TTMA IN THE NEWS
Bahamas seeking to increase $20 mil. trade with Trinidad
The Trinidad and Tobago Manufacturers Association (TTMA) led 15 companies to The Bahamas to engage in a trade mission, to see if the two CARICOM (Caribbean Community) nations can increase the already $20 million in annual trade that currently exists, Senator Barry Griffin told Guardian Business yesterday. Griffin, who is also the deputy chairman of the Bahamas Trade Commission, said the trade mission and others that have already happened and are to come, are the direct result of the government’s commitment to increasing trade between Caribbean countries. Read more here
NEWS
Port of Spain General Hospital NICU baby death toll up to 11
Two sets of twins have brought to 11 the number of babies who died at the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at the Port of Spain General Hospital of suspected bacterial infections. The babies died between February 22 and April 9. A list of the names of the babies, their parents and the dates of their deaths was included in a pre-action protocol letter to attorneys representing the North West Regional Health Authority (NWRHA), which is responsible for the hospital’s management. On April 13, former attorney general Anand Ramlogan, SC, and attorneys from his Freedom Law Chambers said they proposed to “file an unprecedented class action claim for medical negligence based on the mass death of seven innocent babies.” Read more here
Bamboo man dies following two-car smash-up
A 39-year-old man from Bamboo Settlement Number 3, Valsayn, lost his life in a vehicular accident during the early hours on Tuesday. Christen Lewis died following the two-vehicle smash-up around 2.45 am along the Churchill Roosevelt Highway, near the Solo factory. Lewis was a passenger in a truck driven by a man from Cashew Gardens, Carlsen Field, which had been proceeding east when a man from Curepe, who was also headed east, allegedly lost control and slammed into their vehicle.
The collision caused the truck Lewis was in to spin out of control and run off the road before it came to a stop after slamming into a metal barrier. Read more here
POLITICS
Hinds: New law will facilitate return of Trinis stuck in Syria camps
Fresh legislation will be brought to Parliament to enable the return to Trinidad and Tobago of the families of men who went to Syria to fight for Islamic State (ISIS), Minister of National Security Fitzgerald Hinds told the Senate on Tuesday in reply to a motion on the adjournment by Opposition Senator Wade Mark. Mark had urged their repatriation, vowing that if not done now, it would be done by a future UNC government. Hinds began by saying Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar was "very populist" and would say and do anything if she thought it would win her a few votes. He said the Government's policy was to allow repatriation, unlike some countries which disallowed it or which prosecute returning adults and send their children for rehabilitation. Read more here
$.5M spent monthly to upkeep empty Petrotrin Refinery
Taxpayers are spending around half a million dollars monthly to maintain the now-defunct Petrotrin Refinery at Pointe-a-Pierre while a new operator is being sought. The question on preservation costs was posed yesterday by Rushton Paray, in his capacity as vice-chair of the Public Accounts and Enterprises Committee (PAEC), during an inquiry into the audited consolidated financial statements of Trinidad Petroleum Holdings Limited (TPHL) for the year ended September 30, 2019. “The monthly cost is about $500,000,” said Newman George, chairman of the Guaracara Refining Company (GRC), one of the four subsidiaries of TPHL. Following his answer, there were mutterings from the PAEC committee questioning what currency George used in his answer. Read more here
BUSINESS
Economists differ on devaluation, but question 2024 budget delivery
With the 2024 mid-year budget review expected to be delivered next month, three leading economists examined the current state of the economy, taking into consideration key factors such as crime, the energy sector, the development of non-energy exports and more fundamentally whether the TT dollar should be devalued. Up to Tuesday, Finance Minister Colm Imbert had not yet announced a date for mid-year budget review. Economists Dr Marlene Attzs and Dr Vaalmikki Arjoon spoke against a move to devalue while Dr Ronald Ramkissoon, said he was “neither here nor there.” Read more here
WITCO starts vape line
West Indian Tobacco Company Ltd (WITCO) managing director Raoul Glynn is urging underage people to not consider or start using tobacco products, especially vape pens, before their time. This as WITCO yesterday introduced United States-based vape brand Vuse to its list of products sold in Trinidad and Tobago. Speaking at the launch yesterday at the Dunhill meeting room, WITCO compound in Champs Fleurs, Glynn said, “It’s an adult choice. There is a time, and there will be the time for them to consider and participate in whatever they choose to, but let that time come, there is no need to rush. Now that I reach in my age, I realise how important it was to stay young, so stay young.” Read more here
REGIONAL
APNU-controlled City Council lacks capacity to manage city’s infrastructure
A Full-scale clearing operation is underway after the western section of the Stabroek Market’s roof collapsed early Wednesday morning, resulting in minor injuries to four vendors and one fisherman. In response to the collapse, President Dr. Irfaan Ali visited the scene, assessed the situation, and directed government officials to take action. President Ali, expressing concern over the lack of maintenance of City infrastructure, instructed Minister within the Ministry of Public Works Deodat Indar and Minister of Local Government and Regional Development Sonia Parag, along with teams of engineers, to clear the debris. Read more here
INTERNATIONAL
The West says China makes too much. Its workers disagree
Ren Wenbing is reluctant to leave the hollowed-out brick shell which was once a thriving factory in China's manufacturing hub of Dongguan. "All the workers feel astonished," says the 54-year-old as he points out where he once assembled furniture and where everyone would gather to eat lunch. The owner of the company has moved production to South East Asia to cut costs. Mr Ren says he is owed more than 80,000 RMB ($11,000; £8,800) in redundancy pay, which could take him years to earn. "We are disappointed, and we grieve," he adds, as a machine takes a sledgehammer to the windows. Read more here
18th April 2024