Yesterday in the semifinals Greig defeated national squash player Nkrumah Patrick 6-3, 4-6, 10-7, while Gregoire upset first seed Scott Hackshaw 6-7, 6-4, 10-4 to advance to the final.

There were no upsets in the Girls U-18/U-21 semifinals with Anya King and Emma Davis advancing in straight sets.

Second seed King outlasted Osenyonye Nwokolo 6-1, 7-5 and top seed Davis got past Celeste Steele 6-2, 6-1.

In the Girls U-16 Singles semifinals Yin Lee Assang and Jade Tom Yew both progressed to the final.

Assang defeated Abigail Jones 6-1, 6-3 and Tom Yew outlasted Aura Whittier 6-0, 6-2.

Matches continue today from 9 am.

OTHER SEMIFINAL RESULTS

Boys U-10 Singles – Jace Quashie def Luca Denoon 4-2, 2-4, 10-6 Jaylon Chapman def James Hadden 2-4, 4-0, 10-8

Boys U-12 Singles – Sebastien Byng def Lorcan Chan Pak 4-1, 4-0 Shae Millington def Nicholas Ready 4-1, 4-1

Girls U-12 Singles – Cameron Wong def Gabrielle Mackenzie 4-1, 4-0 Charlotte Ready def Jade Ali – walkover

Girls U-14 Singles – Emily Lawrence def Kelsey Leitch 6-1, 6-2 Aalisha Alexis def Maria Honore 6-0, 7-6 Boys U-14 Singles – Kyle Kerry def David Rodriguez 6-4, 6-0 Liam Sheppard def Alijah Leslie 6-2, 3-6, 10-7

Boys U-16 Singles – Adam Ramkissoon def Ethan Jeary 6-2, 6-3

Boys U-18 Singles – Jaydon Alexis def Kobe James 7-6, 6-3 Joshua Arnold def Adam

The team leaves for the Central American nation on Sunday evening for the two matches which are slated for December 27 and 30.

From the squad selected, overseas-based duo Cornell Glen (striker) and Kevan George (midfielder) will join the contingent in Managua.

United States-midfielders Kevin Molino (Orlando City) and Cordell Cato (San Jose Earthquakes) are both unavailable due to club business while striker Willis Plaza is set to travel to Dubai, United Arab Emirates for a trial stint.

Central defender Sheldon Bateau, midfielders Khaleem Hyland, Andre Boucaud and Levi Garcia are also unavailable for the matches against Nicaragua due to club commitments.

Saintfiet commented on his selection yesterday.

“I think we have a mixed group of young players, talented players without experience in national team but also players who played a lot for the national team and are very experienced, who also have experience abroad.” Saintfiet said.

“The atmosphere is good. The boys trained good last week and we are looking forward to prepare this team for Nicaragua but Nicaragua is also preparation for the real matches against Suriname and Haiti (in the Caribbean Football Union Gold Cup qualifiers).” Saintfiet touched on the selection of a couple new faces in the final 23-man squad including Tyrone Charles, Nathan Lewis and Akeem Roach who were not in the initial training squad. Saintfiet observed the players during his viewing of local TT Pro League matches since arriving in the country.

“The reason they are invited is because they caught my eye. Secondly there are absences of some other players and some players can fill those vacancies. The players that come fit exactly into the system I want to play and I am very happy that they are added and I hope they can adapt very fast.” And on the call up for India-based striker Cornell Glen, Saintfiet added, “we are looking still for some strikers.

We have some absence with Wilis Plaza who is not available. We have to look for alternatives and we will look in these friendly matches and in the coming training sessions at his quality and level and we will see what he brings. He has to prove in training whether he is ready for it just like every other player.” The Belgian-born coach will not name a captain for the two games until he arrives in Nicaragua.

