He pleaded guilty to the charges. The bullet was produced in court along with the pants. It is believed that a hole was drilled into the bullet and a string passed through to allow it to be worn as a pendant.

The court heard that on Monday at about 1.30 pm, police on mobile patrol near Macaulay Village, Claxton Bay saw Lezama on the road.

He was arrested and charged.

Lezama told the couort the pants was a gift from his employer and that he found the bullet and decided to modify it to be worn as a jwelry. Lezama later apologised. The court heard that Lezama has three convictions over the last ten years.

He was fined $500 for each charge or in default, 30 days simple imprisnment.

He was ordered to pay $500 immediately and the balance within a month.

Jeremy Seecharan of Mohess Road was also charged with possession of house breaking implements at Ghandi Village substation when he stood before Senior Magistrate Nanette Forde-John.

According to a TTEC press release, the arrest and prosecution of the accused was a result of an ongoing partnership between TTEC Estate Police Rapid Response and the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service, “to combat electricity theft and tampering with the Commission’s installations.” The statement continued: “TTEC reminds members of the public that, pursuant to the Electricity Act Chapter 44:70, it is a criminal offence to tamper with the Commission’s electricity installations and/ or make electricity connections.

The Commission will continue to investigate any such installations and/or connections and bring legal action against those found guilty of these offences. The public is therefore warned against carrying out such illegal acts, which pose a serious threat to safety.” Seecharan will reappear in court on May 22.

Latapy’s team featured in training match against a Southern Football Association (SFA) invitational Under 15 team on Saturday at Ato Boldon Stadium, coming away 8-1 winners to follow up their 3-1 win over a Republic Bank Invitational the previous weekend.

TT U-15s led 4-0 at half-time through goals by Jean-Heim McFee who notched a hat-trick while Jaiye Sheppard added another.

Further goals came in the second half from Ezekiel Kesar, Justin Araujo-Wilson, Zachery Welch and Macai Peters.

The teams scheduled to play in the Cayman tournament include Alchemy (USA), Bahamas Tottenham Hotspur FC (Bahamas), Cavalier SC (Jamaica), Cayman Islands National Team, La Ceiba FC (Honduras), Cuba National U-15 Team, DC United (USA), Harbour View FC (Jamaica), Houston Dynamo Academy (USA), IMG Academy (USA) and Manchester City FC (England).

Latapy spoke about Saturday’s match and his final selection for the Cayman Invitational “The game on Saturday against the SFA invitational was another valuable exercise in the sense that it allowed us to have the boys in a game situation which is again, preparation for the international tournament in the Cayman Islands and then the CONCACAF championship in August,” Latapy told TT FA Media.

“It was good to see the chances being taken and the victory being a comprehensive one. But in saying that,we know that the matches will be different when we head out and we will prepare for this.

“Regarding the final squad selection, I think my coaching staff and I have assessed these players over the past few weeks with some level of detail and we’ve come up with a squad that is balanced and comprising of talented young boys who are developing a good understanding for the game at this level. Our job now is to continue to nurture them.

We will continue to monitor the entire pool and there will be adjustments in the future because the doors are not closed on any player,” Latapy added.

TT U-15 Squad for Cayman Islands: Luke Savery (St Mary’s College), Zachary Welch (Fatima College), Justin Araujo-Wilson (Fatima College), Jarique Williams (St Anthony’s College), Jaheim Wickham (St Anthony’s College),Tyrese Pierre (Queen’s Royal College), Darian Bradshaw (Queen’s Royal College), Ezekiel Kesar (Naparima College),Josiah Edwards (Brazil High School), Jean-Heim McFee (St James Secondary), Micai Peters (El Dorado West Secondary), Kahlil Oliver (Malabar Secondary), Jaiye Sheppard (Scarborough Secondary), N’Kosi Corbin (Belmont Boys Secondary),Daniel Lake (Mucurapo West Secondary),Jabari Lee (San Fernando East Secondary), Ephraim Brown (Pleasantville Secondary), Tristan Ceasar (Pleasantville Secondary), Antonio Chee Ting (Trinity College East), Matthew De Souza (Trinity College East).

Vehicle owners who came to conduct business such as transferring vehicle ownership and renewing driver’s permits met a locked front door. Inniss Edwards, who came from Point Fortin, lamented that he wasted time and money to get to the office which he did not know, was closed for the day.

