The discussions were initiated by the Ministry of Energy and Energy Industries and PDVSA and followed a visit to Venezuela by a Petrotrin team on May 24.

“We note that this incident has attracted a high level of public interest and concern and wish to advise that we are also keeping abreast of all reports and developments attributed to the April 23 incident,” Petrotrin said in a media release yesterday. “At this time, technical discussions are continuing with the key parties as a precursor to any conclusions and consequential action to be taken.” Meanwhile, oil has reportedly reached the Dutch island of Bonaire.

Fishermen and Friends of the Sea (FFOS) member Gary Aboud, on his Facebook page, posted several photos of volunteers engaged in clean-up activities there. He wrote that “oil clumps/tar” had washed ashore on the coastal areas of Sorobon and the Willemstoren, east of Bonaire.

“The Government of Bonaire have begun aerial monitoring to determine the location of the oil drifting in the sea. Curacao and Aruba and representatives of the Dutch ministry for Infrastructure & Environment (Infrastructure & Milieu or I&M) have made a collaborated effort in dealing with this environmental disaster and are expecting more oil clumps to wash ashore,” Aboud said.

“The salt in the sea water has turned most of the oil into tar, so that it cannot easily be detected by air. It will be difficult to determine if more oil is indeed on its way to Bonaire.” He also asked: “Based on Tank 70 capacity of 150,000 barrels and Minister (Franklin) Khan’s statement in Parliament that Tank 70 had 12,853 barrels after the leakage was contained, FFOS have estimated as much as 137,147 barrels may have escaped.

“Can 300 barrels really spread to one mile long by five miles wide in the Gulf of Paria, and affect Trinidad’s west coasts, Guiria in Venezuela, Margarita, Los Roques Islands and now Bonaire?”

Lots of positive achievements have been made over the past 172 years since the immigrants departed their homes in India and made Trinidad their new home. It is the introduction into Trinidad of a unique culture that continues to strengthen all races here.

In the same way that the early immigrants endured and overcame extremely tough conditions, we too as a nation must also use our strength and fortitude to rise above the complex circumstances and conditions that we currently face with the rising crime and other pressing issues.

Conventional wisdom tells us that certain crimes cannot be prevented, that the police and community at large are relatively powerless to drastically reduce violent and heinous crimes and that the difficult conditions cannot be overcome in this nation.

In order to be effective the Government must display strong moral leadership. By changing the traditional approach, homicide can be controlled and the number of homicides can be reduced more successfully.

The crime of murder has always been regarded as the most serious of all criminal offences.

The fluctuation of local incidents over the last few years has sparked national attention and remains a top priority for the Ministry of National Security.

Crime and violence are robbing us of our human capital which is our most precious and valuable resource.

High crime and violence rates present a huge challenge to the development of a country as they have an adverse effect on human welfare in the short term and economic growth in the long term.

The fear of crime remains the most important issue on the minds of Trinidadians. Moreover, the direct effect that crime and violence have on victims is widespread.

According to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, murder rates in the Caribbean that average 30 per 100,000 are higher than any other region of the world.

The Caribbean is especially vulnerable to crime as it suffers from the disadvantage of being situated between the world’s source of cocaine (South America) and the primary consumer market (US).

However, sound policies at the national and regional levels can make a difference in changing the regional culture of violence.

Murder figures are considered to be the most reliable indicator of violent crimes in a country.

Murders should not be seen as solitary incidents but as fundamental indicators of social and economic issues including race, poverty, religion and social isolation.

Murder is merely a symptom of a deep-rooted social problem that has manifested itself through the trafficking of guns, the drug trade and the backlog of criminal cases due to a dysfunctional justice system.

Any crime plan that is aimed at reducing violence must take these factors into consideration in order to be successful and to gain control of the spiralling crime rate.

Having recently been the victim of an arson attack against my home in Chaguanas I have decided to follow the example of the early immigrants from India by overcoming difficult conditions with speaking engagements and my own motivational CD.

