The ministry said the United States State Department’s 2016 Country Report on Terrorism indicated that in addition to the absence of any terrorist groups in this country, the National Security Ministry has established an inter-agency National Counter-terrorism working group which is working on a national counter-terrorism strategy.

The ministry said the US government has noted TT role as a willing counter-terrorism partner and actively shares information with TT in developing key counter-terrorism strategies.

Areas of key concern which are being aggressively addressed include enhancing legislation, strengthening border security and law enforcement and developing new strategies to deal with new elements of criminality.

The ministry said TT’s commitment to combat terrorist financing is reflected in this country’s membership in key financial action task force bodies and TT criminalising the offence of terrorist financing.

Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi held the chairmanship of the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force for part of 2016.

The ministry said TT is seeking to improve its anti-money laundering/countering the financing of terrorism framework.

In addition, TT actively participates in regional security initiatives. The ministry reaffirmed TT’s commitment to working with the US, “to counter all forms of terrorism and violent extremism.”

President David Granger of Guyana said that the Community has found itself in a current international environment that was replete with uncertainty and complexity, and noted that this environment was an inescapable economic reality. He reminded members of the meeting that the CSME was the most ambitious project attempted by the Community, and given the present uncertainties facing the Region’s international relations, its implementation must be accelerated in order to create a single economic space. Chairman of the Conference, Prime Minister Keith Mitchell of Grenada, questioned whether the Community was sufficiently demonstrating active engagement in resolving the region’s challenges collectively, and opined that deepening partnerships through the CSME required that “we urgently dispel with the ‘knee jerk’ nationalistic responses in exchange for higher Community ideals in some key areas” and urged the closing of the political distance with “our regional constituents” at all levels of society.

It is apparent that a recurrent theme at these meetings is the recognition of the importance of unity and regional integration in the CARICOM. However, the day-to-day conduct of Caribbean affairs and foreign economic policy suggests an ideology based on individual economic survival, even at the expense of unity.

It was however, encouraging to note the proposals being put forward for consideration by the Heads of Government. These included discussions on the creation of a Single Information and Communication Technology Space (ICT) which it was noted “will be critical to our attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals, and for the region’s Digital Agenda 2025.” Heads of Government remain convinced that ICT stands to play a transformative role in fostering an integrated and inclusive digitally-enabled Caribbean Community. In that regard, they viewed the successful development of the Single ICT Space as a new dimension for CARICOM for addressing and inspiring the growing aspirations of citizens and defining the CARICOM Digital Agenda 2025 and beyond. Heads of Government therefore welcomed and approved the Draft Workplan for the Single ICT Space, and reiterated that this is a regional priority. The implementation of the workplan would provide an enabling environment for innovation to flourish; a larger market for investors; support sustainable increase in growth and jobs; enhance efficiency and increase access to higher value public services.

Heads of Government discussed key initiatives directed towards combating transnational organised crime which continued to be the most immediate and significant threat facing the region. They also acknowledged the consistent lag in growth performance between CARICOM States and other Small Island Developing States. They acknowledged, as well, the prevailing implementation challenges and implementation deficit which are critical constraints on sustainable growth and development in the Community.

Heads of Government received and endorsed the Human Resource Development 2030 Strategy which outlines actions for basic education, from early childhood through secondary, the tertiary sector and life-long learning in enabling CARICOM citizens to reach their full potential in their personal and working lives, thereby contributing to their families, communities and national and regional development. Heads of Government also supported the strengthening of domestic food production along with the promotion and consumption of nutritious indigenous foods. Members agreed to broaden engagement with Caribbean countries, companies and multilateral organizations to support a regional tourism marketing and development initiative, as well as to adopt and implement travel facilitation measures to stimulate economic growth.

CARCOM needs to spend time to communicate with the people of the member countries the plans and deliverables of the varied programmes. It must place emphasis on delivery and improving the lives of the people of the region. Its broad outline, while impressive, is only talk until delivery take place.

Police said the three were taken to the Point Fortin Area Hospital where they were being treated up to press time.

Two of the three are employed with sub contractor Scaffolding Manufacturers (Trinidad) Ltd, while the third works with janitorial and cleaning service company Europa. They all complained of nausea and difficulty breathing.

Police said the leak occurred at 10.45 am and workers were quickly evacuated. Workers at nearby companies Trinmar Operations as well as Petrotrin were also evacuated after the alarm was triggered.

Atlantic LNG Media Communications Officer Billson Hainsley subsequently issued a media release confirming there was a hydrocarbon release at the facility.

The company’s response and safety systems were immediately activated as per their design and all staff at the facility were evacuated as a precautionary measure, Hainsley stated. “Within 20 minutes the incident was brought under control and technical teams are currently conducting checks.

