NEWS
Jail for stealing magistrate’s car parts
For stealing $16,000 in car parts from a magistrate, Ronnie Mohammed was sent to jail for two years with hard labour. Mohammed, 58, of Springvale, San Fernando, pleaded guilty yesterday before San Fernando Magistrate Natalie Diop. With 36 previous convictions and 52 matters listed on his criminal record, Mohammed told Diop he stopped stealing “a long time now.” The items belonged to Couva-based magistrate Siumongal Ramsaran. He was not in the court yesterday. Read more here
Surge in occult remedies
In troubling times of rising criminal activity and unemployment, people are turning to dark magic and supernatural for help. Guardian Media spoke to dealers who have been in the business of selling occult supplies for decades. Two dealers in Chaguanas said there has been an upsurge by youths delving in the supernatural and the latest wave of immigrants from Venezuela are also turning towards the unseen forces for assistance to seek employment and hide from immigration authorities. Read more here
School shows love for slain teen
Love flowed for murdered teenager Eric Ganesh at a graduation ceremony at his alma mater, Open Bible High School. His parents, Vishnu and Waheeda Ganesh, were present to witness the outpouring of love by their son’s former principal and teachers. Read more here
POLITICS
Garcia: Boy tops SEA, but I don’t know who he is
A boy has topped this year’s Secondary Entrance Assessment (SEA) examination. Education Minister Anthony Garcia made the announcement at yesterday’s post-Cabinet news conference at the Diplomatic Centre in St Ann’s. SEA results will be released on Wednesday. Principals are to collect the results from 8 am. This year, 19,139 students sat the exam. There were 9,694 male and 9,445 female students. Garcia said it was important to note, “The student who placed first in this exam, in other words the student who scored the highest, was a male student.” Read more here
Imbert to lay Galleons Passage documents in Parliament
Finance Minister Colm Imbert will lay in Parliament appropriate documents pertaining to the acquisition and procurement of the controversial US17.4 million Galleon Passage, which was purchased by the Government to service the limping seabridge. This was revealed by Communications Minister Stuart Young at yesterday’s post Cabinet media briefing. Read more here
Duke: If BIGWU want war, they'll get it
Banking Industrial and General Workers’ Union (BIGWU) president Vincent Cabrera maintains Public Services’ Association (PSA) president Watson Duke had no right to dismiss 11 workers who were wearing their red-T shirts to show solidarity with BIGWU over issues including 13 OSH violations at PSA headquarters, Abercromby Street, Port of Spain. Cabrera also said when the 11 workers reinstated workers returned to work on June 12, they were greeted with attached notices on the front door of PSA office, which said the office were closed till after Labour Day celebrations. Cabrera interpreted it as if “PSA was preparing for its Labour Day celebrations in Tobago. Read more here
BUSINESS
Failure to diversify to T&T’s detriment
For the past 56 years successive governments have failed to diversify this country’s economy and that can only lead to detriment, senior economist Dr Ronald Ramkissoon warned yesterday when he spoke at the T&T Group of Professional Associations Limited’s annual Breakfast with Professionals at the Trinidad Hilton and Conference Centre. “Truthfully and to a large extent, we have failed to diversify this economy. We will spend the energy income when we have revenues, we will borrow when it is over to maintain our standard of living and we will wait for the next boom,” he said. Read more here
VMCOTT to convert State vehicles to CNG
The NGC CNG Company Ltd and the Vehicle Maintenance Company of Trinidad and Tobago Ltd (VMCOTT) have signed a contract to facilitate the conversion of State vehicles to Compressed Natural Gas (CNG). Read more here
REGIONAL
Hazards In Homes - Study Finds More Than 1,600 Critical Incidents In Childcare Facilities
Human rights group Jamaicans For Justice (JFJ) has reported that during the last 10 years, there have been more than 1,600 documented cases of critical incidents in residential childcare facilities, 558 occurring in the past five years. A critical incident is regarded as a negative experience that threatens a child's rights or welfare. According to preliminary findings of a new study by JFJ focusing on children in institutional care, the critical incidents reveal serious behavioural, psychosocial, health, and safety and sexual issues affecting children in state care. Speaking at the launch of the findings at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel yesterday, JFJ Executive Director Rodje Malcolm argued that while the annual number of incidents was trending downward, the risk of under-reporting was great. Read more here
INTERNATIONAL
Donald Trump is pretty sure he's nailing this whole 'President' thing
On Wednesday night, speaking to a packed house in North Dakota, President Donald Trump seemed to suggest that this whole being President thing wasn't so tough. "The Heritage Foundation came out with a report, and this was as of two months ago, we've already implemented 64% of our top agenda items," Trump told the cheering crowd. "And that's at a much faster pace than even Ronald Reagan. That's pretty good, right?" That bravado was apparent, too, in Trump's barrage of early morning tweets on Thursday. Breaking with his past refusal to impugn special counsel Robert Mueller personally, Trumptweeted, "When is Bob Mueller going to list his Conflicts of Interest? Why has it taken so long? Read more here
Migrant crisis: EU leaders plan secure migrant centres
29th June 2018