In May two dozen turtle heads, including the protected green turtle and hawksbill, were discovered dumped in the Bon Accord Lagoon in Tobago. Rambharat commented on the incident to Sunday Newsday while attending the Eastern Horticultural Club 8th Annual Plant and Garden Show held at St Augustine Senior Secondary School.

He said that in his experience fishermen and Trinidadians generally are more sensitive to turtle conservation. He reported that he has made several trips to the North Coast during the turtle nesting season and he is “seeing signs of a change in behaviour.” He said that organisations like Nature Seekers “are doing a fantastic job” and Environmental Research Institute Charlotteville (ERIC) in Tobago is doing “excellent work”.

“So that has been one of those one off instances. I hope in Tobago that it does not grow and it does not become the behaviour in Tobago.” He said that they are doing more work in sensitising people from a conservation and a tourism point of view.

“A lot of people come to Trinidad and visit the Caroni Bird Sanctuary as something fairly unique that a country has to offer.

And turtle watching is fairly unique for us.” He said the Tobago incident was one that is not reflective of what is happening in the country.

The Environmental Management Authority had also condemned the killing of the sea turtles “despite the legal protection afforded to these endangered species with the declaration in 2014 of five species of sea turtles as ‘environmentally sensitive species’.” The five protected turtles locally are the leatherback turtle, the green turtle, the hawksbill turtle, the olive ridley turtle and the loggerhead turtle. Killing protected sea turtles could lead to a fine of one hundred thousand dollars and imprisonment for two years.

“We are giving US$100,000 ($674,620) to the Pro League and US$25,000 ($168,655) to the TT Super League in an effort to bolster their administrative efforts,” stated TTFA president David John Williams yesterday.

“The TT Pro League has been the biggest provider of talent to the national teams over the last 15 years. The employment opportunities provided in the Pro League is football’s contribution to the economy of the country,” Williams continued.

“And the Super League has provided opportunities for players who cannot be full time and still want to play at a decent level.” The TTFA president, who is a product of the local professional league, revealed that the injection into the both Leagues comes out of a special projects FIFA grant accessed by the Association for such purposes.

The funding which had the total approval of the TTFA’s Board comes on the heels of an effort by its president to get the various arms of football under one roof.

” Now that our football has a home, we must now look at the economic and administrative stability of our stakeholders,” John-Williams said.

“World football generates huge incomes but in the past the stakeholders in local football never benefitted as they ought to have.

So the country has stadia but never a ‘home for football’ before our administration came into office.

We are indeed thankful to the Government of Trinidad and Tobago for its support in this regard.

Both the Ministry of Sport and The Sport Company have really stepped up to ensure that football progress in a meaningful way.” John-Williams concluded, “For us to progress, every arm of football must become professional in their operations and we at the TTFA are committed to driving this process.” The TTFA Headquarters moved to the Ato Boldon Stadium on Thursday with the TT Pro League, TT Super League, Secondary Schools Football League and the Women’s League Football all currently operating from the same venue.

Over the next four weekends, the Hasely Crawford Stadium in Mucurapo plays host to the NGC Juvenile Champs, NGC Junior Champs, NLCB NACAC Age Group Championships and culminates with the NGC Sagicor Open Champs on the last weekend, arguably the highlight of the local athletic circuit.

This weekend is all about the next generation though as TT’s future stars grasp the spotlight.

The Juvenile Champs cater for the age groups Under-14 to Under- 10. Two shining lights in the Under-10 category to look out for are the twins Tenique and Tyrique Vincent.

Tyrique and Tenique dominated their age group in the recently concluded NGC Combined Champs, coming out on top over a variety of disciplines testing their running, throwing and jumping ability. This weekend they will be more sternly tested as they go up against peers who would, in most cases, be just participating in the one event.

However, their father David describes their focus and their stamina as possibly the major standout attributes for the pair.

Hailing from Chaguanas, the pair only started competing on the athletic circuit this year but have done extremely well since joining the ZC Athletics Club. Their father, who has a background in bodybuilding as well as the military, identified from an early age that they easily grasped the fundamental movement skills of running, jumping and throwing and saw the potential in them as they grew.

Tenique is also a gymnast while Tyrique has the ability to do several sports due to his athletic prowess. His father sees him as turning into a fine quarter- miler eventually, but should they both triumph across several disciplines again this weekend, specialising will still be some way off.

