When he reached the John John flyover, Serette was shot in the chest. Police and emergency services were immediately called. Officers of the Highway Patrol and the Northern Division responded and Serette was taken to the Port of Spain General Hospital, where he remains warded in a critical condition.

Police believe criminals in possession of either a sniper rifle or a high-powered weapon such as an AK-47 or AR-15 were testing its reach and fired shots at random at passing vehicles, with a bullet unerringly finding Serette’s chest inside a moving vehicle.

Investigations are ongoing

I for one welcomed the advent of “Internet banking” because it saved me the trouble of having to go into the bank and stand in long lines with inadequate amount of tellers to deal with me, even if only to answer a query. Now it seems there is a shortage of employees to deal with online queries.

If you call on the phone to query an Internet problem, it seems like “all of our agents are still engaged, please stay on the line” is the “road march” in this republic of ours.

I recently had an experience that caused me to be holding on for an agent to deal with me, while my phone bill kept going up, not happily jumping to the road march.

Even if there is a toll free number to call it probably would be backed up with callers making me wonder if I shouldn’t just go back into the bank and take my “licks” standing up in the long lines with the rest of the unfortunate people who have to. Just to have a query answered.

Where we really heading? Or have we reached?

W DOPSON Woodbrook, PoS

However, in response to further questioning from committee members, Barrow said the ministry could have been more prudent in handling the trip and people coming and going from Tobago, especially regarding transportation as two flights were cancelled. Smith and 12 staff members of the Ministry and the Sports Company visited Tobago on May 20 to attend a THA Sports Awards.

They racked up a bill of $91,910.43 for a three night stay at the Magdalena Grand where the awards were held.

Following a public outcry over the huge sum, the Prime Minister requested and received a report on the trip from the minister which he is studying before deciding what action to take.

Nine persons were originally invited to make the trip but three staffers, including officials of the Sports Company, were later added.

Barrow said although the ministry picked up the tab she didn’t see it as additional expenditure because the three persons had been previously scheduled to go to Tobago to tour the Dwight Yorke Stadium but their trips had been postponed.

She said the ministry took the opportunity to reschedule their trip and asked the THA to facilitate their attendance at the awards. In addition to the original nine persons invited to travel to Tobago, the delegation included the minister’s personal assistant, the personal assistant to the Permanent Secretary and a staff member from the ministry’s Communications Department.

Barrow said the minister would have requested his assistant and when the ministry does something it is usually covered by the Communications Department. Anthony Blake, the Head of Facilities Management for the Sports Company said he did not have the cost of travel for the three officials from the company but promised to provide the figure to the committee in writing. Barrow denied newspaper reports that one of the persons who made the trip had been transferred to the Office of the Prime Minister.

Barrow said the size of the delegation was the cost of doing business.

CANDISE De FREITAS intends to feed the souls of women throughout TT. She and co-founder of TT Soul Retreat, Ingrid Felice, hope during its inaugural retreat, to uplift women straddled with issues of domestic abuse, low self-esteem and other problems.

The two-day retreat, to be held on July 1 and 2, will focus on uplifting and empowering women.

De Freitas says the retreat came about after losing both her father, Anton and then two years later her brother, Kern; going through a divorce and battling with Myasthenia Gravis –a neuromuscular disorder that causes weakness in the skeletal muscles.

She said in an interview with Newsday: “I lost my father when I was 18 and two years after, my brother. I was married and my marriage did not work and I got divorced and the fact that I became ill, [and was] diagnosed with a rare disease. The diagnosis took two years, in all of those things it took a toll on my marriage, it took a toll on me, mentally. Dealing with all of that, as much as my mother was there, she was going through a lot and I think holistically, I did not have anyone to guide me…” After her divorce she got her first job and there she met a network of women, who despite having their own personal troubles were also able to help her. “At the job I had I met a lot of women and they had their issues. But I was lucky to meet women who each had something positive to give to me and I realised that was the kind of thing we needed as women. Women who would really push each other into that…the sister network was very important.” It is from there her passion arose.

But what also fuelled her drive to start TT Soul Retreat, the umbrella company under which Sister Soul Retreat is being held, was seeing and hearing of the difficulties and issues faced by women daily, whether it was through the news or personal encounters.