TT team – Marvin Phillip, Adrian Foncette, Glenroy Samuel (goalkeepers); Carlyle Mitchell, Radanfah Abu Bakr, Daneil Cyrus, Aubrey David, Triston Hodge, Maurice Forde, Alvin Jones, Curtis Gonzales, Carlos Edwards (defenders); Kevan George, Aikim Andrews, Jomal Williams, Nathan Lewis, Tyrone Charles, Hughtun Hector, Hashim Arcia (midfielders); Trevin Caesar, Shahdon Winchester, Akeem Roach, Cornell Glen (strikers).

Despite his relatively recent addition to the local entertainment scene, Amrit Permanand is one such entrepreneur. The 21-year-old law student has enjoyed some modest success as an events promoter and professional caterer.

Despite this success, however, Permanand, the founder and owner of Your West Indian Bredrin events management team, says that entrepreneurship is a continued uphill battle as the entertainment industry is buckling down in the face of increasingly turbulent economic times in a highly competitive industry. In an interview with Newsday, Permanand discussed the challenges, opportunities and future for TT youth entrepreneurs.

“One of the biggest challenges I’ve faced and I think a lot of other young persons interested in business, is to get persons to take you seriously. Fortunately for me, I had family members and friends who might not have been able to invest financially [but] were able to assist me with their time and that really has me where I am today in terms of success.” This is a common challenge among many first-time business owners as the availability of resources and start-up capital have been critical limiting factors.

Like many other young entrepreneurs, Permanand does not yet have the resources to pursue his business full-time and is employed so that he can support himself.

Despite this, he says he does not see his current mobility as a setback and he remains committed to his craft.

Permanand began working in the hospitality industry as a bartender for Angostura Ltd, in order to pay his school fees.

During that period he honed his skills in customer service and beverage management and also gained a better understanding of the workings of owning a business.

“It was a difficult time for me because I had to juggle the responsibilities of my job and my education. It was a lot of work and the pay was low but I was grateful for it because I benefited from the criticisms of customers and my supervisors. Something as simple as shaving ice and being able to listen and grow from criticism has gone a long way in going into business for myself,” he said.

Utilising the power of social media, Permanand got the word out about his services and within months has already built-up an impressive clientele. Together with a team of assistants, the Your West Indian Bredrin brand catered for some of the most exclusive events for Carnival 2016 and even year-round. Despite the challenges of owning and managing a new business in an uncertain economic climate, Permanand says he is happy with his success and looks forward for what the future holds for him.

To those turning to microenterprise as a means of supplementing their income or even as a full-time project, Permanand has this advice; “It’s about striking a balance between doing what you must and doing what you love.

“Another thing is to keep pushing yourself, remain true to your work ethic –a business is something that needs to be nurtured and cared for overtime. It won’t spring up overnight.”

Despite his relatively recent addition to the local entertainment scene, Amrit Permanand is one such entrepreneur. The 21-year-old law student has enjoyed some modest success as an events promoter and professional caterer.

Despite this success, however, Permanand, the founder and owner of Your West Indian Bredrin events management team, says that entrepreneurship is a continued uphill battle as the entertainment industry is buckling down in the face of increasingly turbulent economic times in a highly competitive industry. In an interview with Newsday, Permanand discussed the challenges, opportunities and future for TT youth entrepreneurs.

“One of the biggest challenges I’ve faced and I think a lot of other young persons interested in business, is to get persons to take you seriously. Fortunately for me, I had family members and friends who might not have been able to invest financially [but] were able to assist me with their time and that really has me where I am today in terms of success.” This is a common challenge among many first-time business owners as the availability of resources and start-up capital have been critical limiting factors.

Like many other young entrepreneurs, Permanand does not yet have the resources to pursue his business full-time and is employed so that he can support himself.

Despite this, he says he does not see his current mobility as a setback and he remains committed to his craft.

Permanand began working in the hospitality industry as a bartender for Angostura Ltd, in order to pay his school fees.