The all-clear was given and Atlantic is in the process of advising relevant stakeholders, including the Point Fortin Borough Corporation and the community,” the release stated. ASP Harry together with Sgt Haynes visited the scene and spoke with company officials.

Daniel “Boom” Robertson, 32, of L’Anse Mitan, Carenage and Dwayne “Fighter” Hamilton, 30, pleaded guilty to felony murder when they appeared last week before Justice Hayden St Clair Douglas in the Port of Spain High Court.

A prison service bio-social report was ordered and the matter was adjourned to September 27.

John of Chico Ave, Santa Cruz was shot in the stomach by robbers at his St James clinic on May 21, 2007. Two unmasked, armed men entered John’s Madras Street, St James dental clinic which he shared with his wife Ella-Mae, also a dentist, and aimed the gun at her.

John immediately intervened and was shot in the chest and stomach.

Although he slumped to the ground, he had enough strength to use his licensed firearm to injure one of the men. The incident happened in the waiting area and was witnessed by John’s then five-yearold daughter and several patients.

John, 36, underwent three surgeries during the four days he battled for his life at the Port of Spain General Hospital. His pancreas, stomach, heart and liver were damaged by the bullets and he died at hospital. The two men were represented by attorneys Daniel Khan and Darryl Worrell.

In a release, Charles referred to events which have transpired in Venezuela in the wake of voting in that country’s Constituent National Assembly on Sunday. According to Charles, “We are now all left hoping for divine intervention.” He claimed the former People’s Partnership (PP) government used its clout in Caricom to support Jamaica’s desire to be an honest broker among contending parties in Venezuela. He alleged since the PP demitted office, “We outsourced our Caricom foreign policy to the likes of Antigua and Barbuda and St Vincent and the Grenadines.” Charles claimed both countries are ALBA (Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America) members and, “came down too heavily on the side of (Venezuelan President Nicolas) Maduro.” He reiterated the Opposition’s criticism of Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley for taking issue with Organisation of American States (OAS) Secretary General Luis Almagro for criticising Maduro.

Charles said sanctions imposed on Venezuela and Venezuela’s recent suspension from the Mercosur Group can impact existing energy agreements with Venezuela.

TT and Venezuela are in the process of negotiating a gas sales agreement which would see natural gas from Venezuela’s Dragon Field being process in this country.

Charles claimed Government is, “ desperately hoping for oil prices to rise to save us from impending economic disaster.” He also claimed Government is, “praying for this Venezuelan crisis to go away hopefully by divine intervention.” Charles condemned Foreign and Caricom Affairs Dennis Moses for, “pretending unconvincingly to be a foreign policy guru.”

Attorneys for two of the men – led by attorney Wayne Sturge – are expected to file an application seeking to have the protracted magisterial proceedings stayed on the grounds of abuse of process, while attorneys for the other three are expected to file an application calling on the High Court to review a delay by the Director of Public Prosecutions to give a decision on the way forward in the prosecution of the cases. Attorney Joseph Sookoo who held for Sturge, yesterday informed acting Chief Magistrate Maria Busby Earle Caddle that an application was expected to be filed to have the protracted inquiry stayed on the grounds of abuse of process and delay.

Attorney Criston J Williams, who appeared for the three other accused, also intends to file a separate action but told Earle Caddle he is still awaiting a response from DPP Roger Gaspard, SC, on a letter sent in May, suggesting Gaspard bypass the preliminary inquiry (PI) stage and send matters directly to the High Court or discontinue them altogether.

Chicki Portello, Kareem Gomez, Levi Joseph, Anthony Charles and Israel “Arnold” Lara are charged with murder and are before Earle Caddle in the Port of Spain Eighth Magistrates Court.

Williams has also quoted and forwarded correspondence from the Chief Justice’s Chambers to Law Association president Douglas Mendes, SC, on May 31, on the Ayers-Caesar matter and one day before a vote of no confidence in CJ Ivor Archie and the Judicial and Legal Service Commission members was passed by the association.

Addressing acting Chief Magistrate Earle Caddle yesterday, an attorney from the DPP’s office submitted that the DPP’s objection to her aborting the matters and order that they be restarted, was still being maintained.

The prosecutor added there was still no factual information on the former chief magistrate’s status and the DPP had formed the opinion that the public utterances on the issue were sufficient for him to invoke his powers under the Indictable Offences (Preliminary Enquiry) Act.

The matter was adjourned to August 29, when Earle Caddle said she expects to have an official response from the DPP on his position. She also informed Sookoo that his legal team had until that date to file whatever application they intended to in the High Court.

