CARMEN MANGAROO, 58, her 60-year-old husband, Frankie; their 34-year-old son, Roger, and 21-year old neighbour, Salisha Mohammed, were killed instantly when the car in which they were travelling crashed into a bridge on the Churchill-Roosevelt High-way, near the Santa Rosa Racetrack.

According to police reports they were returning to their Malabar home early yesterday, after attending a cooking night at the Mausica home when the accident occurred.

Three other occupants of the ill-fated car, 11 year-old primary school student,  Nisha Moham-med; the driver, Glen Mangaroo, 33, and 15-year-old Shaliza Mohammed  cheated death, and are now warded in serious condition at the Arima Hospital.

At Mangaroo’s Terrace  and Ajim Baksh Avenue, Malabar,  two families were in mourning over the four deaths.

Residents of Malabar all expressed their deep sorrow when news of the accident spread.

Reports revealed that around 1.30 am, Glen Mangaroo, of Malabar Main Road, Malabar, was driving his car, a white Hyundai Sonata, east along the CR Highway, when on reaching the Santa Rosa racetrack, he lost control of the vehicle and collided with a bridge.

Officers of the Arima Police Station were summoned to the scene and on arrival they saw fire officers attempting to free three occupants of the car who were still alive.

Fire officers under Fire Station Officer Telesford were able to free Glen Mangaroo, the driver, Nisha Baksh, 11, a student of the Malabar Primary School and Shaliza Mohammed 15, a student of the St Augustine Senior Comprehensive School.

They were taken by EHS ambulance to the Arima Hospital where they were treated and warded in serious condition.

District Medical Officer Dr Kevin Antoine was summoned to the scene and he pronounced the four other occupants of the car dead.

Guests at the cooking night said that Carmen who was a chef at Arawak Chicken had been invited by the Ramkissoon family to assist in cooking the meals for guests on Saturday night.

Indra Jeboudsingh,  daughter of Carmen Mangaroo said that her mother was one of the best cooks in the area, and often cooked at weddings because of her skills.

She added that she still cannot believe she has lost her mother, her father, and a brother.

Carmen described her family as being caring, loving and well respected in Malabar.

As tears swelled her eyes, she said her parents were also parents to several young persons in the area.

She revealed that when she was told of the deaths she remained in shock and up until yesterday, she  was in denial.

Jacqueline Mangaroo, the wife of Roger and mother of his four children said that her husband was a part time jeweller who wanted to ensure the best for his family.

She added that when her husband left home on Saturday, she never thought that it was the last time that she would see him alive. He was the sole breadwinner in the family.

Relatives and neighbours of the victims cried openly and comforted each other at the house of mourning.

At Ajim Baksh Avenue, Hafeeza Mohammed, the mother of Salisha who also died in the accident wept uncontrollably.

Relatives claimed that Salisha who worked at Tampico Enterprises had been invited to the cooking night, and she together with her sisters Shaliza and Nisha went to the event.

Relatives said they were praying for the speedy recovery of Shaliza and Nisha, two of the three survivors of the crash.

They too were unable to come to terms with the deaths.

At the Arima Police Station the mangled wreck of the car was parked at the back of the station.

The road death toll for the year now stands at 27.

Police officers told Newsday that they are awaiting a statement from the driver of the car to find out exactly what happened.

Investigations are continuing.

UNLIKE the unpredictable West Indies cricket team, George Maxwell Richards was yesterday elected the fourth President of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. It came as no surprise when Speaker of the House of Representatives and chairman of the Electoral College, Barry Sinanan announced at 2.35 pm that Richards had received 43 votes to the 25 garnered by Ganace Ramdial. With Richards expected to receive 37 PNM votes (including the casting vote of the Speaker), it was clear that he picked up six of the nine votes from the Independent benches.

Ramdial, the nominee of the UNC, was certain of 22, with the other three coming from the Independent Senators.

In 1997, Arthur NR Robinson received 46 votes to Justice Anthony Lucky’s 18. There was one spoilt ballot.

The election of a new President to succeed Robinson had been the focus of much public debate, but when the Speaker arrived in the Chamber at 1 pm, the public gallery was almost empty. There was no great public interest yesterday in how the Electoral College was going to select a new President.

Speaker Sinanan informed the Electoral College (comprising members of the House and Senate) that he had received nominations from Richards and Ramdial on February 4. He declared them both suitably qualified to be elected and pointed out that there were no objections from anyone.

Before opening the voting, the Speaker allowed the leaders of the PNM and the UNC to address the College for a period of 15 minutes. Both took eight minutes each.

