint at St. Ann’s Rangers.

Civic also had a number of player returns along with head coach Reynold Carrington, who had walked off the job in January 2015 due to players’ lack of motivation and pointed the problem to uncertainties over salaries.

But in a renewed twist of faith, Carrington, a former TT national captain, said his return is all about serving a community that’s very dear to him.

Carrington’s return also led to the return of defensive hardman Andre Ettienne, midfielder Kelvin Modeste and Adams, while former W Connection attacker Jabari Mitchell is among the new faces.

Pro League play continues today with a double-header at the Ato Boldon Stadium where Defence Force tackle Police FC from 6pm and W Connection, equipped with former Central and Civic star forward Marcus Joseph, take on MICIT St. Ann’s Rangers from 8pm.

(ttproleague.com)

She was speaking at the installion of the executive of the Trinidad and Tobago Blind Welfare Association the Office of the President, St Ann’s.

“Our society needs to ensure and sustain the personal independence of each and every visually impaired person. The right to appropriate access to public buildings, the right to live independently and the right to genuine opportunity are social fundamentals that must not be ignored and must not be taken for granted.

Many able bodied persons in our society do not recognise that these are basic human rights issues that must never be the subject of compromise,” she said.

Carmona said there were many examples of marginalisation suffered by the visually impaired in this country including the blocking of guide dogs for the blind as well as the lack of bells at most of the traffic lights.

She said she was “at pains” to indicate at the United Nations Regional Workshop on the Convention of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD last month that society was simply not doing enough.

A Minister of Agriculture today [now] has the task of dealing with issues of food safety, issues of health and wellness, significant trade matters, (and) issues of customs and tariffs (among others)” he said.

He was speaking at the opening opening ceremony of the first Caribbean Moringa Symposium and Festival at the at the UTT Waterloo Research Station, Waterloo, on Saturday.

The event was well attended by over 300 persons.

“What we should be focusing on is on that over which we have control, that we can produce competitively and we could increase the production and reduce that segment of the food import bill,” Rambharat said.

At the Moringa Symposium, Rambharat also asked the University of Trinidad and Tobago researchers for ‘a deeper consideration, not only of moringa, but a deeper consideration of traditional and non-traditional food sources which are available to us’.

He noted that ‘there are two areas that are wide open for the debate – they are Moringa as a health supplement and Moringa as a drug’.

The minister, who is also an attorney, provided a detailed analysis of the Food and Drug Bill in the context of the claims and advertising material promoting Moringa as an herbal medicinal product/ drug/medicine.

‘This Symposium will introduce the need for research [for traditional, herbal and complementary medicine].

Secondly, the issue of advertising claims and false claims [calls for urgent] regulation,’ he said.

Speakers at the event included, Professor Kenneth S. Julien (Emeritus), Chairman of the Board of Governors, UTT; Professor Dyer Narinesingh, President, UTT.

McClean, a self employed 41-year-old, got a reality check after tipping the scale at more than 300 pounds, two and a half years ago. Since then, he has been on a mission to get smaller and healthier and signed up for Rainbow Cup in 2015, where he completed the sprint triathlon category (750m swim, 20km ride, 5km run).

While training and then competing in 2015, he lost an astonishing 100 pounds in just over six months. In his first Rainbow Cup experience he completed the event in two hours and 32 seconds (2:00:32) to finish 87th overall. Leading up to the 2017 edition, which was held on Saturday, he lost 30 pounds in three months while training. He improved on his time by more than 15 minutes, completing the annual race in 1:44:28 for 64th overall. Talking about his journey over the past two years in the Rainbow Cup McClean said, “I did it two years ago. I did it on my own, I did not have a trainer or anything. My girlfriend at the time was doing it so I did it with her. It is a very different experience now because I trained (with my club) for the last three months. Great group of people, they definitely encouraged me a lot and we got specific training on cycling, swimming, running, all the disciplines and it helped a lot.” McClean said he made the decision to lose weight because he wanted to live a long life. “I never felt unhealthy to be very honest, but I just thought I want to have longevity and I figured being at that weight is not going to help me be around here for a long time. In doing the triathlon, I realise if I keep losing weight, I will be better on climbing the hills, it will just be a lot easier so that is really the motivation.” McClean said it is possible for anyone to lose weight, and encourages those struggling with their exercising to have positive people around them. “Nothing is impossible. I would say if you have good people behind you, whether it is a nutritionist, whether it is a coach, whether it is just your friend, it does not matter.

Once somebody is behind you supporting you, anything is possible. If I could do this at 300 plus pounds when I started training for it, anyone can do it.” The Tacarigua resident said taking small steps towards your final goal is crucial. “One step at a time, don’t set ridiculous goals.

Set short team goals, achieve them and then set something else.” McClean’s journey is far from finished, as he plans to compete in a triathlon in Barbados later this year.

“I would like to lose about 40 more pounds again. I am doing the triathlon in Barbados – that is my intention. That is in October, so I am hoping I could get down close to that weight by that point.”

