Ramesh Lutchmedial, the director general of Civil Aviation, told the Sunday Newsday that all drones will have to be registered and conditions will be attached for their use in order to ensure they do not pose a safety hazard to aircraft in flight or to people on the ground.

Draft regulations prepared by the aviation regulator had been submitted to the Office of the Chief Parliamentary Counsel for review. However, I am concerned that since that time, more than a year ago, no update has been issued.

Are we awaiting a disaster before appropriate action is taken to control the use of drones? After the pilot of an aircraft travelling from Ottawa to Toronto in Canada last week had to take evasive action to avoid colliding with an unidentified flying object believed to be a drone, I decided to check on the dangers posed to aircraft in flight by drones.

I was surprised to find numerous articles on the Internet about “near misses” between drones and aircraft. An article published by the Federal Aviation Authority of the US on March 28 states that “drones are still flying dangerously close to airports and to airplanes in flight.” Between November 13, 2014 and August 20, 2015, 764 such incidents were reported.

Another FAA report on March 28 revealed that from August 22, 2015, through January 31, 2016, nearly 600 drones flew too close to airports or to aircraft in flight.

Also in 2015, more drones flew in restricted areas than in 2014 when there were 238 sightings.

FAA safety guidelines recommend that drones be not flown above 400 feet; must be kept within sight; must never be flown near other aircraft or within five miles of an airport; never be flown over groups of people; never fly near emergency response efforts such as fires; never fly by someone under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

Some aircraft have been forced off course by drones. A recent report by a Bard College, US, research team stated that from December 2013 through September 2015, there were 28 incidents involving airplane pilots taking evasive action to avoid colliding with a drone.

An airplane pilot in North Carolina, US, observed a drone flying roughly 1,000 feet below his aircraft, which was 7,000 feet in the air. The drone was also flying within two miles of an airport.

There is a significant increase in popularity of these unmanned aerial vehicles. A recent FAA report stated that more than 406,000 people have registered their drones in the FAA’s drone registration database.

In the UK, according to statistics released by the Civil Aviation Authority, there were 23 near misses involving aircraft and drones between April and October 2015, including 12 which posed a threat of collision.

At the moment there is nothing to stop anyone from buying a drone, as long as it weighs less than 20 kg and is not being used for commercial purposes.

Transport Canada’s current guidelines say drones should be flown at least nine kilometres from airports, no higher than 90 metres above the ground, and at least 150 metres from people, buildings and vehicles. Transport Canada can impose fines of up to Can$25,000 for improper use of a recreational drone. Drones are becoming increasing popular in TT and while there have been no reported incidents involving drones and aircraft in flight, it is my hope that appropriate regulations are enacted soon to control their use before a major accident occurs.

Whilst in the Eastman case the crime involved the alleged exploitation of women, the case involving Guness pertains to the alleged exploitation of a Guyanese man, aged 21.

Guness’ son, Vishaal, 22, was charged with two counts of occasional bodily harm to the alleged victim.

Another man, Suresh Samaroo, was also charged with occasioning actual bodily harm to the alleged victim.

The father and son and Samaroo had been before Senior Magistrate Armina Deonarinesingh in the Siparia Magistrates’ Court on the charges which were laid indictably.

The magistrate had been conducting a Preliminary Inquiry into the charges which allege that the acts had been committed on September 14, 2013.

The charges contend that on that date, Guness recruited the Guyanese national into Trinidad or transported or harboured him for the purpose of his exploitation.

He also was charged with occasioning actual bodily harm to the alleged victim between October 1, and October 25, 2013.

The charges were laid by Police Constable Nicole Andrews of the Counter Trafficking Unit. State attorney Sarah De Silva, prosecuted the matter.

The assault charge against Guness, his son and Samaroo, were also prosecuted indictably by De Silva.

Attorney Ravi Rajcoomar represented the three and made legal submissions to the magistrate. On Monday, Deonarinesingh delivered a written ruling in which she found that a prima facie case had been made out by the prosecution.

She committed the three to stand trial before a judge and jury.

The magistrate granted Guness bail in the sum of $150,000 and Vishaal and Samaroo bail amounting to $60,000 each.

Boatswain, 39, was yesterday told, upon his committal by Senior Magistrate Margaret Alert in the San Fernando Magistrates’ Court, that he is to avoid contact with the victim, Mawasi Williams, 26, as he awaits his trial.

Alert had been conducting a preliminary inquiry since 2014 on two charges against Boatswain namely larceny of a gold chain and attempting to choke.

The maximum sentence for the latter charge, if found guilty, 15 years in jail.

It was in 2007 when Boatswain, of Gasparillo, was first charged with the offence of robbery with aggravation, in which he was alleged to have attacked Williams, also of Gasparillo, at her home on May 24.