At yesterday’s hearing, the men maintained their silent protest by wearing matching black t-shirts with messages calling for their freedom written in white. Also wearing the same t-shirts were their family members who sat in the public gallery.

Ayers Caesar resigned as a judge on April 27 after she was elevated the high court on April 12. She has since filed a lawsuit against the State and the JLSC, claiming she did not resign voluntarily but was forced to do so because of the discrepancy in the number of part-heard matters she still had.

Zombies, aliens, super-heroes and super- villains portrayed by amateur enthusiasts were just as much of a visual attraction as the many booths set up by entrepreneurs who service such fans with the likes of video- games and equipment, literature and anime memorabilia.

On the theme of The Apocalyse, the event was presented by Alias Expo Entertainment, founded in 2014 by Josette James.

International guests at the event included Ms Yaya Han, a top cosplayer based in the United States, and voice actor Richard Hayworth from the show Samurai X.

Event mascot, Celicia Henry, told Newsday cosplay is an act of love by both portrayer and viewer.

Shabana Mayers, portraying a zombie with her daughter Imojin Mayers, said cosplay provides a safe, family environment in which you can be silly and just have fun.

I’ve recently started doing interviews and in quite a few instances I have been

asked personal questions such as my religion and marital status, to name a few. This

line of questioning is very alarming to me, and I feel uncomfortable when asked such

personal questions. What does my marital status or religion have to do with the job? It

felt as if my privacy was invaded. Are such questions normal?

~ Concerned Job Interviewee

DEAR CONCERNED JOB INTERVIEWEE,

You are absolutely right to be alarmed by those inappropriate interview questions. On behalf of all competent and progressive HR practitioners, I empathize with you. It is definitely important for individuals to understand the employment process in order to protect their rights in such situations:

Unacceptable Job Interview Questions

The interview is a crucial component of traditional selection techniques. It is a proven method to evaluate candidate suitability, but if used incorrectly, it can lead to speculative biases and poor selection. Taboo interview questions involve anything where the structure, format and context are illegal or at the very least, prohibited.

While many persons ascribe such offensive questioning to inexperience, ignorance or inadequate training, it remains critical for employers to avoid these practices as they flagrantly violate the labour laws of Trinidad and Tobago, and can land a company in ‘hot water’ with the Equal Opportunity Commission (EOC).

“Nothing surprises me, I work in HR!” – a long-time personal mantra of mine. Yet, there are times when an interviewer’s action reminds me of the importance of remaining vigilant in my HR service. I once had the unfortunate experience of witnessing a company official enquire about a female interviewee’s availability, whilst insinuating that “that time of the month” should not adversely affect her productivity. Imagine my shock and horror! I addressed the matter immediately after the candidate left the interview, emphasizing to the interviewing panel that it was mandatory that all candidates are equally assessed and that the evaluation of candidates must adhere to job requirements ONLY. If it “ent” job-related, don’t ask the question.

What to do when asked forbidden questions?

Being asked such intrusive and highly personal questions within a professional setting can offend sensibilities and create a feeling of intense discomfort. Yet still, try to maintain your poise and professionalism. Oftentimes, interviewers do not intend to be malicious, but are instead ill-equipped or are operating on embedded biases. For example, some people assume that individuals with children are responsible and mature, and those without children are irresponsible and their life is ‘a party.’ Of course, this is not true, but such biases are often brought into the interview by inexperienced interviewers. Instead of asking candidates to give specific work-related examples of times when they executed their work responsibilities under pressure, they opt to ask candidates if they have children and then use the answer to make assumptions about how responsible the person would be, or how much time-off they may take.

If you find yourself in the midst of an off-limit interview question, take a deep breath, and politely advise of your challenge with the current line of questioning. Some suggested approaches include:

• Seek to understand. Ask the interviewer for clarification, on the off-chance that you may have misinterpreted the question.

• Politely ask the interviewer to explain the relevance of the question to the job. Usually this approach causes the interviewer to recognize his/her misstep and rephrase the question.

• Answer in brief and move on to a new topic

• Avoid answering and attempt to engage the interviewer in an alternative job-related area

Sometimes an interviewer may make a clumsy attempt at unsettling you with strange questions. For example, “if you were an animal, fruit, or piece of furniture, what would you be and why?” In such instances, try to decipher what professional attribute the question is attempting to unearth, and then politely speak about the attribute without directly answering the question. This way, you maintain control of the interview and are able to answer the question without getting too personal. Effectively structure your answers using the STAR model:

• Briefly describe the Situation or background to your example

• Explain the Task or activity

• Outline the Action you took

• Summarize the Result

Examples of

prohibited questions:

Subject: Sex, Sexual Preference

Unacceptable Question: Any questions on this subject is strictly prohibited

Legitimate Questions: None! Do not ask or answer these questions

Subject: Organizations

Unacceptable Question: Are you a member of a club, society and/or organization?

