Mohammed, 56, was shot dead at his Lilian Heights, Arima home on Monday when three men entered his yard and demanded that he and his wife hand over their licensed guns.

While there have been no arrests as yet, police from the Homicide Bureau say they are following certain leads.

They are seeking to recover surveillance footage which may assist them in identifying the killers.

The suspects are believed to have scaled a wall at the back of the house where three water tanks are located. They hid behind the tanks and waited for Mohammed, the son of former police commissioner Noor “Kenny” Mohammed, to leave the house.

As he emerged at about 5.30 am and was about to enter his car, the men approached him. He was shot once in the chest, twice behind his head and chopped on his left hand.

The killers stole his gun and then robbed his wife of hers which was in a safe in the house.

The first, as enunciated by the Prime Minister, is that squatters will have to pay property tax.

I fully agree with the comments of Dr Allen Sammy, former chairman of the Land Settlement Agency, that once a squatter pays the property tax, a contract will be created in which that property and even the land on which it is built will now legally belong to the squatter.

Had I known this before, then instead of subjecting myself to a pernicious bank mortgage, I would have done like thousands of others and staked out a piece of land somewhere.

In the past two weeks, a squatter has built a brand new residence on the mountain overlooking my backyard.

I suppose the Government will send a helicopter to collect the property tax from him.

The Government is encouraging the wholesale squatting of lands in TT . That is absolute madness.

The second issue is the possible reality that citizens will have to pay property tax for 2016 and 2017 in one go. Really, Mr Finance Minister? You have been suspiciously quiet on this one.

On Tuesday, Imbert said the “big-shot” owner of a mall will have to pay $3 million in property tax for one year. That means the cost of living in TT will escalate. No business owner in TT will swallow that amount of money under any circumstances.

Linus F Didier Mt Hope

Madeira has worked locally as well as throughout the Caribbean as a print journalist, broadcaster, news editor and manager.

“Jones P” as he has become popularly known, was awarded at the 13th Annual Dinner and Awards for Media Excellence hosted by the Trinidad and Tobago Publishers and Broadcasters Association (TTPBA). The event was held at Jaffa’s at the Oval in St Clair.

Madeira was also honoured for his contribution in other areas of communication, including promoting regional news production and content as well as in training and mentoring many who came into the business.

TTPBA president Daren Lee Sing lamented the realities of life in the media during a recession saying that it was difficult because advertising was the first thing to be affected during a downturn.

“Now, I would like you to imagine waking up everyday and not being able to shake a migraine that confronted you from the evening before, and perhaps for the last six months before that – that is: ‘What’s my masthead like today? Will it be a better seller than X or G or N’s? Will I make budget? If I don’t, what are the next steps? What are my ratings if any? And how can they improve? Will I have to send home folks who have become family to me? Will I make payroll?’ The realities of life in media during a recession, places the world on your shoulders.

“But yet, if we are smart enough, there is a silver lining that can see us navigate through these doldrums, and that is doing it together as one association. That is what TTPBA represents and why it is crucial to be onboard and rowing in the same direction at this very time.” Lee Sing called for a few moments of silence to honour media pioneers who died during the past year. Among them were business magnate Anthony Norman Sabga; television personality Holly Betaudier and Mervyn Telfer.

Economist Dr. Terrence Farrell referred to the myriad of things that go wrong in the country and all the failures which are accepted in various sectors, asking why these things are allowed to continue, whether it was that the population liked it so.

He said sometimes people are placed in positions for which they have neither the knowledge nor capability, whether that position is a ministerial one or the chairmanship of a State enterprise. Farrell said sometimes these people do not know that they do not know.

Others, he said, accept the position because of the status it offers while knowing in their hearts they will not be able to accomplish much and set about enjoying the perks.

“So it is not surprising that Trinidadians and Tobagonians do not trust their institutions – the President, Government, Parliament, Judiciary and the media.” While noting that the media is mainly the place where other institutions and their leadership are held to account, he questioned who holds up the mirror to the media itself.

In reflecting on his life and contributions, Pro Vice-Chancellor and Campus Principal Professor Brian Copeland said, “Sabga is best known for his acumen for cultivating business opportunities, but his legacy of generosity towards The UWI and the country as a whole will never be forgotten.” In 1998, Sabga was conferred the honorary Doctor of Laws honoris causa, for his contribution to the entrepreneurial landscape of Trinidad and Tobago.