“Imagine hundreds of people pass through this office on a daily basis and today the doors are shut,” Edwards said, adding that the Minister of Works and Transport Rohan Sinanan should investigate this closure.

Another affected person said it was hard to believe that Licensing Office has no water tanks to store water and ensure a back-up supply when there is no pipeborne water. Licensing officers refused to comment on the situation and stayed put behind the closed doors.

I concur, for it is just that if we live off the resources the State provides, such as infrastructure etc, we should pay our fair share for that upkeep.

But there are issues here, the first and foremost being one of fairness.

Is it fair for the average middle class citizen and others similarly affected to be subjected to in an increase in property tax from under $300, as in my case, to now near $1,600, an increase of over 500 percent? This begs the question as to whether the citizen should be made to prop up a now depleted Treasury arising out of mismana geme nt by inept and often corrupt politicians charged with managing the public purse.

Should this taxation of the people for revenue-making purposes become a trend, as it well might be, considering that the Government has few revenue-making structures outside the normal Public Service framework, with the exception perhaps of the National Lotteries Control Board, is this not alarming where this might lead? Possibly into a continuous stream of taxation, direct and indirect, on goods and services, penalties and the like and, for all you know, straight into our savings in the bank? This is not alarmist by any means, for the Government must find money to run the country, and in the virtual absence of same, there is only one place to turn: the people.

The Government must find creative ways other than the people to generate revenue, and a good place to start is to make a concerted effort to recover monies stolen from the Treasury and follow it up on the macro level to avoid situations like the BP fiasco and encourage investment in oil and gas-related projects and boost agricultural development.

On the community level it can help to create greater self-sufficiency by incentivising smallscale agriculture and entrepreneurship and cottage industries, minimising the reliance on the State.

Taxing the people to earn revenue as an all-embracing economic strategy, according to one British politician, is like trying to lift a bucket while you are standing in it.

DR ERROL BENJAMIN via email

Young gave the confirmation in the Senate without naming the official or referring to the specific allegation. He said a report is currently before Cabinet regarding the establishment of an investigations committee to look into this matter.

The minister said the authority has been “alerted to the fact that an investigation is going to be conducted into this area.” Against this background, he said, “One would be very surprised if in light of that anybody goes and repeats what may or may not have happened.” The minister said there is no information about similar instances taking place at this time.

To ensure the authority follows proper procedures and protocols, Young said, “The authority is governed by all the existing laws which aim to ensure the accountability of State agencies.” He said the authority’s board of directors has a document which outlines its relationship with the Gender and Child Affairs Division of the OPM.

That document requires the authority to provide the OPM with monthly reports on the authority’s financial disbursements, the roster of the names of children and their ages who qualify for monthly upkeep, and financial contributions received from external bodies or institutions, he said.

Earlier in the sitting, Social Development Minister Cherrie- Ann Crichlow-Cockburn outlined efforts by her ministry to assist families in Claxton Bay and Malick who lost their homes through fire.

She also said a draft national parenting policy will be released in May and will be implemented in fiscal 2017.

The Hyatt Waterfront restaurant was closed due to renovations, which are nearing completion.

Management decided to re-open for business and resume the brunch service.

Hyatt’s Marketing Communications manager, Neemah Persad Celestine said: “We have a newly renovated restaurant with a totally different look and feel. We are offering a lot more items with additional local flavours.” A Kids Corner with a variety of sweet treats and toppings for children of all ages has been introduced, she said, with choices of marshmallows, berry compote, M&Ms, wafers, oreo bits, gummy bears, chocolate sauce/vanilla sauce and dulce de leche ice cream. “We have also introduced our Sparkling Brunch option. This gives you brunch as well as over six different types of sparkling and non-sparkling wines to choose from,” said Celestine Venue manager Dessi-Ann Williams Alexis, supervisor Wendell Lakhan, and assistant Food & Beverage director Bryan Hudson welcomed guests to the brunch.

The meal started with a tasty fish broth, followed by a wide range of salads and dressings. There was also a cold cuts and cheese station.

The carving stations, one serving slow roasted lamb leg with mint jelly, and a stir-fry station with chicken and vegetables, egg noodle, onion, mixed peppers, carrot, cabbage, dried mushrooms, bean sprouts and tofu oyster sauce were also quite enticing.

