The teams meet on Saturday in the 30-overs-per-side final at Guaracara Park, Pointe-a-Pierre from 6 pm, with a $30,000 bounty at stake for the winners. Beaten finalists will get $15,000.

Centrl Renegades and Tarouba Sports will meet earlier in the playoff for third and fourth, with prizes of $7,000 to the winners and $4,000 to the other team.

In semi-final action, Gandhi Village with in-form batsman Shammi Rampersad scoring 59 and Manoj Sirju 28 totalled 171 for seven wickets in the match which was reduced to 20 overs because of rain.

And, when Central Renegades replied, they found Navin Singh, who took four for 28 and Nishal Guyadeen (2/15) difficult to negotiate and were routed for 99.

In another encounter, Visham Ramroop snatched four wickets for seven runs, Andre Brown three for 14 and Varun Samaroo two for 22 to rout Tarouba Sports for a paltry 94.

Brown completed a fine all-round performance scoring an unbeaten 40 while Keegan Jagessar had 20 as Extreme Customs raced to 97 for two in just 10 overs.

Summarised scores: GANDHI VILLAGE UNITED SPORTS 171/7 – Shammi Rampersad 59, Manoj Sirju 28, Kapil Harry 22; Jonathan Bisnath 2/22, Joel Poliah 2/36 vs CENTRAL RENEGADES 99/8 – Joel Poliah 19, Clifton Rajkumar 19, Matthew Alexander 19; Navin Singh 4/28, Nishal Guyadeen 2/15.

Gandhi Village won by 72 runs.

TAROUBA SPORTS 94 – Nicholas Buchoon 25, Neil Samaroo 13; Visham Ramroop 4/7, Andre Brown 3/14, Varun Samaroo 2/23 vs EXTREME CUSTO MS 97/2 – Andre Browne 40 not out, Keegan Jagessar 20. Extreme Customs won by eight wickets.

Sinanan made the announcement in the Senate, a day after the Express was down for repaird which led to a disruption in service on the domestic seabridge.

Sinanan said the vessel being sought is an additional wave-piercing catamaran passenger vehicle/fast ferry, similar to the design, features and capacity of the Spirit and Express.

He said this vessel is being sourced on a short to medium term full charter basis.

In explaining the procurement process, Sinanan said advertisements will be carried in newspapers next week and, “Within two weeks we should have a vessel.” The Minister said on Sunday that a note will be going to Cabinet to give the Port Authority permission to source an additional passenger vessel.

Sinanan previously said the Spirit and Express have not been dry docked for some time, prior to the People’s National Movement (PNM) assuming office in September 2015. He indicated that one vessel will be drydocked in June while the other will be drydocked in September. “We are working on a timeline to get both vessels on dry dock,” Sinanan stated.

He said once dry docked, the Spirit and the Express will be thoroughly overhauled and rehabilitated.

The minister was confident that both ferries will be “restored to full functionality” and the third ferry will arrive before either vessel is drydocked. In addition, Sinanan said the water taxis will be used as and when needed to transport passengers to Tobago. He explained that when the water taxis were first purchased, under the former Patrick Manning-led administration, this was done knowing they could travel to and from Tobago in emergency cases.

The minister said the water taxi service would not be affected, as these vessels would be used on the weekend when the service is not active. Sinanan said he was unaware of claims by Opposition Senator Wade Mark that the “seabridge crisis” was damaging relations between Trinidad and Tobago. Asked if ferry passengers are being compensated for inconveniences they suffered when the ferries broke down, Sinanan said the Port Authority provided airbridge tickets to some passengers and in one case, even accommodated some passengers at a guest house when the could not return to Tobago. He said the latter occurred only once and the cost was nominal. These repairs are expected to be completed by May 28 and the Spirit will resume operations on May 29.

The TT Express will be the only ferry operating during the period, with the water taxis assisting it on May 28.

The Authority said in the absence of the Spirit, passengers will be accommodated on the respective day’s sailings.

People affected by these changes are not required to revalidate their travel tickets.

A position has been voiced which appears to suggest that the Finance Minister’s proposed prioritisation of currency allocations has angered local business groups, many of which are struggling to secure currency for needed goods, or so they say.