During that period he honed his skills in customer service and beverage management and also gained a better understanding of the workings of owning a business.

“It was a difficult time for me because I had to juggle the responsibilities of my job and my education. It was a lot of work and the pay was low but I was grateful for it because I benefited from the criticisms of customers and my supervisors. Something as simple as shaving ice and being able to listen and grow from criticism has gone a long way in going into business for myself,” he said.

Utilising the power of social media, Permanand got the word out about his services and within months has already built-up an impressive clientele. Together with a team of assistants, the Your West Indian Bredrin brand catered for some of the most exclusive events for Carnival 2016 and even year-round. Despite the challenges of owning and managing a new business in an uncertain economic climate, Permanand says he is happy with his success and looks forward for what the future holds for him.

To those turning to microenterprise as a means of supplementing their income or even as a full-time project, Permanand has this advice; “It’s about striking a balance between doing what you must and doing what you love.

“Another thing is to keep pushing yourself, remain true to your work ethic –a business is something that needs to be nurtured and cared for overtime. It won’t spring up overnight.”

The event offered a fun party night with friends and colleagues who arrived to a festive cocktail, followed by a delicious Christmas dinner. A revived Trinity Ensemble Parang Group headed by past masters Ossie Woods and Anthony Sanchez added some old-time parang and fun and even inspired two youthful guests to take to the dance floor.

The Master of the Lodge, Richard Saunders thanked the members for their outstanding support during the year. He introduced the office bearers who included immediate past master Trevor Paul, Tommy Lawrence as secretary, Colville Carrington, Dr Joseph Jacob and Dr Vinod Mahabir. Dr Godfrey Rajkumar received special commendation for co-ordinating the very successful Wine and Cheese event which raised funds to support several of the lodge’s charitable activities.

This charity event was geared toward generating funds for the foundation’s Scholarship Trust Fund. The fund is dedicated to supporting and promoting the achievement of academic excellence by young people from vulnerable homes and communities.

It is financed by the efforts of its trustees, non-profit organisations, the Heliconia Foundation and supporters who share this mission.

The event on December 11 was well attended by members, sponsors and representatives of the People’s National Movement including Fitzgerald Hinds, Minister of Public Utilities; Ashton Ford, general secretary and Jocelyn Bodden, welfare officer.

Jude James, the 2015 scholarship winner and recipient of a $20,000 bursary, also attended.

The foundation awarded four bursaries of $5,000 each for tertiary education to Josel Hamilton of Moruga who is pursuing a BSc in Sociology and Literature; Jabari Sylvester of Diego Martin, pursuing a BSc in Environmental Science and Psychology; Mickiel Gabriel of Laventille, music director and Latanya Potts of Maloney Gardens who is pursuing Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery degree. Guests were entertained by soca artiste Orlando Octave, La Nueva Parang Band, Vizion and singer Chinnaka Wheeler.

The foundation extends thanks to sponsors including Stetchers Ltd, Carib Brewery, Vesuvius, RIK Bookstores and Amera Marketing and Distribution Ltd.

E Teck did something special for two schools from its surrounding communities – the Tamana Hindu and Tamana RC primary schools.

Staff donated toys based on both schools’ age and gender population to ensure that every pupil received a special gift.

Excitement peaked at the December 15 event and expressions of gratitude came from all sides.

According to a media release principal Randal Luces of the Tamana RC stated: “I want to compliment e TecK.

They were the only corporate entity that has ever made that offer in the five years I’ve been the principal.

I look forward to more initiatives where the children will benefit.” Sooroughnath Maharaj, principal of the Tamana Hindu also thanked TecK for “a wonderful Christmas Treat.”

The Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) was enacted in 2010 by the United States Government with a view to reducing tax evasion by citizens.residents and other US persons who are holders of foreign accounts. The FATCA legislation requires that once US persons hold financial assets exceeding a value of US$50,000, this must be reported to the US Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

Back in August when the T&T Government signed the Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) associated with FATCA, it signaled a commitment to finalising all arrangements to begin reporting to the IRS. However, a three-fifths majority is required for the passage of this critical piece of legislation. In other words.for the Bill to be enacted, it needs the support of the Opposition.

Last week, the Government tabled an amended Bill which appropriately addressed issues raised by the Opposition, regarding confidentiality and the protection of the privacy of clients. The amendments also outlined that procedural matters supporting the exchange of information be left within the remit of the Board of Inland Revenue.

Under FATCA, Foreign Financial Institutions such as banks in TT, are required to identify and report on financial accounts held by US taxpayers or by foreign entities in which they – the US persons – hold a significant ownership interest. If the information is not provided.the bank would withhold a tax of 30 percent on US source payments the client receives, and send it to the IRS in the United States. Banks that do not comply would also be subject to a similar imposition of a 30 percent withholding tax on US source payments that they receive.

Of course, banks are not the only entities that stand to lose; noncompliance will undoubtedly cause damaging effects to the average bank client, business clients and to the national economy as a whole.

Trinidad and Tobago is the financial services hub of the English-speaking Caribbean and the United States remains our largest trading partner. Thousands of citizens continue to visit and work in the US on a regular basis with that country being a major source of remittances for many who reside here in TT. The serious implications of failure to enact the legislation should not be underestimated.

In the absence of legislation, TT stands to be blacklisted and the relationship with correspondent financial institutions will be severely affected, preventing clients from conducting transactions such as wire transfers, currency transactions and remittance services.

The effects of this will ripple through the economy, thereby increasing the cost of doing business and lowering profit margins. The result would be an unwarranted yet avoidable systemic challenge to an economy already burdened by harsh recessionary conditions.

Debate on the Bill is set to resume on January 6, 2017 and the TT Chamber stands in solidarity with ATTIC, Bankers Association and Joint Chambers.demanding a resolution as early as possible in order to meet the February 2017 deadline.

It is the express desire of all business groups that our leaders put country first and do what needs to be done now with respect to FATCA.

Throughout most of history, the majority of the world’s population lived in rural areas and only a small proportion of people lived in urban areas. But this trend has changed significantly in recent year as now more and more people live in urban areas.

This trend of rapid growth is called urbanisation and there are a number of negative potential impacts as a result. Problems include unemployment, poor housing conditions, air pollution from increased traffic, crime and disease which all threaten sustainable development.

In the Caribbean, one of the problems cause by rapid urbanisation is a housing deficit that has caused a large proportion of the population to live in informal settlements and poor housing conditions, which hinders the economic development.

But in spite of these adverse effects, urbanisation and have a positive impact on economic development. Cities are often more efficient than rural areas and less effort is needed to supply basic amenities such as fresh water and electricity.

The development of the smart city is an important element in ensuring the sustainable urbanisation across the Caribbean.

But for this to happen, more focus is needed on strengthening accounting, financial management and governance, over and above just focusing on technology. This sentiment is echoed in a new report by ACCA (the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) titled Smarter Cities, Simpler Cities.

Cities are defined as ‘smart’ not just by using technology, but in their ability to support an end-toend process that sees resources used efficiently to create viable outcomes that improve the quality of life for citizens.

There are many global smart cities including South Korea’s tailor-made Songdo to Amsterdam and Singapore. In India in particular, the government’s Smart Cities Mission has identified 100 smart cities to be created or retrofitted with smart attributes.

The rise of the smart city is coinciding with significant areas of technological innovation – such as the Internet of Things (IoT), Big Data analytics and open standards – and all this has the potential to revolutionise everything from waste management to traffic reduction. It’s necessary for smart principles to be embodied in the skills of key professionals, as much as in the city infrastructure itself, With the rise of smart cities, it has become vital for professions like accountancy, to adapt in an evolving age. There’s an urgent need for professional accountants to develop their own digital capability and understanding in order to provide the expert guidance (in areas like cost-benefit analysis for example) and strategic counsel necessary to shape the city of the future.

