TTMA IN THE NEWS
A&J's sweet success: Husband-and-wife team grows ice-cream enterprise
“A lot of times, it feels surreal and we look at each other and we’re like ‘How is this possible?’” These were June-Ann Henry’s words when describing the growth and success of A&J Premium Ice Cream, the business she runs with and her husband Anthony. June-Ann and Anthony are awardees of the 2022 Chamber of Industry and Commerce's Champions of Business Entrepreneurship award, the 2019 TT Manufacturers Association's Manufacturer of the Year award among other honours. Read more here
NEWS
Relatives call in cops after signs of desecration – GRAVE MYSTERY
Mystery surrounds the desecration of the grave site of a 33- year-old woman less than 24 hours after she body was buried at the Los Bajos public cemetery in south west Trinidad. Police were called in on Wednesday morning by the relatives of Whitney Bourne after learning that someone had tampered with her final resting place. Police, Bourne's family, officials from the funeral home which oversaw her final rites and gravediggers descended on the grave which was cordoned off with police caution-tape. After several hours of digging, Borne's coffin was reached and to the immense relief of her relatives, her body was found to be intact. Read more here
Promoters fret over Carnival fete bureaucracy...feel they’re left out by NCC
President of the Trinidad and Tobago Promoters’ Association Jerome Precilla says fete promoters feel they are being left out of the main Carnival discussions by the National Carnival Commission and the Government, despite being major contributors to the seasonal experience for visitors. This, he says, leaves them struggling to deal with some of the major challenges they face during the season, one of which is the bureaucracy of getting things related to the industry done in this country. “The biggest thing for us is the bureaucracy of putting on a fete. Beyond anything else. Beyond the funding ..., it is very, very difficult to put on a fete in Trinidad and Tobago,” Precilla told Guardian media yesterday in response to questions about some of the challenges facing his membership as they get ready for the “Mother of All Carnivals.” Read more here
POLITICS
Tabaquite MP claims bad roads led to schools closed
Tabaquite MP Anita Haynes, the opposition's education spokesman, said two schools in her constituency were unable to open on Tuesday after the Christmas/New Year vacation owing to the dilapidated state of local roads. She also claimed some parents in rural areas affected by bad roads were paying $140 daily to transport their child to school. Haynes said pupils could not get to school at Caratal RC and Brasso-Venado Government Primary Schools, both in Central Trinidad, because local roads had become impassable. Read more here
PM tours ANR Robinson Airport expansion project site
Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley and other Cabinet Ministers, including Minister of Works and Transport Rohan Sinanan and Minister of Finance Colm Imbert, yesterday visited the project site of the new Main Terminal Building for the ANR Robinson International Airport in Crown Point, Tobago. According to a post on Rowley's Facebook page, the visit was for an update on the progress of construction. "The Government’s investment in this project aims to create an international airport with sufficient capacity and level of service to support tourism development and air travel in Tobago," the post stated. Also visiting along with Rowley were Minister in the Ministry of Finance Brian Manning and Minister of Tourism, Culture and the Arts Randall Mitchell. Read more here
BUSINESS
Digicel phases out select bundles as it announces price adjustment
Several Digicel+ customers will see an increase in their bills from February after the company announced it would be phasing out select bundles. “Over the past year, our Digicel Team has been improving support for our customers’ rapidly changing needs as they transitioned to hybrid working models. As you can imagine, customers today require even more reliable and powerful internet, faster speeds, a wider range of entertainment products that complement their new digital lifestyles and simpler ways for them to choose bundles that offer the best value,” Digicel stated in a notice yesterday. Read more here
REGIONAL
20,500 house lots allocated, 44 new housing areas established
THE People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C), since assuming government in August 2020, has already distributed 20,500 lots, and developed 44 new housing schemes, upgraded and installed infrastructure in 43 existing housing areas, regularised six areas and reduced squatter settlements from 19 to 13. The government has also completed construction of 827 low and moderate- income and young professionals houses, while a further 527 houses are currently under construction, in an investment costing more than $7 billion. The government has also processed and distributed 4,256 Certificates of Title and Transports. Read more here
INTERNATIONAL
A chaotic day in US House... frayed tempers, frustration and popcorn
By the time the House of Representatives adjourned late on Wednesday after Republicans failed on their sixth attempt to elect a new speaker, tempers had flared, a chorus of booing had erupted, and gleeful Democrats munched popcorn as turmoil engulfed the other side of the aisle. After two days of backroom dealings, Republicans and Democrats could not even agree on whether to call it a night - the knife-edge vote to adjourn prompted shouts and confusion. On CNN, an anchor pondered: "Is this normal?" What should have been a straightforward vote for Republicans, who hold a majority in the lower chamber, has turned into a political drama that has paralysed the third branch of American government. Read more here
5th January 2023