Additionally, it has also been stated that we have a liberalised market and that we should be allowing the market to determine the exchange rate.

Indeed, one must wonder about these comments, especially from those that include persons responsible for establishing the present system of a managed float. According to the IMF, the TT dollar’s effective exchange rate was 19.6% above its 10-year average in February.

The proponents (both internal and external) of massive depreciation suggest that the potential benefits of a devaluation on its external accounts would encourage a more balanced import adjustment, provide tailwinds to non-commodity exports, and support the country’s competitiveness as an investment destination. On its fiscal accounts, devaluation would help narrow the country’s wide deficit by increasing the local currency value of revenues derived from energy exports.

The Minister of Finance seems resistant to any move to allow a massive depreciation of the local currency. Is he abandoning the “liberalised” environment as some have claimed? Or is this really consistent with a managed float based on the unique characteristics of our environment? Has the Minister of Finance made a major mistake? Is he ignoring his adviser? Perhaps we can start by pointing out that historically the Central Bank over the last decade has only provided the market with 20 to 35 percent of injections over a year.

The banks historically have provided the bulk of foreign exchange of the market with the Central Bank providing injections randomly.

This leaves the issue of allowing the currency to freely float and let the market determine the price.

Certainly no one who understands the nature of this market could make the statement that the market should determine the price of the currency.

We have lumpy foreign currency flows since the bulk of the foreign currency comes in at the end of every quarter. The Central Bank attempts to smooth the inflows into the market.

This managed float prevents sharp movements in the value of our dollar.

If the currency was allowed to freely move as currency came in or became scarce, imagine what wide swings there would be in the currency. This would make the pricing of imported items a nightmare for retailers. It would make the cost of items balloon and out of the reach for pensioners and fixed low-income earners.

It appears that the Minister has taken the decision that he would manage the float of the currency very tightly allowing for some depreciation of the currency but treating this as a long-run game and not a short term one. This means he knows that the Juniper fields are going to come on stream. Policy measures to increase oil production has borne fruit. If he gets further increases in oil and gas production and the 100 percent tax deduction from investment in the first year for energy companies is not renewed, then not only will there be increased energy output but also increased forex inflows. This will ease the shortages presently experienced.

The use of prioritisation of currency allocations seem to be just a short term measure that forms part of the managed float. The approach appears a well thought out one by the Finance Minister

TT will face Venezuela in a twomatch series called “WBC TT vs Venezuela Part Two.” Lawrence, the WBC FECARBOX champion, will fight Venezuelan Edwin Motta in a six-round bout, while Stephanie Allen (TT ) will battle Rosana Colmenarez (Venezuela) in a four-round bout. Also on the card is a six-round tussle between national boxer Kevon Diaz and Guyanese Rudolph Fraser.

This card was previously postponed due to social unrest in Venezuela, which saw the Venezuelan team miss their flight to Trinidad. However, the Venezuelans are expected to arrive in Trinidad today.

This two-match series is a rematch of the amateurs. The Venezuelans held a slim lead over TT in their last visit to this country.

The card is sponsored by Siparia Regional Corporation, but the organisers are asking other sponsors to come on board and assist the boxers in this event.

In addition, Allen is calling on the Minister of Sport and Youth Affairs Darryl Smith for personal support, as she is from his constituency of Diego Martin Central. Lawrence is also asking Smith to support this fight.

The admission is $100 for adults and $50 for children.

There has been much discussion regarding the collapse in global trade. Considering trade values in US dollars, global trade fell by around 20% from 2014 to 2016 and has only increased marginally from the low in January of that year. Global trading arrangements have become a key focus for policymakers given Brexit, the US decision not to enter into the Trans Pacific Partnership, and ongoing discussions regarding renegotiating multinational trade agreements such as NAFTA.

Furthermore, it is argued that the uncertainty and likely negative environment for large global trading arrangements add a further reason why countries need to act on the regional integration agenda. The region has only to gain by having a stronger, more efficient and fully-integrated domestic market.

The gains from further integration relative to the status quo, are even greater in a more extreme scenario of global trade frictions, in which the region’s exports are likely to fall on average by at least 13%.

The arguments in favor of deeper integration are valid independent of how the global trade environment may develop. However, they become even more important if global trade frictions start to grow. If the rest of the world remains open and willing to sign trade agreements with Latin America and the Caribbean, then integration at home will help.