As a result of the attack, Williams is paralysed from the waist down.

She is unable to use her hands as well.

The State, however, dropped that charge and replaced it with a new charge under the Offences Against the Persons Act, that Boatswain attempted to choke, strangle or suffocate with intent to enable himself to rob Williams.

The charges were laid by Corporal Narine Bisnath of the Southern Division Task Force.

The inquiry continued before Alert in which State Attorney, Sarah De Silva, called ten witnesses including Williams who is a mother of one.

Doctors Robin Sinanan, Ravindra Narine and Robert Naidike also testified for the Prosecution.

Yesterday, the case was called during the afternoon session and, following submissions by De Silva and Boatswain’s attorney Cedric Neptune, Alert informed the defendant that a prima facie case had been made out against him.

Alert granted him fresh bail in the sum of $100,000.

Speaking to pathologist Valeri Alexandrov yesterday, Newsday was told that the teenaged boy was shot with bullets which travelled at a high velocity, and may have fragmented upon entry of the young man’s body.

The fragments then exited the body through what is called “satellite wounds”. But one of the wounds counted by Alexandrov was determined to be a defensive wound.

According to the pathologist, one of the bullets passed through Ramsahai’s forearm, then hit him in the upper body. Newsday was also told that when he was shot, he was facing his killers. Ramshai was killed on Friday by police.

According to reports, officers who were on an anti-crime exercise responded to a report that a man was seen with a gun at Pasea Extension, Tunapuna. Officers responded, and allegedly saw Ramsahai, 15, running to a wall in a bid to escape.

Officers gave chase, but during the pursuit, it is alleged that the teenager fired gunshots in the direction of the police. Officers returned fire, and shot Ramsahai several times about the body before he fell to the floor dead. Police investigators later found a 9mm pistol at the scene of the shooting.

Newsday understands Ramsahai was recently released from the St Michael’s Home for Boys. Investigators told Newsday in an earlier report that the teenager had a rap sheet of 13 offences, which included rape, robbery and firearm offences. While police claim there was a shootout between police and the teen, relatives insist he was trying to surrender when he was shot dead.

While the evidence provided by the autopsy sheds new light on the incident, head of the the Police Complaints Authority (PCA), David West, yesterday said that more evidence is needed to further pursue an investigation into the matter.

The PCA yesterday sent a release indicating that it has not yet received any complaint from family members of the slain teen, but have advised that persons with relevant information can contact the authority at Tower D of the International Waterfront Centre, Wrightson Road. “Regarding the police shooting of Josiah Ramsahai, the PCA has initiated an investigation and we ask that Ms Ramsahai come into the PCA office to provide information relevant to the investigation.” the PCA release read.

Persons interested in providing information to the PCA can call their offices at 800-2722 or 627- 4383.

A report was made at the Marabella Police Station. Police yesterday appealed to persons making large withdrawals to put security measures in place during this Christmas season. Persons are also being advised against leaving items on car seats which in turn may attract the bandits.

Queen’s Counsel James Lewis, who is leading the case for the US, will know if his pitch for a chance to be heard was successful when the three judges give their decision in the near future. Also presiding over the US’ appeal were Justices Allan Mendonca and Peter Jamadhar.

Lewis spent most of the three hours of hearing yesterday, insisting that as Warner’s prosecutor in the extradition proceedings against him, he should be heard by the judge hearing the judicial review claim against the Attorney General’s decision to sign an extradition request from the US, which Warner’s lawyers said was illegal.

In June, Justice James Aboud ruled that the US government will take no part in the judicial review proceedings While Aboud ruled that the US had an interest in the outcome of the case before him, he said that its interest would be adequately dealt with by the Office of the Attorney General.

“Its position as an affected party is not compromised by its exclusion because its interest and the AG’s appear to be identical,” Aboud said. He also ruled that the US would not “bring anything to the table” in the case as it admitted that it only wished to make legal submissions in the case.

According to Warner’s lawyers, the issue was one regarding TT law, and therefore should not be attended to by a foreign country.

At yesterday’s appeal hearing, Lewis was kept busy by the judges who questioned him at length on the US’ rights to be a party to the judicial review hearing.

“We have an absolute right,” Lewis said, and also appeared to have found himself in a bit of a sticky situation when it appeared he conceded that the US government did not trust this country’s Attorney General to advance its case before the judge.

Archie: You don’t trust the Attorney General? Lewis: Well that’s one way of putting it. He went on to explain that the US could not abrogate its own position on the extradition challenge onto another party.

“That’s why we’re here. It may be that his interests are informed by different factors, such as politics, we are entitled to make sure our interests are put forth,” Lewis said.

