News
Police to monitor virtual Carnival events
Police Commissioner Gary Griffith says the police will have an active presence at "virtual" Carnival events put on by the Trinidad and Tobago Promoters’ Association (TTPA).
In a release, he said the police are exercising an element of “flexibility,” but will be working very closely with the TTPA" to ensure compliance with the public health ordinance. He welcomed virtual events, he said, but“there must be a degree of control and no breaches of the public health ordinance.” Read more here…
Two men shot dead by cop
“It was an absolute miracle that no innocent people were injured or killed.”
These were the words of a senior officer when speaking to the Express yesterday following a confrontation between two men and an off-duty police officer on Wednesday night along the Lady Chancellor Road in Port of Spain. Read more here…
Politics
Education Ministry finalizing school reopening guidelines
Minister of Education Dr Nyan Gadsby-Dolly said a third draft of the reopening guidelines for schools has been prepared and will be discussed for a second time with health officials. In a statement on Thursday, Gadsby-Dolly said physically, schools are generally prepared for reopening and many are in use as centres for CXC January exams, which begin on Monday. Read more here…
Davidson-Celestine distances self from $2.5m rope fiasco
People’s National Movement Tobago Council leader Tracy Davidson-Celestine is refusing to take any blame for the Tobago House of Assembly’s Tourism Division spending $2.5 million on a failed zipline project for Main Ridge, saying her role then as secretary was to set policy and ensure public servants got money for projects they were pursuing.
In fact, Davidson-Celestine put the blame for the project’s failure squarely on public servants’ shoulders, as she defended herself in the face of criticism after an Auditor General department report revealed the only thing the THA actually got for the expenditure was some rope. Read more here…
Business
TCL sends home workers
Just days after 12 workers were retrenched from Trinidad Cement Ltd, the Oilfield Workers Trade Union (OWTU) is accusing the company of replacing permanent workers with contract workers. During a press conference at TCL’s car park in Claxton Bay yesterday, OWTU’s chief labour relations officer Lindon Mendoza accused the company of “union-busting” and callousness towards T&T laws. “I mean that Trinidad Cement Ltd although it is a local company it has foreign management and foreign ownership in control of the assets and operation of TCL. What they are doing is that they are disrespecting the laws of Trinidad and Tobago and they are disrespecting the workers and by extension the union, OWTU.” Read more here…
TSTT brings ‘cloud’ home
MAJORITY State-owned TSTT’s data centre is located in a deliberately nondescript building just behind the PriceSmart in Mausica.
The security guard at the entrance of the compound not only checks the trunks of cars entering the compound, but she also deploys an inspection mirror to view the undersides. Read more here…
Regional
PAHO received US$263m for covid19 fight
The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) received commitments of more than US$263 million in 2020 for the fight against covid19. PAHO said in a press report on Wednesday that these resources are used to offer technical support and supplies to the countries of the Americas. The US$263 million included direct financial support to PAHO, through contributions through the World Health Organization (US$101.3 million), as well as agreements negotiated with PAHO member states supported by various international financial institutions.Read more here…
International
Trump explodes at Nixon comparisons as he prepares to leave office
In his final days in office, President Donald Trump has found the parts of the job he loved replaced by cold legal warnings, forced video addresses and a shrinking circle of downtrodden aides, all anxiously wondering what life will be like after noon on January 20.
Joe Biden unveils $1.9tn US economic relief package
If passed by Congress, it would include $1tn for households, with direct payments of $1,400 to all Americans. The relief proposal includes $415bn to fight the virus and $440bn for small businesses. Mr Biden, a Democrat, has promised to beat the pandemic that has killed more than 385,000 people in the US. He campaigned last year vowing to do a better job handling the virus than outgoing President Donald Trump, a Republican. Read more here…
15th January 2021