Speaking at the Vice Chancellor Forum Monday at the UWI Regional Headquarters, Mona, Kingston, Jamaica Sir Hilary said, notwithstanding how the governance model or how the restructuring of governance will take place in the next five to ten years he said, Cubans “through their consciousness and their human resource development are prepared for this 21st century.” He continued, “when we conduct that analysis I think we will find that looking into the future of small island developing states preparing for this global moment in human history, we will find that the Cuban people are arguably the most prepared Caribbean peoples for this 21st century.” There was no doubt that developments in medicine, education and other fields that took place in Cuba while facing an economic embargo, he said, was a time cruncher, a revolution.

“You move a people forward 50 years in ten years. You move them forward 100 years in 20 years,” he said, has prepared the Cuban citizenry for going forward.

Describing the late Cuban leader as a “Caribbean leader” and a “Caribbean icon”, he said, Castro and the Cuban revolution is a Caribbean story from the very beginning and a Caribbean revolution that is rooted in the logic of Caribbean history.” He said Castro “was, is and will be quintessentially a Caribbean person”, that “Cuba and Castro is a Caribbean story,” and the Cuban revolution is “quintessentially Caribbean”. Historian and Trinidad and Tobago’s first Prime Minister Dr Eric Williams, he said, “was quite correct” when he wrote in his book on the history of the Caribbean to frame it in the context from Toussaint Louverture to Castro and to make the point that the Caribbean revolution was a long one.

Williams, he said, bookmarked that Toussaint was the beginning of what he called “Caribbean enlightenment” that was carried through to Castro. The Caribbean enlightenment,” he said, was the counter revolution to the “western enlightenment” that produced slavery in the 16th 17th centuries that manifested itself in colonialism, racism and other issues. The Caribbean, he said, was a contested space in which the territories were colonised but the peoples in the islands were

Sankar’s body was found in an outhouse days after he reportedly went missing. Relatives said they were informed by the pathologist that due to the advanced state of decomposition, a cause of death could not be ascertained. Relatives added that further analysis of body tissue would now be done.

Sankar’s parents Devika, 49, and Sham, 54, found their son’s body in an area overgrown with bush not too far from his home in Pranz Gardens. Reports indicate patches of hair were found near his body and relatives were able to identify the body as their son because the right hand had no fingers, all five were severed due to an accident in 2006. Anil, a crab-catcher, was last seen alive shortly after 8 pm on November 27.

He wore a grey jeans and black and blue striped t-shirt. Last week Tuesday, relatives reported him missing to Couva Police Station. Villagers lined the road as crime scene investigators removed Anil’s body shortly after it was discovered.

Hart issued this call at a EITI seminar held at Tower D of the Port-of- Spain International Waterfront Centre on Monday.

Noting the EITI is currently in its sixth year of implementation, Hart said the accrued benefits to Government, companies and civil society, “attest that it has been a success.” However Hart said for the EITI to have sustained success going forward, “it needs to be embedded in the country’s legal framework.” He explained, “An EITI Act will facilitate the efficient implementation of the EITI, by making companies’ participation mandatory, instead of voluntary as now obtains, and by removing the confidentiality restriction of the Income Tax Act.” On this particular issue, Hart said former energy minister Nicole Olivierre made a request to Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi to add the Committee’s name to the Auditor- General to be given exemption from the confidentiality restrictions.

Hart also said the Auditor General is also currently denied access to revenue receipt records at the Energy Ministry.

He hoped that parliamentarians will find the contents of the EITI report helpful when they participate in the Budget debate on matters relating to the oil, gas and quarry sectors.

Hart added the EITI is the best assurance that TT is collecting the full revenues for which it is entitled from the energy sector.

He said the annual EITI audit of company payments and government receipts is a major disincentive to corruption in the sector.

Possible trial dates will now be set in March when the matter come up again before Justice James Aboud in the Port-of-Spain High Court. An application by the United States to enter the issue is being determined by the appellate court and until a decision is given, trial dates cannot be firmed up. On Monday, Justice Aboud admitted that the application by the US had ‘held back’ the matter from proceeding but said it was unintentional.

Timelines were however given for the filing of written submissions by both sides. Warner’s lawsuit challenges the process by which the extradition proceedings against him are being carried out and seeks to quash the Authority to Proceed (ATP) which was signed last September by Attorney General Faris Al Rawi.

The ATP gave Chief Magistrate Marcia Ayers-Caesar the green light to begin committal proceedings. Warner is also challenging the legality of the Extradition (Commonwealth and Foreign Territories) Act, and the Treaty signed between this country and the United States.

Warner is wanted in the United States for a series of fraud-related offences allegedly committed during his tenure as vice-president of world football’s governing body.

