NEWS
Industrial Court president: Labour laws are for everyone
President of the Industrial Court Deborah Thomas-Felix feels there is a need for the public to better understand labour laws. She is encouraging everyone, regardless of their background and social standing, to read her new book to understand their rights and protections. Thomas-Felix has served as the court's president since 2011 and was appointed by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to sit on their administrative tribunal last March. Read more here
36 vie to become 2021 Chutney Soca Monarch
A total of 36 Chutney Soca artistes are vying for this year’s top prize in the virtual Chutney Soca Monarch competition held Saturday and last night. The event was carried live of Guardian Media’s CNC3 Television and Sangeet 106.1 FM and was also streamed live on Youtube and Facebook. Read more here
POLITICS
UNC tells Ramdial: PDP no threat to us
The UNC is unconvinced by its former member and Couva North MP Ramona Ramdial’s claims that the PDP (Progressive Democratic Patriots) would be a “real threat” in Trinidad should it become a national party. In a Newsday article published on Saturday, Ramdial urged the PDP not to limit itself to Tobago based on its performance at Monday’s THA (Tobago House of Assembly) election. The PDP and the PNM tied, winning six electoral districts each. Read more here
Dennis asks PM for Parliament resolution to impasse
hief Secretary of the Tobago House of Assembly (THA), Ancil Dennis has asked Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley to have Parliament amend the THA Act, among which would be the provision of 13 seats to enable fresh elections in Tobago. He has also announced that he will call for the resignation of all secretaries in the THA Executive Council who did not seek reelection and were replaced in the THA. Dennis made the announcement in a statement published on page 8 of today’s newspaper. Read more here
BUSINESS
Contractors seek clients' fairness with steel price spike
The Global sky-rocket in steel prices has forced TT Contractors Association (TTCA) president Glenn Mahabirsingh to seek changes to the FIDIC Red Book so that contractors do not operate at unavoidable losses. Current construction contracts are based on firm price contracts, meaning there is little to no room for adjustments to material prices agreed to on contracts. Read more here
Investor’s guide to ups and downs
The stock market moves in cycles with periods of expansion and contraction. When the decline exceeds 20 per cent it is referred to as a bear market while an expansion in excess of 20 per cent is called a bull market. Read more here
REGIONAL
Woman gunned down in church was receiving death threats from late husband’s relatives
A manhunt for the presumed shooter was still under way across St James Sunday night in the wake of a spine-chilling murder of a bank executive as she prayed in church. Read more here
Audit of oil contracts in sight
Contracts related to Guyana’s oil-and-gas-sector will soon be audited by the Audit Office of Guyana, as this agency is constantly building capacity to analyse almost every aspect of the burgeoning sector. The importance of transparency and accountability is practically implied in this case because it is common knowledge that the oil-and-gas-sector, in any economy, is usually “big business”. Read more here
INTERNATIONAL
Trump stockpiles millions in donations as he faces a second impeachment trial
Donald Trump's new political committee took in more $30 million in the final weeks of 2020 as he made relentless and baseless claims of voter fraud, new filings show. And Trump's Save America political action committee started this year with a substantial $31.1 million in cash reserves, as the former president faces a second impeachment trial in the US Senate and works to cement his standing as an enduring force in Republican politics. Read more here
Myanmar coup: Aung San Suu Kyi detained as military seizes control
Myanmar's military has seized power after detaining Aung San Suu Kyi and other democratically elected leaders. Troops are patrolling streets in major cities and communications are limited. The top army commander is now in charge and a one-year state of emergency has been declared, army TV announced. The move follows a landslide win by Ms Suu Kyi's party in an election which the army claims was marred by fraud. She urged her supporters to "not accept this" and "protest against the coup". Read more here
1st February 2021