But yesterday Ahay, of San Fernando, gave birth to a healthy baby boy at the San Fernando General Hospital and noted she was elated to have him arrive on such “a wonderful day”.

Ahay is a final-year student of Criminology at the College of Science, Technology and Applied Arts (COSTAATT).

Although she and the newborn’s father, Matthew Cooper, are yet to decide on the baby’s name, they said his middle name would be Mathias with a double-barrelled surname namely, Ahay-Cooper.

Mathias was the first newborn to be delivered yesterday at the hospital shortly after 2 am. He weighted 3.35 kilograms.

“The baby was really due on January 4 but I came here on Wednesday.

There were no complications but it was not an easy delivery at all.” She noted that staff members of the health institution were very efficient and commended them for helping her through the process.

“They were all very nice.” The child’s father, a vehicle technician, noted that in his “short” 21 years living on this island, this is one of the gloomiest Christmas he has even seen in the country so far.

“But having my son born on this day, it has brightened up my Christmas and the new year to come,” Cooper said with a smile on his face.

The second child, also a male, to be delivered at the hospital came over three hours later at 5.49 am.

However officials did not divulge much information about the birth except to say that he was at the neo-natal wing and the mother did not wish to speak with media personnel at the time.

There were no other births up to yesterday afternoon.

Meanwhile at the Point Fortin Area Hospital, two mothers also gave birth yesterday.

According to reports, officers cordorned off several areas in the city and detained the persons who were wanted for several robberies, outstanding warrants, and other serious crimes.

A search was carried out for the sale of illicit alcohol and drugs.

Several apartments in the plannings in east Port-of-Spain were also searched during the exercise. Officers focussed on searching for illicit arms and ammunition.

The aroma of baked ham and cakes could be smelt as you walked or drove through some communities.

However, Alicia Hackshaw, 36, could not enjoy or partake in the festivities as she and her five children slept on the streets of Malabar and Arima.

As a matter of fact, she and her children have had no fixed place of abode since August 20 when the house, in which she was born and grew up, was demolished by a relative who obtained a court order.

Newsday caught up with Alicia as she had just arrived at her sister’s small abode. Her sister, who lives behind the demolished house, occasionally keeps her children during school hours but is unable to facilitate a permanent accommodation.

The children have not been to school regularly since the eviction and, according to her 11-year-old daughter, Tishawna, all the children attending school have done poorly in their work.

Alicia said, “I sleep by people house or an abandoned house.

Other than that I have nowhere to go. I asked the MP (Ancil Antoine) for help. He wrote a letter to HDC (Housing Development Corporation) and they forwarded it to Social Welfare.

Social Welfare came and took pictures of where I store what’s left of my belongings.” According to Alicia, she stores her remaining property at a warehouse located at the O’Meara Industrial Estate, where the temporary Arima Fire Station was located.

She stated that the family house, where he she spent all her life, was occupied by her brother, sister and herself when the first court order was delivered in 2008. After her grandmother died in 2010, they received the second legal notice.

Since then, her sister has built a small dwelling place behind the family house and her brother has also moved out and started his own family. On August 28, her uncle, who she claims is behind her removal, sent police officers and a bailiff to the house to evict her.

“They took out the doors and windows and put everything out on the road. I lost my groceries, wares, jewellery, bed that I’m still paying for, refrigerator and chair set. I only have a few house items and my clothes.” She stated that no other help came from Antoine.

On September 24, Newsday reported that mother of six, Abigail Phillip, who lost her house when it was destroyed by fire the previous day. She too sought help from Antoine but received none. Abigail lives in the street after Alicia.

the station was turned into a play centre. Police officers, in collaboration with Councillor for the area, Simone Gill, gave families in Valencia a Christmas treat.

Assistant Superintendent for the area, Mario Robain, said, “The handing out of hampers was a gesture by all the officers at the station.

We needed to show the softer side of policing because we are looking at holistic policing. We wanted to meet some of the social needs of the community and bridge that gap between the police and the public.

We are looking at that support, not only at Christmas time, but throughout the year.” According to Gill, although donations for the event, not in its third year, were less, those involved in hosting the event decided that the show must go on. Approximately 30 hampers were distributed and toys for 75 children were delivered.

Last year, toys for 800 were available.

Despite the drastic reduction in donations, Inspector Francis Harris applauded the corporate residents of Valencia.

He said, “We wanted to do our part to uplift the community and assist them in making themselves marketable. We have seen the smiles on the faces of the persons who came

In a media release yesterday, Permell, cited an article in a daily newspaper in which it was reported that “an independent director of TCL” was attempting to defend the board’s decision not to provide a price range to shareholders which the company considered to be a fair offer notwithstanding its rejection of the $4.50 per share takeover offer made by Mexican cement giant, Cemex .

Permell noted that the director’s statement seemed to suggest that the board might be in possession of an official range of values for the company’s shares, which “by inference could only come from some sort of formal valuation process undertaken on the company’s shares.” “If the preceding is correct, what this means is that by virtue of TCL being a publicly- listed company, directors might be either wittingly or unwittingly be in possession of “material non-public information,” he stated .