She made the statements during her welcome address to delegates from the Caribbean, the United States and Canada who participated in a forum on Forensics and Ballistics, at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, Port-of- Spain on Monday.

“It is important to understand that our efforts in order to be effective cannot be confined to individual country initiatives.

There must be greater collaboration and communication between our countries, as far as exchanging information, intelligence gathering and improving training initiatives in the field of forensic science and ballistics,” Jennings-Smith, lamented that the failure of investigators to properly secure and maintain evidence and the lack of standardized protocols in ballisitcs, have contributed to the recent backlog of criminal cases in local courts, further stifling the effectiveness of courts to convict firearm related offences.

“A reality in Trinidad and Tobago is the significant backlog of criminal cases before our courts. As a result of this, cases are ranked on priority and are not dealt with as quickly as they should.

This should bolster our need to improve the evidence gathering process and rethink our quality management protocols to further streamline work processing.” Callixtus Joseph, Regional Crime and Security Coordinator for the CARICOM Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (IMPACS), echoed, the Minister’s call for further review and assessment of current evidence gathering techniques and urged regional leaders to remain proactive in their fight against crime and criminality, adding that a culture of violence in the region has taken hold of daily life.

“We must address the issue of rising incidence of firearm related homicides. Illicit firearms are now a part of growing culture of violence in the Caribbean region and it is something that affects everyone, as such cases chokes our development and tarnishes the image of the entire region.” According to reports from the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS), violent crimes decreased by 6.7 percent in 2015, however approximately 81 percent of murders involved the use of a firearm as the weapon of choice.

The two-day forum, sponsored by the governments of the United States and Canada, and the United Nations Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC), is aimed at improving capacity- building in the field of forensic science and ballistics testing. The organisation which is geared towards tackling issues of violent crimes and international terrorism in the Caribbean, has in the past facilitated training programmes for various law enforcement agencies in the Caribbean in these fields as part of attempts to reduce the incidence of gun-related crimes and gain better insight into patterns of illegal arms trafficking within the region.

“Our experience is when it comes to the distribution of lands, or any form of resources towards self-development, one specific ethnic composition are being subjected to being stonewalled…And that is to refuse to cooperate, and what has happened to us during the course of the years, is that every administration has failed socially disadvantaged communities, especially in the East Port of Spain. East Port-of-Spain and every socially disadvantage community has no heroes

And SE POS at this point in time, has posed ourselves to be heroes for the socially disadvantaged, the socially disenfranchised and those who have been stonewalled by every administration.” To this end, the organisation has taken the decision to commence a ‘community grow box agricultural initiative’, to engender employment opportunities and help the country in its drive for food security

President of SE POS, Michael Morgan, also said that they have called on Line Minister, Paula Gopee-Scoon to look again at a pending lease agreement for the Duncan Street Complex. “We plan to utilise private investors to refurbish the building thereby enhancing our community social services delivery apparatus. Our community is experiencing a dangerous level of degradation, for example, clogged drains and the Sea Lots Water Front oil spill to name a few.”

At one stage, Rowley was held by a woman who danced rhythmically.

She held both of his hands and led him into a tight embrace with her, from behind. They both danced in synch with each other and the music.

The female dancer then held the hips of another dancer while Rowley still held onto her waist, as a conga line was formed. At the back of the conga, President Maduro also held firmly to the waist of a dancer, as the heads of Trinidad and Tobago and Venezuela swayed and danced with the women.

The dance climaxed the signing of a deal in which the heads of both countries put pen to paper to approve three agreements on energy which involve natural gas and oil production. President Maduro and Rowley signed three agreements for: I) A supply of natural gas from Venezuela to Trinidad and Tobago from Camp Dragon; II) Shell Venezuela and Pdvsa entering in negotiations to evaluate opportunities to reduce gas flaring in northern Monagas state, and; III) Agreement to obtain financing for a joint venture to encourage increased oil production.

Of the signing, Rowley said: “What we have signed today is opening up opportunities for various necessary projects in hydrocarbons.

These will see the door opened for Trinidad and Tobago to enter the international market (…) Today we take the gas to expand our trade opportunities together.” The natural gas from the Dragon Field in Venezuela will be used directly to service the downstream sector at Trinidad’s Pt Lisis Industrial Port Development Corporation (Plipdeco).

Rowley added that the signing was a “milestone that will enhance fraternal relations” between Venezuela and Trinidad and Tobago.

For his part, President Maduro said that these “historic agreements”, mark the path of peace and economic expansion.

He stressed that the people of Latin America and the Caribbean must play a role in integrating with Latin America, “through the strengthening the relations of cooperation and brotherhood.” “We are signing three agreements, working on our maritime borders with gas blocks and reaching agreements for joint exploitation (it’s a) winwin for the good of both countries,” Maduro said.

