NEWS
Police, Rapid Relief Team distribute food hampers to the needy
The police, in collaboration with the Rapid Relief Team, have organised the distribution of holiday food boxes for people in need. The 35 boxes, which contain non-perishable food items, are set to be distributed by the Special Victims Department and the Victim and Witness Support Unit. On December 12, the day after the end of 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, members of both units gathered at the St Clair Police Station to hand over the boxes. Read more here
Charlotte Street vendors split on proposed arrangement
Although vendors operating along Charlotte Street, Port-of-Spain, welcomed the additional days to ply their trade during the run-up to Christmas - a few of them yesterday expressed reservations as they claimed the staggered days would cost them more. Responding to the announcement by Port-of-Spain Mayor Chinua Alleyne during last Tuesday’s statutory meeting at the City Corporation that additional vending days had been added to the calendar at no cost to them, vendor Sharon Daniel said she has to spend $150 a day to have someone pack up her stall. Read more here
POLITICS
Kamla wants details about Trinidad and Tobago, US agreements
Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar has questioned the signing of five agreements between TT and the US, two of which could permit the US to station troops in TT in the event of a "conflict" in neighbouring Venezuela. Persad-Bissessar called upon the government to make the details of those agreements public. She made those statements to the media before a meeting at the UNC's headquarters in Chaguanas on December 12. Persad-Bissessar said she was in the dark about the agreements like most of the population. Read more here
Kamla in alliance with 3 political parties, 5 trade unions
The political climate is heating up, after the United National Congress (UNC) yesterday began efforts to forge alliances with smaller political parties and prominent trade unions to take on the ruling People’s National Movement in the next general election. The parties include the Progressive Empowerment Party (PEP) led by Phillip Edward Alexander, the Movement for National Development (MND) headed by former attorney general Garvin Nicholas and the Congress of the People (COP). The labour groups are the Oilfield Workers’ Trade Union (OWTU), the Public Services Association (PSA), Transport and Industrial Workers Union (TIWU), Trinidad and Tobago Postal Workers’ Union (TTPWU) and the Fire Service Association (FSA). Read more here
BUSINESS
COSTAATT receives award for innovation
On Tuesday evening, The Inter-American Development Bank paid tribute to government ministries, state-owned agencies, and public entities for innovation and excellence in service. The President’s Award for Innovation and Service Excellence (PrAISE), which is in its seventh year, highlights projects and services undertaken by the public sector in Trinidad and Tobago. This competition encourages ministries, public service departments/divisions, state-owned companies, statutory bodies, municipalities and the Tobago House of Assembly to submit projects. Read more here
Mala Baliraj new chairperson at Energy Chamber
MALA Baliraj has been appointed chairperson of the Energy Chamber of Trinidad and Tobago, succeeding Jerome Dookie. Baliraj, the chief executive officer of Massy Wood Group Ltd, has served on the Energy Chamber’s board since 2021 and is the second woman to lead the organisation. Read more here
REGIONAL
More support for farmers
Farmers across Guyana are set to benefit from a significant $2 billion support, as part of the government’s effort to absorb rising costs, improve livelihoods, and expand agricultural production. The initiative, announced by President Dr. Irfaan Ali on Thursday during an engagement with farmers and residents in Region Two, represents a 100 per cent increase from last year’s $1 billion allocation. “This is a government that understands the importance of investing in communities, investing in productivity, and investing in the holistic development and improvement in the lives of people,” President Ali emphasized during the outreach at Anna Regina. Read more here
INTERNATIONAL
Bloody siege ends Myanmar army control of western border
The end, when it came for the BGP5 barracks, was loud and brutal. First, a crackly speaker calling out for their surrender; then, a thunderous barrage of artillery, rockets and rifle fire that tore chunks out of the buildings in which hundreds of soldiers were hiding. BGP5 – the letters stand for Border Guard Police – was the Myanmar military junta's last stand in northern Rakhine State, which lies along the border with Bangladesh. Video by the insurgent Arakan Army (AA) which was besieging the base shows their rag-tag fighters, many barefoot, firing an assortment of weapons into the base, while air force jets roar over their heads. Read more here
13th December 2024