Legitimate Questions: Are you a member of any professional organization that is relevant to the position for which you are applying?

Subject: Disability

Unacceptable Question: Do you have a disability? Have you ever been treated for the following diseases?

Legitimate Questions: Let’s review the job requirements for this role. Do you know of any reason why you cannot perform all the essential functions of the job with/without reasonable accommodation?

Subject: Marital Status | Availability

Unacceptable Question: Are you married? Do you have children?

Legitimate Questions: This job involves heavy overseas travel. Would you be able to travel frequently/work overtime?

Discriminatory Employment practices:

Questions based on stereotypes or assumptions about the abilities, traits, sex, age, religion, ethnicity, gender, genetic information, marital status, medical history or geographical origin is unlawful and prohibited, as per the Equal Opportunity Act, 2000 – Part III Discrimination in Employment. Such unlawful practices can be reported to the EOC at 672 0928.

Perspective for Employers, HR Practitioners and other Stakeholders

Competency-based or situational interviews use questions aim to understand how candidates have previously used specific skills to approach various tasks and challenges. A skilled interviewer will align questions and scoring mechanisms with the STAR approach to accurately document how candidates added value in their previous jobs. Adhering to such consistency in selection processes ensures compliance with all procedures and policies and also creates an equitable and non-discriminatory process. This enhances transparency and leads to a robust HR system that can withstand any scrutiny. HR business partners must keep abreast of employment laws, conduct internal training and ensure all personnel follow these laws, so that potential discrimination claims are avoided, along with costly litigation and liability.

AFETT is a not-for-profit organization formed in 2002 with the goal of bringing together professional women and engaging in networking opportunities, professional training and business ideas. ASK AFETT is a column meant to address issues and concerns of professionals seeking advice to assist in progressing in their careers. Today’s response was written by AFETT member, Caron Greaves, AFETT’s Managing Director of Choice HR Limited, AFETT’s Corporate Secretary, HRM educator and Philanthropist. Learn more about AFETT at www.afett.com or by contacting the Secretariat at admin.afett@gmail.com or 354- 7130. Search for AFETT Events on Facebook and follow @AFETTEXECS on Twitter.

The FSSC 22000 certification was celebrated yesterday with a tour of the company’s Point Lisas Industrial Estate location in Couva by Trade and Industry Minister Paula Gopee-Scoon, the Bureau of Standards and representatives from the manufacturing and business community.

Gopee-Scoon congratulated Nutrimix for its achievement as it “demonstrates your commitment to deliver a safe product to consumers and suppliers.” Gopee-Scoon said local manufacturers and exporters are often challenged with complying with international standards. “The fact that this certification is fully recognised by the Global Food Safety Initiative is excellent as GFSI is an international programme. This international certification now guarantees global market access.” Gopee-Scoon referred to Nutrimix as a “a state of the art facility” and lauded their certification as being in tune with the government’s development of a National Quality Policy. She also said a note to Cabinet was being prepared for the establishment of a national accreditation agency which would accredit companies that help other companies comply with international standards.

Ronnie Mohammed, vice president of the Nutrimix Group of Companies, said the certification was actually attained in 2016.

“Why did we take one year before announcing this signature achievement to the wider population? We waited until after our first surveillance audit which demonstrated that this was no flash-in-the-pan exercise.”

According to Henry, she was injured while riding in the back of an ambulance and has since been on injury leave since the accident.

She alleged that that she has not been paid since although she has submitted the relevant medical documents to her employers. “In 2015 I was on the job in the ambulance when my back was injured. I kept feeling this unbearable pain in my back, so bad that I couldn’t sit down for more than a few minutes for a time. I applied for injury leave and it was granted.

During that time I visited a few doctors who said that it was only a pinch nerve but when I went to the US later that year I was examined by a doctor there who said that what I was suffering with was a herniated disc in my back.” she said in an interview at Newsday’s offices in Port of Spain on Monday.

She also received a second doctor’s opinion which confirmed she was suffering from a herniated disc.

Henry said she informed her employers but was told that she could not be paid and while she is not contesting the decision not to pay her a salary for her time away from work, she wants to know why she is not receiving her insurance benefits as her NIS was filed on time.

“They are claiming that I haven’t filed my documents with them.

I received the NIS form and completed it and I gave it to the clerk at the desk. A few weeks later when I went to follow up, the very same clerk is alleging that I did not give her any form and says that all she has to go on is word of mouth from me.” Henry says that the situation has left her deeply frustrated and has already attracted the attention of the National Insurance Board (NIB) which is willing to launch an investigation into her issue.