Daily Brief - Tuesday 5th September, 2017

NEWS

C’bean Airlines flights affected by Hurrican Irma

Caribbean Airlines has advised that due to Hurricane Irma, flights for tomorrow, September 6, have been cancelled. These include flights: BW 456 from Port-of- Spain to St Maarten originally due for departure from Trinidad at 7.30 am and BW 457 from Kingston to St Maarten, due to depart at 2pm. Irma, a major hurricane, will be heading for the northern Caribbean islands and Bahamas over the next five days. Hurricane Irma is churning west across the Atlantic, putting parts of the Caribbean on watch and prompting warnings for the US mainland to be prepared. CAL has informed that all affected passengers,who would have been travelling tomorrow, would be permitted to change or cancel their reservations without penalty subject to the following conditions. Read more here

Woman found slain in house

After sympathising with the family of former museum director Dr Claire Broadbridge, a Central family themselves feel victims to T&T's runaway murder rate when their loved one, Ramdevi Singh, was found murdered in her living room yesterday. Singh, 76, a mother of two and former customer service representative at Guardian Life, was enjoying her retirement, being active in her religion and part of a diabetes group. She was also caring for her husband Martin, who was recovering from two strokes. Read more here

Minister: Loss of a true patriot 

Minister of Community Development, Culture and the Arts, Dr Nyan Gadsby-Dolly has extended condolences to the family and friends of Dr Claire Broadbridge, who was found murdered in her St Ann's home last Saturday. Read more here

 

POLITICS

Concerns over ferry contracts

Members of the Parliament’s Land and Physical Infrastructure Joint Select Committee (JSC) expressed concern over the circumstances surrounding cancellation of a US$7 million contract to Canadian company Bay Ferries and the award of a US$347,000 contract to local firm Magellan Maritime Services, for maintenance of the TT Spirit and TT Express fast ferries. The concerns expressed by JSC members came as former Port Authority chairman Christine Sahadeo and members of her former board appeared before the JSC at Tower D of the Portof- Spain International Waterfront Centre yesterday. As he listened to how these developments were connected to the current operational problems on the domestic seabridge, Energy Minister Franklin Khan described it as, “jumping from the frying pan into the fire.” Khan was concerned that despite challenges with Bay Ferries, Magellan provided primarily managerial and not maintenance services for the ferries. Read more here

Garcia: Children used as pawns

Education Minister Anthony Garcia yesterday reiterated that schools were in a state of readiness although several teachers walked off the job amid claims made by the T&T Unified Teachers’ Association (TTUTA) that repair work was not completed at several schools. Garcia made the comment during a press conference dealing with the opening of the new school year at the ministry's St Vincent Street, Port-of-Spain head office. "Our interpretation of readiness is based on information received from professionals in the field, where students and teachers can operate in an environment. I am pleased to state categorically, every school was in a state of readiness to receive our children. I consider this a major achievement contrary to what is being said today," he said, noting statements were being about the situation by politicians bent on scoring political points. Read more here

Mark: PM must clear the air

A request was made yesterday to summon Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley to the Joint Select Committee (JSC) meeting to “clear the air” on the statements he made alluding that the deal with Bridgemans Services Group to provide boats was crooked. Read more here

 

BUSINESS

Mannette to chair Million Dollar Round Table division

The Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT) has announced the appointment of Gregg Mannette as a 2017 - 2018 zone chair in its membership communications division. In this role, Mannette will oversee MDRT activities in the Caribbean. The membership communications division is a global network of MDRT committees appointed to help promote MDRT membership around the world. The com- mittees communicate the needs and concerns of members in their respective regions, zones and countries. They are also directly responsible for the coordination and implementation of approved MDRT projects and activities worldwide. Read more here

Terminate new Petrotrin board

Oilfield Workers Trade Union (OWTU) president general Ancel Roget yesterday called for the appointments of the newly installed Petrotrin board of directors to be terminated. Speaking at a press conference at OWTU’s San Fernando headquarters, Roget questioned the appointments of Wilfred Espinet and members Joel Harding and Nigel Edwards. Roget described the board as a “hodgepodge board, a chipboard and a sham board,” which he claimed will not deliver on Prime Minister Keith Rowley’s mandate to make Petrotrin sustainable and profitable. Read more here

WiPay comes to T&T

A new company has been launched in T&T which promises to revolutionise the way people pay for goods and services. WiPay, according to its chief executive officer, Aldwyn Wayne, is an online payment platform which facilitates cash transfers between parties using any smartphone device. The system essentially replaces cash, with customers and merchants spending and receiving money via the WiPay smartphone app. Speaking during the launch at Digicel IMAX in Woodbrook yesterday, Wayne explained that the system works as simply as “topping up” phone credit. Read more here

 

REGIONAL

11-Y-O Shot Dead - Conflicting Reports Emerge As Boy Dies One Day Before Entering Grade Six

Described by his mother Tameka Graham as a "good youth", 11-year-old Michael Keating had been all fired up, anxiously anticipating the rough preparation he would have embarked on for the sitting of the Grade Six Achievement Test in March next year. But on Sunday night, the promising youngster died after being shot in the face while at home in the St Andrew community of Wilton Gardens, commonly called Rema. He was to enter grade six yesterday morning at the Boys' Town All-Age School in Kingston. "Mi son a good youth. Him helpful and him nuh give trouble. Him love run joke. Where him dead, him have him book dem, him bag and shoes dem. A fix him a fix up him bag. Him did a fix up him bag and a ask mi fi marker fi write him name pon him book dem. But him put back the book dem inna di bag because mi tell him don't write pon dem," an emotional Graham told The Gleaner yesterday. Read more here

 

INTERNATIONAL

North Korea nuclear crisis: Putin calls sanctions useless

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said pursuing further sanctions against North Korea is "useless", saying "they'd rather eat grass than give up their nuclear programme". The US said on Monday it would table a new UN resolution on tougher sanctions in the wake of the latest test of a nuclear bomb by the North on Sunday. Mr Putin also said that the ramping up of "military hysteria" could lead to global catastrophe. He said diplomacy was the only answer. Read more here

'Scared to death' nurse in Utah video: 'I stood my ground'

The Utah nurse arrested when she refused to let police officers draw blood from an unconscious crash victim is considering legal action after the frightening encounter that lit up social media and provoked widespread outrage. But Alex Wubbels -- whose July 26 arrest, caught on body camera video, prompted apologies from Salt Lake City's mayor and police -- says she is now focused on forging better working ties between police and health care workers. The nurse and her attorney Karra Porter appeared on CNN's "New Day" on Monday and discussed the confrontation and their options. Read more here

5th September 2017

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