“The retreat was thought up by myself and based on simple everyday experiences from myself, friends, things I read in the papers. I felt there was a need for a kind of women empowerment and upliftment. I had been working personally on myself with the life coach [Ingrid Felice] based on my outcomes and how much I had learnt.” “I decided to ask her for us to do the retreat and to incorporate not just the life-coaching part of it but a sort of getaway. A relate, relax and release.” De Freitas, 36, does not intend to only stop at Soul Sister Retreat but to also do a couples’ retreat next year and, in the near future, a male retreat.

She hopes that the retreat will create a base for women from which to address the issues they face, daily. The retreat, she said, would provide a guide for women on, “the journey towards creating their best self. That would be the main outcome and to create a network of women, they would have met and share with for advice.” Women participating in the retreat can look forward to getting legal advice, advice on health matters, a self-defence class, a professional photo shoot and make-up session, yoga sessions as well as sessions with life coach, Felice.

These events will take place within the calming ambience of the D’Lime Inn and Conference Centre, Benjamin Street, Diego Martin.

De Freitas said holistically the retreat is a getaway for women and a, “place to bring forward whatever issues you might have deep down inside.” She called it Sister Soul Retreat because, “I believe one woman can reach a 100. You may have a friend or a sister who may not be able to afford the retreat or may not be able to afford counselling or life coaching, or is afraid to reach out…you might be able to find something within the retreat to pass on to them.” While in TT, she said, many saw counselling as taboo, counselling and mediation were needed since it resulted in things being better handled. “If we use these avenues, the life coaching, the mediation and stuff, things would be handled a lot better…,” she said.

The 36-year-old hopes to soon get other life coaches on board as well as take it to a corporate level, to further uplift individual and family life in the country.

While she said the response has been excellent signing up has been slow. The full retreat costs $2,000 for the weekend and she hopes to get 25 stay-over participants.

The company also intends to take ten additional women who would attend only the day sessions at $1,000.

The three clubs advanced to the quarter-final rounds carded for this Friday.

According to Dudnath Ramkeesoon, Operations Manager of the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board (TTCB), the other five matches which were affected by adverse weather conditions have been re-scheduled for tomorrow.

Dinsley CC beat Club Crusoe by seven wickets; Woodland trounced Savannah Boys by 10 wickets while Cunaripo Sports defeated Squadron Sports Club by eight wickets.

The match between East Zone champion Dinsley Sports and Club Crusoe was reduced to 15-oversa- side contest because of weather conditions.

Club Crusoe of Tobago was bowled out for 113 in 14.5 overs with Nashawn Lutchman (53), Selvin Duncan (19) and Kwame Thomas (14) being the main scorers.

Skipper Daniel Singh (two wickets for 11 runs) and Ravindra Singh (2/23) were the main wicket- takers.

In repl, Ravindra Singh (39) and Mark Sankar (33) shared a 78-run second wicket partnership while Rajin Deepakumar made 21 and propelled Dinsley CC to a comfortable seven-wicket win, as they made 114/3 in 13 overs.

Siddle Diaz (79 not out) and Daniel Ricketts (20 not out) sparked Woodland to an emphatic 10-wicket victory over Savannah Boys in a 13-over match. Savannah Boys mustered 106 for six in 13 overs while Woodland finished on 107 without loss in 7.5 overs.

Sunil Buchun topsored for Savannah Boys with an unbeaten 43. Philip Seepersad was the chief wicket-taker with three for 20.

At the Squadron Recreation Ground in Arouca, Cunaripo restricted Squadron Sports Club to 126/6 in 20 overs before they romped home in reply with 127/2 in 17 overs.

Randy Mahase topscored with 45 while national Under-19 player Rivaldo Ramlogan made 17. West Indies youth player Keagan Simmons took three wickets for 21 from his four overs and was supported by Valery Charles who grabbed three for 23 from four overs.

In reply, Anderson Richardson smashed 62 and piloted Cunaripo to an emphatic victory.

The winning team will take home $25,000 and the Unicomer Courts InterClub T20 Trophy.

