NEWS
Babies' parents ask NWRHA for US$55k for private probe into deaths
Lawyers for the parents of babies who died after a bacterial outbreak at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of the Port of Spain General Hospital (PoSGH) are asking the North West Regional Health Authority (NWRHA) for US $55,000 to hire foreign doctors to review the babies’ medical notes. The demand was made in a letter from attorney Sue Ann Deosaran of Freedom Law Chambers. Deosaran confirmed receipt of medical records and notes for 11 of 18 babies who died at the NICU. She said many of the babies’ parents come from “lower grounds” of the socio-economic ladder and after exhausting their savings in medical fees, medication and funeral expenses, now “cannot afford to retain independent doctors to review and analyse the medical notes and records provided.” Read more here
ANSA McAL partners with Heroes Foundation
Creating a lasting impact in T&T requires the next generation of leaders to be strong leaders in a number of fields. This is what the local NGO, the Heroes Foundation, seeks to do with their Heroes Development Programme (HDP). The programme aims to instil within its participants, the essential skills needed to lead T&T into the 21st century. ANSA McAL yesterday announced that it will inject $300,000 into the NGO’s programme to cover the costs of staffing, coaching, events, and other expenses. As a result of this, more than 45 students from Marabella South, Belmont Secondary and Woodbrook Secondary Schools will benefit from the provisions of the programme, which focuses on their psychosocial development. Read more here
POLITICS
UNC responds to Deyalsingh on Couva NICU
Describing facts as “stubborn things,” former Urban Development Corporation (Udecott) Chairman Jearlean John said the Couva hospital was complete with a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) when it was opened in August 2015. She made the statement in a media conference hosted by the opposition United National Congress (UNC) on Wednesday after Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh maintained the Couva hospital did not have a NICU and was not meant to be a children's hospital. Deyalsingh dismissed a 2015 video with prime minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar touring the hospital; as a “promotional video” and said it was “aspirational as to what Couva should look like.” Read more here
Decision on recognising Palestine as state soon, says Browne
Minister of Foreign and Caricom Affairs Dr Amery Browne says the matter of Palestine being recognised by T&T as an independent state continues to be under active consideration by the Cabinet and that there should be an update before the end of the week. Recently, Barbados and Jamaica officially recognised Palestine as a state and Guyana became the sixth Latin American country to make the recognition. Jamaica’s Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Minister, Senator Kamina Johnson Smith, said Jamaica continued to advocate for a two-state solution as the only viable option to resolve the long-standing conflict, guarantee the security of Israel and uphold the dignity and rights of Palestinians. Read more here
BUSINESS
Putting houses within reach
That throngs of people attended Republic Bank Ltd’s Make Home Ownership Happen sales event earlier this month at the Trinidad Hilton in Port of Spain was not entirely unexpected. The crushing need for more affordable housing is demonstrated by the 200,000 people still reportedly on the Housing Development Corporation (HDC's) waiting list and the fact that the HDC has, in a near-total collapse of the pretence of the viability of its allocation system, resorted to the gift of “lottery” draws for applicants in order to bolster goodwill. Read more here
RIC approves $6B in questionable costs for T&TEC
The Regulated Industries Commission (RIC) approved expenditure for the Trinidad and Tobago Electricity Commission (T&TEC) that is around $6 billion higher than historically justified between 2024 and 2028. If the Cabinet approves the final determination as it stands, this $6 billion in additional expenditure could be passed directly to electricity consumers over the next five years. The $6 billion in questionable expenditure is attributed to the RIC’s decision to approve a 71 per cent increase in T&TEC’s total generation costs between 2021 and 2024. The two components of total generation costs, fuel costs and conversion costs are set to increase by 63 per cent and 80 per cent, respectively. Read more here
REGIONAL
PM Phillips highlights Olympic spirit’s unifying power at exhibition inauguration
Prime Minister (PM) Brigadier (Ret’d), Mark Phillips, extolled the unifying force of the Olympic Games, emphasising its ability to transcend borders and cultures, uniting the world through the universal language of sport. These sentiments were expressed on Tuesday during the inauguration of an exhibition showcasing the upcoming Paris Olympics at the Guyana National Library. Addressing attendees, Prime Minister Phillips hailed the exhibition as a fitting introduction to one of the world’s most anticipated sporting events, the Olympic Games. Read more here
INTERNATIONAL
Ukraine war: Kyiv uses longer-range US missiles for first time
Ukraine has begun using longer-range ballistic missiles against Russia that were secretly provided by the US, American officials have confirmed. The weapons were sent as part of a previous US support package, and arrived this month. Officials said they were not announced publicly to maintain Ukraine's "operational security". They have already been used at least once to strike Russian targets in occupied Crimea. Further US aid is now heading to Kyiv. More American weaponry is expected to be sent imminently, after President Joe Biden signed off on Wednesday a new package of economic and military support for Ukraine worth $61bn (£49bn). Read more here
25th April 2024