For the fans, admission is only $25 and action will commence at 10 am on both days.

Imbert was responding to a question in the House of Representatives.

Imbert said the consistent decline in the supply of forex over the last three years was connected to the sustained slowdown in the local energy sector.

As a result of this, he said, “The domestic foreign exchange market is in disequilibrium, as purchases by the authorised dealers are insufficient to meet customers’ demand.” He said the purchase of forex by dealers and its sale to customers between January and April 2016 were US$ $1,535,000 and US$1,803,000 respectively.

For the same period this year, he said the purchase and sale of forex were $1,139,000 and $1,734,000 respectively.

Noting that the Central Bank intervenes in the market on a regular basis to provide additional liquidity, Imbert said the bank had provided US$675 million between January and April. He said this was a substantial increase from the US$340 million it injected into the system for the same period last year.

Imbert said the bank has also introduced additional mechanisms to provide additional liquidity, such as augmenting the available supply of US banknotes to authorised dealers to meet their “walk-in” customers’ demands, and another mechanism allowed dealers to close trading facilities which were extended to satisfy client demands.

Imbert did not support a claim from Caroni East MP Dr Tim Gopeesingh about foreign fastfood franchises closing in TT if they are unable to access sufficient forex.

However, referring to the closure of Denny’s restaurant in Maraval, Imbert – who is the MP for Diego Martin North/East – said, “I noticed that one of the restaurants in particular…

the arrangement between that fast-food franchise and the local operator was that they must import foreign food and use foreign food only in the restaurant.

“While I deeply sympathise with the franchise holder,” he said, “I think it may create a movement towards the use of local

The “Ladies Eagles” are all University students making their second visit in 10 years to TT to engage in various humanitarian activities such as visiting The Cyril Ross home for the HIV kids, St Dominic’s and the St Jude Home for Girls.

The Ladies Eagles also partook in coaching sessions with a number of coaching schools.

TT Under 20 coach Nicola Williams, noted, “I was happy to play the match to compete against other female players.

Despite losing 3-0, I am happy that we showed good organisation and exerted our style of play into the game. We need to work on our aggression to win the ball back and put our opponents under pressure.

“The Charlotte team was older than us and able to win more balls in the air – scoring their first goal from a cross and the last from a corner.

Their pace did trouble us on the wings and they were able to get behind our defence a number of times. Our goalkeeper Rebecca Almondoz was able to make a number of saves.

They were also quick to close us down and although we were able to combine and switch the play to find space in the other side we didn’t do it often enough and lost the ball under pressure.

“We have been playing local boys teams to give the players the weekly rhythm of a match where other countries have players playing in full-time leagues. Next month players will join the WOLF league for competition and I will be able to travel around and watch their performance along with scouting any new talent,” Williams added.

“I hope to finish July with an international match of our age (Under-20) to evaluate how our preparation is tracking. This month has seen some foreign based players return for the summer college break so reintroducing them into the team is very important.”

“As a collaborative and unique experience, UTT Fashion Week 2017 will see students and staff at CAFD (Caribbean Academy of Fashion and Design) engage with notable fashion industry stakeholders. Designers, Shaun Griffith Perez and Dianne Hunt have mentored UTT’s students during this year’s Designer Critic project while international wardrobe stylist and image consultant, Crystal Ivy London, will take an active role styling for the Senior Thesis Fashion Show,” UTT said in a media release.

The university launched the Caribbean Academy of Fashion and Design (CAFD) nine years ago, “as the first tertiary-level fashion design institute in the Caribbean region.” The week is expected to, “showcase the creative ideas of these young designers in garment designing, fashion illustrations, textile techniques, digital technologies as well as fashion accessories design.” The work of the third and fourthyear students will d be on display. Also, they will host Designer Spaces, a static display of their boutique spaces, at the John S Donaldson campus, Port-of- Spain, from 10 am to 7 pm on June 14.

The week of colour and style closes on June 18 with Eclectic, which, “will highlight two segments. The first part will feature the Designer Critic Show will featuring designs by CAFD’s third-year students, while the second part comprises the Senior Thesis Fashion Show.” The release said of this year’s theme for the event: “Eclectic, was chosen as the designs are derived from ideas, styles and tastes from a broad and diverse range of sources.” CAFD’s graduating class of 2017 is comprised of “young, eclectic designers who collectively are a diverse mix of ages, backgrounds, personalities, nationalities and so much more. Thus, they have created a collage of creative themes so eclectic, that it exhibits a fresh, new and vibrant perspective for the Caribbean Fashion industry.