However, none of the persons Newsday spoke to seemed overly put out by the delay. The basic message was that due to the otherwise excellence of the water taxi service, passengers were prepared to forgive this slip-up. “It is a good service. Thank God for it, because in years gone by we’d have to hustle with the bus,” said one woman opting to say nameless.

“I don’t want to go back to that everyday on the highway.” Newsday counted about 140 passengers some standing in queue but most seated in the air-conditioned structure.

Newsday called the water taxi customer service department which said the delay was caused by, “an issue with the vessel which was sorted out”, such that the boat was well on its way to arrive just 20 minutes after its initially-due time.

One person contacted Newsday to allege that when she called the terminal at 2.30 pm, no details were given as to when the boat would be in Port of Spain.

Secondly she said any delays affect the traveller’s commute. “It is very stressful because you turn up on a morning, you never know whether there will be a delay or not. Some days the 6.30 am sailing takes 90 minutes, compared to 45 minutes which is regular time, and on evening after a long days work it’s very frustrating.

In a news release posted on its website yesterday, McDermott stated the project was awarded following completion of the multiphase engineering which included the prefront- end engineering design and pre-execution engineering. The contractor’s team in Houston led the engineering and execution planning, supported by its engineering centre in Chennai, India.

“McDermott will design, procure, fabricate, transport, install and commission a six-slot well-head platform and 13-mi (21-km) 26-in.

(66-cm) subsea pipeline, using its project management and engineering team in Houston,” the company stated.

The company’s fabrication complex in Altamira, Mexico, will construct the 992- ton (900-metric ton) four-legged main pile jacket and 1,323-ton (1,200-metric ton) fourdeck topsides, with the DLV 2000 subsequently installing the platform and pipeline.

The DLV 2000 is a derrick lay vessel which is equipped with multiple cranes for construction, pipeline and deep-water installation.

The development will include four wells and will have a production capacity of about 600 MMcf/d. Gas from Angelin will flow to the Serrette platform hub via a new 21-km (13- mi) pipeline. Drilling is due to begin in third quarter in 2018, and first gas from the facility is expected in the first quarter of 2019. The Angelin project is located approximately 60 kilometres off the south east coast of Trinidad in water depth of about 65 meters and was originally discovered by the El Diablo well in 1995 and appraised by the La Novia well in 2006.

BP recently announced two significant gas discoveries offshore Trinidad with the Savannah and Macadamia exploration wells which unlocked 2 trillion cubic feet (tcf) of gas.

In April, an incensed Roget lashed BP’s decision not to have the platform constructed in La Brea, saying, “Take your platform and go! We are not prepared to have any type of construction in an environment that is unsafe, unhealthy and void of good industrial relations practice.” McDermott International has operations in the Americas, Middle East, the Caspian Sea and the Pacific Rim.

However, let me make it quite clear that I do not support such behaviour, austerity or no austerity. Indeed, in my view, the two instances which have been the butt of the outcry — alleged indiscreet spending by the Minister of Tourism and by the Minister of Sport and Youth Affairs — can be of value only if they serve to focus attention on the problem of government expenditure in general. Here is where we ought to direct attention.

Thus, even allowing for inflation, has anyone been able to point to even the smallest or relatively insignificant government department or agency which has been able to submit to the Ministry of Finance draft annual estimates of expenditure which happen to be less than those of the preceding year? One would be lucky.

In fact, here lies the root of the “expenditure problem” with which Ministers of Finance (of whatever colour) will always be faced. It is a case of Oliver Twist — “always calling for more” regardless.

Furthermore, what makes it even more galling is that government expenditure, notwithstanding what is being mouthed perennially, bears no identifiable relationship, at all, to productivity.

What is clear is that the almost open-ended criteria being used by ministries and agencies in determining draft estimates of expenditure have had a tendency to encourage increases every year when compared with its precursor.

I therefore postulate that the issues raised by the alleged indiscretions by the two ministers are really of no intrinsic consideration when taken against the general profligate expenditure of Government — much of which is being imposed on the taxpayer by agencies, the need for which must be called into question. Has someone the courage to act? Indeed, in support of this contention of seemingly galloping uncontrolled government expenditure, I have only to point to but one single item of government expenditure — the cost of motoring.

