NEWS
La Lune villagers protest over bad roads
Accusing the past and the current governments of neglect, residents of La Lune Village in Moruga on Monday burnt debris and blocked the main road to protest its deplorable state. They said they were fed up and demanded that Moruga/Tableland MP Michelle Benjamin and the Government have drains built and the bad roads fixed. From 4.30 am, scores of people began blocking La Lune Road at different points. The road runs from Gran Chemin Village to Marac Village. Read more here
Steelpan to be highlighted as Google Doodle today
Google is honouring the national instrument of T&T, the steelpan, by highlighting it as a Google Doodle Tuesday. The Doodle was illustrated by T&T-based artist Nicholas Huggins. "It’s the only acoustic instrument invented in the twentieth century, but has origins dating back to the 1700’s. It was a staple during Carnival and Canboulay, the annual harvest festivals celebrated in Trinidad, and is still used in contemporary music," it stated . The Doodle coincides with 71st anniversary of the Trinidad All-Steel Pan Percussion Orchestra's (TASPO) performance at the Festival of Britain, which introduced the steelpan and a new music genre to the world. Read more here
POLITICS
Carmona addresses morality, leadership, justice, on UN Day of Conscience
Former President Anthony Carmona says the International Day of Conscience is a reminder of the need to bring back morality in leadership and for every man, woman and child in developing countries to get their just due and deserts. One long overdue, he said, "is reparative justice and reparation for those nations who suffered under the egregious yoke of slavery, indentureship and colonialism.” Carmona virtually addressed the UN commemoration of the third anniversary of the International Day of Conscience on July 25. Read more here
Govt prepared for lawsuit threat from Antigua
Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne hasn’t shaken the Trinidad and Tobago Government by threatening to sue for US$60 million based on promises made for compensation following the collapse of Clico in 2009. In an audio interview uploaded to the YouTube page of “Antigua Breaking News” on Sunday, which came from an interview done earlier on Pointe FM’s Browne on Browne programme, Browne is heard saying, “We are pursuing litigation against Duprey and company and possibly, we may eventually have to sue the government of T&T.” Browne said the T&T Government had promised to pay a settlement of $100 million but had only paid $40 million. He did not say from which government, and which year this promise was made. “They have not even treated us with the type of respect that is typical, you know, among countries and colleagues. So we’ll be writing to them again, this probably gonna be the third time,” Browne continued in the audio. Read more here
BUSINESS
Paria declares $59.3m profit in first quarter
Paria Fuel Trading Company reported after-tax profits of $59.3 million for the first three months of its 2022 financial year, which was $35.5 million less than the $91.9 million the company declared for the comparable quarter in its previous financial year. For the period October 1 to December 31, 2021, Paria recorded revenue from contracts with customers of $2.82 billion, which was 91.4 per cent greater than the $1.47 billion it generated in the priod quarter. Read more here
REGIONAL
Guyana/US discuss areas of mutual interest, “harmonisation” of plans– President Ali
President, Dr. Irfaan Ali defined this week’s engagements in the US as “extraordinary” and noted that the aim is to discuss areas of mutual interest, areas of strength and to expand the bilateral relationship between the two countries. The Head of State said that meetings on the opening day of the visit were very fruitful and highlighted the importance of closer collaboration. During a discourse on how he envisions the future of the US-Guyana relationship, hosted by the Atlantic Council at the Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center, Washington DC, President Ali spoke about the synergy between the nations and ways to enhance it. Read more here
INTERNATIONAL
EU agrees to cut gas use over Russia supply fears
EU energy ministers have agreed for their countries to cut gas use in case Russia halts supplies. Following talks on Tuesday, EU members agreed countries should voluntarily reduce gas use by 15% from August to March. "This was not a Mission Impossible!", tweeted the Czech Republic, which holds the rotating EU presidency. However, draft plans seen by the BBC suggest the deal had been watered down, with countries able to seek exemptions. "In an effort to increase EU security of energy supply, member states today reached a political agreement on a voluntary reduction of natural gas demand by 15% this winter," the EU said. Read more here
26th July 2022