They will perform with drummers, dhantalists and other musicians aboard the First Lady Cruise Ship tomorrow at 2 pm at the Anchorage.

Chinpire O’ Reilly has taken over the task of promoting this type of traditional music from her late father Kunzru Sammy Chinpire.

“My father was of the firm belief that these songs are beautifully composed to provide enough entertainment at Hindu weddings and other functions of the sort,” said Chinpire O’Reilly.

She added that although there are so many new rhythms and electronic music, classical music remained popular for more than 100 years.

She noted that through the National Council for Indian Culture (NCIC) there are lots of young people performing this genre.

Ravi Jagroop, Sapna Seepaul and Sasha Bachan have won the NCIC Youth Champ with Indian classical singing.

Chinpire O’Reilly said this art form was being neglected with the coming of traditional and soca chutney.

“This is why we want the public to go offshore and enjoy a cool evening of songs and music from these top classical singers,” she said.

Among the cruise performers, Yankaran hails from a long-standing musical family. Nicknamed The Raja, he is an award-winning chutney musician.

He is the son of Indian classical musician, Isaac Yankaran and brother of chutney musicians the late Anand Yankaran and Sham Yankaran.

Yankaran began his career as a child singing alongside his father.

His grandfather came from Andhra Pradesh in India as an indentured labourer.

Rakesh’s father and grandfather were always into singing and young Rakesh loved to listen to them.

He played the harmonium in his teens but has since added the tabla, dholak, harmonium, dhantal and the tassa drum to his skill set.

His popular songs include Dadiyya Moday Lay Lay, Mousie, Dulahin Chale Sasural and Naroro Ray

He said the date was named in accordance with advice received from Islamic bodies. Noting that TT is a multi-cultural society, he said the public holiday will be for all persons to celebrate with their Islamic brothers and sisters.

For the ESCTT, this is a coincidence full of possibilities as it comes at the time that the celebration of emancipation has been rebranded as the Pan African Festival TT in Commemoration of Emancipation. The festival is now widely recognised as a premier cultural heritage tourism product.

This is the segment of the tourism market which international experts identify as the fastest growing and most profitable. The emancipation festival is therefore a major asset for the country’s new tourism thrust, the ESCTT said in a media release On Sunday at 6 pm, the ESCTT launches this year’s Pan African Festival TT in Commemoration of Emancipation and will celebrate its many achievements. It will highlight, among other things, the economic value of the festival in these challenging times.

The organisation has travelled a long road from when it was formed in 1992 as an umbrella body to strengthen the commemoration of emancipation, the ESCTT said. Its agenda over 25 years expanded to include programmes that address human and social development –with major focus on education, culture and community building.

The agenda embraced business development with national and international dimensions, and human rights advocacy. The ESCTT also serves as the Secretariat for the Caribbean Pan African Network with membership in 22 countries and has a long-standing working relationship with the Economic Social and Cultural Council of the African Union.

The launch is combined with the commemoration of African Liberation Day and signals the start of the distinctive festival that encompasses events such as the Kwame Ture Memorial Lecture Series and film festival; the Yoruba Village Drum Festival; the Qurux Africa Fashion Show; the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Symposium; the Trans-Atlantic Expo and Market Place at the Lidj Yasu Omowale Emancipation Village. The village will throb with varied entertainment, shopping, children’s fun and educational activities, food, art and much more. The phenomenal Kambule parade on the morning of August 1 and the inspiring flambeau parade later that night are two of the most highly-anticipated features of the celebration.

The ESCTT will launch the celebrations at its headquarters, Emancipation House, at 5B Bergerac Road, Maraval. The public is invited to attend, enjoy the camaraderie, the entertainment and enlightenment, commemorate African Liberation Day and learn about the exciting activities that will be a part of the upcoming Pan African Festival TT.

For parking and other info: 625- 5008, www.emancipationtt.com or on Facebook at “Emancipation Support Committee – ESC”.

Her younger sister, Rikiesha Hosein, delivered a tearful and heartfelt eulogy which moved almost everyone in the intimate congregation to tears. “Kimberly, you were my sister, my best friend, my soulmate, the best part of me,” said the weeping sister as she was being supported by family members. “It is not fair for you to leave us like this, but both you and I know that life is not fair.” In the eulogy, Lewis was described as wise, kind, loving and responsible.

Bishop Victor Bowen, tried to comfort the congregation with passages of scripture and encouraging words. He told the congregation that death comes to all people, and no one knows the manner or time of their death.

