NEWS
Man in women's clothing found dead on Lady Chancellor Road
A man who police said was clad in female clothing has been found dead on Lady Chancellor Road. A jogger out on an early morning run on Sunday came across the unidentified man's body. Police reported that the man was found near the Horticulture Centre and was dressed in a dark-coloured female spandex top and underwear. He was found at around 4 am. The body bore what appeared to be stab wounds to the chest and torso. The victim, police said, appeared to be in his 30s and is of African descent, dark in complexion, five foot nine in height and of medium build. The body was later taken to the Forensic Science Centre in St James, where an autopsy will be done once identification is made. Read more here
Funerals delayed, bodies pile up as Tobago’s Registrar Office remains closed
For the past two weeks, funerals in Tobago have been delayed and in many cases halted as dead bodies have been piling up at funeral homes. In fact, the situation is becoming so dire that people are leaving their deceased loved ones at the hospital’s mortuary in a bid to avoid paying storage fees to funeral homes. It all stems from the unresolved issue involving the shutdown of operations at the Office of Registrar General’s Department in Tobago, which has been preventing people on the island from accessing death certificates which are critical to arranging funerals and burying the dead. On Friday, Chief Secretary Farley Augustine revealed the island’s Registrar General officials have been unable to access the system and so the processing of civil—death and birth certificates—land and company documents have halted. As a result, relatives of the deceased and officials from Tobago’s funeral homes are among those feeling the pressure. Read more here
POLITICS
Mark questions ‘secrecy’ surrounding WASA job cuts
Was there going to be a consultation with the unions before the restructuring of the Water and Sewerage Authority? This was the question posed by Opposition Senator Wade Mark yesterday, during the United National Congress’ weekly press conference held at the Opposition Leader’s office at Charles Street in Port-of-Spain. Senator Mark said the Government’s next move regarding workers at the company appeared to be shrouded in secrecy, as both Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley, and Public Utilities Minister Marvin Gonzales did not specifically mention any plan in their Budget debate contributions last week. The Public Utilities Minister only confirmed that staff cuts loomed when asked about reduced funding for NIS contributions for WASA. “It took the UNC through the alertness of the MP for Princes Town to go through the sub items and notice that the NIS contribution which was in 2022/2023 $64 million. They estimated for 2024 at 25 million ... They tried to slip it in, without informing the unions. I haven’t heard a statement from one of the unions thus far. So, they have been caught flat-footed as it relates to the intention of the Government,” said Mark. Read more here
BUSINESS
Sustain-U offers new training platform
The National Gas Company of Trinidad and Tobago Ltd (NGC) and Methanex have partnered to sponsor Sustain-U, a learning platform to support organisations in accelerating sustainability understanding and action. Sustain-U is a sustainability and ESG (environment, social, governance) training platform developed by Caribbean Ideas Academy. It is a training platform that will assist organisations and their employees to build sustainability understanding, learn how to quantify impact and take tangible action, NGC said in a news release yesterday. Read more here
REGIONAL
Prudent, sustainable management of Guyana’s economy will continue
As the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank Annual 2023 Meetings continue in Marrakech, Morocco, Senior Finance Minister Dr. Ashni Singh has assured the IMF’s Deputy Managing Director (DMD) Kenji Okamura during a meeting, that the Government of Guyana is committed to continuing the prudent and sustainable management of the country’s economy. According to a press release issued by the Finance Ministry on Sunday, Dr Singh highlighted that Guyana’s economy recorded real economic growth of more than 40 per cent on average per annum over the last three years, with medium-term growth projected at more than 20 per cent on an average, annually. Okamura recognised Guyana’s strong economic performance and economic policy agenda. Read more here
INTERNATIONAL
Landlord charged with hate crimes after Muslim boy killed in Illinois
A man has been charged with murder and hate crimes after allegedly stabbing a six-year-old boy to death because he was Muslim. Joseph Czuba, 71, is accused of killing Wadea Al-Fayoume and seriously wounding his mother in Plainfield, Illinois. The landlord allegedly targeted the pair, who were his tenants, because of their religion and the ongoing conflict between Hamas and Israel. President Joe Biden said he was "sickened" by Saturday's attack. "This horrific act of hate has no place in America, and stands against our fundamental values: freedom from fear for how we pray, what we believe, and who we are," he said. The 32-year-old woman was attacked by her landlord, who had a military-style knife with a seven inch (18cm) blade, and ran to the bathroom to call the police, authorities said. Read more here
16th October 2023