SIMON WRIGHT Chaguanas

Shell announced the agreement on Monday afternoon, saying it is subject to certain customary conditions.

“This transaction, for approximately US $250 million, will allow Shell to optimise its developments across the East Coast Marine Area, a core component of Shell’s interests in Trinidad and Tobago (TT), supplying gas to both the domestic market and Atlantic LNG.

The deal is expected to close around mid-year,” Shell stated.

Commenting on the deal, Vice President Shell TT, Derek Hudson, said, “TT represents a rich opportunity for us to continue building our integrated gas position in country and securing new competitive production.” He added that, “Shell continues to actively evaluate other options to increase supply from our existing assets, as well as pursue additional opportunities such as the previously announced purchase of Centrica’s interests in the North Coast Marine Area.” Meanwhile, the TT page of Chevron’s website has been updated to reflect the agreement reached two days ago.

“On May 29, 2017, Chevron entered into an agreement to sell all of its shares in CTTR to Shell’s BG International Limited, and all of its interest in Trinling Limited, an LNG marketing and transportation company, to Shell’s BG Gas International Holdings, B.V.

The transaction includes CTTR’s interest in Block E, Block 5(a) and Block 6, located in the East Coast Marine Area offshore Trinidad,” CTTR stated.

Since his return, St James is as clean as a whistle. Drivers obey the law when he is around. He’s a no-nonsense officer, and the public is aware of that.

Keep up the good work, sir. You were sorely missed.

M SANKAR St James

At a Public Board Meeting of the NWRHA held yesterday at the Government Campus Auditorium, Port of Spain, a member of the public asked if Government was still planning to build, during this fiscal year, a new health facility to house the Diego Martin Health Centre as the community was in dire need of proper services.

Agard said the NWRHA was aware that it was “very important to build” a new facility and a request for funding was before Cabinet, awaiting approval.

She said that as soon as approval was given work should begin on the construction.

The Central Block took centre stage, as a nurse attached to the new surgical ward located in the block said that there was no fire escape in the building.

The nurse said, the block houses a number of critical services including the intensive care unit and the critical surgical ward which has patients who will not be able to walk and will have to be assisted.

While relatives of the slain 33-year-old man refused to speak to the media, pathologists told Newsday that Fortune was shot at least 30 times with a high-velocity rifle. They said the damage from the high-velocity rounds crushed Fortune’s skull as they ripped through his body from the right side. He was shot in the head, face and chest.

Earlier reports said at about 11.45 pm on Saturday, Fortune was in a white Nissan Almera on Third Avenue, Barataria, waiting for a male relative to return from a nearby bar with drinks, when gunmen approached and shot him.

Newsday understands Fortune was acquitted about a month ago of a murder in Malabar in 2008.

Pathologists also said Joey Basdeo, who was killed in an unrelated incident on Ruben Lane, Enterprise, Chaguanas, was shot five times. Frightened relatives refused to speak to the media, fearing they would be targeted by the gunman who claimed Basdeo’s life.

Basdeo, from Enterprise Street, Enterprise, Chaguanas, was driving with his four-yearold daughter and his wife when, just before 3 pm, a man on a bicycle rode up to the passenger side of the car, drew a gun and shot Basdeo.

Basdeo’s wife escaped harm, but his daughter was grazed with a bullet. They all went to the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex, where Basdeo died of his wounds. His daughter was released from hospital after treatment.

Police are still trying to find a motive for Basdeo’s murder.

Relatives of Ricardo Francis, who was shot dead in yet another unrelated incident, called for justice.

Francis was killed on Saturday just before midday, at his businessplace, Chan’s Mini Mart on Crown Street, Tacarigua.

According to reports, gunmen stormed the store and announced a robbery, and moments later a single gunshot rang out. Francis was taken to the Arima Health Facility, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

An autopsy showed Francis died from a single gunshot wound that entered his mouth, travelled through his neck and perforated his lungs.

