NEWS
Mother of teen killed by police in 2016 takes legal action
One month after he complained of being harassed by police and allegedly slapped with numerous false charges, a Tunapuna teenager was shot and killed by an officer of the Northern Division Task Force. Now, his mother has signaled her intention to take the State to court. In a pre-action protocol letter sent last week, attorneys Lee Merry, David Francis and Ajesh Sumessar are claiming the State is vicariously liable for the actions of the police officer who shot and killed 15-year-old Josiah Ramsahai on November 18, 2016.The teenager was shot 17 times with the police officer’s Galil automatic rifle, according to the letter. Read more here
Dancehall artistes in PoS peace talks
One day before local dancehall artiste Kyle “Rebel Sixx” George was murdered, a group of Trinibad artistes from opposing sides, some with alleged affiliations to the Rasta City and Muslim gangs, had come together for a peace deal. At George Street in Port-of-Spain on Saturday, nine artists, some among the most popular in the genre, shook hands, calling for an end to long-standing tensions between musicians from opposing sides. According to those present, it was a move to ensure the genre advanced, as well as to provide a better example for the country’s black youth. Read more here
POLITICS
Ramadhar taking no sides
Former St Augustine MP Prakash Ramadhar on Monday swore no allegiance to any political party which is contesting the August 10 general election, including his own Congress of the People (COP) party. While Ramadhar made this decision, COP political leader Carolyn Seepersad-Bachan disclosed that she has been screened as a COP candidate for St Augustine. Ramadhar was elected St Augustine MP on May 24, 2010 when the COP was part of the then United National Congress (UNC)-led People's Partnership (PP) coalition. On Sunday, UNC political leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar announced party deputy leader Khadijah Ameen as the party’s St Augustine candidate. Read more here
Cut UNC MPs say goodbye to constituents
Several outgoing Opposition United National Congress (UNC) MPs have thanked constituents and bid them farewell. Last Sunday, the party announced its new candidate team for upcoming August 10 General Election. Out of the current 18 incumbents, eight were retained and 10 replaced. Yesterday, some of those replaced reached out to express thanks to constituents and others. Read more here
BUSINESS
Retrenchment at Lok Jack school
Close to 70 staff members including full-time lecturers have been retrenched from The UWI-Arthur Lok Jack Global School of Business (Lok Jack GSB) under a new strategic plan and structure which was implemented by the board as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic and financial challenges. Read more here
REGIONAL
PNP says time’s up for DPP - Opposition leader says Llewellyn has ‘poor track record’ on prosecuting corruption
Alleging a “poor track record” on corruption prosecution, Opposition leader, Dr Peter Phillips, has written to Governor General (GG) Sir Patrick Allen, objecting to the proposal to extend the tenure of Paula Llewellyn as director of public prosecutions (DPP). The position of the People’s National Party (PNP) president is against that of the Andrew Holness administration, creating a major political division over an important constitutional office. The DPP is responsible for criminal prosecutions on behalf of the Government and under Section 96 of the Constitution, an office holder’s tenure ends on reaching the age of 60, which Llewellyn will be in September. Read more here
Any outcome that disregards Guyana’s sovereignty could severely impact CARICOM
“GUYANA’s sovereignty is on trial” was how Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo commented on the hearings before the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) of an appeal from a decision of the Guyana Court of Appeal. In his weekend column, My Turn, the Prime Minister described, as spurious, the petition by the political opposition for leave to file an appeal against the interpretation by the Court of Appeal of the Guyana Constitution, to the effect that votes cast in an election of a president means “valid votes”, and nothing else. He said that it was strongly contended that the CCJ cannot oust the power of the Guyana Court of Appeal to make a final decision on a limited or narrow set of issues. Read more here
INTERNATIONAL
Australia to reimpose six-week coronavirus lockdown in second largest city as country battles potential second wave
Strict lockdown measures are to be reimposed in Australia's second largest city, as authorities scramble to prevent a second wave of coronavirus infections spreading across the country. Starting from 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday, residents in metropolitan Melbourne will no longer be allowed to leave their homes unless it's for grocery shopping, caregiving, exercise or work, Victoria State Premier Daniel Andrews announced Tuesday. The measures, which are expected to remain in place for six weeks, come as the state of Victoria saw another record rise in daily coronavirus cases, with 191 new infections recorded for Tuesday. The state reported its previous high of 127 new cases on Monday. Read more here
Microsoft and Zoom join Hong Kong data 'pause'
Microsoft and Zoom have said they will not process data requests made by the Hong Kong authorities while they take stock of a new security law. They follow Facebook, Google, Twitter and the chat app Telegram, which had already announced similar "pauses" in compliance over the past two days. China passed the law on 30 June, criminalising acts that support independence, making it easier to punish protesters. Apple says it is "assessing" the rules. If the tech firms make their non-compliance policies permanent, they could face restrictions or a ban on their services in the semi-autonomous region. And while Facebook, Google, Twitter and Telegram's services are blocked in mainland China, the same is not true of Microsoft, Zoom and Apple. Read more here
7th July 2020