NEWS
Police charge Colombian, two Dominicans for human trafficking in Tobago
A Colombian man and two women from the Dominican Republic, all living in Tobago, have been slapped with human trafficking charges and a separate offence under the Children’s Act, police announced on Monday. Divy Oscoro Silva, 20, Digna Yulay Los Santos, 33, and Alexandra Chalas Pozo, 22, all of Riseland Trace, Bethel, Tobago, answered to the charges when they appeared before Magistrate Christine Charles at the Scarborough Magistrates Court. Los Santos and Pozo were also charged with transporting a person for the purpose of prostitution, while Pozo faced an additional charge of inciting a child to become a prostitute. They were denied bail and remanded into custody. They will reappear in court on December 22. Read more here
CoP Erla apologises over promotion fiasco
Police Commissioner Erla Harewood-Christopher has apologised to her officers after the legitimacy of some 900 promotions of constables to corporals was brought into question. In an internal memo on December 6, Harewood-Christopher said, “I understand and appreciate the far-reaching implication of the concerns raised, not just for the affected ranks, but for all officers of the TTPS and for confidence in our promotion processes going forward. In the circumstances, I wish to sincerely apologise for this unfortunate incident, and for the adverse impacts it would have on the affected officers.” In another internal memo on November 20, titled “Revised Merit List for Promotion in the Rank of Corporal, which was directed to the acting Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Ramnarine Samaroo, Harewood-Christopher had called on Samaroo to “identify the officers who were erroneously promoted; the anticipated challenges that will arise when the revised merit list is published; the anticipated impact on the Second Division and the remedial plans to cushion the anticipated impact when the revised list is published. Read more here
POLITICS
Dialogue, not confrontation over fund, Morris advises Farley
Kelvon Morris, Minority Leader in the Tobago House of Assembly (THA), has advised Chief Secretary Farley Augustine to try to resolve his grievance over the Government's budget allocation to the THA by employing dialogue, not confrontation. Augustine recently told the assembly that under the dispute resolution committee (DRC) mechanism, the THA had been short-paid its annual allocation over a period of years and he was consulting attorneys to make a claim for $166 million he said was owed. The DRC prescribes an allocation of 4.03-6.9 per cent of the national budget to the THA. Morris, via WhatsApp on November 30, told Newsday he was unfazed over Augustine. "I am concerned that this chief secretary seems to be busy looking for fights with the Central Government where no fight exists," Morris said. Read more here
BUSINESS
Brydens Code Black offers black BMW giveaway
Brydens, the local distributor for Diageo products, including the Johnnie Walker range of Scotch whisky, has upped the ante for its loyal customers, offering a sleek BWM 3 Series as part of its Code Black promotion. Starting December 1, a weekly winner of $1,000 cash will be drawn until January 31, when the winner of a jet-black BMW is drawn and announced publicly. Brydens' commercial manager of premium beverages, Daylene Raghoobar-Nandlal, said it’s one of the biggest post-pandemic promotions launched under the Johnnie Walker brand. She was speaking with Business Day at the promotion's launch on December 1. "The promotion exclusively focuses on the Johnnie Walker portfolio," she said. "In the past, we would have focused on Johnnie Walker Black, but now this is the entire range." Read more here
REGIONAL
Venezuela guilty of breaching international obligations
Venezuela’s claim to two-thirds of Guyana’s territory is in direct defiance of the principles of international law, and a breach of its obligations within the international community. Prime Minister, Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips, asserted this on Monday, as he updated the National Assembly on the recent events surrounding the border controversy. The Prime Minister recalled that the Spanish-speaking nation continues to deliberately misinterpret the 1966 Geneva Agreement, which provides for a series of measures to settle the controversy. Efforts over more than half-a-century, including a four-year Mixed Commission (1966-1970), a twelve-year moratorium (1970-1982), a seven-year process of consultations on a means of settlement (1983-1990), and a 27-year Good Offices Process under the UN Secretary-General’s authority (1990-2017), have been futile thus far. Read more here
INTERNATIONAL
Eyal Waldman: Israeli tech billionaire hopes for peace despite daughter's killing
Danielle Waldman danced the last dance of her young life some time before dawn on 7 October. Soon afterwards she and her friends had to run for their lives, but they never made it home. There is a record of her final moments - a brief video, recorded on a phone. It gives only a hint of the horrors to come. The 24-year-old sits in the back seat of a car with two friends - strands of her long curly hair escaping from her grey hoodie. All three are casually dressed. There are fleeting smiles and overlapping voices, and a glimpse of blue wrist bands from the Supernova trance music festival they have just attended. They are trying to remain calm, but they are being hunted. Danielle's boyfriend Noam Shai is in front, behind the wheel. "Want me to drive very, very fast?" he asks. "I know how to do that." "Correct," replies a female passenger. A bearded young man sitting beside Danielle tries to provide reassurance. "We will be all right," he says. Read more here
12th December 2023