In the citation read at that ceremony by then public orator Professor Emeritus Kenneth Ramchand, Sabga was hailed as “master entrepreneur.” “He was a man who defied easy generalisations about what it means to be successful,” according to the late Michael Mansoor, former campus council chair.

“All of us who know him, know that the concomitant of the lion’s bravery is his roar — a roar which can send shivers down the spines of some, though it may be a clarion call to excellence for others,” the UWI said. “Sabga and by extension the AnSa McAl Group have had strong ties to The UWI dating back to 1989 when ANSA McAL funded a building that housed the ANSA McAL Psychological Research Centre.

The desire to pay back the country for all the blessings bestowed to ANSA McAL was also seen as a motivating factor for the company’s involvement with The UWI.” The UWI also noted that in 2005, Sabga launched the far-reaching philanthropic initiative — the Anthony N Sabga Caribbean Awards for Excellence.

It is the only privately funded enterprise in the region that recognises and provides significant awards in the areas of arts and letters, science and technology, public and civic contributions and entrepreneurship.

In 2014, a memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between the St Augustine Campus and ANSA McAL.

The event signalled a deepening of the relationship between ANSA McAL and The UWI with the launch of the Guardian Media School of Journalism, the Anthony N Sabga School of Entrepreneurship and the reopening of the ANSA McAL Psychological Research Centre.

Speaking at a press conference at the Ministry’s Port-of-Spain office, Minister Garcia placed the blame squarely on the Caribbean Examination Council (CXC), which is based in Barbados and which is tasked with overseeing all major national exams in the Caribbean including SEA, CSEC (Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate) and CAPE (Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Exam).

Chief Education Officer Harrilal Seecharan told reporters that based on reports from monitors who visited schools, the ministry was informed that there were two issues identified in the exam.

“In the maths paper we had one question where the dimension of a triangle was switched. In looking at the question, we found it would not have made a difference in which way the student utilised the dimensions.” He continued, “In the language arts paper there were two questions which required words to be underlined, to facilitate a response from students. The lines were left out and that would have impacted on how they responded.

Now these items in the exam will be dealt with by a standard procedure utilised by CXC,” Seecharan said.

“After questions are reviewed and analysed, there is a final process which moves the test itself to production and it appears within that process those errors took place,” he explained adding that no one at the ministry sees the final version of the test and were only aware of these issues when the papers were opened at schools yesterday.

Seecharan indicated that CXC officials will be in the country today to take possession of the papers and the issue will be discussed. “I want to assure the public especially students and their parents that those concerns raised with us through our monitors will be addressed and they can be reassured that no student will be put at a disadvantage.

The three questions will be removed from the exercise. The two in the Language Arts paper were one mark item and the other in the Mathematics was a two mark item.” Seecharan said once the three items are dealt with, there were no other issues to treat with the exam. “Lets say the test was originally designed to be marked out of 100, and if we take out two marks, it means 98. But it does not mean the student will now get 98 percent.

Once we use standard scores, the overall score of the student will not be affected. In other words it will still be treated as if they are marked out of 100 per cent.” Seecharan said standard scores are used to place students, and whether the exam is marked out of 50, 60 or 98 it will not make a difference because the marks are converted to a standard score and will not impact on students overall score.

Minister Garcia said as far as the ministry is concerned the administrative aspect of the exam went very smoothly. “There were no hiccups in terms of the physical accommodations, no hiccups in terms of supervision, the testers and assistant testers, supervisors, center managers all went well. The seating accommodation for our students also went well and the concessions that we gave to students who were in need of assistance, was also seen to,” Garcia said.

Efforts to contact officials of both the National Primary Schools Principals Association and the Trinidad and Tobago Unified Teachers Association (TTUTA) on several attempts, all calls went unanswered.

Several parents contacted Newsday to complain that students may have been affected by spending time on these questions which will not not be marked when they could have spent that time on other questions in the exam.

Carmona, on Wednesday evening at the National Academy for the Performing Arts, Portof- Spain, hosted a reception for regional delegates participating in a training seminar on The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities hosted by the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.

“February gone it was 15 years since Daniel Pearl was beheaded,” he said.

“Since then, many journalists have died in their attempt to send messages to the world at large about man’s inhumanity to man.” He remembered the journalists who have gone beyond the call of duty by presenting stories of human suffering such as now unfolding in Aleppo, Syria.

