NEWS
Morvant man murdered on way to granny’s house
A 21-year-old man was murdered while he was on his way to his grandmother’s house. The dead man has been identified as Akiel Johnson, from Cassia Street, Morvant. According to police reports, Johnson was walking towards his grandmother’s home on Marigold Street, off Coconut Drive, Morvant, when he was confronted by a group of men. The men shot him several times before escaping. Read more here
CSO Go/Cropper Foundation host World NGO Day fair
Today is World NGO Day, which is held to recognise, celebrate and honour the contributions and profound impact that these independent, not-for-profit non-governmental organisations have on the world. Last year, CSO Go, in collaboration with The Cropper Foundation, hosted its first World NGO Day virtual fair. The event attracted over 150 CSOs (Civil Society Organisations) to the two-day event and because of its initial success, addressing various topics such as the environment, and social and humanitarian issues, more participants have been registered for this year’s CSO Go’s two-day virtual seminar to mark World NGO Day 2023. Day one, themed The Importance of good governance for NGOs, will be staged today, while The role of digitalisation in a modern NGO will be the theme tomorrow. Read more here
POLITICS
Griffith accuses PM of 'blame game' over US human-trafficking report
Former national security minister Gary Griffith has defended the efforts of the former People's Partnership administration to address human trafficking when he was a member of the cabinet, accusing the Prime Minister of a "blame game" over a 2022 US report that alleged that senior government officials are involved in human trafficking. The report said TT remained on its watch list as the government does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of human trafficking, but did note it was take steps to do so. The National Transformation Alliance (NTA), which Griffith now leads, claimed TT got a favourable review when he was in government. Read more here
Devant: Moonilal led party probe into human trafficking claim
Baffled by the Prime Minister’s assertion that Opposition members were the “senior government officials” named in the 2022 US Trafficking in People report involved in the illicit trade, Opposition MP Roodal Moonilal is calling on Commissioner of Police Erla Harewood-Christopher to come forward with information on any investigation into the claims. But even as he made the call, his former colleague, Devant Maharaj, doubled down on his claim that the UNC not only knew of the allegation but had launched an international probe into it, which Moonilal was, in fact, part of. Moonilal’s call came during an Opposition media conference yesterday, where he said he was confident no such inquest existed. “Today, I call on Erla Harewood-Christopher to indicate to the country whether there is any ongoing investigation that involves Members of Parliament—whether in Government or Opposition, anyone—dealing in human trafficking. Is there any ongoing investigation?” Read more here
BUSINESS
Red Cross, corporate T&T tackle country’s period concerns
Primary schools in this country’s capital city, as well as those located in the rural areas of Trinidad, are facing the challenge of menstruating girls flushing cloth into the toilet as a result of period poverty. This was among the “shocking findings” that community liaison monitoring and evaluation officer at T&T Red Cross Society Alejandra Mendez said was made during focus groups with over 100 principals in the eight educational districts in T&T. “In rural areas and also in Port-of-Spain schools are having challenges with their plumbing because girls are using cloth because they don’t have access to products and that clogs the system and they only understand this because they have to bring a plumber and the whole thing has to be opened. It is financially really expensive for the schools to go through this process,” Mendez said. Read more here
PM: No action on bank profits
The Trinidad and Tobago mission in Brussels, Belgium, is having its account closed by a Brussels bank. This was confirmed on Friday by Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley, who said it was not as a result of the EU tax blacklisting of this country. Responding to a question from Naparima MP Rodney Charles, in Parliament on Friday, on whether the blacklisting of T&T by the EU has led to banks in Brussels closing or threatening to close Trinidad and Tobago accounts, the Prime Minister said the closure was done as part of the EU countries’ mitigation of anti-money laundering risks. Read more here
REGIONAL
‘Don’t be sidetracked’
President, Dr Irfaan Ali on Sunday called out the political opposition as being hypocritical in their contention on how the government is disbursing funds from Guyana’s carbon-credit sale to the Amerindian communities. In an early-morning address which was livestreamed on his social media page, he reminded the nation that the opposition during their time in government (2015 to 2020) “dropped the ball” regarding revenue that could be earned from Guyana’s forest preservation when they decided to dispose of the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS). Both the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) and the Alliance For Change (AFC) political parties recently sought to lecture on how the government should distribute and spend money acquired from the carbon credit deal with the Hess Corporation, which will see the country earning a minimum of US$750 million. Read more here
INTERNATIONAL
Italy migrant boat shipwreck: More than 100 people feared dead
There are fears that more than 100 people, including children, have died after their boat sank in rough seas off southern Italy. At least 62 migrants are confirmed to have died, with 12 children said to be among the victims, including a baby. The vessel, thought to have carried some 200 people, broke apart while trying to land near Crotone on Sunday. People from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia, Syria, Iraq and Iran were said to be on board. Bodies were recovered from the beach at a nearby seaside resort in the Calabria region. The coastguard said 80 people had been found alive, "including some who managed to reach the shore after the sinking", meaning many more remain unaccounted for. One survivor was arrested on migrant trafficking charges, customs police said. Read more here
27th February 2023