Thus, has it not been clear that the assignment to the police of expensive SUVs following the Summit of the Americas and the Commonwealth Heads of Government Conference has brought about a thirst by police officers for this type of vehicle and thus in their being seen driving about in relative comfort, in droves, with guns “cock-ahoop,” rather than in their being “on the beat?” And, as if not to be left out, are we aware that messengers in government ministries and departments are finding their way via expensive foreign-exchange – bl e e ding” SUVs? Not to mention the high-powered vehicles which ministers and Members of Parliament and senior officers are being facilitated to own, courtesy the Salaries Review Commission? Can one envisage a reversal of what has become “cultural official norms?” I do not know.

ERROL OC CUPID Trincity, Tacarigua

An attorney, who witnessed the spectacle of young children trembling from the cold under a tarpaulin during early morning showers yesterday, wrote up documents and rushed to the San Fernando High Court to file a judicial review lawsuit against Minister of Housing Randall Mitchell.

The lawsuit seeks the court’s direction to the Housing Development Authority (HDC) to at least instruct the San Fernando City Corporation to allow these families permission to occupy the San Fernando Centre for the Displaced.

The families were evicted last month from several apartments in an HDC housing development at Harmony Hall where the buildings containing the apartments were several years ago, deemed unsafe for human habitation.

Allison Dick, Malika Lewis, the Martin and Phillips families have been living on the road outside the Harmony Hall HDC development which is a few meters from the Gasparillo junction. The apartment complex was deemed unfit in 2012, and as a result, occupants were relocated. Several other families then moved into the vacant apartments.

Attorney Cherry Ann Rajkumar filed the judicial review application in which she stated that at 4.20 am yesterday, there was continuous rainfall which made life unbearable for the evicted families. According to court documents filed, Dick informed the attorney that her children got wet and have fallen ill.

Rajkumar named the parties to the lawsuit as the ‘Asphalt Pitch Pavement Dwellers’ of Harmony Hall who are seeking judicial review against refusal of the Minister of Housing Randall Mitchell, to perform his statutory duty to properly direct the HDC board regarding shelter for the applicants.

At the very least, the lawsuit contends, the HDC should provide emergency shelter to the displaced residents. The attorney stated in the application that she first heard about the plight of the applicants when she read in the newspapers, that 25 families among them babies, were evicted and have since been living on the unsheltered steps of the HDC complex, the corridors of the building and lately, the roadside under makeshift tents.

“I view them as displaced because as a result of the poverty, inadequate livelihood and inability to afford a stable place of shelter,” attorney Rajkumar stated.

The act or inaction of the State in allowing its citizens to be subjected to the elements of nature such that it placed life and limb at risk, amounts to cruel and harsh punishment by the State.

And this amounts, therefore, to a breach of their rights as enshrined in the constitution (Section 4 c) which is the right of a citizen to be treated with respect, and that of his family life, the attorney claimed. The lawsuit comes up for hearing tomorrow before Justice Margaret Mohammed in the San Fernando High Court.

The cancellation of the 6 am and 4pm sailings from Port-of-Spain and the 6.30 am and 4pm sailings from Scarborough was announced by the Port Authority in a statement to the media.

This comes hours after Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley took a surprise ride on the TT Express to Tobago on Sunday. This, minority leader of the Tobago House of Assembly (THA) Watson Duke described as, “vexing, morally and mockingly pretentious and downright sacrilegious.” Duke said Rowley took what was sacred to Tobagonians and made it a laughing matter. “Why didn’t he travel in a time when he had urgent business to conduct and the delay of the boat meant something? Why did the boat take off at exactly 4 pm and did not delay? “Why is it that today Monday, the boat leaving Tobago has been delayed? Why is it that the prime minister continues to say to Tobago by his actions if it is good for me, it good for you,” he asked yesterday.

Duke said Tobagonians were not happy and demanded of Rowley an immediate solution to the problem.

“Tobago needs help, the boat is a needful source of transportation in Tobago. We do not depend on bus, we do not depend on cars. What we depend upon is the boat to go between Trinidad and Tobago.”