NEWS
THA distributes 100 oil-spill relief vouchers
Twenty-three days after the February 7 oil spill, over 100 vouchers have been distributed to the fisherfolk and other stakeholders by the Tobago House of Assembly (THA). The exercise took place at the Shaw Park food hub on Friday. The spill came about as a result of an overturned barge – the Gulfstream – which began leaking an oil-like substance, since identified as bunker fuel, some 200 metres off the coast of the Cove Eco-Industrial Park. Speaking at a THA briefing, Secretary of Health, Wellness and Social Protection Dr Faith BYisrael said the relief was made possible following a meeting earlier in the week with fisherfolk and other stakeholders. Read more here
DJ killed after Laventille fete
Police believe a disagreement with a partygoer was the motive behind the killing of disc jockey Elijah “Sugarz” Babb yesterday morning. Babb, 24, who was employed with Red 96.7 FM and lived at La Puerta, Diego Martin, was shot when gunmen opened fire on a car he was seated in just after 8 am. He later died at the Port-of-Spain General Hospital (POSGH). He was in the back seat of a silver Honda City with two other people after a party at Eastern Quarry Road, Pump Trace, Laventille, around 8.10 am. Read more here
POLITICS
Moonilal rubbishes JSC's border security agency proposal
Opposition MP for Oropouche East Dr Roodal Moonilal has slammed a proposal for a border protection and security agency (BPSA) recommended by a report from the Joint Select Committee (JSC) on National Security. Speaking at a UNC media conference at the party's headquarters in Chaguanas on Sunday, Moonilal, a member of the committee, described the proposal as an act of hypocrisy in the 11th hour before a general election. The JSC's report on illegal firearms and gun violence, laid in Parliament on Friday, said the proposed BPSA would take over the border-protection and security functions of the existing Customs and Excise Division (CED) that would then be left to focus on taxation/revenue collection. Read more here
Tensions mount between THA, Public Utilities Minister
Tension continues to mount between the Tobago House of Assembly (THA) and Minister of Public Utilities Marvin Gonzales as a legal threat now looms. Infrastructure, Quarries and Urban Development Secretary Trevor James is threatening to take the Ministry and the Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA), to court over planned road patching works on the island. However, Gonzales told Guardian Media yesterday afternoon, he remains unfazed. “I see that as a big bluff!! That’s from the same secretary who now has the THA entangled in an injunction embarrassment over the construction of a major road. He obviously enjoys legal embarrassment.” Gonzales was referring to the injunction granted by a High Court last Wednesday on the $70 million Friendship Connector road project. This comes after Gonzales announced plans last week during a visit to Tobago to commence a project to patch roads dug up by WASA across the island. Read more here
BUSINESS
Young advocates for natural gas at Algiers summit
Minister of Energy and Energy Industries Stuart Young advocated for the use of natural gas as a transition fuel, stressing the importance of using sovereign resources and ensuring energy security, at an extraordinary ministerial meeting on March 1. Young, along with a delegation from his ministry representing the government, attended the 7th Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF) Summit in Algiers, the Democratic Republic of Algeria. Speaking at the International Conference Centre Abdelatif Rahal in Algiers, Algeria he said, "It is incumbent upon us to raise our voices globally in the conversation of energy security and food security, demand the ability and the opportunities to utilise our sovereign resources, and work together not only in the promotion of the use of natural gas." Read more here
TSTT cyberattack report this month
Public Utilities Minister Marvin Gonzales on Saturday said the findings of a probe into the October cyberattack on Telecommunications Services of Trinidad and Tobago (TSTT), which he expects to be completed this month, will be laid in Parliament. Gonzales has mandated that the TSTT board commission an independent enquiry into the cyberattack on the company to determine the facts and circumstances that caused the breach. Read more here
REGIONAL
Improved transport links, policies could enhance trade between Caribbean and Africa
Inter-Regional trade among the Caribbean, South America and Africa could unlock vast potential for investments and other opportunities, but a structured mechanism will be needed, Guyana’s President Dr. Irfaan Ali has said. During a broadcast interview with the African Prosperity Network (APN), in Accra Ghana, Dr. Ali said that there are specific policies that can be targeted to enhance trade within and outside of Africa. With the diasporic population in mind, he noted that the opportunities are endless. Read more here
INTERNATIONAL
Haiti violence: Gangs threaten Haiti takeover after mass jailbreak
The government of Haiti declared a 72-hour state of emergency on Sunday after armed gangs stormed a major Port-au-Prince prison. At least 12 people were killed and about 3,700 inmates escaped in the jailbreak. Gang leaders say they want to force the resignation of Prime Minister Ariel Henry, who had travelled abroad. The groups aiming to oust him control around 80% of Port-au-Prince. Violent gang wars have killed thousands in the country since 2020. A government statement said two prisons - one in the capital and the other in nearby Croix des Bouquets - were stormed over the weekend. Read more here
4th March 2024