NEWS
Chambers, cops advise small businesses: Don’t pay extortionists
President of the Tunapuna Police Station Community Council and director of the Greater Tunapuna Chamber of Industry & Commerce Neil Boodoosingh says small and micro businesses are most affected by extortion in the area, with more than 20 businesses targeted in the past year. He made the comment as police on Thursday said three men were arrested for their role in an extortion racket. North Central Division officers held the men on August 28, after weeks of investigations and surveillance. Read more here
Credit union honours SEA excellence
The Community Care Credit Union (CCCU) has distributed 13 bursary scholarships to students who excelled in the 2024 SEA exams. For the past 30 years, the prestigious David Douglas Bursary Scholarship has been awarded in honour of Douglas, a former board member whose significant contributions have been instrumental in CCCU’s growth and success. In a release, the CCCU, previously known as Lever Brothers Credit Union, said the organisation continued to recognise and reward academic excellence among its young savers. This year, CCCU awarded the scholarships to 13 outstanding young savers who excelled in their Secondary Assessment Examination (SEA). Read more here
POLITICS
UNC: PM legislative agenda will not help population
Opposition MP David Lee said the Prime Minister’s proposed legislative agenda has not changed for the last nine years. He said the agenda has zero potent measures to address or immediately improve the lives of TT’s citizens. Speaking during Wednesday’s post-cabinet media briefing at Whitehall, Dr Rowley said Tobago internal self-governance, campaign finance reform, the Miscellaneous Provisions (Global Forum) Bill 2024, an Election and Boundaries Commission (EBC) report, and a Salaries Review Commission (SRC) report were some of the pieces of legislation to be addressed during the upcoming parliamentary session. In a WhatsApp response to questions from Newsday on Thursday, Lee said the proposed agenda totally ignored the day-to-day struggles of TT’s citizens. Read more here
Police welfare boss heartened by PM’s support—‘We have no second chance when criminals firing at us’
The Police Service Social and Welfare Association (PSSWA) believes the Prime Minister’s comments about the increase in police-involved killings is not only a motivator to officers, but can also serve as a much-needed warning to criminals. It was earlier this month that the Police Complaints Authority (PCA) highlighted what it called an alarming increase in police- involved killings. Guardian Media has received conflicting statistics in this regard. The PCA says it has recorded 21 such cases so far for 2024, while the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) has that figure at 37. When asked about the PCA’s concerns over the rise in such killings during Thursday’s post-Cabinet media briefing at Whitehall, the Prime Minister seemingly came to the defence of the officers, noting that the reason for the increase could be that more criminals are feeling emboldened to shoot at the police. Read more here
BUSINESS
Eight graduate from NH internship programme
After two years of intense on-the-job training, eight interns have completed the second cycle of the internship programme designed by NH to cultivate young professionals in the construction sector. The graduation ceremony took place yesterday at the Kapok Hotel, Port of Spain. In his remarks, NH’s executive chairman, Emile Elias, praised the internship programme for its importance to the company’s long-term succession planning and development of its next generation of leaders. "There are issues within the construction sector to find skilled labour and there are issues within our country to address unemployment and underemployment, especially of young people. The NH internship programme is an invaluable resource that gives us access to employ the best graduates in the region and it gives young people access to learn from the best professionals in the industry," said Elias. Read more here
EMA urges ban on ‘noisy’ fireworks
With the country’s 62nd Independence Day celebrations scheduled for tomorrow, the Environmental Management Authority (EMA) has reiterated its recommendation to ban traditional noise-producing fireworks and replace them with noise-reducing alternatives. The EMA also reminded the public that a permit is required to set off fireworks and that failure to obtain one could result in a $1,000 fine. These statements were made in a public notice issued by the EMA yesterday. Read more here
REGIONAL
Greater interlinkages, new lands, massive opportunities created
Creating an avenue for greater interlinks across the country, the new Schoonord to Crane four-lane highway in Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara) was on Thursday evening commissioned by President Dr. Irfaan Ali. In his feature address at the commissioning ceremony, the Head of State highlighted how the modern throughway will further position Guyana as a major transportation and logistics hub. Read more here
INTERNATIONAL
Ukraine F-16 destroyed during Russian attack, BBC told
One of the F-16 fighter jets sent from Nato allies to Ukraine has been destroyed, a Ukrainian military source has told the BBC. The aircraft went down amid a barrage of Russian missiles on Monday, killing pilot Oleksiy Mes, Ukraine's military said. It marks the first loss of its kind since the planes were delivered earlier this month. The cause of the crash was not a direct result of an enemy missile strike, the Ukrainian military claims. It said the pilot destroyed three cruise missiles and one drone in Russia's largest aerial attack to date. Read more here
30th August 2024