Later, he further sought to clarify what he said after Warner’s lead counsel Fyard Hosein,SC, noted it was a powerful statement for the US to say it did not trust a sovereign state.

“We have different interests than that of the Attorney General,” Lewis said. He submitted that the US had sufficient interest in the proceedings to be heard and must be allowed to do so by the court.

Lewis further contended that the AG, if allowed to advance the position of the US, would be in conflict as his ATP was being challenged by Warner.

Raymond in a release yesterday said the State was now appealing the matter “with the consent of the JCC”.

“Whilst in Opposition, the PNM made repeated, vocal protests on the secretive conduct of the Invaders’ Bay development by the People’s Partnership. Now in Government, the PNM seems to have elevated secrecy in public affairs to a new prominence,” Raymond said in his statement.

“Since Dr James Armstrong was appointed JCC President in December 2015, that organisation has been silent on the Invaders’ Bay matter.

“This had previously been of high importance as a major development in our capital city, which was proceeding illegally and improperly,” he said.

He further noted that it now appeared that the JCC has “reversed its earlier position of pressing for publication of those vital and suppressed documents.” On Monday, Justice of Appeal Nolan Bureaux, Gregory Smith and Peter Rajkumar granted leave to the State to challenge the two previous rulings in which the courts found that the Ministry of Planning’s decision to refuse publication of the information was null and void, and of no effect.

Raymond, as then JCC president, in 2013, filed the judicial review lawsuit after he unsuccessfully made several requests for information on the project under the Freedom of Information Act.

Both the high court and appellate court had ruled in his favour, paving the way for the ministry to publish the legal advice it received in the proposed development of Invaders’ Bay.

Scores of Bagaloo Trace residents, who turned up for the meeting, promised the Acting Commissioner that they will support him in his initiative, but some of them openly criticised officers of the Central Division claiming the officers did not treat them as law-abiding citizens and opted to use a hard approach of policing instead of partnering with them. Williams informed residents that effective immediately, the soft approach as well as the hard approach will be adopted and he will return to the area to get a feedback from residents to ascertain if they continue to be disgruntled over the way they are being treated by officers of the Central Division.

The Acting Commissioner also thanked the residents for looking out for their neighbours in the community and noted that it was the responsibility of every resident to reclaim the community from the hands of criminal elements.

He also noted that both foot and mobile patrols have been increased in the area and believed that this has also contributed to the decrease in serious crime.

Esdelle was among those who spoke to Newsday on the passing of Rogers. The jazz vocalist died early Monday morning at her Barataria home. Rogers was 58. Esdelle recalled not having taken up a spot to be Rogers’ pianist but when she asked Rogers to perform at Women in Jazz, 2004, “her willingness was so generous.” She recalled that Rogers was always interested, after that show, in what she was doing. “I always liked her spirit. I liked even the manner of her dress. She was a gentle spirit to be around,” Esdelle recalled.

Rogers, she said, was an example to other vocalists of how to work a general circuit. “She was generally interested in other people’s well-being,” she said. Percussionist Tamba Gwindi said when he heard of her passing, it was very hard for him.” Gwindi and Rogers played together over the past ten years on the jazz circuit. Gwindi described Rogers as a true soldier. Carl ‘Beaver’ Henderson told Newsday, described her loss as big one to the jazz industry. Henderson said he wished she had gotten her ‘just due’ before she died. He described her as ‘trudging along quietly’, very humble and professional.

Close friend and entertainment journalist, Gary Cardinez said, “Trinidad and Tobago was stunned and shock by the passing of Jasmine Patti Rogers, a beautiful and honest soul with a permanent smile on her face. If ever there was a sincere person in the music industry it was Patti Rogers, she loved life despite whatever it brought her.

“Patti has been singing jazz from school days, fighting against the odds, working very hard to make Trinidadians see there is a market in jazz music. It was not easy. She toiled and toiled and was able to see her dream come to fruition.” Her last performance was at Trinidad Hilton on Sunday, he said.

Gopeesingh, a former minister of education, also accused the Government of failing to provide textbooks to school pupils this year, in contrast to some three million supplied under the former People’s Partnership (PP) government .

He accused the Government of firing many staff from the Ministry of Education, including facilitators and monitors .

They have also stopped the construction of school buildings, he also alleged .

In contrast, Gopeesingh said the former PP government had won acclaim from the likes of former US First Lady, Hillary Clinton, for providing universal early childhood care and education (ECCE) facilities .

He lamented that 540 murders have occurred since the Government took office .

Alleging that the population now faces “tax, tax, tax”, he hit the Government for imposing VAT on 7,000 food items, plus the seven percent online tax, while raising the business levy up by 300 percent, and raising the corporation tax rate .

“The Property Tax is coming,” he alerted .

“Water and electricity rates will be raised.”