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15 individuals are now in custody, following two dui exercises.

A release from the TTPS says, the apprehensions took place between 8am and 12pm on Saturday.

It says, officers of the highway patrol task force and south highway patrol conducted an exercise, in the vicinity of Gasparillo by-pass road.

Forty-three drivers were tested, and thirteen were found with breath alcohol levels exceeding the legally prescribed limit.

Five fixed penalty notices were also issued, for various offences.

This exercise was coordinated by, Inspector Mohan.

Later that day, two persons were arrested during an exercise in the north central division.

Officers of the divisional dui team arrested, one man for driving without a permit, certificate of insurance and one other individual, for driving while under the influence of alcohol.

They also issued ten fixed penalty notices, for various traffic offences.

ACP Subero spearheaded this exercise.

There is a ban on the use of glass bottles, on the two days of carnival this year.

According to legal notice 21, the ban on the use of glass bottles in or within the vicinity of a carnival event in any public place is effective from, 4am on Monday February 12^th to midnight Tuesday on February 13^th .

In a statement last Friday, the police said members of the public found in breach of the regulations, can face a fine of one thousand dollars on conviction or up to six months in prison.

The population is faced with a decline in air quality across both islands.

This is confirmed by the Trinidad and Tobago meteorological service.

The met service says this due to a Saharan dust surge, which began moving across the region from Monday.

The situation has triggered respiratory ailments in several persons, and is even agitating some livestock.

On Wednesday, chief meteorologist Gary Benjamin said, there is a significant concentration of Saharan dust present in the atmosphere.

Speaking with Newscentre five again yesterday, Mr. Benjamin said the air quality is cause for concern.

Meanwhile, a red alert was issued to three areas in south Trinidad and Port of Spain.

The environmental management agency said yesterday, this action taken was according to the air quality index.

TUCO president Ainsley King, retracts his criticism of political commentary following a backlash.

In a statement on the impact of political commentary on the art form on Tuesday. Mr. King said, it is a genre of calypso, which has been harmful.

He has received flack for his utterances.

Yesterday, Mr. King apologized.

But he insisted, for the art form to progress, hurtful lyrics cannot be the order of the day.

His vision for the future of calypso does not include such commentary.

Mister king said, TUCO is in trouble and needs help.

On the morning show on i95.5fm mister King said, a business model is being created.

The TUCO head wants all in the art form to consider ways of improving competitions and their writing skills.

The Trinidad and Tobago police service has missed several targets set last year, in the fight against crime.

Commissioner Erla Harewood Christopher says, the goals set may have been over ambitious.

Commissioner Harewood Christopher and her executive were before the joint select committee, on national security in the parliament yesterday.

Responding to questions from committee member and independent senator Paul Richards, the commissioner had some difficulty with clarifications.

She listed some of the targets, chief among them reducing the statistics.

According to the commissioner there will be adjustments this year

A police officer who admitted to raping his 12-year-old daughter several times, over a three-year period gets 15 years in prison.

The officer, who cannot be named to protect the identity of the victim, pleaded guilty to seven sexual offences in April last year, but was only sentenced by high court judge Hayden St Clair-Douglas, yesterday morning.

According to the agreed facts in the case, the officer’s wife discovered that he had been abusing their daughter in July 2010, after she found a DVD in their bedroom containing a video of one of the attacks, while cleaning their bedroom.

While the face of the man in the video was not visible, the woman recognised her husband by his genitals.

The officer had denied any wrongdoing before later reluctantly admitted to it.

The woman evicted the officer from their home, and then made a report.

The victim was interviewed, and told investigators her father began having sex with her when she was nine-years-old.

She said, the attacks happened three times weekly in her parents’ bedroom while her mother was not home.

The officer was slapped with five charges for having sex with a minor, one for grievous sexual assault, and another for serious indecency.

Justice St. Clair-Douglas sentenced, the officer to 15 years in prison for each of the statutory rape charges and for grievous sexual assault.

He was also sentenced to five years and eight months in prison, for serious indecency.

The sentences were ordered to run concurrently, meaning that the officer will be released after serving 15 years in prison.

The Estate Management and Business Development Company Ltd, is today one step closer to bringing a group of contractors, former officials and former housing minister Dr. Roodal Moonilal.

Delivering a judgement yesterday, appellate judges Charmaine Pemberton, Peter Rajkumar, and Vasheist Kokaram, dismissed an appeal from the contractors over the refusal of former high court judge. Along with a current appellate judge James Aboud, to strike out the case against them at a preliminary stage. 

According to law, if a successful final appeal is not mounted by March 20th, the appeal court’s ruling will stand and the case will go to trial, before justice Frank Seepersad. 

In reading the decision, justice Rajkumar ruled that EMBD had properly pleaded, that it suffered actual pecuniary loss, as a result of the alleged unlawful means conspiracy between the contractors and state officials. 

He noted that although EMBD did not quantify the losses it incurred when it filed the case, it could do so when it goes to trial. 

Justice Rajkumar also rejected claims, that EMBD’s pleadings did not properly give particulars linking the contractors to the purported conspiracy, so they could mount their defences. 

The substantive lawsuit centres around 12 contracts, for the rehabilitation of roads and infrastructure granted to five contractors, before the September 2015 general election. 

Contractors TN Ramnauth, Mootilal Ramhit and Sons Contracting Ltd (ramhit), and Kall Company Ltd (kallco). Initiated the proceedings against the state-owned special purpose company, for the sum of almost $200 million balance owed on their respective contracts.

The Downtown Owners and Merchants Association, takes a strong position against reports of some companies, failing to pay workers the new minimum wage.

Doma president Gregory Aboud says, action should be taken in the early implementation, as non-compliance with the new order is unacceptable.

Mr. Aboud also urges employees to be sure, their working hours have not been reduced in light of the increase in minimum wage, before filing a complaint.

According to complaints, although business owners risk being fined $15,000 for underpayment, several have allegedly failed to uphold the law.

The minimum wage rose from $17.50 to $20.50 on January 1^st , 2024.