NEWS
Debate rages over LGBT books
Social media raged on Tuesday and Wednesday over the presence in RIK Services Ltd Booksellers of books which told the stories of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBT+) characters. While religious organisations questioned the presence of the books, the LGBT+ community questioned the uproar. Many expressed concerns about whether the books were to be part of the school curriculum, but Education Minister Nyan Gadsby-Dolly said no changes had been made to the booklist for the academic year 2023/2024. Inter Religious Organisation of TT (IRO) president Pundit Lloyd Mukram Sirjoo, said the presence of the book in TT was a problem. Read more here
NiQuan accident victim's family relieved plant shut down pending probes
The family of Allanlane Ramkissoon, who died after suffering burns in an incident at the NiQuan Pointe-a-Pierre plant, is relieved a prohibition notice was served on the company. “I believe it is a good move because it could happen to somebody again. This way, they could make sure it is safe for others to work. We don’t want another tragedy,” Ramkissoon’s younger sister, Ruthlane Ramkissoon-Gobin, said yesterday. In a release yesterday, the Occupational Safety & Health Agency stated that a prohibition notice had been served on NiQuan Energy Trinidad Ltd. According to the OSH Act, a prohibition notice prohibits activity immediately or after a specified period and does not allow it to be resumed until remedial action has been taken. Read more here
POLITICS
Mc Clashie takes minimum wage increase before Cabinet
Days after the country’s major trade unions called for the minimum wage to be increased to $30 per hour, a recommendation is expected to go before Cabinet within the next two months. This was confirmed to Guardian Media by Minister of Labour, Stephen Mc Clashie, yesterday. Mc Clashie also disclosed that he is currently reviewing the recommendation to see whether it is workable going forward. Asked if he could disclose details in the recommendation, Mc Clashie replied: “No, I would not say because that recommendation, as I said, would have to go before the Cabinet. Within a month or two it should be before the Cabinet.” Mc Clashie, however, noted that he is currently discussing the minimum wage issue at his ministry. Read more here
BUSINESS
CARIBCAN gets 10-year expansion
Canada has obtained approval from the World Trade Organisation (WTO) to extend the Caribbean-Canada Trade Agreement (CARIBCAN) until December 2033. In a news release yesterday, the Ministry of Trade noted, “CARIBCAN grants Trinidad and Tobago’s exporters access to more than 38 million consumers in the Canadian market, a significant portion of which represents the Trinbagonian diaspora in Canada, making the Canadian market one with significant export opportunities for local manufacturers.” Since 1986, CARIBCAN has been a non-reciprocal economic and trade development assistance programme offered to Commonwealth Caribbean countries and territories by the Government of Canada. The programme’s aim is to enhance Commonwealth Caribbean trade and export earnings, improve the trade and economic development prospects of the region, promote new investment opportunities, and encourage enhanced economic integration and co-operation. Read more here
Team for V’zuela to assess progress of Dragon deal
A team of stakeholders involved in the ongoing Dragon Gas negotiations travelled to Venezuela last week, Energy Minister Stuart Young disclosed yesterday as he delivered an update on the project. “We had a technical team from Shell, (the National Gas Company) and the Energy Ministry across in Venezuela last week doing the necessary for us as we progress the deal,” Young said. He made the comments during a press conference held at the Energy Ministry’s head office located at Tower C of the International Waterfront Centre, Port of Spain yesterday. Read more here
REGIONAL
‘We want a holistic education system’ – President Ali at Commissioning of Good Hope Secondary
President Dr. Irfaan Ali has stressed the importance of equitably distributed resources in a holistic education system, as he delivered the feature address at the commissioning of the long-awaited Good Hope Secondary School on the East Coast of Demerara, on Wednesday afternoon. According to Dr. Ali, education gives everyone the opportunity to be a holistic citizen, and a holistic member of the human family, and as such, everyone should be afforded the equal access to this opportunity. The President made this remark as he shared an anecdote of his own upbringing and transitioning from a primary school on the West Demerara where there were not certain amenities, to being awestruck by the level of amenities present when he graduated to attending, St Stanislaus College, one of the top secondary schools in the country, which is in the capital city Georgetown. Read more here
INTERNATIONAL
Turkey hikes interest rates as Erdogan stages economic U-turn
Turkey has hiked its main interest rate from 8.5% to 15%, reversing one of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's unorthodox economic policies. The 6.5-point rise was far lower than economists were expecting, but it marked a major shift in policy by his new economic team brought in to tackle rampant inflation. Turkey's leader has until now insisted on keeping interest rates down. Inflation is almost 40% and Turks are in the grip of a cost-of-living crisis. The head of Turkey's central bank, Hafize Gaye Erkan, 44, was only recruited from the US this month in the wake of Mr Erdogan's re-election as president. Her decision marks the first rise in interest rates since December 2020, after a turbulent period in which three central bank governors were fired in less than two years, as they sought to stick to orthodox economics. Read more here
22nd June 2023