NEWS
Jail for driving without permit
Tevin Jordan was sentenced to a total of eight months in jail yesterday for driving without a drivers’ permit and without insurance. The father of three will mark his 26th birthday today. Through his attorney Analee Girwar, Jordan said he was taking one of his children to the hospital after the child was found choking on something at a babysitter’s house, when police stopped him. Read more here
Region-wide operation on human trafficking nets 350
Close to 350 potential victims of sexual exploitation and forced labour have been rescued in an Interpol-coordinated operation targeting human trafficking in the Caribbean, Central and South America. According to an international news report, more than 500 police officers in 13 countries also arrested 22 individuals during Operation Libertad (April 3 to 9), held under the Interpol Project to Combat Human Trafficking in the Caribbean. Read more here
Mayor: Land acquisition slowing down process
Port of Spain Mayor Joel Martinez yesterday remained tight-lipped on whether the reinstatement of vendors on Charlotte Street would be a temporary arrangement, given that the Port of Spain City Corporation has been engaged in acquiring sites along George Street to accommodate the vendors. Read more here
POLITICS
President’s first official visit to Tobago
President Paula-Mae Weekes will pay an official visit to Tobago on Friday and Saturday. It will be her first official visit there since assuming office on March 19. Read more here
Brutal to most vulnerable in society
Strong condemnation of the proposed Property Tax from the Independent and Opposition in the Parliament yesterday, with a plea to Government to reconsider implementation of the tax, which has been deemed “a brutal tax on the most vulnerable in society.” But the Government sought to debunk the notion that the tax is harsh saying those who cannot pay will not be forced to do so. Read more here
School laptops back in September...at $50m
After continuous criticism from the Opposition over its scrapping of the secondary schools laptop programme, the Ministry of Education has announced the return of the programme which will see laptops provided to schools from the start of the new school year in September. Read more here
BUSINESS
New boss at bpTT
It is now official. Claire Fitzpatrick is the new Regional President of BP T&T (bpTT). In this role, she will be accountable for bpTT’s performance and BP’s business interests in T&T. She is the first female to lead bpTT, which produces 17 per cent of BP group’s global production. Read more here
Avoiding the resource curse
Can Guyana, which is the location of major fossil fuel discoveries by the world’s largest energy company ExxonMobil, avoid the “resource curse” which has bedevilled so many other countries that fortuitously find themselves in the same lucky position? Read more here
REGIONAL
Probing Portland | Peaceful Portland - Residents Cite Vigilance And Dispute Resolution
With 28 murders in the last 28 months, the eastern Jamaica parish of Portland remains the nation's least murderous parish, a stark contrast to the western parish of St James which has recorded more than 630 homicides for the same period. For long-time residents of Portland, the main secret to the peace they enjoy is the vigilance and dispute-resolution efforts that they employ - a practice they are recommending to residents of the island's crime riddled communities. Read more here
INTERNATIONAL
Trump's boss act doesn't always work
Back in the 2016 campaign, Donald Trump was asked who advised him on foreign policy and he answered: "My primary consultant is myself." Fifteen months into his presidency, the consequences of that defining character trait of always needing to be boss are becoming clear -- and it doesn't always work out to Trump's advantage. The latest sign of Trump's need for control is highlighted by the list of questions that special counsel Robert Mueller wants to pose in an interview. Many cover comments, tweets and actions by the President while acting as his own chief lawyer in the Russia probe and as he tries to assert his will on the Justice Department. Read more here
Armenia crisis: Protesters block roads after Pashinyan rejected as PM
2nd May 2018