NFM employee Mc Allister Charles, 46, died on June 11 at St Clair Medical Centre after falling from a metal staircase on June 8. Gary Mohammed, 32, died a week after an ammonia gas cylinder exploded while he was at work on May 31.

Responding to questions in the Senate yesterday, Baptiste-Primus said the OSH agency told her the two deaths were being investigated.

The agency, she said, has been laying charges against companies for breaches of their OSH obligations.

“We are in the process of beefing up staff at the OSH agency because their role is so vital to the maintenance of the health and safety of workers,” Baptiste-Primus said.

On the Massy Gas Products issue she said, on June 9 an agency investigator visited the compound in Savonetta, Couva where the explosion took place and also interviewed the management.

Expressing government’s condolences to Mohammed’s family, she said she could not say when the agency’s report would be submitted.

On the death at the NFM, she said, “I am informed that the area where the incident occurred was inspected and found to be fully compliant according to the law.” The metal staircase from which Charles fell was inspected on Monday, she said, and the agency was inspecting the entire compound.

Fritze, who is a United States Dressage Federation (USDF) Certified Instructor through Fourth Level, had a jam-packed fourday schedule from the moment she landed in Trinidad until her departure as all TTEA riders were keen to interact and ask with Camilla Fritze and ask a number of questions.

This enthusiasm from the local riders resulted in a successful clinic.

Fritze’s philosophy of “I have no age or level restriction, everyone deserves to learn” was welcomed by the TTEA.

“Our more experienced riders as well as some of our young riders under age 12 were able to benefit from the expertise of Ms. Fritze.

The most spectacular moments were the immediate transformations of both horse and rider with the hands on guidance from Ms.

Frtize,” a TTEA press release stated. The 18 riders and horses who participated in this educational riding experience were from the following Stables: Goodwin Heights, Jericho, Sandy Hill, San Antonio and Saddle Valley.

Through it all, however, there is one constant response from whoever: “It was not me, you will have to look elsewhere to cast blame.”

GORDON DALLA COSTA via email

Ross remains warded in critical condition at San Fernando General Hospital but his friend Kimroy Marshall, 17, was shot dead. A 76-year-old woman was also wounded in the shooting incident. Ross’s mother Althea Williams said, “Just last week he told me some fellas told him that somebody wanted to kill him.

He was vex about it, because he couldn’t understand why anyone would want to kill him. We did not take it seriously because we know Devon not in that kind of life. But look at what happened now. He was in the wrong place at the wrong time.” Williams said bullets punctured her son’s liver, kidneys and intestines. He remains at the Intensive Care Unit of the hospital.

Ross’ friend Marshall died at 5.30 am while being treated at hospital.

A long trail of blood stained Phyllis Street yesterday hours after the shooting.

“God knows,” said a distraught relative of Marshall. The relative said Marshall was an apprentice with an electrician. “He liked to work. Once you say there was work, he was ready to go,” the relative said. “You read the papers and watch TV, but you never know how bad crime is until it hits home. But vengeance is not ours, it is the Lord’s,” she said.

An eyewitness told Newsday that Marshall, Ross and others were liming along Phyllis Street when a grey CK3 Lancer car drove by slowly and men inside pointed guns at them and opened fire. “We know them fellas,” said the eyewitness. “All of us know them. We didn’t go to secondary school together, but all of us are from the same area. They from right over on Charles Street.” Also wounded in the attack was Carmen Henry, 76, who was entering a nearby gate when a stray bullet grazed her leg. No arrest has been made and investigations are continuing.

All teams registered with the TTR FU will compete in the tournament which commences at 10am. Games will be of 20 minutes duration with 10 minutes per half.

This tournament will help in the sharpening process for a number of national rugby tams. The TT Women’s 10s and Men’s U-19 teams are scheduled to participate in the 2017 Rugby Americas North (RAN) Men’s U-19 and Women’s 10s Tournament in Miami, Florida, while the Women’s U-19 team will be taking part in the 2017 Commonwealth Youth Games (CYG) in Nassau, Bahamas. Both tournaments are scheduled to take place next month.

The TTR FU is embarking on an aggressive drive in collaboration with the Rugby Americas North (RAN) and World Rugby to raise the profile of the game, both domestically and internationally.

TTR FU president Leslie Figaro noted that rugby is the fastest growing sport in the world and is therefore ideally positioned to play an integral part in assisting the Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs (MSYA) and the Ministry of Health in their drive to ensure that Trinidad and Tobago reduces obesity in young people and assists them in achieving their personal development through sport.

He called for all National Sporting Organisations (NSOs), the rugby fraternity and the public to join in the launch of the 2017 season to raise awareness of these issues.