Making reference to the present economic climate, Primus told the graduates that whenever a person keeps a job, some other person also loses a job. “In the economy of the future, everywhere you go, people are creating jobs. The only safe job is when you are your boss. Make that degree work for you. You should decide what you are going to do with this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity presented to you by bpTT.

Beyond gaining employment, think about being an employer,” Primus challenged the graduates.

The degree they obtained, he advised, was just the preliminary tool in shaping the real person they could become. He also appealed to them to make a real difference in their communities.

Voicing the gratitude of his peers was valedictorian, Dinesh Boodoo, who graduated from The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, with a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering.

“The youths of Mayaro and environs have a distinctive advantage over others with respect to access to higher education through this Brighter Prospects programme.

Therefore, we should not waste this opportunity given to us.

What bpTT is doing through this initiative is building a stronger community through education.

It is a fact that this ‘little fishing village’ of Mayaro is well equipped with brain-power. We have qualified teachers, doctors, engineers and other professionals who have beneffited through this programme. Many of us may not have reached this far without this far-sighted programme.” Open to residents of Mayaro and environs, Brighter Prospects is one of bpTT’s flagship programmes in its policy of investing in human capital development. Started in 2003, the initiative provides financial assistance to students who gain access to tertiary education at approved institutions. The programme has fostered over 185 successful graduates since its inception Inspiring the graduates to even greater achievement was Dr. Jared Brewster, himself a graduate of the Brighter Prospects programme and is a surgeon at the Sangre Grande Hospital. “You graduates are no less the local heroes. Against the odds you have acquitted yourselves with excellence.

BPTT has flexed its corporate muscles to break barriers and create opportunities to make it less daunting for you to achieve your educational goals. I urge you to be lifelong learners. I challenge you to be conscientious citizens as you embark on this most important journey that awaits you,” Dr. Brewster exhorted the graduates.

Earlier, Matthew Pierre, Community Liaison Officer, bpTT, said that the Brighter Prospects scholarship programme, which focussed at the beginning on energy-sector disciplines, had broadened over the years to cover a wide range of tertiary education studies, such as medicine (with at least four doctors already qualified), IT and computer studies, and social sciences.

The programme covers disciplines from several tertiary institutions, such as the University of the West Indies, the University of Trinidad and Tobago, Metal Industries Company, the College of Science, Technology and Applied Arts of Trinidad and Tobago and the Trinidad and Tobago Hospitality and Tourism Institute.

The TT team underwent one final training session at Prentup Field in Denver yesterday morning before leaving for San Jose in the evening. TT Head coach Dennis Lawrence opted to stay in Denver following Thursday’s match against the United States as he felt the training facilities would be a more comfortable environment for the team.

Defender Aubrey David, who played last year with Costa Rican club Deportivo Saprissa, will be familiar with the conditions in San Jose and it is expected to be a hostile one as the hosts are desperate for a win after being held 0-0 by Panama last Thursday at home. Their fans are expected to be on the backs of the players, urging them to three points. By last Tuesday, already 25,000 tickets were sold for tomorrow’s match and the Costa Rican Football Federation was expecting a sold out house by Gameday.

“Knowing the Costa Rican fans and how important football and the national team is to them, they will be out in their numbers to drive the team on Tuesday,” David told TT FA Media.

“The people are very, very passionate and they will be looking to spur the team on against us. But having played here and knowing what to expect, I don’t think our boys need to be intimidated. Once we settle and we get the fans out of our minds and play the game, then we should be able to cope with things,” David said.

“We have players who have faced very hostile conditions in countries like Mexico, Honduras. Guatemala and El Salvador so it’s not going to be an eye opener on Tuesday. And the head coach is capable to preparing the players mentally for the challenge ahead. The most important thing will be for us to settle and not let the Costa Ricans get on top of us from early and hopefully we can stick together and grind it out,” David added.

TT have never beaten Costa Rica in a World Cup qualifier and its best result in San Jose was a 1-1 draw in 1989.

In 25 meetings between both countries in all types of senior team matches, TT have won three, drawn four and lost 18 with the most recent defeat being a 2-0 loss in March in Port of Spain. One of the memorable wins for TT was a 2-1 win at the 2000 CONCACAF Gold Cup quarter-finals courtesy of goals by Arnold Dwarika and the deceased Mickey Trotman. TT have beaten Costa Rica only once in any form of World Cup qualification, that being a 2-0 win for the Under 17 Men’s team in World Cup qualifying final round in Panama in 2013.

It is really about mobilising ordinary people who want to live ordinary lives and who have to survive no matter what the economic or political situation. The turnout in the UK election on Thursday was 69 per cent, the largest since 1997. An estimated 72 per cent of young people, many university students, voted in the elections. Therefore, something had turned.

Even holidaymakers who were out of the country ensured that they used their proxy vote. This is the rise of people power. For Jeremy Corbyn, who was the real winner, “people have had enough of austerity politics” and “politics have changed.” However, it was Labour’s ability to gain the support of the young that really changed the dynamics of power. Many went on Facebook to campaign. Young people are just plain tired of lies and acts of bullying and all that ancient politicising and intrigue. They just want those in charge to show self-respect, work for all, and not behave like children. We are therefore seeing the rise of young heads of state.