Relatives described Francis as a hard-working man who did everything he could for his two children.

Investigations into these three cases are ongoing.

Nicholas Williams was refused bail by Magistrate Brambhanan Dubay who read charge that last week Thursday, Williams had in his possession a Glock pistol, a Taurus pistol, an AK-47 assault rifle, a Beretta pistol and another firearm manufactured in Belgium. In addition, he was also charged with possession of 144 rounds of ammunition.

The charges were laid by PC Barry Bacchus of San Fernando CID.

Attorney Subhas Panday who represented Williams, asked for bail to be granted but Magistrate Dubay refused on the ground that five years ago, Williams had a case for firearms possession.

The magistrate advised Williams of his right to apply to a judge in chambers for bail.

We should be heartened by the level and intensity of the debate on this issue. Our sense of ownership and consent in respect of our indigenous institutions is crucial to our reassurance, after 50 years of independence, that we are steady, even as we are beset by the inevitable growing pains of a still youthful nation state.

Given this opportunity, the institution itself and all who are legitimately joined in the debate are required to rise to the challenge with maturity to ensure that, while there must be forthright debate and criticism where due, that constructive tone and quality of content form the bedrock of all such criticism, lest we awaken tomorrow to find that we have thrown out the baby, the bath water and the tub.

There is every good reason why the nation must demand that this incident should provide us with a learning experience. How we deal with this will help us build as a nation.

There are issues of transparency and openness and a commitment to holding the JLSC to strict standards of excellence from which no one must shirk, least of all the JLSC. The Law Association is to be commended for having moved quickly to establish a committee to examine and to make recommendations. We should all embrace this initiative and contribute urgently in the national consultation.

I consider it important nevertheless to make one simple point. As egregious as the errors may be that have been committed by the JLSC, there is no basis on which those errors approach even slightly the constitutional threshold for removal from office of a Chief Justice and/or of members of the JLSC. In the case of both the Chief Justice and the members of the JLSC, the Constitution is very clear on the solemn process by which the incumbents in those constitutional offices can be lawfully removed. This removal procedure is prescribed in explicit terms in the case of both the members of the JLSC and the Chief Justice who is ex officio its chairman.

I have had the honour of being appointed counsel to advise two constitutional tribunals, one established to investigate and to advise on the removal of a Chief Justice of TT and more recently the other established in respect of a judge of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court.

The threshold of the case to be made out is stated clearly: The incumbent may be removed from office only for inability to perform the functions of his office (whether arising from infirmity of mind or body or any other cause) or for misbehaviour, and shall not be so removed except in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution.

In order for that to be accomplished a tribunal must be established, comprised of eminent people including former judicial officers and the evidence of culpability or not on the charge brought must be carefully investigated and sifted. The person under investigation must be given a fair opportunity to rebut and test that evidence after which the tribunal may recommend a certain course of action to the head of State.

Simply stated, without burdening this commentary with the reams of judicial authority on the subject from throughout the common law Commonwealth, the apparent errors of process committed by the JLSC in relation to Marcia Ayers-Caesar do not begin to approach this constitutional threshold.

Some members of the Law Association have specially convened an extraordinary meeting to call on the Chief Justice and the members of the JLSC to resign. This is nothing short of an impeachment procedure.

In the exercise of their undoubted right to attend and vote, I would expect that the attorneys present will address and debate the law as the paramount consideration which informs the result they will commit to history.

REGINALD ARMOUR SC via email

WHEN Mark Zuckerburg and his team launched Face- Book on February 4, 2004, the intention was to create a social networking platform that allows for healthy exchange through dialoguing, debates, conversations and overall communication.

However, within the last two months the International Women’s Resource Network has been inundated with calls and messages from women expressing concern about not only the unhealthy levels of exchange, but also their own personal experiences. Whilst the impact of social media triggers both positive and/or negative outcomes, and has also changed lives on how we connect and engage, it also creates an opportunity for users to negatively pinch the backs of others, some of whom become deeply offended.

