NEWS
Met Office warns of severe risk: Beware of rivers bursting banks
The Met Office says there is “a severe risk to public safety, livelihood and property.” It issued an updated orange-level riverine alert at 6.55 this morning. As a result, the Education Ministry has said all schools will be closed today. UWI said last night that all classes on Thursday and Friday will take place via Zoom and not on campus. The Met Office said the continuous rainfall overnight had pushed major watercourses to critical thresholds, and some may be close to overspilling or already doing so. Read more here
Lopinot woman feared dead after being washed away
Members of the T&T Fire Service Search and Rescue team, the Hunters Search and Rescue team, T&T Police Service and villagers were on Wednesday night trying to locate a farmer who was feared dead after she was washed away by floodwaters while attempting to cross a ravine in Surrey Village, Lopinot. Police said Theresa Lynch, 44, and her 45-year-old brother William Ramlogan were attempting to cross the ravine, near Mc David Trace, around 1 pm to escape floodwaters while returning from her garden, when she slipped and fell into the raging waters. Ramlogan tried to rescue her but his body was thrown against rocks because of the current and he had to let go of Teresa’s hand to save his own life. Ramlogan was eventually rescued by other farmers who had heard his cries for help but they could not find Lynch. Read more here
POLITICS
Labour Minister: No plans to increase OJT stipends
Minister of Labour Stephen McClashie has said the government is not considering making changes to the stipends of On-The-Job Training Programme (OJT) trainees "at this time." He was responding to a questions during a standing financial committee meeting in Parliament on Wednesday. He said there are approximately 4,000 trainees in the programme. Read more here
Finance Ministry allocates money for legal fees
The Finance Ministry has allocated certain legal funding because it appears to be a target of “UNC members” and has to deal with a barrage of litigation flowing from them. Minister of Finance Colm Imbert indicated this in Parliament yesterday during the Standing Finance Committee examination of the Finance Ministry’s $7.9 billion allocation in the 2023 Budget. Funding included $135 million for 2022, for consultants to provide analytical services (for different areas) and $122.6 million of this was paid already. There’s also funding for legal fees for 2023. Opposition MP Saddam Hosein asked how much legal fees would have to be paid for the recent spotlight matter involving former National Insurance Board acting commissioner Rohini Ramkissoon. Imbert lost that matter in court on Tuesday. Read more here
BUSINESS
Gopee-Scoon: Businesses booming in Trinidad and Tobago
Exports are at record levels, the country's figures are great, and exciting new businesses abound in TT, effused Trade Minister Paula Gopee-Scoon, in her budget contribution on Tuesday in the House of Representatives. She boasted of non-energy GDP up by 2.2 per cent, private sector credit up by 6.6 per cent, growth up by two per cent, and GDP per capita from US$15,000 to US$19,500 and heading to US$20,000 by year-end. Inflation is 5.09 per cent, reserves are US$6.8 billion and debt-to-GDP 70 per cent. Read more here
T&T uses CAF funding to push digital transformation
The Ministry of Finance has reached an agreement with CAF - Development Bank of Latin America, to secure funding to aid with the digitalisation of the online tax payment system in Trinidad and Tobago. According to a release by CAF, funding will be provided by the Development Bank to develop various areas that are very important to the introduction of online payments in Trinidad and Tobago’s public sector. In the release, Finance Minister Colm Imbert admitted a very limited number of Trinidad and Tobago citizens conduct transactions online. Read more here
REGIONAL
‘To all our teachers, thank you!’
Noting that government is continuously working to ensure that teachers are given the right environment in which to work, President, Dr Irfaan Ali on World Teachers’ Day observed on Wednesday thanked teachers in Guyana and across the world for their selfless commitment and dedication to their profession. “I want to thank all my teachers for their love, their commitment, their guidance and the sacrifices they made. “On behalf of all the children of Guyana I want to thank all the teachers of this beautiful country, and teachers worldwide, for the work that they do and the commitment and sacrifices that they make,” the President said. Read more here
INTERNATIONAL
Nika Shakarami: Iran protester's family forced to lie about death – source
Relatives of a girl who died during protests in Iran have been forced into making false statements, a source close to the family has told BBC Persian. Nika Shakarami, 16, went missing in Tehran on 20 September after telling a friend she was being chased by police. On Wednesday night, a state TV report showed her aunt, Atash, saying: "Nika was killed falling from a building." Her uncle was also seen on TV speaking against the unrest, as someone seems to whisper to him: "Say it, you scumbag!" The source told BBC Persian that these were both "forced confessions" that came "after intense interrogations and being threated that other family members would be killed". Read more here
6th October 2022