He, however, encouraged the congregation to have faith that the Almighty has a plan.

After the service, Lewis was cremated at the Port-of-Spain Crematorium, on Long Circular Road, St James. Kimberly’s husband, Jonathan Garcia, could not be present to pay his final respects. He was still at Port-of- Spain General Hospital, being treated for the chop wounds he sustained during the incident that claimed his wife’s life.

On Monday, at about 10 pm, a group of men stormed Lewis’ home, armed with cutlasses and knives, and hacked and stabbed both Lewis and Garcia.

At 6.30 pm, two police officers were on foot patrol when they observed a car illegally parked in the Diamond Village taxi stand on Coffee Street. When they could not locate the driver, police radioed for a wrecker to be sent to remove the car from the stand.

The driver on seeing the wrecker, emerged from a nearby bar and got into the car.

As the car reversed, one of its side mirrors struck the female officer on her elbow. It was reported that the man drove the car in the direction of the officer, who fearing she would be run over, drew her service pistol and fired, hitting him in the stomach. However, several eyewitnesses are disputing the police’s version of what happened.

A woman claimed the driver went to the bar to use the toilet and that a female passenger was in the car. “He was parked on the taxi stand and there was a female passenger seated inside. He went to use the toilet and the police came. They don’t want no PH cars on the taxi stand. All the other PH drivers left but he was still there and they called the wrecker,” said the woman who asked not to be identified.

She said that when the wrecker arrived there was an exchange of words between the policewoman and the driver. The woman said the officer was not hit by the car’s side mirror. “She shot him for nothing. All he was doing was looking to make an honest dollar.” Relatives of the wounded man who is 35 and from Ridgewood Gardens in Golconda said he works with an oil company and is a father of two. They added that on evenings he drove his car PH, to make ends meet. They are demanding a full-scale investigation.

Contacted for comment, head of Southern Division Snr Supt Zamsheed Mohammed said, “I am urging people to comply with the laws. It was a very trivial traffic law that wasn’t complied with that resulted in this issue. If persons abide by simple traffic laws we could avoid these problems.” ASP Sharaz Ali is investigating

This was disclosed by CDA member Robert Cezair to members of the Local Authorities, Service Commissions and Statutory Authorities joint select committee (JSC) during a public hearing at Tower D of the Port-of-Spain International Waterfront Centre on Wednesday.

Cezair said discussions involve Chaguaramas being used as a location to develop seedlings which could be distributed to farmers throughout the country and this would reduce the need for importation of seedlings. In response to questions from JSC chairman Hugh Rus sell Ian Roach, Cezair confirmed the Tucker Valley Agriculture Enterprise company created under the former Patrick Manning administration is defunct.

Responding to a question from Sport Minister Daryl Smith, Cezair said the golf course is undergoing extensive renovation and he is optimistic golfers would return to Chaguaramas. Cezair said the Authority will look at ways to improve the ability of offshore islets to bring in more visitors and revenue.

He confirmed statements in the Senate on Tuesday by Leader of Government Business Franklin Khan that a manpower audit was being undertaken.

Cezair also indicated a due diligence of the CDA was done in December 2015 and the report is before the Ministry of the Attorney General and Legal Affairs.

He agreed with Roach that transportation into and out of the peninsula remains an issue. Planning Ministry Deputy Permanent Secretary Marie Hinds said the Works and Transport Ministry is looking at options to address this. Roach noted that throughout its history, the CDA did not appear to have a clear identity.

“What is the real value of the CDA,” he asked. In response, Hinds said a Cabinet note was being prepared that could see the Authority shifting focus toward a historical and heritage function.

Anne (not her real name) has spent much of her adult life; she’s now 40 years old, working hard to provide a proper home for her 16-year-old son and ten-year-old daughter.

Originally from Barataria, Anne said when her father died in 2010, she and her children were “kicked out of the house” by her half-siblings.

Searching for somewhere to build a permanent home for her family, Anne ended up buying a small lot of land in Enterprise that same year.

“The land came with a small structure. It only had one bedroom and apart from wanting to give my kids their own space, I have a form of autism and need darkness to sleep while my daughter prefers a night light and my son likes music.

“So I worked hard, saved my money, and two years and five months after we moved in, I completed the addition,” Anne said with a smile.

It was a rare moment of happiness during her interview with Newsday yesterday.

