NEWS
Teen killer put on probation for 'brazen' 2009 murder
A 15-year-old who got with the wrong crowd and killed a man, execution-style, by shooting him in the head at a busy health centre in 2009, has been put under supervision for three years after the judge sentencing him said she satisfied he had paid a heavy price for his“brazen” act. Marvin Alexander, now 29, was sentenced by Justice Lisa Ramsumair-Hinds on Monday and ordered to be released. He will report to the probation officers’ department for three years and continue his tutorship of the prison’s music band. If he fails to abide by the instructions of the probation officers, he will return to court for sentencing. Read more here
Residents claim missing money main cause of crime
There has been an upsurge in murders and shootings in the Morvant/Barataria areas and residents are speaking out, alleging that it is because money stolen during a robbery had gone missing. The latest murder/shooting incident occurred on Sunday at about 6.30 pm at 8th Avenue, Barataria North, where Selah Nelson, 38, and her boyfriend were ambushed and shot by masked gunmen at her home. Nelson and her boyfriend were both taken to hospital, but Nelson was pronounced dead. Her boyfriend is still hospitalised. Read more here
POLITICS
Trinidad and Tobago joins Caricom delegation on humanitarian mission to Haiti
Government Officials from Trinidad and Tobago joined with the Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness on Monday along with representatives from Bahamas and the Caricom Secretariat on a special Caricom mission to Haiti in amid an ongoing humanitarian crisis. The Jamaican Office of the Prime Minister in a release said Holness will be joined by Jamaican Foreign Affairs minister, Senator Kamina Johnson and ambassador Rocky Meade. TT Foreign Affairs Minister Amery Browne told Newsday the TT contingent will include Dennis Moses, High Commissioner for TT to Canada, and Lt Kerron Valere of the TT Defence Force. The team will be in Haiti for one day and will return to Port of Spain by March 1. Read more here
UNC infighting over human trafficking rages on... Devant prepared to give CoP statement
Former UNC stalwart Dr Devant Maharaj says he’s fully prepared to give the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) a statement on alleged prostitution and human trafficking which he claims occurred during the PP government’s 2010-15 term. This comes after UNC deputy leader Dr Roodal Moonilal yesterday challenged him to do so within 48 hours during an interview on I95FM yesterday. Contacted last evening by Guardian Media, Maharaj said, “I’m not backing down...” The war of words between the former UNC colleagues ignited after Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley, in Parliament last Friday, answered UNC MP Rodney Charles’ queries on the 2022 US Trafficking in Persons Report. Read more here
BUSINESS
NGC gives Touchstone June date for first gas from Cascadura
The National Gas Company (NGC) has told Touchstone Exploration that it expects to be ready to receive first gas from the Cascadura natural gas and associated liquids facility by the end of June. According to a release from Touchstone the company was notified on February 24 by NGC that they expect to be ready to receive first gas from Cascadura on or about June 30. “Touchstone remains on track to complete the Cascadura facility prior to this date to ensure production can commence as soon as NGC is in a position to receive first gas,” the release stated. Touchstone’s president and chief executive officer Paul Baay said, “We are encouraged to have received an expected first gas date from NGC. Although this is later than we were anticipating, we can now plan the final phase of our various work streams to minimise costs and optimise services.” Read more here
Roget: Pay workers outstanding money
President-General of the Oilfields Workers’ Trade Union (OWTU) Ancel Roget is calling for workers at the Trinidad Cement Ltd (TCL) to be paid outstanding monies in relation to collective agreements dated back to 2015. Should this continue to be unpaid, the workers will continue to protest and strike action is also not off the cards. Speaking outside the TCL compound in Claxton Bay yesterday during protest action by retirees and present employees, Roget said that the outstanding monies include the Cost of Living Allowance (COLA) and profit sharing over three collective bargaining periods from 2015 to 2024. Read more here
REGIONAL
Education Ministry launches first literacy, robotics programme at Den Amstel Primary
The Ministry of Education, through the National Literacy Department and the National Centre for Educational Resource Development (NCERD), launched the Literacy and Robotics Programme at the Den Amstel Primary School in Region Three, on Monday. The Den Amstel Primary School is the first school in the country to benefit from this programme. Education Minister Priya Manickchand said one of the issues highlighted during discussions with parents and teachers was that children attending the school were not reading and performing to an acceptable level. Read more here
INTERNATIONAL
Ukraine war: Viral conspiracy theories falsely claim the war is fake
The first anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine has led to a spike in false claims about the war on social media, with some posts gaining millions of engagements. A number of US right-wing accounts with large followings posted a series of baseless claims that suggested the entire Ukraine war might be a hoax perpetrated by Western media and governments. Those spreading the most viral claims included some who had previously been suspended from Twitter and allowed back onto the platform following Elon Musk's takeover. Read more here
28th February 2023