Prime Minister Patrick Manning, political leader of the PNM, said the Caribbean and the world will once again see the maturity of Trinidad and Tobago in settling our differences through the democratic process. “We consider Professor Richards to be eminently qualified to hold the highest office in the country. In 1977, he received the Chaconia Gold Medal for his achievements and service to Trinidad and Tobago,” Manning added. While making the case out for Richards, Manning paid tribute to the former Presidents who served this country well.

“It is fitting we pay tribute to the outgoing President Arthur NR Robinson for his unique and evolutionary contribution to the Presidential tradition of Trinidad and Tobago.

There is no doubt that he presided over the most challenging period in the political life of this nation and we must be thankful for his vast experience which further shaped his wisdom and insight to steer us through that very testing time.”

Manning said Robinson’s Presidency, like the rest of his public life, marked him out as the hero and patriot of Trinidad and Tobago.

Basdeo Panday, political leader of the UNC, revealed that Ramdial acted as President on 20 occasions for a total period of 405 days. This amounted to 14 months including a period of six and a half consecutive months in 1998 when the Robinson was gravely ill.

Deputy Chief Magistrate Deborah Thomas-Felix is reportedly resisting her transfer from the Port of Spain Magistrates’ Court to the San Fernando Court from next Monday, February 17.

Thomas-Felix is also refusing to remove herself from hearing the summary trial of former Prime Minister Basdeo Panday due to start on February 24 in the PoS Fourth Court, the tribunal over which she currently presides.

Thomas-Felix, sources said yesterday, has no intention of handing the Panday case over to Chief Magistrate Sherman McNicolls, who asked her for the case in late November. Sources added that the case would have to be “physically taken” from Thomas-Felix, that is, moved by McNicolls to his own court.

Thomas-Felix also has no intention of going to the San Fernando court to which, some sources said, she has been banished.

The stand-off between Chief Magistrate Sherman McNicolls who ordered her transfer south in January, and Thomas-Felix is now so heated that Chief Justice Sat Sharma has had to become involved in what has been described as an exchange of terse letters between Mc Nicolls and Thomas-Felix. Sharma has reportedly spoken to both McNicolls and Thomas-Felix about the matter.

Newsday understands that Thomas-Felix told Mc Nicolls in one of her letters that his demand that he hear the Panday case instead of her, casts aspersions on her competence to sit and hear a high profile matter.

Sources said that Thomas-Felix, the youngest attorney ever to be appointed to sit on the Bench, believes that she is equipped to hear the matter, having had years of experience, first in the Traffic Court, then the Juvenile or Ninth Court, before moving to the Fourth Court, where more serious offences are heard. Legal sources said yesterday that a magistrate is entitled not to give up a case unless there are compelling grounds to do so.

When Panday first appeared in court on November 19, 2002, the case was heard by Thomas-Felix. By the end of that month, however, Chief Magistrate McNicolls had written to Thomas-Felix, saying he would take the case as was his right since it was a high profile one.  He reminded her of a decision taken where in  cases of “national importance”, the chief magistrate would  preside. When and by whom such a decision was taken was not made clear.

The next month, in late January, Thomas-Felix was told she would be transferred, as part of a move to streamline the magistracy. One of the reasons given was that magistrates would be able to work closer to where they lived. But Thomas-Felix, who lives in Flagstaff, Maraval and has two sons who attend Fatima College in Port of Spain, was transferred to San Fernando.

Panday is charged on three counts of making false declarations in 1999 to the Integrity Commission about a London bank account in his and his wife Oma’s name. He is being represented by a battery of senior lawyers. The State’s case is being prosecuted by English attorney Timothy Cassell, QC. If found guilty, Panday could face a $20,000 fine and/or two years imprisonment. Neither Thomas-Felix, McNicolls nor Sharma could be reached for comment yesterday.

In what has been a particularly violent and bloody weekend, six persons including the son of a millionaire businessman, lost their lives in three vehicular accidents, while three men were murdered in separate incidents.

Ironically, the country’s last three murders, which occurred over the weekend, came  a mere two days before National Security Minister Howard Chin Lee, is due  to deliver tonight an Address to the Nation, outlining his latest and much-vaunted anti-crime plan. The bloody weekend has sent the year’s murder tally to 23, while for the year, there have been 16 road fatalities.

In the first murder, a 34-year-old man was shot to death while lying next to his pregnant common-law wife in the bedroom of  their Malick home on Friday night.

The second murder occurred in the south-land early yesterday morning, when a teenager was stabbed five times during a Carnival fete in La Romaine.

