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Government is said, to be actively engaged in repatriating nationals from conflict zones, like Syria.

Minister of National Security Fitzgerald Hinds says, a task force has been established to make it happen.

The minister was responding to a question posed by, Senator Paul Richards in the upper house yesterday.

Minister Hinds also said, the task force has gathered information but he admitted to problems getting data, on persons from certain countries.

They were both speaking during the question for, oral answer session in the senate yesterday.

Government proclaims the remaining elements of the administration of justice indictable proceedings act. Which means there will be no more preliminary enquiries.

According to the judiciary, indictable cases will go straight to the high court.

The judiciary says, all indictable matters are to be filed on the judiciary’s new e-forms platform Swif, as it offers a safe and secure platform for completing and submitting court forms.

The statement notes that there will be a new case flow, introducing initial hearings and sufficiency hearings, which will be conducted by a master of the high court on or the next working day the case is filed.  

The judiciary explains that the master will issue a scheduling order with deadlines, for the key actions to be taken before a sufficiency hearing, to ensure the case is ready for the next stage of court proceedings.

Further the judiciary says, indictments will be filed before the start of the sufficiency hearing.

The framework, the judiciary says, provides for digital use and evidence must be uploaded to the management platform, case center, and presented digitally in court.

This, the judiciary says, reduces opportunity for delay in the court process in instances when physical evidence is not readily available and makes its presentation more secure and clearer.

Women and children are said to be the primary targets of sex predators.

Superintendent Claire Guy Alleyne is convinced; every child is now at risk.

The head of the gender based violence unit of the TTPS says, over the past two years her unit has dealt with over 1500 matters.

Superintendent Guy Alleyne was a guest on the eye on dependency programme on i95.5fm pm Sunday.

She had this advice when guarding children against perpetrators.

Further Supt. Guy Alleyne made it clear that while labels are now being adopted for this category of criminals, she will not subscribe to that term.

Supt Guy Alleyne said, 600 police officers are trained in gender based responses, and reports can be made at any police station across the country.

The late Marlene Mc Donald is remembered by female parliamentarians for her passion for the development of her constituency, and for the women of the country.

In a release the WPTT recalls in one of her last addresses as a cabinet minister, on the occasion of International Girls Day 2019, Ms. Mc Donald used that platform to encourage young women and girls to dare to dream, and to ‘take up the challenge of contributing to the country’s development’, to ensure both the representation and participation of women.

WPTT secretary, former member of parliament for Couva North Ramona Ramdial, states, as an experienced MP and minister, Ms. Mc Donald was always quick to lend advice, to the younger women in parliament.

She says, she will be missed by all who knew her.

President of the Animals 360 Foundation wants law to prevent members of the public from handling fireworks.

Founder Roger Marshall is questioning what is keeping back government from making it law.

He says, the proposed bill was taken to the Parliament since 2022 to be debated, but nothing has come of it.

According to Section 99 of the proposed act, any person who throws, casts, sets fire to, or lets off any fireworks within any town is liable to a fine of one thousand dollars.

Speaking with Newscentre Five yesterday Mr. Marshall said, a definite stance and hefty fines on the issue must be taken.

Mr. Marshall also said, a wide cross section of the population suffers from, the indiscriminate use of fireworks.

In Trinidad and Tobago, persons are required to first seek the permission of the Commissioner of Police before setting off any fireworks.

A report that a primary school student was forced to eat biscuits dipped in a toilet, is not sitting well with the National Parent Teachers Association.

The incident occurred at the Edinburgh Government Primary School last week, and involved a boy in the infant-1 class.

According to reports, the 5 year old was confronted by a group of older children during the lunch break on, November 27^th, 2023.

An Express article quotes the child’s mother as saying the boy was made to eat snacks off the floor, by the group and later forced to eat contaminated biscuits.

She said, the older children had dipped the biscuits in a toilet bowl and a drain, and forced her son to eat them.

A report was made to the Ministry of Education and the police.

According to the mother, her son developed gastroenteritis, experienced vomiting, asthma, and had difficulty breathing.

Yesterday NPTA President Walter Stewart said, the situation is disturbing.

He said, there is need for constant supervision of children during break-time and lunch.

Mr. Stewart is recommending parents play a role, in securing the children during these periods.

The boy’s mother has said, she is disappointed in the way the situation was handled by the school’s administration, as she was told of the issue by her daughter and not the school.

She also said, parents of the alleged bullies had not been told by the school of what had been done to her child, until she insisted on a meeting.

The High Court has set aside an award totaling about $20 million to nine people who were accused, but eventually found not guilty of murdering businesswoman Vindra Naipaul-Coolman in 2006.

Setting aside the ruling yesterday, that was made by a Master of the Supreme Court in January, was Justice Joan Charles.

The judge held that the civil claim filed by attorneys representing the former accused, did not properly serve the proceedings on the office of the Attorney General, in keeping with the procedure set out by the state liability and proceedings act, for the acceptance of service on behalf of the state.

But just hours after the ruling was delivered, attorneys representing the former accused filed an appeal, and asked the appeal court to allow an expedited hearing.

They are being represented by team of attorneys led by former Attorney General Anand Ramlogan, SC.

In a media release issued yesterday afternoon, following the court’s ruling, Attorney General Reginald Armour, SC, said, the judge found that the order of Master Martha Alexander must be set aside.

Mr. Armour stated that, in her judgment, Justice Charles concluded the rules relating to service of originating documents, and notices on the state were clear and mandatory—and that they must be complied with.

On January 30th, Master Alexander ordered the compensation for Shervon Peters and Devon Peters, along with their brother Anthony Gloster, Joel Fraser, Ronald Armstrong, together with Keida and Jameel Garcia, Marlon Trimmingham and Antonio Charles.

The judge had awarded each of them $2.1 million in an assessment for malicious prosecution.

They were found not guilty by a 12-member jury of murdering Mrs. Naipaul-Coolman.