Daily Brief - Tuesday 12th September, 2017

TTMA In The News

TTMA among trade delegation heading to DR

The T&T Manufacturers’ Association (TTMA) is part of a trade mission heading to the Dominican Republic (DR) tomorrow to pursue the expansion and promotion of investment opportunities between the two countries. Led by the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI), the collaborative exercise will be held from September 13 to 15. The ministry's acting Permanent Secretary Frances Seignoret will lead the delegation which includes TTMA Chief Executive Officer Dr Ramesh Ramdeen along with a contingent of local manufacturers. It is expected the trade Mission will further strengthen the existing relationships between the two countries while reinforcing the MTI’s commitment to public-private sector partnerships to grow and facilitate non-energy exports. Read more here

 

News

Relatives: He was a pest

Allen Walker, 27, who was among four men who tried to rob a supermarket in Barataria yesterday morning, was shot dead by the owner of a licensed firearm. At the scene at 6th Avenue, relatives told Newsday Walker came out from prison in May after serving a sentence for gun and ammunition-related charges. They said he was known for his criminal behaviour. “That boy never listened. He was a pest. I loved him, and he was a very loving person to me, but he was a pest.” At about 7.15 am, Walker and three men, dressed in CEPEP uniforms, entered the supermarket and announced a holdup. Read more here

CPL chief says security at final was adequate

Head of the Southern Division and Gold Commander in charge of last Saturday’s Caribbean Premier League final, Senior Supt Zamsheed Mohammed, is maintaining there was adequate police presence during the match at the Brian Lara Stadium. Scores of fans complained about being stuck in traffic for as long as two hours before reaching the venue to see the Trinbago Knight Riders earn their second CPL title in five years with a three-wicket win over the St Kitts and Nevis Patriots. Read more here

Ramesh not paid so quits CL case 

Senior counsel Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj, who was leading the case for a group of CL Financial shareholders in the State's petition for the winding up of the conglomerate, will no longer be appearing on their behalf. Read more here

 

POLITICS

Devant disappointed with Young’s Sandals response

FORMER minister Devant Maharaj yesterday expressed disappointment at comments made by Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister Stuart Young about his complaint to the Integrity Commission about the alleged procurement of the management services of Sandals Resort by the Government. In a statement, Maharaj asked what made his complaint unpatriotic and “even traitor-like.” Asking whether citizens were not allowed to question the actions of the Government or use constitutional provisions to investigate national issues, Maharaj claimed Young’s reaction “is deeply disturbing for the freedom of expression in our democratic society.” Maharaj agreed with Young about the proposal for the construction of a Sandals Resort in Tobago being at the initial stage and no decision being taken on the project. However, Maharaj claimed Young did not indicate how Sandals was selected in the first place. Read more here

Fake oil fiasco troubles Khan

Energy Minister Franklin Khan said yesterday he was “troubled” that cash-strapped state-owned Petrotrin had paid for hundreds of barrels of crude oil it did not receive. Khan made the comment at a press conference at his Port-of-Spain office, one day after Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar raised the issue. Following a UNC congress no Sunday, Persad-Bissessar said according to a Petrotrin internal audit report, there was a significant difference between the quantity of oil it was purchasing from operators A and V Oil and Gas Drilling managed by Haniff Baksh and the amount it had received from its Pointe-a Pierre refinery. She said the audit team found that Petrotrin was paying the operator for oil it did not produce or “fake oil” since October 2016. It was estimated that for the period January to June of 2017, Petrotrin would have over paid the company US$11.5 million which was in excess of TT$80 million. Read more here

Cuffie 'continuing to progress well' 

Public Administration and Communications Minister Maxie Cuffie remains in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) unit of the St Clair Medical Centre in Port of Spain. His wife Hermia Tyson-Cuffie said yesterday: “He had surgery on Friday and he is continuing to progress well.” Tyson-Cuffie also said she was touched at the outpouring of love and prayers for Cuffie. Read more here

 

BUSINESS

Healthy doctors tackle NCDs

He was a top muscle man, she runs 17 kilometres a week, and they now are both working to stem the local onslaught of non communicable diseases (NCDs). Dr Ian Ho A Shu is health specialist at the Inter American Development Bank (IDB) which is loaning US$48.4 million to the Ministry of Health’s Health Services Support Programme run by fellow medic Dr Maryam Abdool-Richards. The duo in a recent interview at the IDB’s St Clair office told Sunday Newsday how they hoped the money would help save the nation from the health and financial costs of the current upsurge in NCDs. Read more here

TTCA president: Local contractors can benefit from Caribbean rebuilding effort

Hurricane Irma may have hurt Antigua and Barbuda residents, but T&T’s assistance with their rebuilding efforts can help boost the local long-suffering construction and manufacturing sector. Last Sunday, the T&T Contractors’ Association spoke to the Ambassador of Antigua/Barbuda on rebuilding assistance, TTCA president Ramlogan Roopnarine confirmed yesterday. Roopnarine spoke from Fort Lauderdale which was also hit by Irma on Sunday. Read more here

Daren Ganga launches Dazza Menswear 

Daren Ganga launched his luxury clothing label, Dazza Menswear, at The Residence, One Woodbrook Place, Port of Spain, on Friday, with the support of Olympic sailor Andrew Lewis, cyclist Njisane Phillip, and track star Jehue Gordon, himself an entrepreneur. A former West Indies captain, Ganga is designing shirts and jackets himself, expanding the business his fashion designer ex-wife, Noorulain Agha-Ganga, started with him in 2013. Read more here

  

REGIONAL

Unacceptable - Airspace Closure Tarnishes Ja's Reputation As Tourism Destination - JHTA Head

The continuous closure of Jamaica's airspace and poor communication by the Jamaica Civil Aviation Authority (JCAA) have been described as "unacceptable and embarrassing" by president of the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA), Omar Robinson. The lockdown, a result of damage by lightning to the radar/communication operating system used by air traffic controllers, has resulted in the cancellation of 35 flights between last Saturday and Monday into the Sangster International Airport. Read more here

 

INTERNATIONAL

Myanmar crisis: Bangladesh PM in Rohingya plea

Bangladesh's prime minister has urged Myanmar to take back hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims who have fled violence in Rakhine state. Speaking as she visited a refugee camp, Sheikh Hasina urged Myanmar to view the situation with humanity, saying innocent people were suffering. Some 370,000 Rohingyas have crossed the border since violence began last month. Myanmar's military says it is fighting Rohingya militants and denies it is targeting civilians. But many of those who have fled say troops responded to attacks by Rohingya militants on 25 August with a brutal campaign of violence and village burnings aimed at driving them out. Read more here

The biggest question for hurricane survivors is 'What now?'

Rebuilding is not a glamorous process, and it's far from an easy one. Though hurricanes Irma and Harvey have passed, the road ahead for survivors will take years to traverse, with innumerable questions and challenges along the way. The only way to really know what this journey is like is to hear about it from others who have made it through a similar catastrophe. Read more here

12th September 2017

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