NEWS
Environmental police shut down noisy Diego business
A Diego Martin resident who complained of loud music from a local business disturbing its neighbours in a residential area is now at peace. Environmental Management Agency (EMA) officials visited the business on Tuesday night, the resident said. After the visit, the loud music stopped immediately and had not been heard again up to Newsday’s phone call at noon on Wednesday. Read more here
Cops start criminal probe of ex-TTFA boss' activity
A Guardian Media exclusive investigation has prompted a criminal probe by the white-collar division of the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS), into the activities of the T&T Football Association (TTFA), a Panamanian bank account linked to its former president David John-Williams and all business transactions involving the Home of Football project in Couva. This investigation comes at a time when the sport of football and the cash-strapped TTFA is on the verge of facing its darkest ever moment—suspension by international football’s governing body FIFA come tomorrow. Read more here
POLITICS
Partying 25-year-old 'killed' granny with covid19
A mother believes that her partying 25-year-old contracted covid19 and brought it home, "killing" her grandmother, said Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh. He was speaking on Wednesday during the Health Ministry covid19 media conference. He said while he had received some condemnation about his remarks about a young woman on a "private beach," he had received praise from a number of parents for talking to young people. Read more here
Ramischand has choice words for Deyalsingh
At least two doctors, including one working at the Health Ministry, two lawyers and one accountant were at the “private beach party” that is currently engaging the attention of police, according to a post on the Facebook account of Odai Ramischand, the father of the woman who posted a video of the event on social media over the weekend. Guyana-born attorney Ramischand also used his social media platform to send an explicit message to Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh, over the minister’s comments against his daughter Samantha, who was seen in the video. Read more here
BUSINESS
Mega Foods makes 'everyday' products for TT, region
Many local businesses are feeling the effects of the financial pinch brought on by the covid19 pandemic, with some of them being forced to permanently close their doors or send home workers. But for the O’Meara Road, Arima-based Mega Foods, it’s just the opposite. “The pandemic hasn’t affected us at all in the sense that our production is basically export. So if the export market is not affected we are not affected. It hasn’t been. We sell about than ten per cent of what we produce in TT and we export 90 per cent of what we produce. Read more here
Can Rowley do a Keiron Pollard?
The Trinbago Knight Riders (TKR) played through the recently-concluded Caribbean Premier League (CPL) unbeaten and won the competition convincingly. The team’s success appeared to be built on sound leadership, proper planning for their opponents, talent, focus, unity and depth in their bench. It was not based on wishful thinking nor vooping. Their success is a lesson that the country and the political directorate desperately need to learn from, because as I have said before, since the Vision 2020 effort, the country has failed to plan and lacks the kind of focus that will lead to success. Read more here
T&T’s debt tops $120b
Trinidad and Tobago’s (T&T) total net public sector debt rose to $120.5 billion, or 71.7 per cent of the country’s gross domestic product at the end of July 2020, according to the Central Bank’s Economic Bulletin for July 2020, which was published on Tuesday. Read more here
REGIONAL
A champion of democracy arrives
U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo arrives in Guyana today on a two-day visit. During this time he will lead a U.S. delegation in meetings with President Dr Irfaan Ali and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Hugh Hilton Todd. The two sides will conclude agreements aimed at strengthening the Guyana/U.S. cooperation programme. Secretary Pompeo is also scheduled to meet with Secretary-General of the Caribbean Community, Ambassador Irwin LaRocque. Read more here
Bikers Engage In Shoot-Out Amid Peak-Hour Traffic On Waterloo Road
The police are now at the scene of a daring shoot-out at the intersection of Waterloo and Hope roads in St Andrew during peak hour on Wednesday. Evening traffic was at a standstill when explosions rang out. It is reported that the shooting involved armed motorcyclists. “The man a shoot and load him gun and dem a fire at each other,” said one alleged eyewitness in reference to one of the gunmen. Read more here
INTERNATIONAL
Lesbos: Greek police move migrants to new camp after Moria fire
Police on the Greek island of Lesbos are moving thousands of migrants and refugees from the fire-gutted Moria camp to a new tent city nearby. Seventy female officers in protective suits were flown in to organise the transfer of women and children to the temporary Kara Tepe camp. On Wednesday four Afghan asylum seekers were charged with starting the fire that destroyed Moria last week. A government official said 1,800 had moved into Kara Tepe by early Thursday. But many migrants and refugees remain reluctant to stay on Lesbos, as Moria was overcrowded and squalid. They hope to go elsewhere in Europe, especially Germany. Read more here
Trump's not bothering to hide his political interference in vaccine push
President Donald Trump's political interference in the scientific and ethical process underwriting the quest for a Covid-19 vaccine -- on stunning display on a chaotic Wednesday -- is deepening the damage of his disastrous pandemic response. In a breathtaking spell of propagandizing, a President who has no medical expertise and has incessantly downplayed the emergency bulldozed into the White House Briefing Room to kneecap one of the nation's top health officials, Dr. Robert Redfield. The head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had told lawmakers it could be fall 2021 before there are sufficient vaccine stocks to allow normal life to resume. He also said masks work. Read more here
17th September 2020