Its overall aim is to determine whether this country should become party to the Nagoya Protocol which determines the way in which indigenous genetic resources and associated traditional knowledge may be accessed, and how the benefits resulting from their use may be shared between the entities or countries that use those resources and those who provide them.

Minister of Planning and Development, Camille Robinson- Regis, announced the Government’s approval for this country’s participation in the project.

The Ministry of Planning and Development, through its Environmental Policy and Planning Division is the national focal point for the Convention of Biological Diversity and is seeking the best interest of the traditional knowledge and biodiversity resources of the country. Under the protocol other countries and institutions can develop downstream products such as medicines, dyes, and chocolate products from the genetic stock of this country’s indigenous plants, for example cocoa, peppers and animals and the country will earn no benefits or income from the sales of those products.

A statement from the Ministry of Planning and Development said that in extreme cases, derivative or processed products were sold to countries which were the source of the original genetic stock at full market value without any concessions or recognition of that country’s input in the development of the new commodity.

The Nagoya Protocol is intended to allow this country to claim profits of its natural resources which are used to create downstream products.

“Trinidad and Tobago has considerable potential with respect to the utilisation of genetic resources, particularly as a source of genetic materials which would contribute to the stock of biological resources required for research and development by external parties,” the Ministry said.

“The agricultural sector is likely to be the primary sector for biotechnology research as there are ready markets and a high demand for the commercialisation of bioengineered agricultural products.

Other sectors which may provide opportunities may include (but are not necessarily limited to) horticulture and the manufacture of non-timber forest products such as fabrics, dyes and pharmaceuticals. The manufacture of organically based pesticides and biofuels remain an emerging sector for the application of biotechnology with the potential to access lucrative markets for organic agricultural produce and renewable energy respectively.” The Protocol aims to ensure that indigenous and local communities get a fair share of benefits from the use of their traditional knowledge associated with genetic resources and for their actual genetic resources, in cases where they have established rights to grant access to them, in accordance with national legislation.

Wrecking was suspended last August under the leadership of former mayor Kazim Hosein who described the service as a “failure.” Mayor Junia Regrello however announced at the meeting that wrecking would resume with a special focus on Carib Street and Lower Hillside.

After Carnival, wrecking will continue on a full-time basis.

“We are also going to make it easy for those who are wrecked,” said Regrello. “In the past, if you are wrecked and your vehicle is stored on Circular Road, you are required to come to City Hall and pay and then go back to Circular Road to locate your vehicle. We are going to have a onestop shop. The vehicle will be carried to Circular Road, you pay and you get your vehicle.” Responding to the National Carnival Commission’s reminder to bandleaders that music must be turned off while assembling and passing in front of the Port-of- Spain General Hospital, Regrello said San Fernando was ahead of the NCC in that regard.

“We have moved all (J’ouvert morning competitions) down to NAPA, South which is more conducive for parading. We will not have that problem here so our hospital would be safe and protected from the noise pollution.

They would be using the Rienzi Kirton (Highway) all the way down to the wharf. They will not be allowed to come down to the city area and we are asking them to adhere to the route and for the police to support us in that position.” The pan competition will be held outside Wack radio station on Coffee Street on Monday evening and night mas will take place on Sutton Street. As for Carnival Tuesday, the decision on whether bands would be directed to either High Street or Coffee Street would be made later this week after consulting stakeholders.

Details of the changes will be presented to the public via paid advertisements,” said Regrello.

Reports said that the bodies believed to be that of fishermen Arnold Beharry, 53, and Steven Beharry, 21, of Icacos Village surfaced in the waters off Venezuela three days ago. The bodies, Newsday learnt, were in an advanced state of decomposition and relatives would rely on the clothing of the men and scars on their bodies to confirm their identities.

According to police, the men, who are not related, were out at sea when their pirogue capsized in rough waters.

Reports are that boat captain Arnold and Ricky boarded the vessel one week ago. Relatives of the missing men said that they left their homes to retrieve their drift nets in the sea off Icacos.

Members of the Air Guard and the Coast Guard also conducted intense aerial and sea searches in the areas but were unsuccessful in locating them.

Coast Guard officials confirmed that based on the drift pattern of the sea, the men were carried into the Venezuelan waters.

Members of the Coast Guard have since been in contact with their counterparts in Venezuela.

Speaking to Newsday yesterday, Arnold’s wife said both families left Trinidad yesterday morning.

