NEWS
Trinidad and Tobago sends relief items to SVG, Grenada
After Hurricane Beryl ravaged the islands of Grenada and its dependants, Carriacou and Petit Martinique and St Vincent and the Grenadines – Union Island, Canouan, Mayreau and Palm Island and Bequia – help from the government, charitable organisations and other stakeholders in Trinidad and Tobago is on the way. "The Office of Disaster Preparedness and Management (ODPM) and the TT Defence Force (TTDF) of the Ministry of National Security are supporting the Ministry of Trade and Industry to provide humanitarian assistance and disaster relief to St Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada and Carriacou and Petit Martinique," a release from the ODPM on July 3 said. The ODPM said these efforts were necessary because of the destruction left in Beryl's wake after the category four storm barrelled through the Windward Islands on July 1. Read more here
Relief pours in for SVG, Grenada
Relief is pouring in for St Vincent and the Grenadines and Grenada, with four shipping containers filled with supplies ready to be delivered to those affected by Hurricane Beryl. In a demonstration of solidarity, the Government of T&T has also sent supplies via the Galleons Passage cargo vessel. Minister of Works and Transport Rohan Sinanan, alongside Paula Gopee-Scoon, Minister of Trade and Industry, oversaw the loading of relief supplies at the Port of Port-of-Spain. These essential supplies, donated by various members of the business community, were dispatched on Monday. T&T sent a shipment of vital supplies to Grenada and upon the Galleons Passage’s return from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, another shipment will promptly depart for Grenada to further augment relief efforts. Read more here
POLITICS
PM drops bombshell report on rogue operators in elite spy unit: SSA cult in coup plot
An audit into the Strategic Services Agency (SSA), one of key weapons in the state’s arsenal in the fight against crime, found it was being run under the influence of a religious cult comprising highly-trained military operators, armed to the teeth with the latest weaponry, on a treasonous mission to overthrow the Government. In a bombshell statement in Parliament on July 3, the head of the National Security Council (NSC), Dr Rowley, revealed for the first time details of the audit done by acting director of the SSA retired Brig Gen Anthony Phillips-Spencer, which painted an alarming state of affairs that went undetected for years under the current PNM administration. Read more here
Support from Independent senators helps pass whistleblower bill
The Whistleblower Protection Bill 2022 has been passed in the Upper House but without Opposition support. The bill, which seeks to combat corruption and other wrongdoing by encouraging and facilitating disclosures of improper conduct in the public and private sector, to protect people making those disclosures from detrimental action, received full support from the Government and Independent benches. The final vote ended with 23 members voting in favour, six against and no abstentions. It was passed without amendments. However, earlier in the debate Government was accused of being hypocritical in its desire for whistleblowing legislation. He claimed the People’s National Movement (PNM) expelled one of its long-standing members for attempting to reveal corruption. Read more here
BUSINESS
TCL changes two executives
Trinidad Cement Ltd (TCL) announced two changes to its executive management team via the T&T Stock Exchange website yesterday. The changes were effective as at July 1, 2024. TCL said its general manager, Guillermo Rojo De Diego, will be replaced by Cemex vice president – commercial in Colombia, Gonzalo Rueda Castillo. And Gustavo Alejandro Ruiz Silva will be replaced by Roberto Adrian Villarreal as group strategic planning manager. Rojo was appointed general manager in 2019 and will help Castillo transition into the role. Castillo will oversee TCL’s operations in T&T, Barbados, and Guyana. The company said Castillo has over 25 years of experience in the company. Read more here
REGIONAL
‘Promising opportunities’
THE enhancement of agricultural trade relations between Guyana and China is being pursued through the active exploration of development and innovative projects within the sector. This is according to Guyana’s Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha, who, during his address at the Thematic Session on Agricultural Economic and Trade of the Third China-CELAC Ministerial Forum on Agriculture in Weifang City, Shandong Province, China on Wednesday, said collaboration is being perused, particularly with the private sector. Read more here
INTERNATIONAL
Biden says he 'screwed up' debate but vows to stay in election
US President Joe Biden has admitted he "screwed up" in last week's debate against Donald Trump, but has vowed to fight on in the election race and moved to reassure key allies. He told a Wisconsin radio station he made a "mistake" with his stumbling performance, but urged voters to instead judge him on his time in the White House. On Wednesday, as reports suggested he was weighing his future, he worked to calm senior Democrats including state governors and campaign staff. “I'm the nominee of the Democratic Party. No one's pushing me out. I'm not leaving," he said in a call to the broader campaign, a source told BBC News. Read more here
4th July 2024