NEWS
TT has a culture of secrecy
Data is critically important in order to analyse properly what is happening in various sectors, but, economist Dr Terrence Farrell said yesterday, this country has a culture of not wanting to give information. Farrell presented his report on the downstream sector of TT at the National Academy for the Performing Arts, Keate Street, Port of Spain. The study, titled A Point of Inflexion, was sponsored by downstream giant Proman, whose plants make up nearly 60 per cent of the tenants of the Point Lisas Industrial Estate. Read more here
Police seize more info from Jaagriti
Despite a pending legal action which challenges the Sedition Act and possible charges against Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha Secretary General Satnaryan Maharaj, police returned to Radio and TV Jaagriti on Thursday to obtain tapes which may be linked to the case. Around 1.30 pm, a team of officers lead by ASP Michael Veronique visited the Tunapuna media house where a warrant was read to staff by Inspector Wayne Stanley. Read more here
POLITICS
PM: TT close to doing energy business with Ghana
The Prime Minister says soon there will be business developments in the energy sector from agreements between TT and Ghana three years ago. He was speaking yesterday at a joint media conference with Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo at the Diplomatic Centre, Port of Spain. Akufo arrived in Trinidad on Wednesday night and was greeted at the airport by President Paula-Mae Weekes. Also present to welcome him were Minister of Foreign and Caricom Affairs Dennis Moses, Community Development, Culture and the Arts Minister Dr Nyan Gadsby-Dolly, Planning and Development Minister Camille Robinson-Regis, Public Utilities Minister Robert Le Hunte and Pointe-a-Pierre MP David Lee, representing the Opposition. Read more here
Overnight vigil at Parliament
A protest that started outside the Queen's Park Oval on Thursday evening has grown into an overnight vigil outside the Parliament Chamber, Wrightson Road, Port of Spain. At 11 pm there were scores of people gathered including a large contingent of residents from Beetham Gardens. Read more here
BUSINESS
Farrell: Threat to petrochemical sector
A study by Dr Terrence Farrell has found that the sustainability of the downstream petrochemical sector is under threat because of uncompetitive natural gas prices. Dr Farrel presented his year long study of the country’s downstream sector this morning. Read more here
REGIONAL
‘Hell And Back’ - Fisherman Recounts Horrific Tale Of 2017 Ordeal At Sea
One of five Jamaican fishermen who accuse the United States Coast Guard of holding them captive in inhumane conditions on several vessels has revealed details of the physical and psychological trauma they endured during their 32-day detention. Speaking to The Gleaner yesterday afternoon from Half Moon Bay fishing beach in Falmouth, Trelawny, George Thompson, 44, said that on the night of September 14, 2017, he and four others – Robert Dexter Weir, Patrick Wayne Ferguson, Luther Fian Patterson, and David Roderick Williams – believed that they stared death in the face. In a lawsuit filed on Wednesday by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Weir, Ferguson, Williams, and Patterson claim they were captured by the members of the US Coast Guard, stripped naked, given white, paper-thin overalls and disposable slippers to wear instead, and subsequently chained by their ankles to metal cables. Read more here
INTERNATIONAL
Swiss women strike for more money, time and respect
US releases video it claims shows Iran removing unexploded mine from Gulf tanker
The United States military on Thursday released a video that it says shows an Iranian navy boat removing an unexploded mine attached to the hull of the Japanese-owned chemical tanker Kokura Courageous, one of two tankers attacked in the Gulf of Oman. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Thursday blamed Iran for attacking the Kokura Courageous and another ship, Norwegian-owned Front Altair, saying the assessment was based on intelligence. Later Thursday night, US Central Command released the video, which it says shows Iranian sailors removing a mine from the Kokura Courageous' hull. Read more here
14th June 2019