Issues surrounding social media are inescapable and therefore, as individuals, we need to identify our own unique mechanisms to navigate throughout the social media ocean; that navigation also requires us to exercise some level of personal responsibility for our actions and behavioural patterns as well. It’s great to have healthy debates keeping in mind that every individual is diverse and unique, and so, opinions and views on issues would differ, but it’s another thing to become personal in your posts and/or responses and to even use offensive language.

One of the psychological issues that remains at the forefront, is the need by many, in particular women, to amalgamate as many “likes” as possible from their posts, and when this does not happen, some have indicated to us that they are immediately driven into a state of depression.

Scientifically, this is a call for a rain check on your self-esteem and self-confidence, as these important components of your being, existed before the introduction of social media platforms.

Another concern raised was that of becoming so immersed in social networking, that self-neglect steps in, as well as family, friends and even children.

Again a quick rain check here as your family and relationships and most importantly you must always come first.

Avoid allowing social media to distract from your daily chores and responsibilities.

Spending lots of time engaging in online befriending was also raised to the extent that some of the complainants are fearful that this may be a weakness that has taken over their psyche.

Before making online friends, it is highly advisable to check their profiles/background, as we have had a couple instances where women were hoodwinked into different beliefs. Lacking focus and reduction in productivity levels were also brought to the table. Once there is continuous navigation on social media platforms, your brain will eventually wear, and ultimately your attention span diminishes; before this happens, it is best to strike a balance between your normal routine and your social media time.

Another common concern is the compulsion felt by some to share various types of photos which sometimes result in strange comments. Remember all that is shared on social networks automatically becomes public, and therefore, it is best to exercise greater caution is sharing.

As I stated earlier, social networking is fabulous, but the key is personal responsibility.

Sandrine Rattan is a communications/ branding consultant, author and president of the International Women’s Resource Network (IWRN) Contact: thecorporatesuitett@ gmail.com, intlwomensresourcenetwork@ gmail.com or contact 283-0318

The event which attracted some of the region’s most influential business people, came together to lay the foundation for a more buoyant and active Angel Investor ecosystem within the Caribbean.

The investor forum is just one of the activities of the LINK-Ca- ribbean programme that is being funded by the World Bank Group and government of Canada as part of the Entrepreneurship Program for Innovation in the Caribbean (EPIC) and implemented by Caribbean Export.

EPIC aims to support the development of an enabling ecosystem to foster innovative and growth-oriented enterprises in the Caribbean region; and the development of well-functioning Angel groups is a key component to achieve this end.

The World Bank Group’s Country Manager for Jamaica, Galina Sotirova, highlighted the importance of innovative entrepreneurs to generate jobs, acting as key drivers for economic growth and competitiveness.

Five entrepreneurs delivered pitches to the international Angel audience, combating the perception that there is a lack of Caribbean innovation to generate the deal flow within the region to sustain an Angel investment ecosystem.

“Over the past 2.5 years the World Bank has supported angel group development, and companies are getting valuable exposure to experienced, connected businesspersons.

Over 70 entrepreneurs have pitched or held private meetings.

Entrepreneurs in the region can become viable future economic contributors, and it is the desire to invest in Caribbean entrepreneurs that makes angels really unique and valuable to the ecosystem,” said Sotirova.

There are currently seven Angel groups within the Caribbean (First Angels Jamaica and Alpha Angels in Jamaica; Trident Angels in Barbados; Renaissance Angels and IP Angels in Trinidad and Tobago; and Enclaces and Nexxus in the Dominican Republic) actively looking for investment opportunities.

Their coming together via the Regional Angel Investor Network (RAIN) enables greater regional collaboration or syndication to pool resources to present more attractive investment options for early-stage investment.

Thus far there have been eight Angel investor “deals” across the region and with the LINK-Caribbean programme which provides supplemental funding to entrepreneurs, the region should see more deals being made.