NEWS
Winds rip roof off HDC block – 16 FAMILIES AT RISK
With the country still under an adverse weather yellow alert, at least 16 families remained at risk overnight after strong winds ripped the roof off a Housing Development Corporation (HDC) apartment complex in Trou Macaque, Laventille on Tuesday afternoon. With only tarpaulin covering where sheets of galvanise were once in place, the families were fearing the worst as night fell, with more bad weather being predicted since the adverse weather alert remained in place up to 12 noon on Wednesday. This is the second disaster to befall this community as an adjacent HDC building was gutted by fire in an arson attack in 2011. In that incident Lisa Charles, 46, Akeem Young, 15, Deniecia Campbell, two, and 10-month-old Destiny Lara, all perished. Read more here
POLITICS
UNHCR commends government's work on refugee policy
The UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) has commended the government for working towards a national refugee policy. It also reiterated its willingness to assist the government. At a Senate sitting on Monday, National Security Minister Fitzgerald Hinds said the government is reviewing the national policy for refugees and asylum seekers created in 2014, as it is "sufficiently problematic." He could not say when a new policy is likely to be implemented but said it will require the support of all stakeholders. Read more here
373 LG candidates start campaigning ... EBC confirms 10 parties, 6 independents contesting
It’s official. A total of 373 candidates from ten political parties including six independent candidates will be contesting the upcoming Local Government Elections on August 14. This was confirmed by the Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC) yesterday following Monday’s Nomination day process where candidates filed their nomination papers to contest the elections. This was done at the offices of the EBC’s 55 Returning Officers across Trinidad. The elections involve 141 electoral areas in the 14 corporation districts across Trinidad. The EBC confirmed the number of parties and independents which was also stated in yesterday’s Guardian Media report–ten contesting parties and six independents. Read more here
BUSINESS
THA budget statement for fiscal 2024
On Monday the Chief Secretary and Secretary of Finance, trade, and Economy Farley Augustine presented Tobago’s 2024 budget statement titled “Building a Sustainable Prosperous and Resilient Tobago.” This is an abridged version of Augustine’s presentation focusing on his introductory remarks, and economic outlook for the island, the country, the region and the world. It also highlights the revenue-generating outlined by Augustine. Read more here
REGIONAL
‘Food security cannot be confronted in isolation’
President, Dr. Irfaan Ali on Tuesday called for a targeted approach to food security that involves the integration of the health, education, and technology sectors, along with climate change mitigation, so that food security can better enable national prosperity. The President shared this view as he delivered the feature address at the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) high level Ministers of Agriculture meeting, which is being held in Guyana at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC). The President was making a presentation on the CARICOM 25 by 25 Food Initiative that is targeting the reduction of the Caribbean’s Food Import Bill by at least 25 per cent by 2025. Read more here
INTERNATIONAL
Ukraine war: Countdown has begun to end of Putin, say Kyiv officials
Attention in the Ukrainian capital has been fixed squarely on the mutiny of the Wagner Group, its leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, and its consequences for Vladimir Putin and the conduct of the war in Ukraine. The drama over the border in Russia has hardened the view in Kyiv that Mr Putin's time as Russia's president is coming to an end. "I think the countdown has started," said Andriy Yermak, President Zelensky's closest adviser. At a briefing in Kyiv, he looked back to the year that Russia first invaded Ukraine, annexing the Crimean Peninsula. Read more here
28th June 2023