NEWS
Woman who witnessed husband’s murder gunned down in Penal
Kristin Paul, 30, an eye-witness to the murder of her common-law-husband Amit Boodoo who was chopped to death in July, was murdered near her Jaipaulsingh Trace, Penal, home on Tuesday afternoon. The woman was shot to death in a drive-by incident around 3.30 pm, while sitting in ta black Nissian Frontier owned by Boodoo's brother, Prem, proprietor of Ducky's Poultry shop. Region 3 homicide officers responded and the district medical officer pronounced her dead on the scene. Details are still sketchy, but preliminary reports indicate that Paul was the mother of an 11-year old with Boodoo. Read more here
Stakeholders say textbook freeze a welcomed move but share concerns
Now that the Ministry of Education has finally set a freeze on new textbooks until 2024, which means textbooks should not be added to booklists and editions not changed - educational stakeholders are calling for standardisation, textbook grants and more local content in textbooks. Speaking to Guardian Media yesterday after the ministry announced the decision, Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha general secretary Vijay Maharaj said while he supports the textbook freeze, he was concerned the roll-out of e-books which the ministry has embarked on may not work in all schools. Read more here
POLITICS
PM for meeting with US VP
The Prime Minister is expected to have a meeting with US vice president Kamala Harris as part of his trip to that country. Dr Rowley left Trinidad on Tuesday, a release from the Office of the Prime Minister confirmed. The PM is expected to attend a hearing of the US House of Representatives Committee on Financial Services on the impacts of de-risking on the Caribbean on Wednesday. That hearing will be held under the auspices of the chairwoman of the House Committee on Financial Services, Congresswoman Maxine Waters. Read more here
Farley dares Duke to file no-confidence motion
There has been another twist in the ongoing internal dispute between Chief Secretary of the Tobago House of Assembly (THA) Farley Augustine and Deputy Chief Secretary Watson Duke. Augustine has now challenged Duke to bring a motion of no confidence against him. Speaking during an interview on i95.5FM yesterday, Augustine explained that the THA resumes on September 22, so there are two days before a motion has to be entered for debate. “If the Deputy Chief Secretary feels so aggrieved, feels disappointed in my leadership, I will remove the parliamentary whip from over his head and if he so desires, let him enter a motion of no confidence in me, I am giving him full privilege to do so, go right ahead Mr Duke, go right ahead,” Augustine said. Read more here
BUSINESS
Meffre leaves Witco after two years
Laurent Meffre has resigned as the managing director of The West Indian Tobacco Company Ltd. In a notice posted to the T&T Stock Exchange, the company says his resignation will take effect from September 30. According to the notice, Meffre will be stepping down to pursue another opportunity within the British American Tobacco (BAT) Group. Meffre, a French national, joined Witco on January 27, 2020, as general manager. He was appointed a director of the company on April 1, 2020. Read more here
Remove taxes on bulletproof vests
The Estate Police Association is appealing to Finance Minister Colm Imbert to settle all State enterprises negotiations and remove all taxes and duties on bulletproof vests in the upcoming budget. In a media release yesterday, EPA president Deryck Richardson said the association is of the view that it should be made compulsory for employers to provide bulletproof vests to all security industry officers. He reminded that “the Occupational Health and Safety Act 88:08 Section 6 (c) General duties of the Employer, gives the responsibility to the employer to provide adequate and suitable protective clothing or devices of an approved standard to employees who in the course of employment are likely to be exposed to the risk of head, eye, ear hand or foot injury, injury from air contaminant or any other bodily injury and the provision of adequate instructions in the use of such protective clothing or devices”. Read more here
REGIONAL
Remaining oil blocks to be auctioned by month end
Vice-President, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo, on Tuesday, said that the auction for the remaining oil blocks will be launched by the end of September and the process is expected to conclude in early 2023. He made the announcement during a special edition of the Glenn Lall Show, during which he also noted that the government is working on a model for future Production Sharing Agreement (PSA). “We have to now have a new PSA to tell people what they’re going to get if they come in on this auction,” Dr. Jagdeo said, pointing out that the new PSA will utilise three variables. The first of the three variables involves the company’s legitimate expectation, that is, if they invest money, they should get a decent return on the investment. Read more here
INTERNATIONAL
Xi and Putin to discuss Ukraine war at meeting – Kremlin
China's leader Xi Jinping and Russia's Vladimir Putin will discuss the war in Ukraine and other "international and regional topics" at their meeting later this week, the Kremlin says. The two will meet in Uzbekistan at a summit that will show an "alternative" to the Western world, the Kremlin said. Mr Xi is making his first trip overseas since the start of the pandemic. He is seeking a historic third term while Mr Putin's relations with the West are at rock bottom over Ukraine. Mr Xi is beginning his three-day trip in Kazakhstan, where he landed in the capital Nursultan for the first leg of his trip on Wednesday. He will then meet Mr Putin on Thursday at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Samarkand, which will run from 15-16 September. Read more here
14th September 2022