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Five teenage boys who escaped custody at a Child Support Centre in Valsayn remain at large.

It is believed the boys broke out of the home between Friday night and early Saturday morning.

Reports say checks were being made by officials at around 11.45 am on Saturday when they noticed the group of 5 missing.

According to information received the wards in question were recently before the court.

When contacted on the situation, Minister of Gender and Child Affairs Ayana Webster-Roy told Newscenter 5 she is aware of the situation.

She said all relevant authorities are engaged in an active search for the minors.

Minister Webster-Roy did not elaborate but expressed concern saying she hopes the minors are found soon.    

Police visited the home, which is run by the Children’s Authority and uncovered that the rooms in which the wards were being housed were heavily burglar proofed.

The body of a man is found with stab wounds in Laventille.

The deceased has been identified as Anthony Blackman.

He was 44-years-old.

Reports say the discovery was made in St. Barbs at around 6 o’clock this morning.

Newscenter 5 understands Mr. Blackman’s neighbor called out to him and got no response.

Upon checking inside the house the man found Mr. Blackman in a pool of blood.

Police were then contacted.

Investigations are ongoing.

Investigations continue into the killings of two men, one in Sangre Grande and the other in Morvant.

The deaths of Shem Hope and Kendall Williams yesterday pushed the murder toll to 75.

Yesterday morning 21-year-old Mr. Hope was asleep at a relative’s home in Malick when 2 gunmen stormed in and shot him.

Also shot and wounded was a friend of Mr. Hope who was also asleep in the room.

The survivor was taken to the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex, where he was up to last evening listed in a stable condition.

Mr. Hope was declared dead at the scene.

The second murder occurred in Sangre Grande yesterday at 5am.

Twenty-six-year-old Kendall Williams was in the yard of his El Carmen Street home when he was confronted by a man known to him.

Reports say the man shot Mr. Williams and fled the scene.

Mr. Williams was taken to the Sangre Grande District Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

The Indian High Commissioner says by the time this country made a request for a COVID-19 vaccine donation it may have been too late.

But High Commissioner Arun Kumar Sahu issued a statement yesterday explaining that he would go the extra mile to help.

There has been a controversy between this country and India over vaccine donations.

The Foreign and CARICOM Affairs Minister Dr. Amery Browne is to meet with the High Commissioner today.

But in his statement the High Commissioner said the world knew about India’s Vaccine Friendship Program.

He said no country was selectively informed of the vaccine and leaders wrote to the Indian government requesting vaccines.

Meanwhile Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley says since January this country and by extension CARICOM have been at the forefront calling for equitable access to vaccines to address the pandemic.

Dr. Rowley says as CARICOM chair he also appeared alongside the Director of the World Health Organisation making an appeal for vaccine equity.

He says he also wrote to the governments of the UK, US, Canada, and the EU while contact was already made with India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the vaccine supply issue.

Dr. Rowley says a second letter from CARICOM has been sent to US President Joe Biden and a virtual meeting has been set up for this week with Senior Congress Woman Maxine Waters.

The Opposition, United National Congress wants the government to allow Trinidad and Tobago lobbyist in the United States to work on getting COVID vaccines for the people of this country.

MP for Naparima, Rodney Charles yesterday made the suggestion at a news conference.

He said such an intervention can help deal with the delays in getting vaccines here via the COVAX facility.

Mr. Charles, who is the UNC’s Shadow Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Rishard Seecharan, the party’s Shadow Health Minister, took to Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley for his utterances during last week’s conversation broadcast.

The Prime Minister stated then this country was not aware of donations from India.

Mr. Charles and Mr. Seecharan said the Prime Minister was insulting.

Mr. Charles said the Prime Minister’s meeting with the President of China could be considered a form of begging as well.

The search for 14-year-old Matthew Sookoo has ended.

The boy was found at around 9:15 this morning.

Last Saturday the boy fell off a pirogue near Cedros.

The Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard said it received information that Matthew fell off the vessel approximately 600 feet from shore and disappeared in the vicinity of Fullerton.

It said a Coast Guard vessel, which was in the area, was immediately redeployed to commence searches in partnership with the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service and other local stakeholders, including fishermen.

Matthew was a student of the Cedros Secondary School.

He was said to be one of 5 people on the pirogue and was not wearing a life jacket.

Head of the Prison Officers Association Cerron Richards says the conditions at the nations prisons are deplorable

He blames those in power.

Mr. Richards also notes that equipment necessary to create a safe environment for prisoners is unavailable.

Mr. Richards is calling for a proper alarm system to be set up at prison facilities.

He also denies claims that prison officers themselves are responsible for sabotaging the security system.

He is calling on the Prime Minister as the Head of the National Security Council to intervene.

Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley tells the people of this country they must avoid another COVID-19 triggered lockdown.

Dr. Rowley says the country simply cannot afford it.

He says billions of dollars were spent during the last lockdown and today, there is no money left.

Dr. Rowley last night expressed some uncertainty surrounding the arrival of COVID-19 vaccine doses in Trinidad and Tobago.

He said while 33,000 doses are expected via the COVAX facility, there have been delays in delivery.

He denied claims from the Opposition United National Congress that the government has been snubbing a vaccine donation from India.