TTMA IN THE NEWS
Premier Label: Trade missions offer unparalleled opportunities
Trade missions offer unparalleled opportunities for market exploration, networking, and business growth, says Varun Maharaj, general manager of Premier Label Co Ltd. This bold statement encapsulates the transformative impact that participating in trade missions has had on his family’s business. Premier Label, a family-owned enterprise founded by Maldeo and Renuka Maharaj in 1992, has been a stalwart in TT’s printing and packaging sector for over 30 years. Read more here
NEWS
St George's teachers walk out, TTUTA slams ministry for 'fanfare, PR gimmicks'
The Trinidad and Tobago Unified Teachers Association (TTUTA) says the move to return St George’s College to its Barataria compound was premature. The association's president Martin Lum Kin is now accusing the Ministry of Education (MoE) of engaging in fanfare and public relations gimmicks. Lum Kin made the comments as teachers at the school walked out on September 18, during their lunch hour, amid infrastructural issues at the school two weeks after it was reopened. Read more here
Ministry of Trade: Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago relationship growing
Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Trade Randall Karim commended the Jamaican Promotions Corporation (JamPro) and the Jamaican High Commission to Trinidad and Tobago on its latest trade mission to Trinidad and Tobago, calling it another step in Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica’s growing relationship. “We view this mission as another milestone in our bilateral relations and the commitment towards deepening economic ties,” he said. Karim made these remarks on behalf of Trade Minister Paula Gopee-Scoon at a business networking cocktail jointly hosted by JamPro and the High Commission of Jamaica to Trinidad and Tobago, on September 17 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, Port of Spain. Read more here
POLITICS
Budget Day is September 30
The 2024/2025 national budget will be presented on Monday, September 30, said a statement on the evening of September 18 from Finance Minister Colm Imbert. Opposition whip David Lee told Newsday the Opposition had suspected an early budget date. "We are not surprised by that date. We always felt it would have been September 30 because the country really has no money, and you would have seen some ministries talking about late payment in the month of September. Read more here
More amendments coming to Global Forum Bill—AG
More amendments will be brought to the Parliament after the recent passage of the Miscellaneous Provisions (Global Forum) Bill, which tightens aspects of declarations that companies, trusts and non-profit entities have to make to the Government. This was signalled by Attorney General Reginald Armour, who said the bill increases the requirements of how companies, trusts and NPOs account over their shareholders and other details. “The ‘back-of-the-envelope’ approach to corporate administration must end,” Armour said in Tuesday’s Senate debate on the bill. Read more here
BUSINESS
Cricket icons start up GoElectricTT
West Indian cricket icons Keiron Pollard and Dinanath Ramnarine have concreted their commitment to reducing global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions with the establishment of their start-up, GoElectricTT. In February 2024, they signed a contract with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) to provide support funding for the GoElectricTT initiative, through which they will engage corporate entities to switch to electric vehicles as a part of the solution to reduce emissions and move closer to targets contained in the Paris Agreement, a media release from local emissions measurement firm Blewcoast stated. Read more here
REGIONAL
Guyana records massive increase in utilisation of solar energy
Solar energy installation in Guyana has grown to 173 per cent since 2020, setting the stage for the country to achieve its ambitious energy-transition goals. This is according to President, Dr Irfaan Ali, who during a recent engagement noted that by 2030, the country’s energy consumption is projected to increase fivefold, yet the country’s greenhouse gas emissions will remain flat or even decrease. “Guyana’s energy transition is one of the most ambitious in the world,” he said, citing the current construction of the country’s flagship gas-to-energy project that will reduce electricity costs by 50 per cent and generate 300MW of power by 2025. Read more here
INTERNATIONAL
Japan firm says it stopped making walkie-talkies used in Lebanon blasts
A Japanese handheld radio manufacturer has distanced itself from walkie-talkies bearing its logo that exploded in Lebanon, saying it discontinued production of the devices a decade ago. At least 20 people were killed and 450 injured after hundreds of walkie-talkies, some reportedly used by the armed group Hezbollah, exploded across Lebanon on Wednesday. The devices, according to photos and video of the aftermath of the attack, appear to be IC-V82 transceivers made by Icom, an Osaka-based telecommunications manufacturer. Read more here
19th September 2024