Earlier, on Rowley’s arrival in Caracas, he was greeted by President Maduro who invited him to inspect a military Honour Guard. Rowley was then driven to a memorial for a wreath-laying ceremony before being taken to the Miraflores Palace.

Rowley’s visit yesterday came after Maduro paid a similar one-day visit to this country in May, where a US$50M trade agreement was signed in which TT manufacturing companies would provide items such as food, toilet paper and soap to Venezuela, which is economic turmoil and political chaos following the massive fall in world oil prices which has crippled Venezuela’s economy which is wholly dependent on money earned from its energy production in both oil and natural gas.

Unlike the throngs of protests from Venezuelans living, studying and working in Trinidad which greeted Maduro on his visit to Trinidad, Rowley’s visit was generally low-key and went largely unnoticed by persons in Caracas. Rowley and his entourage, which included Minister of Foreign Affairs and CARICOM Dennis Moses, Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister Stuart Young and Minister of Energy Franklin Khan, returned to Trinidad last evening.

Police report stated that about 9 pm on Sunday, Alexis was at the family’s mini mart at Freedom Street, Enterprise, where gunshots rang out. When the shooting noises stopped, relatives discovered Alexis with gunshot wounds to his upper body. He was rushed to the Chaguanas District Health Centre where he succumbed to his injuries, shortly after .

Only on July 17 last, his brother Selwyn, 51, was shot and killed in a shootout at his carwash businessplace located on the said Freedom Street. Also killed in this shooting were Alexis’ customer Kevin Escayg and Thomas ‘Hamza’ Sharpe, who was believed to be one of the hitmen who ambushed the notorious businessman. Escayg’s four-yearold son Kirchard Scott, was also shot but survived the ordeal.

Hugh Bernard, who in September had been refused permission to pursue his judicial review claim against the Corporation for implementing the measure without providing alternative facilities, three appellate court judges reversed the decision.

Justices of Appeal Peter Jamadar, Gregory Smith and Charmaine Pemberton yesterday granted leave to Bernard to pursue his case, and the city corporation has given its assurances that the final gate to the square will not be locked until the matter is resolved in the courts. In September, Justice Eleanor Donaldson- Honeywell dismissed Bernard’s claim even as she praised him for raising awareness of the plight of homeless people in TT.

In the lawsuit, Bernard claimed the homeless were adversely affected by the corporation’s decision to place locks on the gates which denied them and other members of the public entry into the square.

In December of last year, the Corporation erected a fence around the perimeter of Tamarind Square, and towards the end of January, locks and chains were placed on the gates.

Four of the five gates around the square have been locked and the fifth gate has a padlock but has not yet been locked as the others.

The lawsuit contended that if this fifth gate to Tamarind Square was locked, the socially displaced will have nowhere left to go.

Bernard argued that it was unfair to him and the other homeless people that they will be denied entry into the square without any alternative arrangements being made to accommodate them.

He also sought to have the court make an order requiring the City Corporation to leave the gates open until viable alternatives are made for them and that tents and portable toilets be placed in the square.

Representing Bernard were Christopher Hamel Smith SC, Imran Ali and Krystal Richardson while John Jeremie SC and Kerwyn Garcia appeared for the Corporation.

Police officers are now reviewing the video footage as the search continues for the suspect. According to a police report at about 6 pm on Sunday, owner of the business place Anna Patel, 54, secured her business at Anna’s Lotto & Caf? along Smith Street , Mon Repos near San Fernando.

Reports said that at about 5 am yesterday, the newspapers were dropped off at the front entrance inside the business place. Investigators said that at about 5.45 am, the thief, as seen in footage, crawled to the front of the building with a piece of pipe in his hand. Reports said that using the pipe, the thief hauled the newspapers through the burglar- proofing of the building.

He then escaped on foot with the newspapers in a box. The newspapers were valued $32. The incident occurred a stone’s throw away from the Mon Repos Police Station.

Speaking with Newsday, business owner, Patel said she was astonished by the lengths a thief would go to steal.

“This man is a professional thief and he committed the act in a very crafty way. This man has no respect for the police knowing there is a police station near to the business place, he still committed a crime.”she said, adding that the incident has left her distressed.

Patel said for years she has sold newspapers and this was the first time her business place was robbed.

“In the footage, you see the man steal the newspapers and then casually walk away with the newspapers in a box as if he did nothing,”she said. She also believes that the man did not get time to steal the other two copies of the newspaper which were left in front the business place.

The suspect is said to be in his early forties. WPC Stoute of the Mon Repos Police Station is continuing investigations.