The third murder also occurred Sunday night when a Laventille man was cut down in a hail of bullets while walking home with his common-law wife, who was also shot and wounded. Up to late yesterday, no suspect had been arrested for these murders.

The murder spree began around 11 pm Friday, when Curtis “Lalloo” Ramkissoon, 34, was shot to death in the bedroom of his home on Council Man Drive, Upper Seventh Avenue, Malick. At the time he was sleeping with his eight-month pregnant common-law wife, Angela Clarke, 29.

Clarke was forced to dive under the bed as bullets hit her husband. When the smoke cleared, Ramkissoon lay dead, while Clarke screamed for help. Clarke is expecting her fourth child (Ramkissoon’s first) next month.

Around 10.30 pm  Sunday, Shirmack Samuel, 19, of Uriah Butler Street, New Village, Point Fortin lost the battle for life at Hospital moments after being stabbed five times while liming with friends at the Caribbean Water Fete, Maska compound in La Romaine.

According to reports, Samuel was stabbed three times in the back and twice in the stomach after someone snatched a gold chain from around his neck. During the fete, police reported at least 16 stabbings.

Half an hour later, the third murder occurred when James Larode, 34, was gunned down in a hail of bullets while walking down Pashley Street, Laventille in company with his common-law wife Natalie Duncan, who was also shot and wounded.  An autopsy revealed Larode was shot five times. The weekend road-fatality spree started  around 3.30 am  Saturday when 28-year-old art student George Aboud Jnr – son of millionaire businessman and real estate mogul George Aboud, 43, was cut in half, after he was thrown from his motorcycle and onto a retaining cable connected to a light pole, off  the Western Main Road, Chaguaramas.

Aboud Jnr met death shortly after leaving the “Bazodee Friday” fete at Pier 1.

According to reports, Aboud Jnr was riding his sports-model motorcycle along the Western Main Road, Chaguaramas when on reaching the Kayak Centre, the motorcycle struck a bump in the road.

He was thrown into the air and onto the stabilising-cable.

Undertakers had to use two body bags to remove Aboud Jnr’s remains. Aboud was buried yesterday following a funeral service  St Theresa’s RC Church, Wood-brook.

The next accident to occur on the weekend claimed the lives of three young people and left a fourth unconscious and battling for life in hospital.

CAPE TOWN: Brian Lara inspired West Indies to an upset three-run victory over hosts South Africa after an extraordinary finish to the opening Cricket World Cup Group “B” match yesterday.

Lara struck a masterful 116 after being dropped first ball to help West Indies rack up 278 for five from their 50 overs.

The South Africans finished on 275 for nine despite a defiant 57 from 48 balls by Lance Klusener which gave them hope of an unlikely win after they had slumped to 204 for seven.

A West Indies victory looked a remote possibility when, after winning the toss, they slumped to seven for two and had to wait until the 13th over to hit their first boundary.

But Lara, spilled by Jacques Kallis one-handed at second slip, received good support from Shivnarine Chanderpaul and captain Carl Hooper on the way to his 16th One-Day International century, which included two sixes and 10 fours.

Lara’s dismissal did not slow the run rate as Ricardo Powell (40 not out) and Ramnaresh Sarwan (32) helped their side plunder 110 runs from the final 10 overs of the innings.

South Africa lost Herschelle Gibbs for 24 and Boeta Dippenaar for 20, but it was the fall of Jacques Kallis and Jonty Rhodes in quick succession that knocked the stuffing out of their reply.

The dependable Gary Kirsten reached another One-Day International half-century but when he fell for 69 quickly followed by Pollock, the writing was on the wall for the tournament second favourites.

Mark Boucher made a defiant 49 but when he was yorked by occasional spinner Chris Gayle South Africa’s last realistic chance looked to have gone.

Klusener smashed three sixes in one Gayle over to swing the momentum his side’s way but, with nine needed off the final over, he was caught in the deep with three balls remaining.

Makhaya Ntini then skied a catch to Sarwan at deep extra cover, leaving South Africa requiring eight runs off one delivery.

Nicky Boje hit a four off the last ball but it was not enough.                                 (Reuters)

ART student George Aboud Jnr, 28, son of millionaire businessman George Aboud, died instantly after being pitched from his motorcycle in Chaguaramas, early yesterday morning.

Weeping relatives stood comforting each other near the scene of the gruesome accident, in which Aboud Jnr’s body was severed from the torso, after it struck a length of cable connected to an electricity pole at the side of the road.