In France, Emmanuel Macron, the new President, is 39 and already demonstrating steely resolve in the face of chauvinist bullying politics.

His response to US President Donald Trump who pulled out of the Paris climate pact was that we should “make the planet great again.” And who does not feel hope at the thought of Justin Trudeau, the 46-year-old Canadian whose charismatic leadership has made him iconic.

The young seem to be making the call. That was very evident last week when party members elected Leo Varadkhar in Ireland as the first gay leader of Fine Gael, which is the current ruling party. He will on Wednesday become the first gay Taoiseach (Prime Minister) as well as the youngest leader of the country at 39.

Most significantly, he is the son of an Indian immigrant and will therefore become the first non-white Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland.

So maybe young intelligent people are trying to say something. They are tired of the grandstanding, the selfishness, the racism and the forming of power cliques and the posturing and the destroying of people’s reputations and the mud-slinging simply to attain power. They want their lives back.

And as Corbyn rises like Lazarus against the attempted knifing by his own parliamentary colleagues, his ordinary Labour supporters see him as the man who, with his casual demeanour, can best serve a populace tired of it all. They see him as a man of principle who just might help stem the bigotry that continues to flow from British and American leaders and who might perhaps give back a sense of decency to people’s lives. No one apparently saw it coming.

Theresa May moved swiftly to form a government with the DUP of Northern Ireland. But there is still much to ponder given the history of the troubles in Northern Ireland and the relations between the Democratic Unionist Party and the Republic of Ireland. Politics are an uncertain game. I remember the snap election called by Patrick Manning.

Back in Trinidad, the country remains in chaos with the Judiciary under attack while backbiting and calumnious statements proliferate.

The media duly highlight all. As this continues in the blaring spotlight, security guards apparently, according to eyewitnesses, dump an elderly man on the ground outside a hospital and he dies.

Around the same time, a mother displays for all to see the image of her disabled son, who is unable to walk because he was hit by a stray bullet while playing football and who is subsequently forced by Housing Development Corporation authorities to live on the seventh floor of an apartment block. She has no help and he receives no physiotherapy. She has to call the fire brigade to assist in bringing her son to ground level.

Another parent tells newspaper reporters that her daughter, who is also disabled, has been told there is no room for her in any school.

While the society becomes more sensitive to the needs of the disabled and really tired of meaningless talk, the politicians and the ones with power do nothing and remain completely out of tune with how the younger generation sees the world.

Trinidad society has begun to grow up and slowly recognise that the disabled and the marginalised have rights. This is evident in the proliferation of voluntary groups actively seeking to enhance the rights of those with disabilities. In the meantime, those in authority continue to make polite comments and pass the buck or reveal their total lack of knowledge.

What is more, they display their inability to connect with the everyday lives and needs of the electorate.

I really think that P r i m e Minister Dr Keith R o w l e y s h o u l d call a snap election now

The Abilene Wildcats sprinter stopped the clock at 20.75 seconds to pip club-mate Jacob St Clair (20.77) at the line.

Simplex runner Jalen Purcell, who copped the 100m silver a day earlier, took bronze in a time of 21.02.

In the female equivalent, Shikyla Walcott of Simplex took the glory in 24.27 seconds, ahead of Abilene’s Renee Stoddard (24.56) and Concorde’s Michaela Neils (24.73).

There was the usual excitement for the relay events and there was no stopping Memphis Pioneers who grabbed gold in the Boys U-20 4x100m to deny Elcock his triple gold. The quartet of Bevon Gordon, Clement Campbell, David Pierce and Adrian Yearwood passed the baton with ease to clock a winning time of 41.77.

A close second were Abilene Wildcats’ Ronaldo Moore, Judah Taylor, Elcock and Karl Bailey (41.81). Air Bon Sonics’ Shamari Crawford, Trey Williams, Matthew Graham and Larnel Roberts (43.11) were third.

In the Boys Under-20 800m final, Speed Factory’s Jonathan Antoine got the job done to claim gold in 1:55.84 ahead of Cougars’ Jaden St Louis (1:56.46) and Memphis Pioneers’ Myles Jackson (1:57.30).

Shania Le Matrie of Rebirth obliterated her field to win the Girls Under-20 two-lap final, clocking 2:27.92. Trailing almost six seconds later was her clubmate Renata Charles (2:33.21) while Palo Seco’s Denesir Gordon (2:39.55) got the bronze.

A media release issued by the Ministry of National Security yesterday told people living near the camps they might notice the sound of explosions, blank gunfire and occasional flares from June 13 to 17, but said: “Citizens, residents, tenants and visitors to the area should not be alarmed as this would be part of ongoing exercises and controls are in place to ensure that there is no risk to persons or property.” Newsday spoke to Major Al Alexander, senior public affairs officer with the Defence Force, who said all exercises were taking place within the confines of the camps, and the National Security Ministry continued to make civilians’ safety a high priority.

The exercise is expected to see local national security agencies partneringwith over 20 regional affiliates, as well as the United States, Canada, Mexico, France, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, and is aimed at strengthening local capacities with respect to disaster management and response, as well as counter-terrorist training.