Tickets for Eclectic cost $200 and are available at UTT’s John S Donaldson campus, Room 329; Simply Runway, Grand Bazaar; Adrian & Lisa’s Boutique at Hotel Normandie; Fashion Focus and Caribbean Arts & Fashion Feature Festival.

For more info: 642-888 ext.

21145 or 26236.

In announcing his decision on Thursday, Trump said the US would no longer be a laughing stock. Yet, it is Trump’s own actions that have provoked derision. Major actors like China and the European Union (EU) have boldly pledged to forge ahead with the agreement in the face of Trump’s reversal of the legacy of Barack Obama. French President Emmanuel Macron’s response best summed up the global mood.

“I do respect this decision but I do think it is an actual mistake both for the US and for our planet,” Macron said in a special statement. In a riff on Trump’s pledge to “Make America great again,” Macron added: “Wherever we live, whoever we are, we all share the same responsibility: make our planet great again.” Trump’s move actually empowers some of the America’s partners and rivals. It gives countries like China more leverage over global affairs by allowing it to forge closer ties with other nations. It threatens already scarce resources, bolstering the possibility of conflict and war.

In 2015, nearly 200 countries agreed in Paris to curb greenhouse gas emissions in order to prevent the runaway climate change that would occur should temperatures spiral 2C or more above the pre-industrial era. Though a relatively small actor, Trinidad and Tobago has one of the highest per capita carbon emissions rate in the hemisphere.

We signed the agreement in 2016.

In a worse-case scenario, the US withdrawal could now add 0.3C to global temperatures by the end of the century, the United Nations World Meteorological Organisation has said.

But though Trump would appear to have dealt a blow to the Paris agreement, his actions could well turn out to have the opposite effect.

Already, individual US states have signalled they will push forward with reforms that presumably are within the scope of their autonomy. The EU has said it will bypass Trump and work with state governors and US business leaders.

Business jefes Elon Musk, the Tesla founder, and Robert Iger, the Disney CEO, resigned from Trump’s business panel as a matter of principle after Trump announced the withdrawal.

The US president’s decision will likely energise the issue of climate change the world over in a way that might not have been possible otherwise.

Which is why Trinidad and Tobago must be mindful that notwithstanding Trump’s actions, the world at large is changing. If we fail to wean ourselves off fossil fuels; if we do not take urgent and effective steps to diversify our economy; if we do not find ways to further harness the unique creativity of our people, we will be left behind.

While it is possible to take comfort in the recent discovery of two trillion cubic feet of gas, as announced by bpTT on the same day as Trump’s decision, and while further discoveries and announcements may be coming from other companies, it remains the case that we cannot depend on natural gas to be our economic salvation.

Firstly, there will be a gap in terms of bringing newly-discovered resources on-stream. While it is also good to hear of investment to the tune of US$5 billion, it is not necessarily apparent that this will result in a commensurate boost to the Treasury. Instead, the benefits will be systemic: more jobs, a trickle-down effect on the economy.

As substantial as our resources may well turn out to be still, no one should rest easy. It’s time to face the fact that the world has already begun to change. And for the better.

The 50-overs-a-side match gets underway from 10 am and the national selectors will have another opportunity to witness some of TT ’s best youth talents on show before making their final selection for the Regional Under-19 tournament which will be staged in St Kitts from July 21 to August 28.

South won the title last year with Cooper as the outstanding batsman of the team.

They will also be dependant on Saiba Batoosingh, Shaaron Lewis and Justyn Gangoo to repel the challenge of their northern counterparts who lifted the trophy in 2015.

Kallicharran, a member of the triumphant West Indies Under 19 team that won the ICC World Youth Cup in Bangladesh last year; will captain the North Zone team that also includes West Indies Under-19 selectees Keagan Simmons and Tishawn Alleyne as well as WI Under 19 reserve player Navin Bidassie.

SQUADS – SOUTH: Cephas Cooper (captain), Jace Assoon, Christian Thurton, Saiba Batoosingh, Avinash Mahabirsingh, Fiaz John, Nicholas Seepersad, Justyn Gangoo, Dennis Ramnath, James Duncan, Jayden Seales, Shaaron Lewis; Kelvin Williams (coach), Mistri Lutchmedial (manager).