At the omelette station patrons had a choice of ingredients such as mushrooms, cheese, ham, turkey, peppers, spinach, onions, tomatoes and bacon, while at the pancakes and waffles area, they were able to add a choice of whipped cream, maple syrup, shaved chocolate, fresh berries, chocolate syrup, fresh bananas and icing sugar.

One of the biggest culinary delights, especially for the meat lovers, came from the sumptuous main course that comprised sundried tomato and green pea rice, roasted baby potato and spinach, Trinidadian corn pie, steamed vegetables with mushrooms and cherry tomatoes, steamed fish in okro, creole sauce, Cajun roasted chicken and grilled flank steak, in red wine and balsamic reduction.

Among the dessert items were apple mousse, raspberry gateaux, peach baked yogurt, New York cheesecake, and strawberry chloral petite gateaux.

The culinary team was led by executive chef Fernando Franco and included sous chef Avanelle James, executive sous chef Tony Rattigan, sous chef Kirk Seegobin and junior chef Shinelle Alexander.

Celestine told Newsday: “Every week our chefs create new menus with local specialties, live carving and cooking stations highlighting different international cuisine, and all our amazing desserts are exclusively made in-house by our talented pastry team.”

Warner, who is currently banned from all football-related activities falling under FIFA, is suing “for the persistent defamation of my character.” On Friday, it was reported that CONCACAF was suing Warner and ex-CONCACAF general secretary Chuck Blazer for US$20 million, alleging the pair negotiated bribes and kickbacks in connection with lucrative broadcasting rights for tournaments.

But Warner, in a press release yesterday afternoon, dismissed the allegations, saying the accusations being made “have been repetitive and ancient” and questioned why he is being targeted by football’s regional authorities.

“I have left the CONCACAF since 2011. Why the CONCACAF will not leave my family and me alone is simply mind-boggling. CONCACAF football is at its lowest today and the current threat to sue Warner and Blazer for 20 million US is nothing more than a distraction to shift its pathetic current state away from the management of this Confederation,” he said.

He believes the lawsuit against him stems from “vindictiveness” due to the inability of the USA to acquire the hosting rights for the 2022 World Cup which was awarded to Qatar.

“All these false allegations filed in an American court simply because the USA did not obtain the votes to host a FIFA World Cup will fall to nought,” he said, while addding Gulati and other CONCACAF officials may have something to hide.

“I have my name to protect and my family to defend and that I will do to the very end.

I have been slaughtered for the past six years and have remained silent ignoring my legal options to respond to the atrocities that have been perpetrated against me by men of the lower ilk. And so the time has come for me to respond,” he said.

Warner vehemently defended his tenure at CONCACAF which lasted over 20 years but ended when he resigned in the midst of a cash-for-votes scandal in 2011.

“I left CONCACAF (in 2011) located in the prestigious Trump Tower with millions of dollars in its bank account and sub offices in Guatemala City and Port of Spain. When I assumed office in 1990, it was virtually impossible for the many teams in CONCACAF to represent the region at FIFA World Cups, since we were only allocated one team. By the time I left office, three and a half teams had the opportunity to represent the Confederation every FIFA World Cup,” he said.

It was a disappointing ending for the red, white and black with poor baton transfer again proving the undoing of the women’s 4x100m team. TT had three medals at the inaugural World Relays but the last two editions have not gone to plan for this country.

On Sunday, the 4x100m quartet of Kelly-Ann Baptiste, Michelle-Lee Ahye, Khalifa St Fort and Semoy Hackett failed to finish their heat with the baton dropping on one of the exchanges. Stunningly, Germany produced a confidence-boosting victory in that heat and rode that momentum all the way into the final where they managed to attain their first IAAF/BTC World Relays title over favourites Jamaica with a 42.84 performance.

Jamaica (42.95) and China (43.11) followed in second and third respectively.

TT ’s mixed team finished seventh in the finals of the 4x400m while the Men’s 4x200m and 4x400m teams finished fourth in their finals.

Moriba Morain, Dan-Neil Telesford, Kyle Greaux and Emmanuel Callender battled for Team TTO in the 4x200m, however, their time of 1:21.39 minutes was not quick enough to get on the podium, trailing Canada (1:19.42), USA (1:19.88) and Jamaica.

