News
Lightning strike leads to traffic pile-up
The Ministry of Works and Transport was forced to open the Priority Bus Route (PBR) to private cars last evening after a lightning strike left the traffic lights at the Curepe Intersection non-functional.
Yesterday there was heavy rainfall and even flash flooding in some parts of the East-West corridor, including St Joseph, St Augustine, the Uriah Butler Highway in Mt Hope, Tunapuna, El Soccorro and the Southern Main Road in Curepe. Read more here…
Chinese national’s bail appeal fail
A CHINESE national who was charged this year with harbouring under-age Venezuelan girls for the purpose of sexual exploitation has failed in his attempt to have the Court of Appeal review its previous position on bail.
Chang Bao Wang, 37, has been in prison custody for the past seven months, having been denied bail at the Magistrates’ Court by a Master of the High Court and also the Appeal Court. Read more here…
Politics
Police seek Kamla tip-off statement from Marlene
A police officer has been assigned to speak with PNM MP for Port-of-Spain South Marlene McDonald to see if she’s willing to give a statement on her claim that Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar had tipped her off that police would have been coming to arrest her.
Guardian Media confirmed this from reliable police sources yesterday. It’s the latest development in the matter after Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley, on September 9 claimed Persad-Bissessar tipped off McDonald about her August arrest by police. Read more here…
Cox: Nothing clandestine about retreat
WHILE the Cabinet retreat on Wednesday had not been publicly announced beforehand, there was nothing clandestine about it, said Communications Minister Donna Cox. “We spoke about the plans and programmes in our ministries,” she told Newsday on Thursday. “We shared what was happening in each of our ministries, so everybody would know what is happening. It was an information-sharing exercise.” The retreat was a whole day event at the Diplomatic Centre, St Ann's. Read more here…
Business
First Citizens CEO takes charge of BATT
Chief Executive Officer of the First Citizens Group Karen Darbasie has been appointed as the new president of the Bankers Association of T&T (BATT).
She takes up the mantle from immediate past president Nigel Baptiste, Managing Director, Republic Bank Ltd and brings over two decades of banking expertise to her new position.
Darbasie will serve as BATT’s president for the next two years. Read more here…
Tax businesses to maintain PoS
DECISIONS to increase or implement new taxes are often met with protest and objection. But Port of Spain businesses are actually asking to be taxed.
President of the Downtown Owners and Merchants Association (DOMA) is advocating for businesses to contribute to the government’s drive to “revitalise” Port of Spain. Aboud was speaking during a consultation on the development of a Port of Spain “master plan” held at the Government Campus Plaza on Wednesday night. Read more here…
Regional
Union Leaders Offer Mediation To End Cockpit Country Mining Protests
Kavan Gayle, president of the Bustamante Industrial Trade Union; Lambert Brown, the head of the University and Allied Workers Union; and St Patrice Ennis, general secretary of the Union of Technical Administrative and Supervisory Personnel are to begin the process of social dialogue and engagement aimed at resolving the dispute.
Their unions also represent workers at the Noranda Bauxite Company in St Ann. Read more here…
Former Petrojam Boss Racks Up $1 Million Phone Bill In One Month
According to the document, in December 2016, Grindley’s phone bill amounted to $1,008,099.80.
That was multiple times the phone bill of Winston Watson, a previous Petrojam boss who had been seconded to the Petroleum Corporation of Jamaica as group general manager.
That same month, Watson incurred $20,947.27 in cell-phone charges. Read more here…
‘We’ll be ready in February’
In a letter addressed to President David Granger, chairperson of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), Retired Justice Claudette Singh said by the end of February 2020, the electoral body would be ready to hold General and Regional elections. Read more here…
International
Canada's Justin Trudeau cannot say how often he wore blackface
He was speaking after more images of him wearing black make-up when he was younger emerged.
"I am wary of being definitive about this because of the recent pictures that came out, I had not remembered," he told reporters in Winnipeg. Read more here…
Trump denies promise that led to formal complaint from intelligence official
The Washington Post said the intelligence official found the comment "so troubling" they went to the department's inspector general.
In a tweet, Mr Trump dismissed the claims as "fake news".
Democrats are trying to get the complaint turned over to Congress, with the details still unknown. Read more here…
20th September 2019