“Many journalists have died trying to do this.” About Pearl, Carmona said, “It appears, from what was said about him, that he was a beautiful human being who was decapitated.

This tells you that in life we all have to make a stand at some point in time.” Carmona hoped ways would be found to recognise such journalists.

Also “making a stand”, he said, are activists for the rights of the differently-abled.

He hailed the work of such activists, including those attending the training conference. He said he hoped they would sensitise the Caribbean to the plight of the differently-abled and their loved ones, whom he collectively described as “those who endure, those who suffer, family members, friends, colleagues, having a disability whether it is mental, physical or otherwise.” Carmona thanked the evening’s event organiser, his wife, Reema Carmona, saying they believe disability rights needs more attention including establishing equity in all areas of our society.

Case in point: Nigeria experienced a deep recession when oil prices plummeted and it has already experienced, albeit incremental, growth. A country riddled with social issues, the Boko Haram threat and plagued with corruption has still managed some solid progress.

In our country we have been deprived by a Minister of Finance who has not measured up to the task at hand, whose wisdom is to squeeze the citizens as a means of curbing spending and generating income — a regressive, oppressive policy.

Moody’s downgrade of TT indicates eroded fiscal strength.

It is time to diversify, to bite the bullet. Unions have to be on board. The time is right to make “made in TT ” global.

The imperatives of successful diversification require us (with emphasis on us) to boost domestic manufacturing, create greater investments in agriculture, provide infrastructure/ implementation and develop a conscientious work ethic.

All shareholders of this land must be synchronised in common purpose, especially those elected to serve, who must be proactive and produce results, not excuses.

COLIN FORTUNE Arima

As the students exited the examination room, they were greeted by the former Manchester United striker, who gave them a pep talk which lasted for close to an hour.

Yorke encouraged the students to excel to their highest potential, as according to him, he is living proof that hard work pays off.

“Coming from the village of Canaan/ Bon-Accord, literally from nothing to something and having the right mindset, I was very lucky that I had good guidance in Bertille St Clair in terms of guiding me and giving me the coaching material but, ultimately it has to come down to the individual and how badly you want it and to focus and obviously stay away from all the bad things. I want young people to know that you can make it, you can achieve the goals that you want to achieve if you really have the right fundamentals,” he said.

Yorke, who visited the school on the invitation of Tobago House of Assembly (THA) Secretary of Youth Affairs and Sport, Jomo Pitt said he intends to visit more schools in the future with the aim of inspiring the younger generation.

“My affiliation with the THA going forward as Sport and Tourism Ambassador, something that we are trying to extend is sport education and I feel that both sport and education goes hand in hand.

This is something that I have always tried to get into the system and I am glad that it is finally being implemented.

I intend to visit a lot more schools going forward, interact with the kids so they can have an incite not just that I’ve been there and done it but, I can also share my experience with these kids as well,” he said.

The football legend said that he intends to continue working alongside Pitt for the development of sport on the island.

“I am trying to put something together that these kids would not just get the best training but get the best person that could probably talk to them and try to encourage them in the right direction,” he said.

Questioned about his contribution to the development of sport on the island, Yorke said testimony lies in his hometown Canaan/ Bon-Accord.

“I am sure everybody has their opinion on that, I think you just have to look through my foundation. I have the Dwight Yorke Foundation that contributes a lot to Bon-Accord and Baby Jo’s school, those are schools that I have been to that I have given to for a number of years but, I am not one of the individuals who goes about and brags, you just have to go down in my part of the world that I live. What I should do and I think what the foundation is trying to do is to reach out to more kids across the spectrum of Tobago and certainly in Trinidad as well,” he said.

Yorke said, football in TT needs some attention.

“To be quite honest, since 2006 when we qualified for the World Cup, football has not been the highest and this is something that we definitely need to look at. Whether it is that the local system is not working, whether the emphasis is on the correct coaching is made, I am sure those aspects needs to be addressed, all of those aspects maybe need to improve and I am sure that we can certainly with my expertise and being out there and the know-how and what it takes,” he said.

He went further to describe TT’s chances in the upcoming World Cup as “pretty tough”.

“They have a very tough order in terms of qualifying, things have not been going particularly great. We know that Hart has done a wonderful job in terms of getting them to the qualification knock out stage, that hasn’t really kicked on, they have struggled in terms of getting results. We know that they got a new manager in Dennis Lawrence, now I wish obviously Dennis all the luck but he has a tough task. We obviously tend to do things the difficult way, we don’t like to get off to a good start but whether they can turn things around, I think it would be extremely difficult.