“We have heard that the bodies were found but we need to confirm that it is really my husband and his friend,” said Arnold’s wife Sharda Beharry.

She said since her husband disappeared, she has not been able to sleep peacefully. “I have been getting these nightmares and I always jump up in the night thinking of him. I miss him so much.” The mother of four said that when the identities of the bodies are confirmed, her mind would be at ease. “I just want some closure and the family wants to perform the final rites and say goodbye to him. It would not be easy to say goodbye,” the tearful woman said. Arnold and Steven are friends who would often fish together. Sharda said that her husband had years of experience in the sea. Cedros police officers are investigating.

The claim will be filed today in the Hall of Justice, Port-of-Spain.

He is being represented by lead counsel Richard Drabble QC, Trinidadian attorney Rishi P.A. Dass and instructing attorney Antonio Emmanuel.

Jones, 53, will be asking the local courts to ensure that the discipline of law and constitutionality enshrined freedoms are formalised and normalised to protect the human rights of all citizens.

In a statement yesterday, Jones said he grew up in Port-of-Spain and faced almost daily homophobic bullying and threats of violence because he was gay.

“My family made me homeless and I have been lucky enough to be able to rebuild my life in the United Kingdom, a modern and tolerant society, where I am protected and live my life free and equal.

“I have the opportunity now to help my fellow LGBT Trinbagonian citizens find an equal place in Trinidad & Tobago.

I undertake this challenge in the hope that our country will respect my rights to love whomever I choose,” Jones said of his constitutional claim.

He said it is important that the country ensures that constitutional freedoms are protected as TT has signed and ratified specific international human rights agreements.

Jones said the laws that are being challenged are in direct contravention of these agreements.

Jones is the second gay rights advocate to challenge local laws as it relates to the exclusion of homosexuals.

In 2003, Jamaican gay rights activist and attorney Maurice Tomlinson took TT and Belize to court over immigration laws in both countries.

In his claim filed in the Caribbean Court of Justice, Tomlinson alleged that he has been prejudiced in the enjoyment of his right as a Caricomnational to enter Belize and Trinidad and Tobago without hassle, due to the their respective Immigration Acts, which included homosexuals as a class of persons prohibited from entering these territories.

David Mcdougall scored a beaver- trick while Kevon Woodley grabbed a hat-trick and Chad Appoo added one more for the Benny Astorga-coached team.

TT play US Virgin Islands in their second game today at 2:45pm and then face the United States at 9pm tomorow.

“We are delighted to start the tournament on a winning note.

The men went out there and expressed themselves and put on a strong showing which as a coach I am pleased with,” Astorga told TT FA Media.

“But it’s far from finished for us. We haven’t achieved anything because our goal is to advance to the last stage and go onto qualify for the World Cup.

“We have two more games to win in the group phase and then we can start to focus on finishing the task,” he added.

McDougall dedicated his four goals to his mother Susan who passed away while he was on duty for the TT team at the Qualifiers in Bahamas in 2013.

“This win and my performance is dedicated to my mom.

I suffered the pain of losing her during the tournament in 2013 and everything here is in memory of her,” McDougall said.

“Right now we are a family here and our coach Benny is the perfect father for our family.

We are like brothers on this team and that spirit and attitude along with the great assistance from the TT FA has helped us to where we are now. We are now focused on keeping up the winning ways and advancing to the next phase and then to the World Cup,” he added.

Woodley who has been in prolific form for TT in their various competitions, added: “We came here with one mission and that is to win matches. We have gotten one game out of the way and now we have to keep it up and keep going forward.” Three-time CONCACAF Beach Soccer Championship winners USA recovered from a slow start to hammer US Virgin Islands 8-1 in their Group C opener. The home nation sits top of Group A after the opening round of matches and had a Lesley St Fleur hat-trick to thank as they picked up maximum points in front a vibrant home crowd against a Guyana side making their first appearance at the tournament.

Mexico too avoided an upset on the opening day as they beat Guadeloupe 9-2 – the highest ranked nation in the CONCACAF region battling back from 2-1 behind thanks to a hat-trick from Jose Ramon Maldonado Alonso and a Fausto Jair Aleman Palacios brace.

Elsewhere in Group C, TT joined USA on maximum points.

David McDougall and Kevon Woodley provided the inspiration with seven of their side’s eight goals, as Antigua and Barbuda were left unable to cope on a difficult opening-day outing, while Marc Jankovic’s four-goal haul helped Canada edge past Barbados 6-4.