“He was a good son…a very caring person and I shall miss him very much,” stated Aboud Snr, who owns Starlite Shopping Plaza in Diego Martin, Tropical Plaza in San Fernando and Centre City Mall in Chaguanas.

Police sources told Sunday Newsday that Aboud Jnr was leaving the ‘Bazodee Friday’ fete at Pier 1, Chaguaramas when he met death.

According to police reports, around 3.30 am while going around a sharp bend in the road near the Kayak Centre in Chaguaramas, Aboud Jnr’s yellow sports-model motorcyle struck a bump, causing his body to be hurled through the air and onto a stabilising-cable,  connected to an electricity pole at the side of the road. Death was instantaneous.

Passing motorists who saw the accident, telephoned Carenage police and a team of officers led by Snr Supt Selwyn Glasgow and including Insp Walker, Cpl Walters and PC Seepersad visited the scene.

Other persons who were leaving the same party at Pier 1, slowed their vehicles and looked in horror as officers hurriedly covered Aboud Jnr’s body. DMO Dr Gill Robertson viewed the body and ordered it removed to the Port-of-Spain Mortuary, where an autopsy done yesterday revealed Aboud Jnr died of haemorrhage and trans-section (severing) of the body .

The autopsy was carried out by pathologist Dr Neville Jankey. Cpl Walters is continuing investigations.

Aboud Jnr lived with his parents George Aboud Snr and Maria Aboud in Westmoorings and was the brother of Gerald, Edward, Rebecca and Gabrielle. He was reportedly studying Art in the United States.

However, police sources told Sunday Newsday that Aboud Jnr  was charged with possession of marijuana in January and was due to re-appear before a Port-of-Spain Magistrate at the end of the month. Aboud Jnr was out on $70,000 bail.

He will be buried tomorrow, following a funeral service at St Theresa’s RC Church, Woodbrook.

FORMER UNC Transport Minister with responsibility for the Piarco airport project, Jearlean John, yesterday said after her first site visit to the project she got the impression it was “treacherous”. She said she didn’t trust anyone, because she felt there was no fixed budget and structured plan and found the whole situation “chaotic”. She said it appeared decisions were being made on the spot, and she decided never to return to the site.

However John’s revelations were abruptly cut short because of  repeated interruptions in the live telecast of the inquiry into the Piarco project. In fact the Commission’s attorney, Theodore Guerra, SC suggested that the breakdowns were deliberate.

The telecast is carried on The Information Channel (TIC).

John’s appearance at the inquiry was delayed by a week so that she could have independent legal counsel.

Yesterday John was led by her attorney Ruth van Lare. She gave evidence for just over an hour, before the 11.30 am break in transmission.

She said in January 2001 she became Transport Minister, under which the project fell. She assumed the position when the Ministry of Works and Transport was taken away from Sadiq Baksh and made two separate ministries, that of Ministry of Transport and Ministry of Works and Infrastructure.

John began active work on the project from the end of January until May 25, 2001, a day after the airport was completed.

John said she recalled “quite vividly” the first site meeting she attended at the end of January, 2001, to which she was invited by then Planning Minister John Humphrey, who was chairman of the inter-ministerial team on the project. Others present at the meeting according to John were Humphrey, former Works and Transport Minister Sadiq Baksh, Finance Minister Gerald Yetming, the client representative Peter Cateau and representatives of NIPDEC and the 13 contractors.

She said it appeared as though everyone was friendly with the other and she got the impression that “things were approved there on the spot”.

She added, “There was a lot of looseness, no real structure and it appeared anyone could have jumped up and changed things.”

John disclosed that she also got the impression there “was no fixed budget; it was like a moving target; there was no fixed plan, and it felt chaotic”. She said she didn’t know if that was because she herself had a structured way of doing things, but she felt it was not the way things should be done.

Asked who were the ones changing things on the project, John said it was so chaotic, any and everyone could have spoken about changes.

Asked if she arrived at a decision as a result of her impressions, John said because she was aware the project was embroiled in the “worst type of controversy and scandal” she had “reservations”. She said she decided when she left the site, never to return. She said she later spoke to then Chairman of the Airports Authority (AA), Tryone Gopee and informed him of her decision never to return to the site. She said she requested all the minutes of all site meetings. She said she also spoke to Yetming, and he too said he was never returning to the site.

She stressed that because of the allegations of wrongdoing which surrounded the project, she “did not want to be tainted by anyone’s baggage”.

She said she had her eyes wide open and whether the allegations were proven or not, even as her government set up an inquiry (Deyalsingh Inquiry), “I was mindful of public opinion”.