NORTH: Kirstan Kallicharran (captain), Keagan Simmons, Navin Bidassie, Leonardo Julien, Sachin Seecharran, Leonardo Francis, Wendell George, Aaron Maniram, Tishawn Alleyne, Joshua James, Davon Shanghie, Ronaldo Foster, Jean Phillippe Barry; Rajendra Ramadhin (coach), Kenneth Samuel (manager).

selected while Joseph’s other Southern teammates Avinash Mahabirsingh, Jayden Seales and Nicholas Ali made the final 14-member squad shortlisted for training.

Brandon Singh and Vanir Maharaj were named as reserve players.

Coach of the team is David Furlonge, who is currently the coach of the successful Queen’s Park squad, while national off-spinner Surujdath Mahabir (president of the Secondary Schools Cricket League) is the manager.

SQUAD: Mbeki Joseph (captain), Leonardo Julien (vice-captain), Michard Ambard, Nicholas Ali, Sameer Ali, Ronaldo Forrester, Leonardo Francis, Joshua James, Giovani Letren, Avinash Mahabirsingh, Tariq Mohammed, Rivaldo Ramlogan, Sachin Soodeen, Jayden Seales; David Furlonge (coach), Surujdath Mahabir (manager).

In a release, the Ministry said its decision to utilise the system is expected to address a myriad of challenges encountered by clients in using the current cheque system.

It is also a response by the Ministry to recent numerous complaints from clients of lost/stolen/ damaged cheques.

The Ministry said during the roll out of the Direct Deposit System, clients will be asked to complete an application form and return it to the nearest TTPost delivery or retail office or a Social Welfare Local Board office in their respective region.

Clients are also required to attach their bank account information and a copy of their computer-generated birth certificate to the application form, which will be used to update existing records.

For persons with disabilities who may not be able to open a bank account, special arrangements will be made by the Ministry to ensure funds related to the disability grant are uninterrupted.

Persons who may wish to use existing Credit Union accounts will also be allowed to do so for the direct deposit.

The Ministry said it has embarked on a Premium Client Care Initiative which will also include retraining exercise for staff at its Social Welfare Local Board Offices to ensure clients are transitioned smoothly during the migration process.

These changes are expected to come into full effect by the end of this year as the Ministry seeks to provide clients with a sustainable, secure and reliable option for the delivery of financial assistance.

At the annual TT CB (TT Cricket Board) North-South Under-17 Classic last Saturday, Joseph led the South team to a three-wicket victory over their Northern counterparts at the National Cricket Centre, Balmain, Couva.

The attacking left-hander struck 54 in his team’s total of 174 runs for seven wickets in 24.1 overs while, along with Tariq Mohammed, featured in a match-winning 91-run first wicket stand, in response to North’s 173 all out in 39.1 overs.

Both Joseph and Mohammed got the nod of national selectors Boya Sahadeo (chairman), Kelvin Williams, Glen Dwarika, Robert Mahabir and Rajendra Ramadhin.

Former national Under- 15 player Leonardo Julien, who was at the helm of the North team, was named as vice-captain of the national Under-17 outfit. Julien’s Northern counterparts Leonardo Francis, Michael Ambard, Giovani Letren, Rivaldo Ramlogan, Sachin Soodeen, Samir Ali, Ronaldo Forrester and Joshua James (Tobago) got selected while Joseph’s other Southern teammates Avinash Mahabirsingh, Jayden Seales and Nicholas Ali made the final 14-member squad shortlisted for training.

Brandon Singh and Vanir Maharaj were named as reserve players.

Coach of the team is David Furlonge, who is currently the coach of the successful Queen’s Park squad, while national off-spinner Surujdath Mahabir (president of the Secondary Schools Cricket League) is the manager.

SQUAD: Mbeki Joseph (captain), Leonardo Julien (vice-captain), Michard Ambard, Nicholas Ali, Sameer Ali, Ronaldo Forrester, Leonardo Francis, Joshua James, Giovani Letren, Avinash Mahabirsingh, Tariq Mohammed, Rivaldo Ramlogan, Sachin Soodeen, Jayden Seales; David Furlonge (coach), Surujdath Mahabir (manager).