However, if the world becomes more protectionist and reticent to entering into agreements, then deepening integration in the region has an even larger payoff. It may not provide full protection against the negative impacts of increased global trade frictions but can serve as an important insurance device.

A recurring question is, how can Latin America and the Caribbean, a group of small and open economies constantly buffeted by global economic shocks, find a reliable and robust route to sustainable growth? The IDB report argues that adopting a set of macroeconomic policies, including sensible fiscal and monetary policies, to maintain economic stability, and taking concrete actions to deepen and improve the way in which countries trade within the region, may provide a cost-effective answer.

The large, but incomplete current network of Preferential Trade Agreements (PTA) is a powerful platform from which to launch an overhaul of regional integration. It is suggested that the objective should be a “plain vanilla” free trade zone, with a focus on goods and services.

A critical starting point would be a high-level political commitment and would include making sure that all aspiring members are integrated through bilateral or sub regional PTAs, setting up the institutional framework to manage the negotiation and address the market access negotiations, covering tariff phase-outs, rules of origin and nontariff barriers in addition to trade facilitation provisions.

Latin America and the Caribbean has a long history of trial and error, and successes and failures, pursuing regional integration, but it has to be acknowledged that as a group of small open economies, what happens in the rest of the world is critically important for the 26 regional members. Latin America and the Caribbean faces a new world with likely growing trade protectionism, higher interest rates and commodity prices below those of the previous decade. World growth may be on the rise, but the region faces the challenge of adapting to lower commodity prices, higher interest rates, and a potential backlash against the trend towards greater globalization.

Fixing regional integration is not a panacea to solve all the region’s growth problems, nor is it a full insurance policy against escalating global trade frictions. However, enhanced regional integration can offer tangible gains at modest costs; it is a low-hanging fruit in a world with few obvious alternatives.

In the context of Trinidad and Tobago, this regime is in its second year of office. There is no way a long term economic plan can be presented since we have elections in three years. Any plan will either have to be a three-year plan, or a long-term plan made up of several three-year (medium term) plans.

Our economic planning has to involve several caveats, these include increasing the value added by moving away from the sale of raw material or low level production and move to much higher up the international value chain of products.

To facilitate this we must develop an industrial policy that seeks to encourage our entrepreneurs to enter the upper trough of new product cycles. This can only make sense if placed within the context of an export strategy (we do not have a large population therefore cannot develop the internal dynamic to achieve self-sustaining growth).

Here integration is critical for us to provide an enhance market to be exploited by our export industrialist.

She called on people to emulate the Bible’s Good Samaritan and show selflessness and service to those in need of support.

“See beyond the surface.

Be like the Good Samaritan. Dismiss what is different and focus on what makes us one. Draw that person in to respond to the love and kindness that you have to offer.

Remember those who have died from Aids and let them serve as a reminder of how short life can be,” she said.

Executive director of the Family Planning Association Donna Da Costa Martinez echoed Tenia’s call for compassion, urging greater public and private-sector partnerships to reach out to more patients.

She reminded government that it too has an obligation to those in need, urging them not to turn a blind eye to those who need help the most.

Martinez called on parishioners to ensure no one is left behind.

“It’s important that we remove all social, legal, religious and racial barriers which keep people in isolation.

Speak out so others may have an easier life and practise sensitivity and understanding with those among you.” The evening’s service ended with a candlelight procession down Frederick Street in Curepe, to the Eastern Main Road and back to the church.

The survey was undertaken last December to investigate what is known about the swamp, what value is held for the swamp and what type of engagement people have with the swamp’s resources.

A snapshot of the survey’s findings is being shared with the national audience to provide a backdrop on issues that need to be addressed for improving management of this protected area.

“Improving Forest and Protected Area Management in Trinidad and Tobago” is the name given to a four-year project which is being undertaken by the Government with co-ordination support from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (UNFAO).

The project, which started in June 2015, is funded by the Government, UN-FAO, European Union and the Global Environmental Facility (GEF).