More broadly, in many cities across the world there is a move for decentralisation with more authority being transferred from central governments to the local governments. This has implications such as greater budgets and responsibilities for finance staff at city administration level, and accountancy capacity building in this space will be important.

Part of this capacity building will be the creation of ‘professional accountants’ who go beyond recording historical performance.

This involves various aspects, but having the ability to communicate effectively – which is critical to breaking siloes in an often traditional public sector environment; and, acting as the ethical conscience of the organisation with respect to managing public money in the public interest.

Investment in infrastructure in the Caribbean is hot the cards now more than ever, especially as The Inter-American Corporation for Infrastructure Financing (CIFI), a leader non-bank financial institution dedicated to run projects in Latin America and the Caribbean, has decided to move its headquarters to Panama City.

The objective of this decision is to enable its operations to be closer to the region to further boost its activity there and play a greater role in economic development in the region.

Across Asia and Africa, the development of the smart city is not a utopian ideal but a social necessity: rapid urbanisation is creating unique pressures on local economies, environmental impacts and the challenges of ageing populations. India alone expects to add about 300 million city dwellers by 2045. So as new centres of urbanisation emerge around the world – smart cities offer a ray a hope to ensure that the journey of many of these new urban centres can benefit from a planned, smart approach that safeguards living conditions for future generations.

Event security requires just as much thought as any other aspect of the planning process, and particularly finding the balance between ensuring the safety and security of your guests, while maintaining a comfortable balance and avoiding creating unnecessary annoyances, is the most challenging area to surmount. It is particularly important to ensure that guests do not feel ‘less welcome’ than other guests, nor do they feel ‘more scrutinised’, than the other guests. This can become somewhat tricky when designing a smooth entry flow, while expecting VIP guests, intertwined with other invitees. Hence, it is always a good idea, to prepare the best entry and egress of the VIP guests before the actual event to minimise these scenarios.

One of the first initiatives to undertake in the management of event security is to access your risk. A comprehensive review of the location, nature of the event and attendees should provide a good indication of the level of security intervention required. If the event is being hosted on a large scale, usually a security portal may be utilised to ensure the screening of personnel. In some instances, individual screening checks are undertaken, and if not done in a professional manner, can lead to a measure of embarrassment to the guest. Hence, I always advise for large events, it may be best to invest in walk through security portals, as they are faster, more efficient, and less intrusive than the hand-held scanners, and can provide easier management of the inflow of guests.

Your chosen security personnel must similarly blend with the occasion. This includes both their dress and their presence. Each of these characteristics must respect and complement your event. This means, if your event is more formal in nature, it may be best to request your security personnel be fashioned in blazers, rather than the operations styled uniforms. The security officers’ grooming is also important to maintain the overall atmosphere of your event.

Guests attending your event must do so with assurance that you have provided adequate security for their vehicles. If they are requested to park in an unsafe area, it is very unlikely that they will remain at the event for extended periods, and if so, may not be comfortable during the event. I started with stating that security is usually the last line of expenditure, however, it is imperative to consider the guest’s perspective, and ensure their need for safety and security is adequately covered, from the time they exit their vehicles to the time they re-enter their vehicles to depart.

In similar manner to the existence of professional event management teams, there are also professional event security management teams that are trained to assist and support the design of security management for events. Simply contracting the lowest priced firm, to ‘ensure a body presence’ simply would not cut it anymore. Review the credentials of the security firm with whom you may engage to ascertain their experience in event security, and once contracted; enlist them to develop a special event security plan in support of your primary event plan. Always remember, the security of your guests is your responsibility.

Most guests value any measures taken to create a secure event and will tolerate security routines, provided the steps required to gain access have been clearly detailed and the entry process is efficient and smooth.