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The Rafah crossing from Gaza to Egypt has opened for the first time since Israel’s siege began more than three weeks ago.

At least 20 Palestinian patients, and 110 dual nationals, have left Gaza so far.

It’s thought 88 injured Palestinians and around 500 foreign nationals will be allowed out in the first phase.

Civilians have not been able to leave Gaza since Israel’s siege began on 7 October.

The Trinidad and Tobago Registered Nurses Association agrees with the Prime Minister, that crime is a public health issue.

However, TTRN President Idi Stewart says, while he is pleased at Dr. Keith Rowley’s recognition of same, Trinidad and Tobago is lagging in this regard.

Mr. Stewart supports the move to call out Defence Force Reserves, but believes it is not enough.

Outlining the causes of crime from a public health perspective, Mr. Stewart lists some risk factors among the younger generation.

Also commenting is general secretary of the TTRN Corey Dillon.

Mr. Dillon notes health care professionals are strategically positioned, and this can statistically benefit the crime fight.

Mr. Dillon added that nurses should be viewed as a stakeholder when seeking solutions to treat with the crime scourge.

Both men were speaking on the connections with Cameron program on i95.5fm yesterday.

There is some anxiety over the none-availability of critical medicines in the country. 

The situation is being blamed on the flawed registration process at the division of food and drugs.

Immediate past President of the Pharmacy Board Andrew Rahaman, makes the assertion following the seizure of ten million dollars in unregistered pharmaceuticals in Trincity.

Mr. Rahaman is of the view that the genesis of the situation lies with food and drugs, and citizens are now being affected.

He explains, why the shipment of medicine in Trincity may have been undocumented.

Mr. Rahaman is currently locked in a legal battle after being removed as pharmacy board president earlier this year.

A five-year-old girl was up to last evening warded at hospital after she was found locked in a vehicle in south Trinidad.

A woman is assisting Siparia police with their investigations.

The child was reportedly locked in the car for two hours; there was reportedly no ventilation.

She was found unconscious in the vehicle last Sunday afternoon.

The mother of the child says she discovered her covered in vomit and urine.

Reports say the child’s mother left her in the care of a relative to attend a funeral

The 41-year-old mother told police a female relative had agreed to bring her daughter and other children to the funeral.

She said at around 4 pm she saw the relative, but she did not see her daughter.

When she asked the relative for her daughter, she said she left the child in the vehicle.

After she found the child the mother reportedly rushed her to the Siparia district health facility where she was treated and transferred to the San Fernando general hospital.

Reports say the child was moved from the intensive care unit to the resuscitation room.

A medical report obtained by the police listed the doctor’s findings as severe dehydration secondary to query heat stroke, query aspiration pneumonia and query hypoxic brain injury.

Siparia police are investigating.

Assurance from the Telecommunications, Services of Trinidad and Tobago that it is committed to safeguarding the safety and security of its customers’ information.

In a release TSTT says, on October 09, 2023, cyber attackers attempted to gain unauthorized access to its systems.

It says, cyber threats of this nature are a continuous feature of modern digital operating systems and telecommunications infrastructure is no exception to these threats and incursions.

TSTT says, it has continuously invested resources in the millions of dollars in its processes and its infrastructure to protect its systems and the data it produces and stores.

It says, at the onset of the threat, TSTT’s incident response processes were swiftly activated.

A total of eight men are shot and killed in a 24-hour period in Blanchisseuse, Belmont and Diego Martin.

These killings have pushed the murder toll for 2023 to 480.

The comparative figure for the same period in 2022 was 508.

The latest incident occurred yesterday around 4.30 p.m, along the Blanchisseuse Main Road near Lalaja Road, Arima.

Police said, that around that time a car with three men was ambushed, and its occupants were shot several times.

All three men died on the spot.

No ID’s of the victim were available last evening.

On Sunday night five men were shot and killed, four in Belmont and one in Cocorite.

