NEWS
Zoo calls for complete ban on noise-making fireworks
The Zoological Society of Trinidad and Tobago (ZSTT) said while steps were taking place to address the use of fireworks, stronger measures and complete ban on noise-making fireworks should be implemented. In a media release on Monday, its president Gupte Lutchmedial said the ZSTT has been consistent in the view that fireworks should be banned as they were dangerous and can be lethal to animals and vulnerable people in society. Read more here
Beetham residents block highway to protest faulty sewer lines
Travellers heading into Port-of-Spain yesterday were made to endure the months of frustration Beetham Gardens residents had pent up over leaking sewer lines in their community. From as early as 6 am, scores of residents burnt debris along the Beetham Highway causing traffic congestion for over two hours. “To the people this morning, we sorry for putting you all out of your way but it was necessary for us to get our point across,” Wendell Jardeen told Guardian Media yesterday. Read more here
POLITICS
New bill proposes 5 years' jail for sexual voyeurism
Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi will pilot a bill on Tuesday to make voyeurism into a criminal offence in Trinidad and Tobago, according to the Senate order paper. Anyone who seeks sexual gratification or causes upset by spying on someone engaged in a "private act" will face imprisonment and a hefty fine under the Sexual Offences (Amendment)(No 3) Bill 2021. A magistrates court can impose two years' jail and a $250,000 fine, while at the High Court the penalty is five years' jail and $750,000. Read more here
Lee ‘sure’ UNC will probe claims about Ameen, fake vaccine cards
Opposition chief whip David Lee said he is certain the United National Congress will look into allegations that St Augustine MP Khadijah Ameen and her staff allegedly have fake vaccination cards, but he said the matter might just perhaps “just be allegations.” Social media blogger Rhoda Bharath‘s Newsauce recently carried a direct call to Ameen starting with “Dear MP Ameen.” Bharath claimed there were allegations that Ameen’s constituency staff “aren’t actually vaccinated” but were in receipt of fake vaccination cards that “you played a role in procuring.” Read more here
BUSINESS
Suriname may block CAL flight resumption
Suriname, still peeved at the treatment meted out to its nationals by majority State-owned Caribbean Airlines (CAL), is reported to have denied the airline’s request to resume flights to the Dutch-speaking Caribbean Community (Caricom) country. “As long as Caribbean Airlines does not fix its issues with its passengers and the travel agencies, it will not receive permission from me to resume operation. Suriname is a country where rules apply and order prevails,” said Albert Jubithana, the Minister of Transport, Communication and Tourism. Read more here
REGIONAL
‘Opposition internal wrangling’ or ‘emergency’?
The cancellation of Monday’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) meeting has further delayed finalisation of the proposed candidates for the long overdue Public Procurement Commission (PPC). In an invited comment, Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance, Gail Teixeira, said that everything was in place for the meeting to be hosted at 10:00hrs as is customary; however, the government members of the PAC were contacted by Parliament Office and informed of the cancellation, just half an hour before meeting time. Read more here
INTERNATIONAL
Man gets genetically-modified pig heart in world-first transplant
A US man has become the first person in the world to get a heart transplant from a genetically-modified pig. David Bennett, 57, is doing well three days after the experimental seven-hour procedure in Baltimore, doctors say. The transplant was considered the last hope of saving Mr Bennett's life, though it is not yet clear what his long-term chances of survival are. "It was either die or do this transplant," Mr Bennett explained a day before the surgery. "I know it's a shot in the dark, but it's my last choice," he said. Doctors at the University of Maryland Medical Center were granted a special dispensation by the US medical regulator to carry out the procedure, on the basis that Mr Bennett - who has terminal heart disease - would otherwise have died. Read more here
11th January 2022