John went on to say she began getting correspondence on the project and she saw that a billion dollars had already been spent with a proposal for a further $1.6 billion to be spent.

Asked if her predecessor Baksh ever formally handed over the project to her, she said no and was not aware that it wasn’t. She pointed out that she never held discussions with Baksh about the project because she felt she would have gotten a status report on it. She said she never asked Baksh for a status report because of the allegations surrounding the project.

John added, “I did not want to be associated with people on the project, I felt I wanted to stay far”.

Asked if she was aware of other site meetings, John said there were many others, “whether legitimate or illegitimate. I got the feeling the project was a treacherous one and I did not trust anyone.” She said people were just having meetings.

John’s evidence was disrupted at that time because of the break in the telecast transmission.  It was the second interruption during the sitting which prompted Guerra to comment, “it is strange, all of a sudden that there are breaks in transmission and it’s becoming ridiculous”. Guerra said he was particularly worried that the breaks were so consistent”, and suggested that the inquiry be adjourned since everyone wanted to hear and see John give her evidence.

He told the Commissioners that TIC be allowed time to fix the problem properly and to guarantee that it does not re-occur.

Guerra stressed, “the nation expects it, we want the truth to be told to Trinidad and Tobago, it’s too important to have these breakdowns”.

Guerra added that the full impact of John’s evidence was lost with the constant interruptions. John agreed saying that her thought processes were being interrupted.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida: Space shuttle Columbia broke apart in flames 200,000 feet over Texas yesterday, killing all seven astronauts just minutes before they were to glide to a landing in Florida.

“Sadly, from the video that’s available, it does not appear that there were any survivors,” said Bill Readdy, NASA’s associate administrator for space flight. Readdy said it was too early to speculate about the exact cause. NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe said the accident was not caused by anything or anyone on the ground.

The six Americans and Israel’s first astronaut were 16 minutes from landing when the shuttle broke apart. Columbia had been expected to land at Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 9.16 am. At 9 am Mission Control suddenly lost all data and voice contact with the shuttle and crew. At the same time, residents of Texas, Arkansas and Louisiana reported hearing “a big bang” and seeing flames in the sky.

Television footage showed a bright light followed by smoke plumes streaking diagonally through the sky. Debris appeared to break off into separate balls of light as it continued downward. NASA declared an emergency after losing contact with the crew and within minutes said search teams had been sent to the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

In Nacogdoches, Texas, residents found bits of metal strewn across the city. Dentist Jeff Hancock said a metal bracket about a foot long had crashed through his office roof.

Two hours after the shuttle had been expected to land, the giant screen at the front of Mission Control showed a map of the Southwest United States and what should have been Columbia’s flight path. The US flag next to the centre’s countdown clock was lowered to half-staff.

The shuttle flight was the 113th in the shuttle programme’s 22 years and the 28th flight for Columbia, NASA oldest shutace flight, there had never been an accident during the descent to Earth or landing. On January 28, 1986, space shuttle Challenger exploded shortly after liftoff.

The shuttle is essentially a glider during the hour-long decent from orbit toward the landing strip. It is covered by about 20,000 thermal tiles to protect against temperatures as high as 3,000 degrees (1,650 degrees Celsius).

On January 16, shortly after Columbia lifted off, a piece of insulating foam on its external fuel tank came off and was believed to have hit the left wing of the shuttle. Leroy Cain, the lead flight director in Mission Control, assured reporters Friday that engineers had concluded that any damage to the wing was considered minor and posed no safety hazard.

The shuttle was at an altitude of about 203,000 feet (60,900 metres) over north-central Texas at 9 am, traveling at 12,500 mph (20,112 kph), when Mission Control lost all contact and tracking data.

Gary Hunziker in Plano, Texas, said he saw the shuttle flying overhead. “I could see two bright objects flying off each side of it,” he told The Associated Press.

“The barn started shaking and we ran out and started looking around,” said Benjamin Laster of Kemp, Texas. “I saw a puff of vapor and smoke and saw big chunk of material fall.”

Former astronaut John Glenn and his wife were watching on television at their home in Maryland. “Once you went for several minutes without any contact, you knew something was terribly wrong,” Glenn said.

The Columbia crew was relatively inexperienced. Only three of the seven had flown in space before: the shuttle’s commander, Rick Husband, Michael Anderson, and Kalpana Chawla. The other four were rookies: pilot William McCool, David Brown, Laurel Clark and Ilan Ramon.

Security had been extraordinarily tight for their 16-day scientific research mission because of the presence of Ramon, the first Israeli astronaut.