NEWS
Virtual briefing on regional ferry on January 23
UPTURN Funds Caribbean will hold a virtual news conference on January 23 on the launch of a private-sector-led regional ferry service and a consortium to manage the service. The company is a subsidiary of Upturn Funds, which according to its website is an impact investing firm. The company has operations in New York, Barbados and Dubai. Some of its initiatives to date include mid-low-income housing construction in Jamaica and a pilot farming project in Aruba that involves collaboration between Aruba, Israel and the Bahamas. Read more here
Attorney seeks $5M each for divers’ families
Following the public release of the Commission of Enquiry (CoE) report on the Paria Diving tragedy, attorney Prakash Ramadhar is intensifying the call for justice, demanding a $25 million ex-gratia payment for the divers’ families, including the lone survivor Christopher Boodram. Speaking at a media conference at his San Fernando office yesterday, Ramadhar called for the laying of criminal charges against Paria Fuel Trading Limited’s entire Incident Response Team, saying they were “criminally liable” because they failed to initiate a rescue mission for the divers—Fyzal Kurban, Kazim Ali Jnr, Rishi Nagessar and Yusuf Henry—who died inside a 36-inch pipeline on February 25, 2022. He said the executives had proof that the other divers were alive when Boodram crawled out of the pipeline. Ramadhar also called for the immediate removal of Paria executives from their current posts, citing evidence of recklessness and incompetence. Read more here
POLITICS
Ramadhar: Charges can be brought against Paria officials
Attorney Prakash Ramadhar has disagreed with findings of the Paria Commission of Enquiry (CoE) which said it was difficult to prosecute any individual over the February 25, 2022 tragedy in which four divers were killed at Paria Fuel Trading Company's Pointe-a-Pierre facility. On that day, LMCS divers Christopher Boodram, Kazim Ali Jr, Fyzal Kurban, Yusuf Henry and Rishi Nagassar were repairing a 30-inch pipeline when they were sucked into it. Only Boodram survived. In its report, which Energy Minister Stuart Young laid in the House of Representatives on January 19, the commission said, "There is not a strong enough case to recommend the prosecution of any one individual. However the law permits a corporation to be charged with manslaughter." Read more here
UNC, politicans remember Fazal Karim as ‘patriot, innovator’
A man of the people, a servant of the people, a patriot and an innovator. Those were among the many tributes paid to Fazal Karim, former United National Congress (UNC) general secretary, former Chaguanas East MP and ex-People’s Partnership minister, who died yesterday. Karim was 71. His Janazah is at 1.30 pm today at Carapichaima Masjid Hall. Burial is at Waterloo Muslim Cemetery. He was said to have been ill. Karim, whose family issued notice of his death, said he, “Served at the right hand of former prime minister, the Honourable Basdeo Panday as the General Secretary of the United National Congress from 2000 to 2010, as well as a Senator and Minister in the Cabinet of (then) Prime Minister the Honourable Kamla Persad-Bissessar.” Read more here
BUSINESS
Teleperformance opens first physical office
InvesTT welcomes the opening of Teleperformance's first physical office in Trinidad and Tobago. Teleperformance (TP) is a customer service company which offers business optimisation strategies and customer support services across 170 markets. In a media release, InvesTT said the new facility, on London Street, Port of Spain, will serve its regional and international clients within the telecommunications and fintech industries. InvesTT president Sekou Alleyne said, "I am excited for the opportunity to work with TP. We are happy for the opportunity to prove that we have what it takes in TT’s services sector to make this investment a success. We have the infrastructure, time zone and cultural affinity. But the labour pool is the most important asset. We are pleased that all the data we shared about our human capital with TP have been proven true by their employees in TT. It is a sector that is growing in leaps and bounds, and we look forward to its continued expansion." Read more here
PM: T&T to remain an energy province
Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley says in decades to come T&T will still be a natural gas-exporting country. Prime Minister Rowley made the comment at the energy town hall segment on day one of the Energy Conference at the Hyatt Regency yesterday. He indicated there will still be demand for energy from hydrocarbons in 2050. Rowley said even if people stop producing and using internal combustion engines, the demand will exist across other industries. “The bottom line is, 27 years from today, I would think that T&T will still be a gas-exporting country even if we would have used up most of the gas on our border. There is serious European interest in what is happening in T&T as it attempts to bring to market resources from South America. So, given what the world’s geopolitics has turned out to be, a lot of interest exists now in having security for fuel out of an area that is traditionally stable,” he said. Read more here
REGIONAL
‘Every child will have access to education under PPP/C gov’t’
Education Minister Priya Manickchand on Monday reminded the National Assembly how the education sector’s growth was stunted under the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) administration, and informed the House how teachers and children are now able to reach new heights under the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) government. During the first day of Budget Debates, the minister decided to set the record straight and not allow Opposition Member of Parliament (MP) Coretta McDonald to paint a different picture of the actual reality within the education sector. “…We’re unapologetic about providing education for every child in this country, whether they are from primary, secondary, or nursery levels, and whether they reside in the deep hinterland, coastland, or Georgetown; whether they are from an APNU stronghold, if any remain, or a PPP/C stronghold, every child in this country will have access to education under the PPP/C government,” the minister remarked. Read more here
INTERNATIONAL
Israel-Gaza war: IDF says 24 soldiers killed in Gaza in one day
The Israeli army says 24 of its soldiers were killed in Gaza on Monday - the deadliest day for its forces since their ground operation began. That includes 21 reservists who died in an explosion likely caused by mines that Israeli forces had placed in two buildings to demolish them, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said. It is thought a missile fired by Palestinian armed fighters hit a tank near the buildings. The IDF is investigating what happened. According to Gaza's Hamas-run Health Ministry, 195 Palestinians have been killed in the past day. Its chief spokesman, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, said the reservists were killed in central Gaza at around 16:00 (14:00 GMT) on Monday - close to the kibbutz of Kissufim on the Israeli side of the border. Read more here
23rd January 2024