The overarching objective of the project is to improve the way forests and protected areas in the country are managed and it is piloting new approaches to management in six “test” sites. These are the Caroni Swamp, the Nariva Swamp (and associated coastal zone), the Matura Forest (and associated coastal zone), the Wildlife Sanctuary at Trinity Hills in Southern Trinidad (and an eastern extension into the Victoria-Mayaro Forest Reserve), the Main Ridge Forest Reserve in Tobago, and a proposed marine area surrounding the north-eastern end of Tobago.

Protected areas One of the new approaches being piloted is finding out people’s knowledge and views on the assignment of these sites as protected areas. Do people know that these sites are or are intended to be protected areas? Do they see any value in their protection? Do people use these areas or the resources associated with them? Who manages these areas? Does the average person see a role for himself/herself as a co-manager of these sites? Do people believe that these sites and their integrity under threat in any way? What ideas do people have about managing and/or improving these areas? To get answers to these questions among others, a knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) survey was undertaken at each of the six sites. The Caroni Swamp contains a bird sanctuary and is considered to be a main roosting site of the national bird. It is a popular domestic and foreign tourist destination, research site, and an area for key livelihood activities including eco-tours, birding, fishing and oyster harvesting.

The survey around the Caroni Swamp involved 1,349 participants.

Respondents were drawn from ten communities, from as far north as El Socorro South and as far south as Brickfield. Sixty-six percent of the respondents were males, and 70 percent of all respondents were over 31 years.

Ecological value Ninety-eight percent of respondents said that they knew of Caroni Swamp, however, 59 percent did not know of the boundaries of the protected area. When asked what they knew of the swamp, 1,179 respondents said they knew of the ecological value of the swamp, while 586 noted economic importance.

Only 174 respondents indicated knowledge of its protected status.

Regarding knowledge of endangered species in the swamp, 65 percent of respondents said they knew of endangered species there, while 31 percent did not know.

Of those who said they knew of endangered species, 33 percent identified the scarlet ibis, while ten per cent listed snakes and nine per cent, caimans.

People cited pollution, resource exploitation and illegal activities as key threats to the swamp. On a scale of one to five, with one being no importance and five being very important, 79 percent of respondents felt that the swamp was very important and two percent felt it was not important at all.

Fifteen percent of respondents said they did not know who manages the area, while 52 percent identified as many as 16 Government agencies in addition to the Forestry Division (17 percent) as managers. A small percentage (three percent) believe that tour operators/tour guide groups are managers of the swamp.

Improving surveillance The number one response to the question, “What needs to be improved?” was monitoring and surveillance. This was followed closely by maintenance, infrastructure and development, and on-the-ground management.

Key suggestions for this “on-theground management” included management of irrigation systems, implementing a fee for access, and developing the area as a national park.

People saw a role for themselves in the management of the swamp, with some recommending employment as litter wardens, assisting in patrols and educating others about the swamp; some simply said they were willing to help “in any way” to protect the swamp.

Going forward The survey findings uncovered some key areas for attention.

While knowledge of the Caroni Swamp was high among residents, its boundaries were unknown.

The ecological importance is understood, yet the swamp still experiences several threats to its ecological integrity, including pollution – due to the fact that it receives outflows from 33 per cent of the local population – and resource overexploitation – which is aggravated by a lack of resources to enforce and maintain the site’s protected status.

The “Improving Forest and Protected Area Management in Trinidad and Tobago” project is providing the platform for addressing some of these matters, by facilitating collaborative work among various agencies in the public sector, and communication with civil society and private sector, in contrast to unilateral approaches that may have been undertaken in the past.

A clear statement of the objective of setting aside sites like the Caroni Swamp under protected status is being developed, which is mindful and realistic of the many overlapping and conflicting pressures, livelihood connections and public views.

A National Protected Area System plan will be drafted for stakeholder consultation and there will be consideration of protected area co-management.

With a project structure that results-oriented to match Government’s mandate for measuring impact, the time is now for improved action.

To find out more about progress on the project, visit the project blog at http://eppd-tt.blogspot.

com/p/gef-improving-forest- and-protected-areas.html and follow the Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/protectedareastt

Yet our small country can stand proud alongside other great cricketing nations such as India, Australia, New Zealand, England and South Africa. But this is only possible because we have been able to produce world-class cricketers such as Ian Bishop, Dwayne Bravo, Dinanath Ramnarine, Gus Logie, Darren Ganga and, of course, Brian Lara.

