NEWS
5,600 arrested for serious crimes, police urge victims to come forward
What the general population may not know is that for this year already, over 5,000 people have been arrested for serious crimes. What the public already knows, through repeated pleas, is that the police service needs greater co-operation and more involvement from people in the fight against crime and criminality. How the public can help? By giving information, attending identification parades and partnering with the TTPS. Read more here
Police to monitor banks as bandits target citizens paying property tax
With the deadline for property tax payments approaching, Assistant Superintendent of the Southwestern Division, Edmund Cumberbatch, has warned that criminals are now targeting individuals withdrawing large sums of money from banks to pay the tax. However, in order to counter this, Cumberbatch said yesterday that police teams have been deployed around financial institutions to monitor those leaving with cash as the September 30 property tax deadline looms. Speaking at a media conference at the San Fernando Police Headquarters yesterday, Cumberbatch provided details of a recent incident involving a 72-year-old Penal pensioner who was robbed of money she planned to use to pay property tax. Read more here
POLITICS
Opposition politicians share their budget expectations
Following the announcement of September 30 as Budget Day, Opposition politicians have been giving their reactions to the date and what they are expecting in the fiscal package to be presented by Finance Minister Colm Imbert. Phillip Alexander, Progressive Empowerment Party: “The most significant thing that we in the Progressive Empowerment Party want to see in this budget is a proper accounting of what was done with the $60-odd billion we gave them last year. “With reports from the Auditor General suggesting less than prudent fiscal management, and with many ministries stating their full funding wasn’t enough to run their ministries, we the people want to know where all of this money is going. If the Fire Services and the Police Service have no equipment and all the Coast Guard boats are in dry dock, where did the billions to national security go? How is Public Utilities looking for an additional $4 billion when water falls from the sky for free and the natural gas is from left pocket to right pocket? Read more here
BUSINESS
Gopee-Scoon: Government to announce countrywide special economic zones
Trade and Industry Minister Paula Gopee-Scoon has said Cabinet has designated several spaces as special economic zones (SEZ) under the Special Economic Zones Act. She said these will be announced during the budget presentation on September 30. Speaking at the TT Chamber of Industry and Commerce forum on private-sector opportunities in the special economic zones, Gopee-Scoon said this is part of government’s implementation of the act to ensure the programme gets off to a quick start. Read more here
Alleyne: SEZ regime generates $200m investment
With the Special Economic Zones (SEZ) regime in place, economic growth in this country can significantly improve, as there are already 15 investors in the manufacturing, logistics, and business process outsourcing (BPO) sectors, according to Sekou Alleyne, president of former State enterprise InvesTT. Speaking at the Trinidad and Tobago Chamber of Industry and Commerce’s discussion on “Private Sector Opportunities in the New Special Economic Zone” at its conference hall at Columbus Circle, Westmoorings, Alleyne said, ‘We’re just starting with that 15, but that is $200 million in investment.” Read more here
REGIONAL
‘The truth will be revealed’
A long-awaited Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into Guyana’s early 2000s crime wave is set to be announced soon, according to General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo. Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, he confirmed that President Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali will soon announce the establishment of the CoI, which is expected to investigate claims of extrajudicial killings and other crimes during the turbulent period. Dr. Jagdeo’s comments come in response to statements made by the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) and the Alliance For Change (AFC) during International Day of Democracy celebrations on September 15, 2024. The opposition parties had expressed concerns over alleged extrajudicial killings of hundreds of young Guyanese men of African descent, linking the incidents to the previous PPP/C government. However, Jagdeo criticised these claims as hypocritical and filled with race-baiting rhetoric. Read more here
INTERNATIONAL
Ukraine drone attack in Russia sparks fire
Thirteen people have been injured in Russia's Tver region after a large Ukrainian drone attack sparked a fire there, according to the Russian health ministry. Unverified footage has emerged purportedly showing a massive blast in the town of Toropets. Video footage circulating on social media showed detonations and smoke covering a large stretch of sky. A partial evacuation of the region was ordered after the strike in the early hours of Wednesday morning. The regional governor later encouraged residents to return, saying that all infrastructure in the town was working normally again. Read more here
20th September 2024