In a tight contest that saw both Group B sides match one another for long spells, it was the rangy Canadian forward who made the difference, scoring four times along with further efforts from Danilo Pessoa and Maxime Leconte.

Belize saw off a spirited effort from Jamaica to claim a 2-0 win on penalties after ending 5-5 at the culmination of normal time in their Group A meeting.

Jamaica battled back from 4-0 down to level thanks largely to a Daemion Benjamin hat-trick but, when the clash went to penalties, Belize held their nerve as Marlon Meza and Jermaine Jones scored from the spot.

The three friends planned a vacation trip to the South American country and intend to spend three months. However, as they passed through Venezuelan Customs, immigration officials noticed a discrepancy with their tickets. While the group informed Immigration that they intend to stay for three months, the tickets stated the trip was for four months. They are due to return home on May 20.

The tickets were booked with Navarro’s Travel Agency. When Newsday contacted the agency yesterday, an agent said he could not say how the mix up of dates on the tickets occurred. He promised to have a senior agent contact Newsday, but that call never came.

According to immigration protocol, once discrepancies are noted in travel documents, Passports are seized while the matter was being investigated.

Trini Reagan des Vignes, a news anchor and correspondent with TeleSUR English in Venezuela, who has been in constant contact with the trio – Blair Cameron, a marketing consultant; audio producer Joshua Reuben and rap artiste Stefon Toussaint – since the incident, said a security guard was given the three TT passports to hold. However, that guard decided to try and make some extra money by extortion, demanding that Cameron, Reuben and Toussaint pay him US$100 each for their Passports.

The group refused and reported the matter to airport officials. The Trini nationals remained overnight in an immigration departure room.

Des Vignes contacted the Trinidad and Tobago Embassy in Caracas yesterday in an attempt to rectify the situation. TT Embassy officials spoke with Venezuelan immigration and the matter of the wrong dates on the tickets, was rectified.

However, the trio was told they could not leave until a Judge arrives and witnesses their testimony against the security guard.

Des Vignes said the trio was treated well. He said the TT Embassy paid for their meals and they were allowed bathroom breaks when needed. And to add to their harrowing experiencing, there was a blackout at the airport at 7 am yesterday, which lasted about five minutes. The trio decided to make a run and in the process dropped a bag. An official informed them they needed to return to where they were being kept under guard, for their own safety.

When they returned, the dropped bag was gone. Among items in the bag were GoPro (mini camera), a studio microphone, a streaming device, a lamp and a pair of shoes (Vans), all worth over $10,000. There were also two MacBook chargers valued $10,000.

“Josh is an audio producer and wanted to keep his equipment with him as he assumed he would have been inspired by the local music here,” des Vignes said.

The judge arrived just before 4 pm yesterday and Reuben was the first to be interviewed. He spent about an hour and a half being questioned. Cameron and Toussaint were then called in to join Reuben.

They were all allowed to leave after they gave their statements. The trio are still determined to go on their vacation, although it seems they have decided not to stay in Caracas, but has opted to look for a more tranquil area.

In 2014, five TT men — Dominic Pitilal, Wade Charles, Asim Luqman, Andre Battersby and Leslie Daisley — were detained in Venezuela since March 2014 on terrorism activity charges. They had gone to Caracas to seek visas for Hajj and spent almost two years in a Caracas prison before being released last year.

Steele gave the Trinidad Unified Calypsonian Organisation (TUCO) 24 hours to disqualify Lorna “Fya Empress” Nedd Reid as Steele claimed Nedd Reid was not a TT national and therefore not qualified to compete.

Yesterday, Lady Gypsy’s lawyer Gerald Ramdeen wrote TUCO threatening to go to the High Court for an injunction to disqualify Nedd Reid from performing in the finals. Facing litigation, TUCO bowed to Lady Gypsy and upgraded her from reserve to full finalist.

Ramdeen confirmed to Newsday that TUCO acceded to his pre-action protocol letter and informed his client she is now one of the 15 finalists.

Steele, who was a contestant at the Calypso Fiesta competition last Saturday at Skinner Park, San Fernando, placed 16th after the judges’ scores were tallied with a total of 389 points. Ramdeen, in his letter to TUCO, said Steele secured the same score as Anthony “All Rounder” Hendrickson who placed 15th. Ramdeen said there was no explanation from TUCO as to how All Rounder – with the same score – ranked above Lady Gypsy who placed 16th.