In Belmont the dead men have been identified as Brandon Forde, Kerron Moore, Brian Padmore and Chivon Clarke.

Reports say, the incident took place at the corner of Smart Place and Belmont Circular road around 10:10pm Sunday night.

Newscentre Five understands, the men were liming along the roadway when dark colored SUV make, pulled along side the men.

Reports say, five men then alighted from the SUV and began shooting in the direction of the men, and then sped off.

And the man shot and killed in Diego Martin has been identified.

He is nester Sammy alias “Pappy”.

The Head of State, Christine Kangaloo has issues a proclamation calling out one hundred defence force reserve officers.

Their purpose is to lend support to the police during the Pre-Christmas season to carnival 2024.

Carnival is scheduled to take place on February 12th and 13th 2024.

The President’s proclamation was dated yesterday, October 30^th.

It came on a day when media recorded eight murders in 24 hours.

The proclamation says, the volunteers will be engaged for a period of 123 days effected yesterday.

Commissioner of Police Erla Harewood-Christopher is assuring the nation, that under her leadership the TTPS will continue its work of ridding the service of officers, that prove themselves unfit to be police officers.

Commissioner Christopher’s undertaking comes a day after Independent Senator Deoroop Teemal labeled the TTPS, a corrupt organization.

In a statement, mrs harewood-christopher admits there are corrupt officers within the service but says they are in the minority.

The commissioner also assures that steps are being taken to rid the service of them.

In giving statistics to support her statements, Mrs. Harewoord Christopher says, in 2022, 36 officers were charged stemming from 79 offences, and for 2023 to date, 19 officers have been charged stemming from 51 offences.

Further, the commissioner says, the Professional Standards Bureau is currently also investigating 109 reports.

The commissioner is also encouraging persons knowing of police corruption, or having evidence of such, to make a report to the professional standards bureau or call 555 or 800-tips which will protect the anonymity of the caller.

While Mrs. Harewood Christopher is encouraging persons to report corrupt officers, she is also appealing to persons to resist the temptation of making unsubstantiated statements about perceived police corruption.

She says, this only serves to discredit the police and embolden the criminal element.  Thereby, making it so much more difficult for the police to get the public’s cooperation in the fight against crime.

Former Police Commissioner Gary Griffith tells Independent Senator Hazel Thompson-Ahyee, do not speak on police actions as she is ignorant of standard protocols.

Mr. Griffith’s advice follows comments senator Thompson-Ahyee made while debating the budget in the upper house on Tuesday.

Senator Thompson-Ahyee told the house, the poor treatment of a group of men from Sealots by police was as a result of their race and class.

The incident is reported to have occurred back in 2021 when Mr. Griffith was commissioner of police.

Yesterday, the national transformation alliance leader described the senator’s words as false and misleading.

Mr. Griffith also said the senator’s concern about white-collar crime is one for the government of the day.

Mr. Griffith is insisting that the senator’s comments were unfortunate.

A difference of opinion between the opposition leader and the Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha

Kamla Persad Bissessar is telling the Hindu based umbrella organization, to bring evidence of religious hatred in Trinidad and Tobago

She says, the country has elected two Hindu prime ministers so claims of religious intolerance are just rubbish.

The SDMS has been critical of Mrs. Persad Bissessar’s media release which called on people to reject wicked, and provocative suggestions that attacks on places of worship are hate crimes.

The head of the Maha Sabha Vijay Maharaj responded calling her, statements as bizarre and insulting.

He says the opposition leader’s position downplays the seriousness of recent attacks, on Hindu temples.

In her release Mrs. Persad Bissessar says, there have been attacks on churches, mosques and temples.

But she believes it is dangerous to suggest that the recent attacks on Hindu places of worship, is an indication of intolerance

mrs. Persad Bissessar says there must be evidence of this before such allegations are made.

She says, this is a country where there is religious harmony, and different religious houses of worship sit next to each other peacefulness.