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Independent Liberal Party candidate for Lopinot/Bon Air west, Jack Warner believes the August 10^th General Elections would be a close race.

And he is confident he would win the seat and become an Independent MP in the House of Representatives for another time.

In 2013 Mr. Warner won the By Election in the Chaguanas west constituency and was the sole Independent MP in the Parliament.

Today Mr. Warner says the results will be close between the 2 main political parties, but he is confident he will be victorious.

Mr. Warner says he was planning to join forces with other small political parties to contest the polls.

However, he says this did not happen.

Speaking on The Morning Show on i95.5fm today, Mr. warner said he chose to contest the seat in which he resides because there has been no proper representation in the district.

Mr. Warner is the sole candidate for the ILP.

On the 30^th anniversary of the 1990 attempted coup, Imam Yasin Abu Bakr, the man who led the insurrection says he is not at all sorry for attempting to over throw the government.

He says while he regrets that 26 people were killed and many more hurt on July 27^th 1990, he says he will not apoligise for staging the coup.

Mr. Abu Bakr says members of the Jamaat al Muslimeen were right and the State was wrong.

He says this was the view of the Privy Council and he is standing by that.

In a Facebook post yesterday, Mr. Abu Bakr expressed remorse for those who lost loved ones during the coup.

He said he does not apologise for risking his life and that of 113 members of the Jamaat who attempted to remove an unpopular and oppressive N.A.R government led by then Prime Minister ANR Robinson.

Mr. Abu Bakr said many people died at the hands of the police, adding that at least 18 were killed during looting.

He also said he would take legal action against any media house that reports him as apologising for the attempted coup.

Speaking with Newscenter 5 today, today, Mr. Babu Bakr says the ruling of the Privy Council must be upheld.

President of the Republic, Paula Mae Weeks said she observed that in a recent affidavit, Mr. Abu Bakr said he was sorry for all the pain he caused the nation and it was time for closure.

In her message on the 30^th anniversary of the insurrection the President said, some thought that his words amounted to an apology and were a welcome, though belated step towards reconciliation.

She added that Mr. Abu Bakr later strongly denied that he had ever apologised to the nation for 1990.

President Weeks said it was an affront to the victims and the country as a whole that in his affidavit, Mr. Abu Bakr attempted to determine when closure should be had, especially having abjured any remorse or regret for the attempted coup and the consequent events.

She said while the country may never get an unequivocal apology from Mr. Abu Bakr, citizens must be the drivers of effecting their own reconciliation.

The President said she was heartened to see religious leaders call for a day of prayer to commemorate this dark chapter of the nation’s history and to show gratitude for the democracy citizens enjoy today.

The Office of Disaster Preparedness and Management say it is well prepared to co-ordinate relief efforts in Tobago.

Chief Executive Officer of the agency retired Major General Rodney Smart tells us preparedness work has been ongoing for some time.

Speaking with Newscenter 5 this morning the retired Major Smart said the agency is ready.

Mr. Smart also said the public health guidelines have been taken into account light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Another appeal from the Opposition Leader for the government to bring nationals stranded in foreign countries home.

Mrs. Kamla Persad Bissessar says there are thousands of nationals who want to come home, but the government is using questionable reasons to avoid their return.

At a campaign meeting of her United National Congress last evening, Mrs. Persad Bissessar said too many nationals, caught outside closed borders are suffering.

The government has repeatedly said the repatriation of nationals must be done in phases so as to safeguard the health care system.

But Mrs. Persad Bissessar feels the government is failing its own people.

She also dismissed those who claim her party’s plan to bring home nationals will lead to widespread COVID infections.

Primary school principals are very concerned about reports that an 11-year-old child is one of the latest persons to test positive for COVID-19.

The National Primary Schools Principals Association says the new case could be a secondary entrance assessment student.

SEA students resumed classes on Monday to prepare for the exam on August 20^th.

Today, NAPSPA President Lance Mottley says there were already concerns about the resumption of classes and this new case would make for a worse situation.

Mr. Mottley was speaking on The Morning Show on i95.5fm.

Questioned if the new case could mean a delay in the reopening of schools for the new term in September, Mr. Mottley said it was too soon to say.

However, he said he was cautiously optimistic.

Yesterday Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh confirmed the new patient is a minor and the child of an employee of the West Mall branch of Republic Bank.

The bank remained closed for sanitization yesterday and is expected resume operations today.

The Prime Minister says he would welcome being sued by opposition MP, Dr. Roodal Moonilal for statements he made at a Tobago meeting of his party.

Dr. Keith Rowley last night repeated his reference to a newspaper report in which the police are said to have uncovered corruption to the tune of half a billion dollars, at the Estate Management and Business Development Company.

Dr. Moonilal has threatened to sue the Prime Minister for implicating him in the matter.

Dr. Rowley is not troubled by the threat of legal action.

He said it might be a good thing for the country.

He also responded to another former Minister of the last government, Jack Warner.

Mr. Warner has sought to put some distance between himself as National Security Minister and a deal for the purchases of 2 Coast Guard vessels from a Dutch company.

But Dr. Rowley said he never named Jack Warner in the statements.

The Prime Minister has been saying the Kamla Persad Bissessar led Peoples Partnership squandered, mismanaged and stole the country’s financial resources during its term in office.

The United National Congress candidate for Toco/Sangre Grande, Nabila Greene says the woman in a video being showered with money is not her.

And she says evidence of this can be seen in the teeth.

On Tuesday a video was circulated on social media purporting to be that of Ms. Greene laying on a bed in a brasserie as a man showers her with money.

More videos purporting to be that of Ms. Greene circulated on Wednesday, which forced her to issue a statement to rubbish efforts to tarnish her character, as there is no resemblance to her.

On her Toco/Sangre Grande Facebook page a still from the video was taken and placed next to a photo of her to highlight that the difference in the teeth of both women.

Ms. Greene said there is absolutely no resemblance between her and the woman in the video.

Ms. Greene said the photos and videos alleging to be her were disgusting displays of gutter politics at its worst.

Billboards belonging to the campaign of the Peoples National Movement’s candidate for Chaguanas east have been vandalised.

Leading the campaign for candidate Clarence Rambarat, Paula Gopee Scoon yesterday said it was the first incident of its kind in the lead up to the August 10^th General Election.

She said a report has been made to the police.

Ms. Gopee Scoon said the situation would not interfere with the drive of the campaign.

Sex charges are leveled against a 33-year-old man from Diego Martin.

He is accused of sexually penetrating and given narcotics to a 15-year-old female.  

The TTPS says the suspect, was held by officers of the Western Division Child Protection Unit and Criminal Investigations Department on July 18^th.

He was charged with 4 counts of sexual penetration of a child and 2 counts of giving narcotics to a child.

The arrest follows a comprehensive investigation by WPC Spencer of the Western Division CPU into a report surrounding the alleged assault and drugging of the girl.

According to the alleged victim’s account, during the period April 2020 – July 2020 she was made to have sexual intercourse with the man at his home.

The girl also told police she was made to smoke marijuana on 2 occasions.

The suspect was charged yesterday and was expected to appear before a Port of Spain Magistrate yesterday.