Defending champions of this tournament Caribs Rugby Football Club, will be going all out to repeat at this tournament, in honour of one of the pioneers of organised rugby in Trinidad and Tobago.

Recent polls have only reinforced the abject stupidity of the motion, by identifying this as the primary argument upon which we must now base any motion for impeachment.

To that end the lawyers in the Law Association should have done better than to be pushing this head that the Chief Justice is guilty of bad manners and, as a result, the lawyers have no confidence in him.

In addition to which we now have another judicio-legal spectacle of these same lawyers complaining that members of the public should not be allowed to comment on the actions/decisions of a judge, and that as citizens of this country they are undermining the same Judiciary and creating a situation where anarchy will prevail.

The hypocrisy of it all is unbearable for it is these same lawyers that two weeks ago did the very same thing to their Chief Justice.

From where I sit having observed the antics of the legal fraternity, it would seem to me to be they who have brought the justice system into disrepute. For the vast majority of citizens, the legal system brings no justice. I say this because for some lawyers the practice of law is no longer a vocation but a business which has created a environment where anarchy does prevail. I say this because it is cheaper for a man to have a quadruple bypass than to pay the fees of an attorney in a High Court matter. Justice is only the prerogative of the rich.

As far as I am concerned, the only set of people that I have no confidence in are lawyers who have by their unethical practice of law brought the entire legal system into disrepute.

SATU-ANN I RAMCHARAN Maraval

While Durant and Curry were showing off their skills, Trinidad and Tobago’s Ryan Chin was showing off his shooters’ touch at All Out Sports Bar to win a Dennis Rodman-autographed basketball at the Coors Light NBA Finals Viewing Party.

Chin prevailed over a number of participants including West Indies all-rounder Dwayne Bravo who passed through and took part in the shooting competition.

The event was made possible as a result of the multi-year partnership between the NBA and Molson Coors International (MCI), Coors Light – Official Beer Partner of the NBA.

Through this partnership, Coors Light provided fans in the Caribbean and Latin America with unique experiences, including viewing parties during some of the most exciting times of the NBA season such as the NBA Finals, as well as fun customer events.

In Trinidad, the viewing parties for these NBA Finals took place at popular sports bars in the north, east and south. In addition to watching the NBA Finals on big screens, members of the public who came to these viewing parties enjoyed Coors Light specials and prizes like authentic NBA memorabilia, including official NBA basketballs autographed by some of most recognised former and current basketball stars.

“Coors Light has seen double digit growth across Latin America and the Caribbean in recent years as beer drinkers seek out the world’s most refreshing beer, born in the Rocky Mountains,” said MCI Chief Commercial Officer Brett Vye, in a press release.

“Partnering with the world-famous NBA, an organisation with such strong tradition and with such enthusiastic fans, is a terrific match for Coors Light and its consumers. Together we will delight world beer drinkers with a great American beer and a great global sport.” “Coors Light is a leading brand with a storied history,” said NBA Latin America Vice President & Managing Director Arnon de Mello. “Through this multi-year partnership, we will work with Coors Light to connect with our fans in new ways, provide more opportunities to experience live NBA events, and introduce new co-branded products at retail.”

Crime affects all of us and has claimed victims from all walks of life. But this incident was particularly pernicious given the history of the victim involved, the location of the attack and the aggravating way in which the attackers — judging from initial reports — appeared to have taunted the priest with the possibility of kidnapping.

The matter is subject to action by the law enforcement authorities, but the details that have been sketched thus far paint a disturbing picture.

The incident took place shortly after 5 am at the St Martin de Porres RC Church compound in Gonzales, near a dormitory where Harvey — who is on sabbatical — had spent the night. After being robbed, the priest was hogtied and gagged.

For close to half an hour, the outspoken priest, who is known for his decades of working with at-risk youths, struggled to free himself while silently praying to his God to get through the ordeal.

At one point, Harvey later told police, one of the gunmen became agitated and said to him, “You is a priest, you must have money.” The gunmen threatened to kill him.

It was also reported that one of the bandits asked Fr Harvey whether, if he was kidnapped, Archbishop Joseph Harris would pay a $50,000 ransom. The distressed priest answered no.

He was robbed of $1,000, a watch given to him as a gift and a cell phone. Not content with their attack on the priest, the bandits moved on to the church where they forced open a door. The House of God was ransacked.

The shaken priest would later tell shocked parishioners, “I now know how a pig feels when it is tied up.” Harvey is a national treasure. In addition to his vocation, he has been an outspoken advocate concerned with the public interest. He has contributed support in untold ways to many, whether through spiritual guidance or simple acts of encouragement. He was awarded the Humming Bird Medal Gold in 2011 for his role in community service and religion. He is also the chairman of three non-government organisations — Community Intervention for Transformation and Empowerment, South AIDS Support and the Morris Marshall Development Foundation.