The grand opening of the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Tarouba has stirred up a lot of petty and unnecessary controversy that only serves to undermine the significance of having such a stadium, especially on the other side of the Caroni bridge.

To put it simply, “The Prince of Port-of-Spain,” as Lara is popularly nicknamed, has the lifelong honour of a cricket academy located in Tarouba. There is certainly a sense of pride as you drive along the Solomon Hochoy Highway and observe the grand structure and majestic beauty of the stadium with Lara’s record-breaking scores proudly displayed.

Lara is a decorated sportsman who holds too many cricketing records to mention and is honoured and respected throughout the world. Not many in their lifetime can have a US president request a meeting with them as Barack Obama did during his visit to Trinidad. He even referred to Lara as the “Michael Jordan of cricket.” And who can forget the emotional salute of raised bats by Lara’s comrades as he walked off the field after his final match.

Lara is ranked with other cricketing legends including Sachin Tendulkar and has publicly stated that Tendulkar was the cricketer he aspired to emulate. So if Tendulkar has been such an influence on his career, then isn’t it a fitting and humbling act to name a stand after him in a stadium built to honour Lara? After all, it’s supposed to be a cricket academy where we hope to play many international matches and produce future cricketers, as opposed to it being a calypso or Carnival academy.

The gesture might even open up links and avenues to partnerships with international bodies for the development of cricket after this act of solidarity by two legendary cricketers.

Therefore, we should all put politics and politicians aside and accept that Lara deserves the recognition and tribute of this beautiful stadium bearing his name.

VASHTI BOWLAH via email

Would any business czar defend a low manager in his company running up a phone bill well exceeding the company’s budget for the manager? Would he feel sorry and allow the manager a bligh? Is this the first time a minister or government employee has gone to the Bahamas? Don’t we have a database of facts for all countries? Upper-level public servants are too nonchalant when spending our taxes.

If the minister was earning lower-middle income, living the belt-tightening lifestyle of common people and roaming with her private phone, she would have done due diligence and researched roaming charges.

Police boast they have raised $7,445,000 from speeding tickets so far this year. The money raised can pay 126.2 phone bills up to $59,000. So money isn’t a problem.

The country’s bankroll is huge so ministers need not budget their expenses prior to travel.

SAM BOYSE via email

The event provided a platform for corporate entities, the academic community, non-governmental organisations and schools to demonstrate the limitless possibilities available for reducing the volume of municipal waste entering landfills.

The theme, “Transitioning to a culture of reducing, reusing and recycling”, guided the transformation of the University of Trinidad and Tobago’s (UTT ’s) Graduation Pavilion at the O’Meara Campus on April 26 and 27. The UTT served as a key partner for this event, facilitating interactive and insightful presentations on “Why eco textiles?” by chairman Charles of the Caribbean Academy of Fashion and Design (CAFD); “Micro plastics” by Dr Reia Guppy of the Marine Sciences Department, and “Recycling as a partial solution to solid waste pollution” by Prof Valerie Stoute of the Environmental Studies Department.

However, the most memorable feature of the event was the “Wearable Art” display, crafted by students of UTT ’s fashion programme, said a media release.

Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Planning and Development Beverly Khan delivered the feature address.

Khan aligned this exhibition with the objectives of the Government’s National Development Strategy – Vision 2030, which contains five overarching development goals that are closely aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals set out by the United Nations (UN).

Dale Cozier, senior project manager of the EMA said in his address: “In stimulating readiness for a culture change, we must create a space that will allow new concepts, ideas, and practices to germinate and evolve”.

Cozier also referenced the successes of the EMA’s own recycling project, “The Recyclable Solid Waste Collection Project (RSWCP)”. Launched in 2015, it began an active collection drive and amassed over 200,000 jumbo bags of recyclables in the form of tetra packs, glass bottles and aluminium cans.

Also delivering remarks on behalf of SWMCOL was CEO Ronald Roach, whose delivery projected a sense of urgency in adopting waste reduction measures.

The event generated keen interest among attendees, who were inspired to do more in their personal capacity to reduce household waste.

The EMA also received an overwhelming number of requests for more exhibitions across the country