We managed to do it back in the days but I think maybe we need to start again and when I say start again, we’ve got six years for the 2022 World Cup and the start to put things into place from now rather than two years prior to the 2022 World Cup,” Yorke said.

But finally, after months of no cellphones, TV, or games…they were free.

“I think number 41 in Section Three was the hardest,” Justin Rambarran, 11, a student of Grant Memorial Presbyterian Primary School in San Fernando, told Newsday. “It was about a runner…I think? They asked…I can’t really remember but I know for sure that question was hard.” Rambarran was not the only student to have completely forgotten the exam having just written it. “It was good,” said Joshua Hosein, 12, also of Grant Memorial. “Maths was tough and somewhere in section three was the hardest but I can’t remember the question.” This forgetfulness was shared by other South students, hundreds of whom had already shed the burden of their heavy book bags and months of intense studying to flock to Chuck-E-Cheese at the C3 Centre in Corinth.

“Studying for SEA was the most frustrating thing ever,” said 11-year-old Angeline Sookeran of Penal Presbyterian Primary School as she blissfully knocked down pin after pin with a ball in Chuck-ECheese’s arcade. “It was more frustrating than chores at home. Now I just want to party and have fun, and finally I can get back my phone for the first time this year.” The consensus among students yesterday was that English and Essay writing were “easy” while Mathematics – in keeping with the history of results coming out of the SEA examinations – was “tough.” Despite the challenge however, most students remained confident that they would achieve the goals they set out to when they began studying for the exam.

At the El Dorado North Hindu Primary School, students were greeted by Tunapuna MP Esmond Forde who took time off to visit the school and congratulate students.

Forde advised that the SEA exam was a stepping stone in their path to educational success. Students Ashleigh, Sanjana, Chelsea, Samara and Erin all agreed that the exam was fairly straightforward and the topics in the exam were covered during their intense studies led by Standard Five teachers Mr Rishi Ramsingh, Mr Vivek Mohan and Mr Ashish Deonarine

Among the competing teams are youth clubs from the Pro League, National Super League and Tobago FA Under a mandate from the TTFA, the Republic Bank National Youth League has been reformatted to guarantee a full league competition over six weeks, followed by National Playoffs, leading to a national final on July 1. This is the 22nd year of the Republic bank sponsored youth competition, and the first time there is prize monies for zonal league winners, plus further cash incentives for the clubs that finish in the top three in the national playoffs.

Competition has begun in three zones so far, with the NFA having the largest number of clubs, followed by East zone.

This Saturday, competition will be played at the Queen’s Park Savannah in Port of Spain and Constantine Park in Macoya, while South Zonal matches will be played at Delhi Road in Fyzabad on Sunday.

North Zone fixtures:
Under 11
Harvard vs Eastern Utd (10 a.m)
Santa Cruz vs QPCC ‘1’ (11 a.m)
Football Factory vs Trendsetters ‘1’ (12 noon)
QPCC ‘2’ vs Central FC (1 pm)

Under 13
QPCC ‘’B’ vs Eastern Utd (10 a.m)
Santa Cruz vs QPCC ‘A’ (11:15 a.m)
Trendsetters Hawks vs RSSR (12:30 p.m)
Harvard vs Central FC (1:45 p.m)

Under 15
RSSR vs TrendsetterHawks (10 am)
Football Factory vs QPCC (11:45 am)
Laventille Utd vs North Coast (1:30 p.m)
Belmont vs Carenage (3:00 p.m)

Under 19
Step by Step vs Football Factory (11 a.m)
St. Ann’s Rangers vs Belmont Secondary (12:30 p.m)
RSSR vs Harvard (2:00 p.m)

South Zone fixtures:
Under 11 Marabella Family Crisis Centre vs San Fernando SportsAcademy (9:30 a.m) Giving Back S.C. vs Gasparillo Youths (10:30 a.m)
Pt. Fortin Yth. Football Academy – Bye

Under 13
Petrotrin Palo Seco S.A. vs San Fernando S.A. (12 noon)
Giving Back S.C. vs Ste.Madeleine Strikers (1:30 p.m)

Under 15
Barrackpore Utd vs Petrotrin Palo Seco S.A. (3:00 p.m)
Giving Back Sports Club vs San F’do Sports Academy (4:30 p.m)