Harvey has a clear record of working in at-risk communities.

As such, there is something decidedly perverse about this attack. It is not Harvey who should have been treated like a pig, but rather the cowardly men who sought to take advantage of him.

Still, we know Harvey is not likely to be made bitter by this incident.

In fact, we believe he will come back from this stronger than ever. The question of forgiveness is for him.

For now, the law must be allowed to take its course.

Yet again, the public has been driven to outrage over the latest assault on our collective decency.

Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley, who chairs the National Security Council, said, “These miscreants have parents and I hope that somewhere in this country today there are a few parents who are hanging their heads in shame as they reflect in private as to what more they might have done to prevent any of our citizens from behaving in this despicable way.” We are confident the authorities will continue to do their best to apprehend the culprits. But more importantly, we continue to express the hope that crime is brought under control through plans that are not only comprehensive but effective.

Let us all take a cue from the Prime Minister, however, in realising that we all have a part to play in solving this problem

This is according to leader of government business Franklin Khan who moved the motion at yesterday’s sitting of the Senate.

The Welch report, along with “the long awaited” gas master plan which he will table in the Parliament today, Khan said, was Government’s commitment to transparency under Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley.

“There has always been a clamour in this Parliament to be more involved in policy formulation and policy evaluation.

This is your opportunity today. Grasp it with both hands,” he said.

The JSC is meant to consider the first and second reports of the committee which was established to review the levels of health care delivery by regional health authorities and to rationalise the system of public sector doctors in private practice.

The committee led by Dr Winston Welch was established in November 2015. It was commissioned by Rowley.

Other members of the committee were Dr Wayne Frederick, Professor Karl Theodore, Charles de Gannes, Dr Adesh Sirjusingh, Valerie Alleyne-Rawlins and Dr Albert Persaud.

The JSC will be mandated, Khan said, to review and analyse the reports, consider the findings and recommendations, and report its observations and recommendations by June 30.

Opening the debate on the motion for the opposition, senator Khadija Ameen said the motion was “an attempt to get the Parliament to do Cabinet’s work.” Government was challenged, she said, particularly when it comes to policies and the ordinary citizen who believes that the Parliament and Government was one will be misled. The PNM which was elected to run the country, she said, are the ones to design policies and not the Parliament.

The PNM political leader, she said, would have chosen members to form his Cabinet and they are responsible for making plans and deciding on policies.

Jerwyn Balthazar handed Defence Force an early item which the Teteron Boys held on to for victory against a determined, but unlucky Police outfit at the Ato Boldon Stadium.

Then, in the second game, new Connection signing Marcus “Lobo” Joseph snatched the winner at the death as the “Savonetta Boys” narrowly avoided an opening draw.

Joseph, who was denied no less than five times on the night by Rangers goalkeeper Cleon John, including a brilliant reflex save in the 65th minute to keep out a deflected free-kick, fired home the winner from the left.

The 35-year-old John had been hung out to dry by his defence which had given their all to the Rangers shirt but collapsed on a raid that saw Joseph, a former Central FC and Point Fortin Civic forward, move free inside the area to capitalise in the 89th minute.

John wasn’t flattened though.

The former Trinidad and Tobago shot-stopper made three more saves – his last to match a stoppage- time strike by Joseph.

Rangers, coached by Anthony Streete and boasting a few new additions, and Connection, currently managed by assistant Earl Jean with coach Stuart Charles-Fevrier away on international duty with the Trinidad and Tobago men’s team, looked like two well-oiled teams, providing an excellent contest from the first whistle.

Rangers had two penalty shouts — the clearer of them when forward Anselm “Worm” Jackson went down under a challenge by Connection right-back Shaquille Bertrand two minutes from the break — but referee Keilon Bacchus bought none of it.

A tug on Joshua Leach, prohibiting the substitute attacker a chance at goal, also seemed enough to win Police a penalty with less than 10 minutes left in the earlier game. But that game’s referee Marlon Perouse, nor his assistant, didn’t feel that way.

Police’s luck was clearly against them, while Defence Force had to work their socks off to preserve a narrow advantage.

Sheldon Clarke, between the uprights for Defence Force, failed to stop an Elijah Belgrave free kick on 57 minutes, but the ball ricocheted off both uprights before allowing ‘keeper a safe gather on the second attempt.

The Richard Hood coached-Lawmen, like their Marvin Gordon-coached counterparts, weren’t as lively as the game that followed. They were tactical though and a draw would have seemed a fair result between the two very experienced sides.

However Balthazar’s item in the third minute, after making contact to a free kick from the right, stood tall in the end, earning his side maximum three points.

(ttprolea gue.com )