At times, Anne cried; there was no other outlet for her frustration, as she asked why a law-abiding citizen like herself was now homeless while gangsters had taken over her home.

“Our house is in the middle of territory controlled by the Unruly Isis and Rasta City gangs.

Two years ago, the police tore down our fence while chasing down some men.

Since then, these fellas criss-crossing our yard and sneaking along the drain to get at each other. It wasn’t as bad before that; the fence mostly kept them out but now…,” Anne paused and wiped away her tears.

Anne estimated that the deadly conflict between both gangs “started about three years ago.” “The police know we not in anything,” she told Newsday.

“So every time they came around, they would tell us to sleep on the ground in the kitchen because that room was in the middle of the house, so it was the safest place if shots fired.” “I want to know my rights!” Anne declared. “I want to know how, after I worked hard to provide a home for my children, that they have to be using street lights to do their home work and we homeless while people who doing wrong have a home still in Enterprise?!” This led Anne to share that while she’s a proud woman; one who’s “not looking for charity”, she chose to speak with Newsday because she’s fed up of the lack of answers from the Housing Development Corporation (HDC) as to when her August 2015 application for emergency housing would be granted.

“I went by the HDC today (yesterday) and the woman who spoke to me said, ‘We still waiting on feedback from upstairs.’ Why can’t they give me a proper update? When will the people ‘upstairs’ have some information on my application? This brought me to Newsday.

This and my daughter asking me the other night, ‘When we getting back a home? What’s the point to life if we have to live like this?’ That broke my heart,” Anne shared, as she wiped away more tears.

Newsday attempted to speak with the HDC but the relevant official was in meetings all day yesterday.

We also reached out to an official at the Housing Ministry, who said Anne’s information had been forwarded to the ministry’s Client Relations Officer.

The ministry official told Newsday this person would call Anne immediately to arrange a meeting with her to determine the status of her request for emergency housing.

Her daughter’s question about their future comes after two weeks spent camping out on beaches, following an unceremonious eviction from their landlord in Caparo.

Anne explained that this past March, she moved out of Enterprise and into a place in Caparo, because her children had developed post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Something which the psychologist she saved up to send them to told her would not improve until and unless they were taken out of the situation causing said stress; gang warfare in their Enterprise neighbourhood.

However, their landlord kicked them out two weeks ago after learning about their situation in Enterprise.

Anne said he told her he didn’t want any connection to gangs whatsoever, thus her eviction.

Autopsies at the Forensic Science Centre were postponed to today after no relatives visited the centre in St James to positively identify both bodies.

Police identified the victims as Keon Carr of Santa Rosa and Anderson Alexis of Maloney. Police said that despite their best efforts yesterday they could not locate any relative of the two to have them go to the centre to identify the bodies.

Carr and Alexis were shot dead at 10.05 pm on Wednesday while liming with another man Andrew Pyle. The trio was standing in front of the Ali Bocas car care centre near The Crossings on Tumpuna Road, when they were approached by three masked gunmen, who opened fire.

Both Carr and Alexis were struck several times and died at the scene.

Pyle was struck in the buttocks and was later taken to the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Centre in Mt Hope for treatment. The killers escaped in a black Nissan Tiida car.

This is according to Energy and Energy Affairs Minister Franklin Khan, who in the question and answer session in yesterday’s sitting of the Senate, said, his ministry “has been weakened by the loss to industry on a sustained basis of key technical personnel and by retirement of senior management personnel.” Lashley, who reached the age of retirement in March, he said, was a case in point and as such was retained from March 17, 2017 to March 16, 2018.

The recommendation for re-employment was made to the Public Service Commission.

It was reported to the Chief Personnel Officer who consulted with the Public Services Association which agreed to the recommendation.

Police found six pounds of marijuana in the house. The man’s 23-year-old wife was arrested. Police said that at 2 pm, Sgt Edwards, PCs Joseph, Seenath, Singh, Hypolite and D’Abreau went to the man’s house to execute a search warrant when he ran into the nearby forest. The 30-year-old is well-known by police who expect to arrest him soon.

In an unrelated incident, Sangre Grande and Toco police led by Inspector Ken Lutchman and including Sgt Chris Edwards, Cpl Randolph Castillo, PC Joseph and others carried out a search over the weekend in Toco for a 24-year-old man wanted for crimes including shooting, wounding and robbery.

On Tuesday, the man surrendered to officers at Port-of-Spain CID.

He was taken to the Sangre Grande police station and is expected to be placed on several identification parades.