He pointed out that according to the Securities Act 2012, the term “material non-public information” means, in relation to securities of a reporting issuer, any material fact or material change that has not been published .

While “material fact” means, when used in relation to the affairs of an issuer or its securities, is a fact or a series of facts, the disclosure of which would be considered important to a reasonable investor in making an investment decision .

“Accordingly, I am advised that information regarding the valuation of a company’s shares, particularly in the context of a takeover offer, quite easily qualifies as material non-public information .

And as a consequence, it therefore follows that timely if not immediate disclosure is required,” he stated .

Permell noted that material non-public information was required to be disclosed in a timely fashion to “reduce or mitigate the risk of persons with access to the information from acting upon the said undisclosed information, usually to benefit of themselves, family and/or close associates.” He also pointed out that according to Section 102 of the Act, “a person connected to a reporting issuer (i.e. TCL as defined by the Act) who either directly or indirectly, communicates or otherwise discloses any material non-public information to any person prior to such information having been published contravenes section 101 and as such commits an offence pursuant to Section 102 and is liable on conviction on indictment to a fine of five million dollars and to imprisonment for seven years.”

Sinanan made the promise following a tour where he assessed and examined on-going works being carried out by his ministry.

While Sinanan pledged the assistance of the Ministry’s resources to repair damage caused by heavy rainfall and landslips, he also reinforced that, “the Government’s duty is to bring services and relief to the citizens in this area and will stop at nothing to make sure that everything is back to normal.” Sinanan was accompanied on the tour by his wife who assisted him in spreading Christmas cheer to the community by distributing hampers and toys to residents and children.

Lee made the comments in his Christmas message issued on Saturday. He advised that as we move closer towards the peak of the season it is important that our citizens remain vigilant and be “each other’s keeper” as crime has evolved into a national epidemic.

“Today we see our nation clearly on the path to ‘failed nation’ status as lawlessness prevails throughout especially in light of the latest trend of fire bombings on local businesses.

The best gift the Government can give to the nation is protecting the life and property of the people of Trinidad and Tobago by executing a proper organised plan against crime, which they have failed to do in the past year,” he said.

Lee also spoke of other difficulties faced by citizens in 2016.

“In this festive season the term ‘Merry Christmas’ may not mean much to many families as 2016 has not been a ‘merry’ or joyous year for many citizens as they have fallen victim to crime, unemployment, increases in the cost of living, reductions in the availability of social services, health care and educational opportunities, while many citizens may be finding it quite difficult to provide the basic items needed to enjoy a joyful Christmas 2016,” he said.

He continued: “However, our citizens must be reminded that we are a strong and resilient people and use these qualities to overcome the many burdens we face as a country.

This Christmas , it is pertinent that we utilise and capitalise upon the true meaning and values of Christmas , which are love towards our fellow man, peace to all, love and togetherness as well as kindness towards the less fortunate.” He explained that it is only when we are able to extend and execute these values to each other that our nation would be able to move forward.

“One might even add if our Government is able to bestow these values towards the people of Trinidad and Tobago, many of the hardships we face today would be eradicated,” he added.

Espinosa was detained by Immigration officers on Wednesday last after it was allegedly discovered that he was in possession of falsified documents.

His attorney, Criston Williams, filed a writ of Habeas Corpus aimed at securing his release.

Presiding in the matter yesterday was Justice James Aboud who said,”The state has the right, under the law, to detain persons, and those persons have the right to seek redress.

I felt that the liberty of this man is important enough, not just for him but for us as well.” Aboud noted that these rights are available to all, at any time and at any day.

The court heard that Espinosa came to Trinidad to holiday with friends during the period September to December and sought an extension.

On December 21, when he went to San Fernando Port at Kings Wharf to return to his home, Immigration officers allegedly found that the extension for his stay was obtained fraudulently. He was detained at the Immigration Detention Centre waiting to be charged for the offence.

Williams wrote to the Immigration Department requesting an explanation as to why he was detained and not allowed to leave the country.

Yesterday, Immigration Officer Fareed Abraham told the court that investigators found the extension document to be fraudulent. Aboud, satisfied with the evidence provided, ordered that Espinosa continue to be detained at the Immigration Detention Centre.

While charges have not yet been laid, he is expected to be prosecuted by police officers for being in possession of fraudulent documents.

Williams commended Aboud for the court’s adherence do duty, but Aboud cut him short saying, “You are editorialising right now and I am sure that we all have Christmas cake to eat.” The matter was adjourned to a date to be fixed in January

John and her sister sustained cuts and bruises, plus severe psychological trauma, in seeking to evade the frightening assault.

In the season of goodwill and in the country’s premier green-space, two thugs launched the seemingly premeditated attack on the women, John, a leading citizen who, despite her contentious encounters with politicians and boards, has given years of service to the State.

The attack would raise all kinds of speculation, including notions of a hit, a vendetta and even political involvement.

But what is doubtless is that the two assailants were bent on terrifying their victims and creating confusion using scratch-bombs.

