NEWS
60 San Fernando families get homes in time for holidays
Sixty families received their keys from the Housing Development Corporation (HDC) on Tuesday in San Fernando as part of its promotion “A Home for Christmas.” Housing and Urban Development minister Camille Robinson-Regis said the ministry is proud that it was able to assist the recipients in realising their dreams. “We are elated to be your partner, and we are elated that you are fulfilling perhaps a lifelong ambition to be a homeowner,” she said. Read more here
Privy Council rules in Nunez-Tesheira's favour in $18m medical negligence case
Former finance minister Karen Nunez-Tesheira has emerged victorious in her marathon legal battle with a private hospital and a specialist doctor over her husband's death during a routine operation in 2004. In a judgement delivered yesterday, five Law Lords of the United Kingdom-based Privy Council dismissed two connected appeals brought by Gulf View Medical Centre Limited and anaesthesiologist Dr Crisen Jendra Roopchand. In the appeals, the hospital and Dr Roopchand were claiming that former High Court Judge and current Appeal Court Judge Vasheist Kokaram and the Court of Appeal got it wrong when they upheld Nunez-Tesheira's lawsuit against them. Read more here
POLITICS
Duke to quit THA if successful in local government
Progressive Democratic Patriots (PDP) political leader Watson Duke has said he will resign as electoral representative for Roxborough/Argyle if his party wins the East-West Corridor in the upcoming local government elections. Duke retained his Roxborough/Argyle seat in the December 6, 2022 THA elections, as his party won 14 of the 15 seats. Five months later, he launched the Trinidad arm of the party in Port of Spain. Speaking to scores of supporters at the Cyd Gray Complex in Roxborough on Tuesday night, Duke said he will launch his official local government campaign in John John, Laventille on November 6. He promised to name approximately 100 candidates by November 30. Read more here
Pandit’s complaint of gridlock traffic in Sando gets Al-Rawi’s attention
A pandit’s complaints about gridlock traffic and the erection of residential apartment buildings opposite a mandir at Todd Street, San Fernando, has caught the attention of a Government Minister. Rural Development and Local Government Minister Faris Al-Rawi responded to Pandit Rudranath Maharaj during the unveiling ceremony of a mural on the Harris Promenade in San Fernando on Tuesday. In a video circulating on social media, Maharaj, who was speaking over the weekend at the Krishna Mandir at Todd Street, complained about gridlock traffic in that area and surrounding streets. He also took issue with plans by the state to build three towers of residential apartments opposite the mandir. Read more here
BUSINESS
Online Gaming Association calls for forensic audit into NLCB
The Online Gaming Agents Association of T&T (OGAATT) has written an open letter to Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley and Finance Minister Colm Imbert calling for a forensic audit into the operations at Naltional Lotteries Control Board (NLCB) with particular reference to the accounting system and department. “For many years, since 2019, and moreso within recent times, numerous agents have been having and complaining about discrepancies/differences in their weekly settlement reports. The reports show figures that are greater than what agents actually have in hand to deposit,” the letter signed by OGAATT’s president Dean Persad stated. OGAATT stated that in order to try and determine if the problem was as a result of their actions, some agents have made adjustments on their end. Read more here
Minister: Only 2 companies listed so far
The Ministry of Finance, in collaboration with the Central Bank of Trinidad and Tobago (CBTT) and the Trinidad and Tobago Stock Exchange (TTSE), launched the small and medium enterprises (SMEs) listing and mentorship programme yesterday. Delivering the feature address at the Hyatt Regency in Port of Spain, Minister of Finance Colm Imbert said in 2012 the Government announced its intention to work with the TTSE to create a third tier on the Exchange to provide SMEs with access to the capital market. Read more here
REGIONAL
Agreement for stronger Global South relations signed
President, Dr Irfaan Ali and Barbados’ Prime Minister, Mia Mottley, on Tuesday witnessed the signing of an agreement for the establishment of a partnership between the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA), Timehri. The agreement was signed by Guyana’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Hugh Todd, and President of the bank, Professor Benedict Oramah. The agreement aims to facilitate cooperation, support, and provide assistance for the promotion and financing of South-South trade between African countries and member states of the Caribbean Community. Read more here
INTERNATIONAL
Iran protests: Mourners defy police to gather at Mahsa Amini's grave
A large crowd has protested at the cemetery in north-western Iran where Mahsa Amini is buried, as activists called for demonstrations to mark 40 days since her death in police custody. Videos posted online showed that hundreds of men and women defied security forces to gather in Saqqez. They were heard shouting "Woman, life, freedom" and "Death to the dictator". They are two of the signature chants of the anti-government unrest that has swept across Iran since Ms Amini died. The 22-year-old Kurdish woman was detained by the morality police in the capital, Tehran, on 13 September for allegedly wearing her hijab "improperly". She fell into a coma after collapsing at a detention centre and died three days later. There were reports that officers beat her on the head with a baton and banged her head against a vehicle, but the police denied that she was mistreated and said she suffered a heart attack. Read more here
26th October 2022