One example is the National Junior Parang Festival, which was founded (ie “invented”) by me solely and in 1978, not subsequently.

All manner of spurious inaccurate claims have been mooted since, alleging different founder and founding date.

DIANA KATHLEEN MCINTYRE founder National Junior Parang Festival

He was speaking at the post-Cabinet news briefing held at the Ma gdalena Grand Hotel, Tobago.

The agency will be housed at a state of the art facility on nine acres of land at Valsayn, near the teacher training college of the University of Trinidad and Tobago (UTT).

Deyalsingh justified the initiative by saying it had been recommended in a United Nations report of 2013.

He said the new entity will enhance this country’s public health response, regulatory and diagnostic capabilities.

The regulatory role includes that done by the Chemistry, Food and Drugs Division and the diagnostic duty of the National Blood Transfusion Service.

The Trinidad Public Health Laboratory’s function will be expanded to a national role inclusive of Tobago.

Asked the cost to establish the new agency, Deyalsingh could not yet say, explaining that Cabinet had only just taken this decision, and that consultancy services must now be sought.

Otherwise, he hoped to alter the current system of blood donation to a “voluntary donation system” instead of the present situation where an ill person facing surgery and his/ her family must seek out blood donors.

Asked about the status of the Couva Children’s Hospital, Deyalsingh said Udecott has taken over the running of the site from the building contractor and has received five offers, both local and foreign, to operate the facility and that these offers are now being evaluated.

That is what Dr Dan Reidenberg, executive director of Suicide Awareness Voices of Education, told members of the print and electronic media on Tuesday, during a Media Sensitisation Workshop on Suicide at the Hilton Trinidad Hotel and Conference Centre, Port-of-Spain. However, he said the media had to be cognisant to the fact that when reporting on a suicide, that there were others who would be affected by the tragedy, including families, friends and even the community.

He said the strategic approach to suicide prevention was the promotion and practice of responsible and ethical media coverage of suicide events. Reidenberg said there was sufficient evidence to suggest that vulnerable individuals may be influenced to engage in imitative behaviours by reports of suicide, particularly if the coverage was extensive, prominent, sensationalist and/or explicitly described the method of the suicide.

He said adding a message of hope in a suicide story could change someone else’s life. He said 25 years ago, “getting the scoop” meant finding the facts, doing independent investigation, but also being guided by ethics, and a story being carefully edited was the way journalists got their stories across.

However, he said now everything was “breaking news”. He said journalists ran with just enough facts, using any source they found. He said today there was less editorial oversight with the intention to getting the story out to as many people as possible.

Reidenberg also commented on “citizen journalists”, also known as bloggers, who were reporters and creators of news. He said they had no guidelines, standards, data or facts, but had a very large following. He said their blogging about incidents such as suicide could have very adverse effects on those close to the suicide victim if they were not forewarned by the authorities, but came across it through social media.

He said responsible media reporting could change lives, and could even save them. He also warned about the effect irresponsible reporting could have on adolescents.

“The more repulsive, the more they are fascinated,” Reidenberg said. He said teens were very quick to copycat such acts especially when they are fed all the gory details. Reidenberg told journalists not to dismiss suicide as a single cause, but instead use the opportunity to explain the

“This involves taking an active role, as a leader, to forge a more gender inclusive working environment.

My council has supported me in the pursuit of the third and fourth goal of the worldwide #Be- BoldForChange campaign to forge women’s advancement and celebrate women’s achievements.” The mayor added that with this in mind, the council will involve women in most committees, especially those which target youth development.

She said the council has held a school tour which, in part, included a motivational session for the students at girls’ schools; opened and increased interaction with burgesses on social media platforms where it has kept active discussions with the women of the community.

It added that during the Carnival period, the council introduced self-defence classes for women so that their concerns of safety could be addressed and an event is planned for this Sunday 12th March which includes a tea party where it has chosen to honour the achievements of outstanding women within the borough.

“These moves are considered essential by the council; not as acts of favouritism, but as steps which address long-standing issues that suppress growth within a particular sector,” the statement said.

The breakfast meeting was held at the Diplomatic Centre, La Fantasie, St Ann’s in celebration of International Women’s Day 2017.

The Prime Minister spent the morning engaging with the women and also participated in an open forum where a wide range of relevant issues were examined.

Rowley used the opportunity to listen to their concerns, as they shared their experiences and made suggestions on the ways the Government can assist in the advancement of their causes.