Ramdeen said Nedd Reid, who placed eighth in the semis, is not a TT citizen and according to TUCO’s own rules, she was not qualified to take part in the competition. “The nationality criteria for a competition such as the National Calypso Monarch Competition is a requirement that is grounded in logic and reasonableness having regard to the status and nationalistic persona of the person holding that title,” Ramdeen said.

“The rules of the competition could not have been made to be honoured in breach,” he added.

According to Ramdeen, checks at the Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC) shows Nedd Reid is not on the registered electoral list. He said further checks revealed that Nedd Reid was a citizen of St Vincent and the Grenadines.

He also noted that TUCO, in response to his client, demanded that Steele provide ‘proof ’ of her claims but ignored the fundamental principle that each contestant is to be accorded fundamental fairness where entitlement is grounded in the rules of the competition. Efforts to reach both Steele and Nedd Reid last night for comment were futile.

This was disclosed in a readout of Trump’s telephone conversation which was released yesterday by the Office of the Press Secretary at the White House.

The readout stated, “President Donald J. Trump spoke today with Prime Minister Keith Rowley of Trinidad and Tobago to facilitate cooperation on shared priorities.” The readout continued that Rowley and Trump, “reaffirmed the strong security partnership and agreed to continue close coordination in the fight against terrorism and transnational organized crime.” The readout concluded by stating, “President Trump invited Prime Minster Rowley to visit Washington, DC, in the coming months.” This readout confirmed an Associated Press (AP) article on Monday which indicated Trump’s invitation to Rowley to meet with him.

On Sunday, another AP article said Trump would be calling Rowley on Sunday. That article was confirmed by a brief statement issued on Sunday by Press Secretary to the Prime Minister, Arlene Gorin George.

That statement said Rowley and Trump spoke at 4.40 pm about, “a number of issues of mutual interest to Trinidad and Tobago and the United States.” Rowley and Trump agreed that both of their administrations, “would continue working together on matters including security and trade.” That statement concluded, “It was acknowledged that both countries have had a close working relationship which will continue to be strengthened.” In a statement on January 31, Rowley said, “TT’s unshakeable commitment to combating terrorism and religious extremism in all its forms, cannot be called into question.” Rowley made that statement in response to a claim at that time from US Navy Petty Officer Malcolm Nance that TT was among a group of countries which had more terrorists than seven predominantly Muslim countries, whose citizens have been banned by Trump from entering the US.

A federal appeals panel earlier this month unanimously rejected President Trump’s bid to reinstate his ban on travel into the US from those countries (Iraq, Iran, Sudan, Syria, Yemen, Libya, and Somalia).

On Monday, former national security minister Gary Griffith, former head of the Public Service Reginald Dumas, political/economic analyst Indera Sagewan Alli, Chaguanas Chamber of Industry and Commerce president Richie Sookhai and Penal/Debe Chamber of Commerce president Shiva Roopnarine all identified crime and security as issues which Rowley and Trump should discuss.

Dumas also suggested that the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) should also feature in Rowley’s meeting with Trump.

On Saturday, Rowley said Caricom leaders are seeking to approach the Trump Administration with a view to eliminating the threat posed to regional banking systems as a result of non-compliance with FATCA.

The House of Representatives sits on Thursday from 2.30 pm to debate a motion to approve a joint select committee (JSC) report on the Tax Information Exchange Agreements Bill 2016 (which is critical for TT being FATCA compliant) and the bill itself.

Machel Montano and Ian “Bunji Garlin” Alvarez joined each other on stage for a memorable performance, but there were a number of surprise acts that also left patrons awestruck. “If it nice you have do it twice,” said Montano as he introduced popular local 1990s deejay Tony “Chinese Laundry” Chow Lin On.

Laundry, who was one of the highlights during last year’s show, brought many veteran reggae and dancehall artistes to the stage in a 45-minute set. The set started off a bit slow, but when Bounty Killa touched the stage the crowd erupted as he was not confirmed to perform.

After performing many of his hits, Bounty was joined by Beenie Man on stage and the pair carried on a friendly battle. Laundry stated, “I want to thank Beenie and Bounty for coming together after feuding for many years and Bunji and Machel for coming together.” The surprises did not stop there as Iwer George and Laundry, two soca rivals in the 1990s, performed alongside each other. Iwer’s 2017 song “Take ah Bath” was well received as Iwer threw bottles of water into the crowd.