They have instead exposed themselves as spineless cowards. We join all citizens in demanding all energies towards finding these cretins and having them feel the full brunt of the law.

We adopt this position acknowledging that the damage to these women’s peace of mind and the further denting of the Nation’s psyche have already been done. This time it was scratch bombs – the psychological distress and physical hazard already recognised by Cuffie’s, campaign against scratch bombs in the wake of injuries to grandmother, Sally-Ann Cuffie – but it could just as easily have been a more potent device, or indeed, even gunshots. In fact, the victims thought they were being fired upon, with the assailants blurting “shoot, shoot.” Thankfully, John and her sister, emerged relatively unscathed, compared to other victims of violence both here and abroad. Locally, among the 400-plus homicides, we particularly lament the murder of churchgoer, Felicia Dyer Francis, 71, to “send a message” to her policeman son, and of Shannon Banfield, 20, whose demise came as she did the most ordinary of chores – shopping – in the heart of the nation’s capital. Internationally, we mourn the victims – chosen at random as is the want of terrorism – as exemplified in the Berlin truck massacre and similar heinous events in other European capitals and in the United States, and those summarily executed or displaced by the horrors of internecine struggle as evidenced in Aleppo.

While it may seem clich?d and impossibly Utopian, we truly wish for the season’s proverbial “peace on earth, goodwill to man”, both for TT and beyond our shores.

Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister, Stuart Young, recently disclosed the shocking statistic that some 182 nationals of TT are suspected of financing terrorist activities worldwide. These findings in the latest Financial Intelligence Agency (FIU) Report must register sombrely with us all, including the security services, whom we say must remain on top of the situation which indicates persons directly carrying out acts reflective of man’s inhumanity to man or financing others to do so.

At present most violent crimes in TT are committed for pecuniary gain, allowing a certain “method in its madness”. Fortunately, rarer by far are violent acts designed to terrify citizens, such as the scratch bomb attack on John and her sister. Attacks based on vendettas and even on ideology have no place in a society such as Trinidad and Tobago, which we pray will be able to continue to boast of relative peace on its earth and even goodwill to all.

Conclusion

CRISES IN ethnic relations and their political consequences may change in intensity over time and assume different forms and would be related to circumstances which induce heightened or diminished levels of ethnic consciousness. The study has not given sufficient indepth attention to the modalities and variability of such latent consciousness.

In Trinidad and Tobago, for example, the dismissal of the core ULF element from the NAR Government in 1988 (the era of “triumph over race”) unleashed palpable ethnic tensions despite the effort to overcome the race factor in the formation of the party.

In the general election campaign of 2015, it was not difficult to discern the obtrusive ethnic innuendo and the associated allegation of racial propensity as the basis of the PNM campaign when Indo-Trinidadians as a group were characterised as the high priests and priestesses of corruption.

This allegation, to a large extent, demarcated the ethnic and political divide at the time when five years earlier a concerted attempt was made by the People’s Partnership to forge a coalition supported by a cross-section of ethnic groups in an effort to emasculate the race factor.

While it may be argued that ethnic tensions between people of African and Indian descent reached their peak in the period of the early sixties, the consciousness of ethnicity remains a potent and subliminal factor in determining political outcomes. It therefore cannot be discounted that in certain societal conjunctures in the future such consciousness can assume crisis proportions.

However, the chapter headings seem to suggest that there is a secular trend in ethnic relations which moves from a crisis mode to one in which ethnicity is triumphantly eliminated as a cardinal predisposing factor in determining political configurations and outcomes. Thus, it may seem somewhat premature and overly optimistic to predict political outcomes as denoting a “triumph over race”.

With respect to the notable effort to neutralise the salience of the race factor in Trinidad and Tobago, the study gave merely casual recognition to the relevance of the emergence of the Congress of the People (COP) political party in 2006 and its quest for electoral support in the 2007 general election.

The party, though led by an Indo- Trinidadian, was not overtly identified with any particular race and drew its support from diverse ethnic groupings.

In the process, the party garnered the not insubstantial proportion of 22 percent of the votes cast in the 2007 general election and its association with the People’s Partnership (PP) in the general election of 2010 was arguably the most significant element in the PP’s ability to project a national multi-ethnic image and gain overwhelming electoral success.

When the COP’s support base largely withdrew by 2015, the PP lost its multi-ethnic appeal and there was a reversion to the more familiar ethnic bases of political alignments.

Another issue with the study is the large number of variables employed to identify changes in the relevance of the race factor and its relationship to politics.

Such an approach makes the analysis somewhat unwieldy and indeterminate in assessing the relative effect of each variable. It should be possible to simplify the analysis by identifying in certain conjunctures three or four variables of paramount significance and examine their impact.

This book makes a useful contribution to the literature on race and politics in plural societies.

The subject has been well researched.

The study offers a wealth of detail and corroborating material in support of its thesis and presents an engaging perspective on politics in the two countries examined. It should be of interest to academics, politicians, policymakers, and leaders in the spheres of civil society.