The Prime Minister spoke to the attendees about the close relationship he shared with his grandmother and how her death impacted his life. In turn many attendees paid tribute to the women who have dedicated their life to activism in Trinidad and Tobago.

He also used the event to reiterate his Government’s commitment to eradicating the many challenges facing women and girls.

Rowley said Government currently meets with civil society groups on a quarterly basis and is actively looking for ways to strengthen and expand this partnership.

Folade Motota, Executive Director, Women’s Institute for Alternative Development (WINAD), in addressing the gathering, commended the Prime Minister for keeping his promise to tackle the issue of child marriage. Motota said, “We need timely legislation. We are grateful for the legislation on child marriage.

We met with you in March and by January the following year, the legislation was in Parliament.” Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister, Gender and Child Affairs, the Honourable Ayanna Webster-Roy also attended the event.

Rowley indicated that he placed this ministry within his office because it has a key role to play in pro- .

tecting and supporting vulnerable groups within the society and commended Webster- Roy for her willingness to engage civil society and her commitment to consensus building.

“The truth of the matter, as the minister would have been informed, is that Petrotrin would have brought forward unused capital allowances, accumulated as a result of refinery upgrades as well as the failed WGTL project which cost taxpayers $3.3 billion and a further $3.2 billion in relation to a separate project involving an ultra- low sulphur diesel (USD) plant constructed by South Korean firm Samsung Engineering and Construction Limited.” Bharath said both projects had been entered into under the Malcolm Jones-led board in 2009.

“Provided the auditors are given sufficient evidence that the company will make sufficient profits in the future, these allowances remain on the company’s books as a deferred asset,” he said, and noted that a deferred tax asset was an accounting term which referred to a situation where a business has overpaid taxes or taxes paid in advance on its balance sheet.

These taxes were eventually returned to the business in the form of tax relief, and the over-payment was, therefore, an asset for the company, he said.

“It is clear that as a result of no such assurances been given to the auditors, they may have had little choice but to write off the asset as being ‘unrelievable’ against future profits.

This is what has given rise to the alleged loss of $4.2 billion on Petrotrin’s books. “It has absolutely nothing to do with the management of Petrotrin under the People’s Partnership government and everything to do with the incompetence and mismanagement of the present regime.”

The Presentation boys were set up by excellent knocks from “Man-of-the-Match” and “Best Fielder” Aaron Bankay who made 28 with three fours, and Aidan Ragoonath, who scored an undefeated 29, including two boundaries as they cruised to 101 for one in 11 of the 15-over match.

Earlier, the Chancellor team had scored an impressive 99 for three wickets after winning the toss and taking first strike on a flat, easy-paced wicket and lightning fast outfield. Their captain Kristian Dookree, a student of Vishnu Boys College in Caroni, claimed the “Best Batsman” prize awarded for an attractive 39 with three maximums and one boundary; while Isaac Ramoutar contributed 23 not out, with two hits to the boundary ropes.

The Presentation College bowling was highlighted by “Best Allrounder” recipient Ragoonath, who took one for 15 in his three overs. He is the son of Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board (TTCB) Chief Executive Officer Suruj Ragoonath, an opening batsman who played for the West Indies and Trinidad and Tobago.

The other two wicket-takers when the Chancellor boys batted were Rajeev Ramnarine (one for 12 in three overs) and Presentation captain Raul Pitiram who claimed one for 14 in two overs.

Witnessing the match were local government councillor for Monroe Road, Adrian Ali, also an active cricketer; general secretary of the TT Cricket Board, Arjoon Ramlal; president of the TT Umpires and Scorers Council Paras Ramoutar; and Surujdath Mahabir, president of the Secondary Schools Cricket League.

In a short address to the appreciable crowd, Lalman Kowlessar, second vice-president of the TTCB, and coach of the Presentation College team said that he was pleased with the revival of the San Jattan Memorial Youth League which he stated was founded in 1998.

“The competition brought out some exciting cricket by a crop of young talented cricketers who we are certain will go on to represent Central Zone and the national and regional teams,” said Kowlessar, one of the longest serving cricket administrators in Trinidad and Tobago. He also made a strong plea to the cricketers to concentrate on their studies while pursuing their cricket so they can develop into well-rounded individuals who can excel in both academics and sport and lay the foundation for a successful future on and off the field.

Main driver behind the resuscitation of the league, named after a well-loved central Trinidad politician who made a sterling contribution, was Manohar Ramsaran, a former Minister of Sport and now executive member of the TTCB.

