NEWS
TTEC substation fires probe still ongoing
Investigations are still ongoing into the cause of fires which ignited at two substations in Port of Spain on Tuesday. The first fire was reported just before midday, at Power Gen, Stone Street, while the second was reported later that night on Abbatoir Road. The power outage resulting from the fire during the day caused traffic jams on some streets. At about 11.20 am workers at Power Gen reported seeing smoke coming from the substation. Fire and safety officers responded and, just after midday, the blaze was doused. Corporate Communications manager Annabelle Brasnell said while investigations are ongoing, the two fires had no relation to each other or other dips in power experienced earlier in the month. Read more here
COSTAATT at-risk students get help from Heritage Petroleum
Close to 100 students of the College of Science, Technology and Applied Arts of Trinidad and Tobago (COSTAATT), whose classes transitioned to online delivery mode because of COVID-19, are benefitting from a donation of computers made by the Heritage Petroleum Company. COSTAATT pivoted many of its classes to online delivery, in two phases, after Government announced the shutdown of all schools on March 13, in a bid to curb the spread of the pandemic. As the school shutdown extended, it meant that a number of students who had no access to computers at home were left with no choice but to withdraw from classes. Read more here
POLITICS
Kamla threatens PM with $2m law suit over 'traitor' statement
Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar is threatening to sue the Prime Minister for $2 million for defamation of character. She was speaking during a virtual public meeting on Thursday night which was attended by over 1,400 viewers. She said her lawyers already delivered a pre-action protocol letter to Dr Rowley. Read more here
Former PNM minister's brother to run for UNC in St Joseph
Ahloy Hunt, brother of People's National Movement (PNM) former minister of sport and youth affairs Gary Hunt has been selected by the United National Congress (UNC) to contest the St Joseph seat.Hunt has a tough battle ahead of him as the seat has been won in two elections by PNM's Minister of Health Terrence Deyalsingh. Deyalsingh first won the seat in November 2013 after the People's Partnership was forced to call a by-election when former justice minister Herbert Volney demitted office. The UNC had then fielded television host Ian Alleyne for that seat and lawyer On Lalla contested under the Independent Liberal Party umbrella. Deyalsingh beat both men. Read more here
BUSINESS
Economy gets back to work
Although there a few hiccups, the manufacturing and construction sector was back out in full force yesterday, after being in lockdown mode for nine weeks due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Read more here
REGIONAL
Tivoli justice ‘impossible’ - Botched police probes doom search for truth forever, say watchdogs
The search for answers about how dozens of west Kingston residents perished during the infamous 2010 Tivoli Gardens incursion has been doomed by botched police investigations from the outset, two state agencies have asserted. However, both the Independent Commission of Investigations (INDECOM) and the Office of the Public Defender (OPD) avoided questions about whether the missteps by police investigators 10 years ago were deliberate. The result of the botched probe is that it would be “almost impossible” to hold anyone accountable for alleged atrocities committed during the operation, both agencies have publicly acknowledged. Read more here
‘He who asserts must prove’
Chair of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), Justice (Ret’d) Claudette Singh, on Thursday, said the body is yet to make a decision on how it will treat with complaints of irregularities at the March 2 polls, although insisting that “he who asserts must prove.” Justice Singh made the comments in a statement issued by her office. Justice Singh said while issues surrounding the Observation Reports are engaging the attention of the Commission; no decision has been made. “In fact, although there was discussion, no decision was taken in this regard at the level of the Commission,” the GECOM Chair clarified. She added: “While I continue to monitor the trends based on the allegations in the Observation Reports, I am of the view that he who asserts must prove.” Read more here
INTERNATIONAL
Ahmaud Arbery: Third man charged over death of black jogger
A motorist who filmed the shooting of an unarmed black man in the US state of Georgia has been charged with murder. William Bryan Jr was also accused of a criminal attempt to commit false imprisonment on Thursday, said the Georgia Bureau of Investigations (GBI). Ahmaud Arbery, 25, was jogging when he was shot dead during a confrontation with a father and son in Brunswick on 23 February. Gregory McMichael, 64, and son Travis, 34, were charged with murder on 7 May. In the moments before the fatal confrontation, the McMichaels, who are white, armed themselves with a pistol and shotgun and pursued Mr Arbery in a pickup truck in the Satilla Shores neighbourhood. Read more here
Pakistan Prime Minister "shocked and saddened" by incident
Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan has expressed his shock over the Karachi crash near the neighborhood of Model Colony. "Shocked & saddened by the PIA crash. Am in touch with PIA CEO Arshad Malik, who has left for Karachi & with the rescue & relief teams on ground as this is the priority right now.," he wrote on Twitter. Khan added that an "immediate inquiry" will take place. "Prayers & condolences go to families of the deceased,” he said. No fatalities have yet been publicly confirmed. Read more here
22nd May 2020