The 4x400m really team had high aspirations of a medal but Renny Quow, Jereem Richards, Jarrin Solomon and Lalonde Gordon struggled in the final after winning their heat impressively on Saturday.

The quartet stopped the clock at 3:03.17 behind USA (3:02.13), Botswana (3:02.28) and Jamaica in 3:02.86.

Speaking in a telephone interview with Newsday last evening, Ephraim Serrette, president of the National Association of Athletics Administration (NAAA), remained optimistic despite TT missing out on medals.

“Relays is about getting the stick around the track and there are many technicalities and violations which can occur and contribute towards disqualification as seen throughout the competition. However, due to the relays being one of the earlier events in the season, athletes were neither at their peak nor were involved in full preparations heading into the tournament and this was evident as minor errors cost the athletes,” he said.

Multiple Olympic medallist for Trinidad and Tobago and world-renowned athletics commentator, Ato Boldon, chimed in on Twitter following the baton woes of the TT women’s 4x100m team.

Bolden tweeted, “Continued failure to practice properly and consistently will lead to continued drops and surprises.Simple. #TeamTTO #donetalk.” Despite the lack of medals, there were positive takeaways from Team TTO ’s lacklustre performance in the Bahamas, according to Serrette.

Team TTO qualified for finals of the 2017 IAAF World Championships in both the male 4x200m and 4x400m events, scheduled for August this year, as the top eight teams from the World Relay finals will feature in London at the upcoming tournament.

Also, Team TTO placed an overall fifth on the point standings with 17 points.

Serrette explained that TT ’s athletes are set to be enrolled into their respective training camps over the coming weeks in preparation for the World Championships.

Chairman of TATT board Gilbert Peterson SC, told yesterday’s opening of the three-day “Internet of things forum: Smarter living in the Caribbean” held at the Parliament Building, Port-of-Spain that the 45 wifi hotspots will include waiting areas at all public hospitals.

The roll out will also include waiting areas at major transportation hubs, water taxi and water ferry docking areas, and all public libraries.

This is in keeping with TATT’s objective, Peterson said, to ensure that the country keeps pace with global technological changes and to facilitate the implementation of a number of services on which Internet of Things (IOT) can be established to allow everyone to benefit from digital technologies.

The Internet Society online website says the IOT “generally refers to scenarios where network connectivity and computing capability extends to objects, sensors and everyday items not normally considered computers, allowing these devices to generate, exchange and consume data with minimal human intervention. There is, however, no single, universal definition.” In 2008, Peterson said TATT started the process for universal service towards 100 percent of the population accessing basic telecommunications and broadcasting services with a consultative draft document.

Since then, apart from TATT’s achievements in having regulations in place and working with Government on the wifi rollout, he said, “in another attempt to connect the unconnected, TATT is moving with speed towards the licensing of White Space Devices (WS D) by September this year.” WS D is defined by techtarget.

com as a Federal Communications Commission-certified wireless device that could be used without an exclusive broadcast license in the RF spectrum below 700 MHz.

“White space devices can access the internet at wireless broadband speeds. The devices use underutilised, unlicensed portions of the spectrum called white space.

Characteristics of signals in those spectrum ranges – such as greater range and penetration of objects – are expected to lead to better and cheaper wireless service.” Peterson said, “We hope WS D technology will help close the digital divide in this country and provide a medium for more persons to benefit from IOTs.” International Telecommunications Union (ITU) Area Representative Cleveland Lewis said, the IOT offers new opportunities and challenges and huge prospects for the global economy and social development, and will bring “profound changes” to the lives of many.

The journey of IOT began more than ten years ago, he said, and the ITU is now actively addressing the technical standards and spectrum requirement of IOT development.

Since 2013, the ITU had done work on “Smart Sustainable Cities, and published last year over 21 technical reports as specifications on the subject. The recommendations of the reports are being taken forward to the ITU-T Study Group 20 on IOTs and applications, including smart cities and communities.

Since the group’s establishment in 2015, Lewis said, the ITU has already approved a number of international standards, including the requirements of network for IOT.

ITU-T Study Group 20 has published two flip books which are freely available on the ITU website.

One contains the first set of ITU recommendations on the IOT and the other explains the key performance indicators for smart cities which, he said, are currently tried by several cities around the worl