Bunji and Montano were the last two artistes to unite on stage. Accompanied by stick fighters, the pair sang their collaboration “Buss Head”. The duo stood next to each other and posed for the cameras which brought a huge applause.

Montano spoke about the unity on the night saying, “All yuh see Beenie and Bounty…love in the house.” Montano left Bunji on stage, as the latter went through many of his hits, even telling Montano, “No disrespect my brethren, but this part of the show is called Bunji Monday.” Montano then returned to close the show by delivering a range of his power soca songs such as “Float”, “Band of the Year” and his 2017 road march contender Beat It.

Earlier, a tribute to Calypso Rose was the first highlight of the night. After the iconic entertainer said her hit “Leave Me Alone” with Montano, will win the road march crown, the pair was joined on stage by extempo king Winston “Gypsy” Peters. The multiple extempo champion then introduced Timothy “Baron” Watkins, Drupatee Ramgoonai and David Rudder, while delivering extempo verses.

The legends stayed with Rose as she sang “Tempo” and “Fire, Fire”.

The mood on the night was electric throughout, but long waits by the bar in the Platinum section was frustrating for some. One person said he had to wait almost 30 minutes to get a drink. Patrons also had to wine in silence, as technical difficulties after Farmer Nappy and De Red Boyz set, led to 20 minutes of silence.

The long list of entertainers had the crowd entertained for most of the night, with MX Prime featuring the Ultimate Rejects and DJ Puffy from Barbados delivering riveting performances. MX Prime had the entire stadium singing his road march contender “Full Extreme”, even changing the lyrics for the occasion singing, “The stadium could fall down…we jammin still.” Among the others delivering strong performances on the night were Omardath Maraj, Peter Ram, Rupee, Orlando Octave and 2016 Soca Monarch champion Voice

Latapy, a star midfielder in his heyday at Porto (Portugal) and Falkirk (Scotland), chose to intervene in an issue between recently crowned Digicel Pro League champions and Minister of Sport Darryl Smith. Central FC, the first club to win the Pro League three times straight, took umbrage with the Sports Minister failing to acknowledge their historic feat.

Williams, arguably the best goalie in the country with over 13 years’ national service, was quoted in a Central FC press release as saying, “When we won our second successive Caribbean Club championship last year, we received no recognition from Minister Smith. It was the highest profile sporting achievement by any team from TT in 2016, yet we didn’t even receive a letter of congratulations … It’s very disappointing as a player in our national sport to see the lack of respect for our achievements.” Latapy, a national sporting hero, shockingly gave the 32-year-old Williams a verbal tongue-lashing, reprimanding him for his statement which he felt was made due to a “lack of wisdom and understanding.” He added, “Acknowledgement comes with achievement. The type of achievement required to be successful in football is playing at a high level, motivating other players, and building team spirit… Secondly, if you want acknowledgement you do not need to ask for it. Acknowledgement involves playing professionally for an extended period in a league that is considered a top professional league and not just for a few months…” Is Latapy urging players to not speak up when they feel strongly about issues, no matter generated by those in authority? Latapy, feeling snubbed about the lack of coaching opportunities available to him and other black coaches in Europe, spoke up in March 2016.

“When I look in comparison – and I know it can be dangerous to compare situations – you see a lot of managers getting opportunities who have not proved themselves … There is still, unfortunately, the situation that black managers are not getting a fair chance compared to young, white managers,” Latapy said to The Herald.

Should Latapy have kept silent amid feeling aggrieved about something? No. We applaud his honesty in highlighting a problem that has affected many of his peers throughout Europe.

Similarly, Williams had an issue that he felt he needed to express.

He did not insult the minister but merely expressed his disappointment while still being respectful to the office of the minister and its holder.

Is there a bit of politics being played out as well? Is Williams collateral damage in a verbal war between the Sports Minister and his People’s Partnership predecessor Brent Sancho, the managing director of Central FC? We do not know.

But Williams, like many of our national players, should be given the respect he deserves as a loyal servant to this country. The last memory we have of Williams was in November 2016 stopping a goal in a World Cup qualifier vs Honduras and getting a knee to his head which left him unconscious briefly and concussed.

He has kept goal for past club W Connection while his then fianc? was in the hospital after a vicious attack by an assailant in a 2012 robbery. We believe he has the respect of his peers and the football community nationally, if not internationally. With this in mind, Latapy is out of bounds.