NEWS
Patriotic wants refinery bid process scrapped
Oilfield Workers’ Trade Union (OWTU)-owned Patriotic Services Co Ltd has called for the bidding process for the sale or lease of the former Petrotrin refinery to be scrapped and a new process restarted, free from government interference. The company made this call in a statement on October 6, as it continued to dismiss statements made by Energy Minister Stuart Young that it continues to evade the question of a fake document it submitted in relation to its unsuccessful bid to acquire the former Petrotrin refinery in Pointe-a-Pierre. Read more here
Parents knock school for ‘ignoring’ son’s complaints about bullying
The mother of teenager Jayden Lalchan who ended his life on October 3 following an alleged bullying incident at school, is not happy with how school officials handled their complaints. The mother claimed she is still awaiting a call back from officials so the matter could be addressed. Speaking with Guardian Media at their home at Broomage Road, Princes Town, yesterday, Jayden’s parents Fareeda and Rohan Lalchan lamented the lack of action by officials at St Stephen’s College over a prolonged period, to address the numerous reports of bullying made by the 15-year-old. Read more here
POLITICS
UNC complains about PNM-inflicted hardships
UNC MPs David Lee and Vandana Mohit complained about what they described as hardships inflicted on the population by the PNM over the last nine years. They continued the UNC's criticism of the $59.7 billion 2024/2025 budget at a news conference in Chaguanas on October 6. The budget debate began in the House of Representatives on October 4, with Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar's response to Finance Minister Colm Imbert's budget presentation on September 30. Read more here
BUSINESS
Continued deficits could crash T&T economy
A senior lecturer in economics at the University of the West Indies (UWI) is warning the Government that its nine fiscal deficits in ten fiscal years is not sustainable in the long term and can spell “doom and gloom” for T&T’s future. This is the view of Dr Daren Conrad who spoke at a post-budget webinar hosted by the South Chapter of the T&T Association of Insurance & Financial Advisors (TTAIFA) on Wednesday October 2. Last Monday, Finance Minister Colm Imbert presented the national budget for fiscal 2025, projecting total expenditure is $59.741 billion and total revenue is $54.224 billion, which means and estimated fiscal deficit of $5.517 billion. Since the 2008 budget, T&T has recorded fiscal deficits for every year, except 2022, when the country’s energy revenues were boosted by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the supply-chain issues that resulted. Read more here
Digicel Business 2024 report: 60% delayed in digital transformation
Digicel Business has launched its third Digital Transformation Report, in collaboration with Symptai Consulting Ltd, and delved into the progress and challenges faced by businesses across the region. Evolving from the need for digital transformation that the pandemic highlighted, a Digicel release said, this report provided an understanding of the current regional state of readiness and actionable insights to navigate this journey. Read more here
REGIONAL
Gov’t focused on ensuring its actions significantly benefit every citizen -President Ali
President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali has made it clear that his government’s success is not rooted in financial wealth but in the fundamental principle of serving humanity. The Department of Public Information (DPI) noted that the Guyanese leader stressed that a defining hallmark of the PPP/C Administration is to ensure its actions produce results that would significantly benefit every citizen countrywide. Read more here
INTERNATIONAL
Hurricane Milton threatens more devastation in Florida after Helene
Floridians have been told to prepare for the US state's largest evacuation effort for years as a new hurricane heads for the Gulf Coast, which is still reeling from another historic storm. Hurricane Milton, off the Mexican coast, has been strengthening and could threaten lives when it reaches the state's west coast in the middle of the week, the National Hurricane Centre (NHC) says. It comes just 10 days after Storm Helene - the deadliest mainland storm since Katrina in 2005 - tore through the US south-east, killing at least 225 people. Hundreds of others are still missing. Read more here
7th October 2024