He said he was pleased with the completion of the league and paid tribute to top Central Zone umpire Farouk Hosein, and TTCB Central Zone Co-ordinator Neisha Wildman who both worked tirelessly to ensure that the competition met the highest expectations.

Ramsaran said that Sam Jattan Memorial Youth Cricket League is a timely reminder that the young cricketers hold the key to the success of the Central Zone and he has pledged to continue to work towards the growth and development of the sport at all levels.

Worrell, who died at 42 on March 13, 1967 of leukaemia, became the first black captain of the West Indies in the 1950s.

He and fellow Bajans Sir Clyde Walcott and Sir Everton Weekes earned the sobriquet “The Three Ws.” The first event, which is by invitation only, will be the Sir Frank Worrell Memorial Lecture tonight from 7 pm at the Central Bank Auditorium in Port-of-Spain.

Sir Everton will receive the Noble Spirit Award at the event. Sir Everton, 92, is the only member of “The Three Ws” still alive. Sir Clyde died at age 80 in 2006.

At this year’s lecture, the speaker will be legendary international broadcaster Sir Trevor McDonald. Sir Trevor, who joined the BBC in 1969, is a Trinidadian who became one of the United Kingdom’s leading news anchors both at the BBC and ITN for several decades.

Sir Trevor will be interviewed tonight by Newsday’s Editor in Chief Jones P Madeira.

Before speaking at the Central Bank, Sir Trevor will visit his alma mater, Naparima College, at 11 am today.

The Sir Frank Worrell 50th anniversary commemorative dinner will be held tomorrow from 7 pm at the Queen’s Park Oval and is open to the public. Renowned storyteller Paul Keens-Douglas and veteran calypsonian Lord Relator will provide entertainment.

The cost of the dinner is $350. For ticket information those interested can contact All Sport Promotions at 628-3760.

Remy Brewer netted a game-high 16 points for the International School while Jordan Mukerji chipped in with 10.

For the Tranquil squad, Kerry McLaren was the lone bright spark with 10 points. There were a pair of matches on Monday, featuring East Mucurapo Secondary and Success Laventille Secondary.

In the Under-17 male section, East Mucurapo took care of Success 34- 18, with Jadi Antoine delivering 19 points for East Mucurapo while Najay Lewis replied with 14 for Success. And, in an Open female contest, Mercedes Alexander notched 24 points as East Mucurapo prevailed 30-7.

Trinidad and Tobago international, Lewis, completed his hat-trick in the first half with goals in the 21st, 40th and 44th minutes after Simpson opened the scoring in the 11th minute for the former Caribbean champions who took a 4-0 cushion into the break.

Jamaica national Simpson, who started along with his countrymen Damian Williams and Adrian Reid, made it 5-0 six minutes into the second half before completing his hat-trick on the hour mark — by which time Jabloteh were leading 7-0 inclusive of a 57th-minute item from Panamanian midfielder Jairo Lombardo.

Substitutes Tyrone Charles and Jamal Gay, who replaced Simpson and Guyana’s Verlon Mills respectively with 23 minutes left, completed the 9-0 rout with goals in the 72nd and 82nd minutes, respectively.

Gay, however, will miss the remaining Group E fixtures against Guadeloupe’s Club Sportif Moulien today and host team System 3 Sport Academy on Sunday due to a knee injury and is expected to be replaced by utility player Kennedy Hinkson.

Jabloteh coach Keith Jeffrey was happy for the victory but says his side was guilty of wasting a number of scoring opportunities.

“We could have been double the amount (at the end) but, like over the years without natural goal scorers, we were not able to finish off the team early,” lamented the Jabloteh coach.

“Against Flames, who I would say can compete in the Super League, we had around eight or nine chances in the first ten minutes but didn’t score.” The result, however, put Jabloteh top of Group E but only ahead of Moulien by goal-difference, after the Guadeloupe outfit defeated System 3 Sporting Academy 4-0 in the second game of Wednesday’s Victoria Park double-header.

Jeffrey expects a tougher challenge today from the Guadeloupe champions in the virtual group final.

“I’ve had a look at them (Moulien) against the local side System 3 and they played a nice game and won 4-0,” Jeffrey said.

“It’s a virtual final for us on Friday.

If we want to progress to the final six stage of the tournament we need to be more lethal.

Our execution with and without the ball must also improve.

Once we win on Friday we own Group E.”