NEWS
Five-day forecast of more rain for Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago can expect more showers from Tuesday to Friday. A five-day weather forecast for June 11-15 issued by the Met Service via its Facebook page said low-level convergence, equatorial moisture advection (the usually horizontal movement of a mass of fluid such as air or an ocean current) and build-up, and a low level perturbation (changes in the atmosphere) from Thursday evening-Friday morning were expected to influence the weather across the country from Wednesday and for the remainder of the week. The rainy season was officially declared on May 25. Read more here
Mass shooting victim laid to rest Belmont struggles to say goodbye to Jayden
Jassani Reyes was unable to contain himself as he struggled to bid his younger sibling Jayden goodbye yesterday. Wailing as Jayden’s casket was wheeled to the altar of the St Martin DePorres RC Church, Gonzales, Belmont, Jassani’s father Ancil and other relatives had to physically subdue the soldier when he attempted to stand up, as she was still nursing injuries from the mass shooting incident that claimed his brother’s life. Jayden Reyes, 21, was one of four people who lost their lives following a shooting that began in Gonzales and ended in a bloodbath at the Port-of-Spain General Hospital (PoSGH) on the night of June 2. The other victims included Abdul Williams, 31; Kevin King, 30; and Jonathon Arjoon, 28 – all of Gonzales, Belmont. Jassani was shot in the right side of the face during the effort to get the injured men into the hospital following the drive-by shooting, which saw gunmen driving onto the compound of the PoSGH to ensure the job had been completed. Read more here
POLITICS
Agriculture Ministry gets $5m in lab upgrades
The Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries has received $5 million for laboratory upgrades to enhance plant health diagnostics. The investment was announced by chief technical officer Denny Dipchansingh on Monday at the opening of UWI St Augustine's plant health diagnostic training programme. “This investment, combined with the capacity-building training we are embarking on, will bring us closer to our goal of receiving ISO certification for these laboratories.” Read more here
UNC activist can take CoP extension case to Privy Council
Political and social activist Ravi Balgobin Maharaj has been granted conditional leave to go to the Privy Council with his legal battle against the Government’s decision to extend the term of Police Commissioner Erla Harewood-Christopher. Justices of Appeal Mark Mohammed, Maria Wilson and Ronnie Boodoosingh gave him leave yesterday to appeal to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council against the Court of Appeal’s May 8 judgment. Appellate Judges Prakash Moosai, Mark Mohammed, and James Aboud had rejected Maharaj’s appeal against Judge Ricky Rahim’s dismissal of his lawsuit in January. The Government has since extended the contract of Harewood-Christopher by one year. In the lawsuit, Maharaj challenged a decision taken by the Cabinet to extend Harewood-Christopher’s term by a year under Section 75 of the Police Service Act before she reached retirement age. Read more here
BUSINESS
NCBFG APO attracts 50% subscription
The Kingston, Jamaica headquartered NCB Financial Group (NCBFG) on Friday announced that its Additional Public Offering (APO) of shares in the company raised 50 per cent of its targeted J$5 billion (US$32 million), even though the close of offering was extended by one week "in response to requests by potential investors for additional time," the company said. NCBFG is chaired and was founded by Jamaican-Canadian investor, Michael Lee-Chin, who remains the company's largest single shareholder. The group is the majority shareholder of Guardian Holdings Ltd, the Westmoorings-based insurance company. NCBFG is listed on both the Jamaica and T&T Stock Exchanges. In a news release posted to its website on Friday evening, NCBFG said the company successfully received applications for $2.5 billion in its recently completed APO." The offering was originally to close on May 27, but was extended to June 4. Read more here
Boost for renewable energy
Energy Minister Stuart Young said there are plans to invite proposals for utility-scale solar projects on reclaimed land previously used for quarrying. Speaking at the Energy Chamber’s Caribbean Sustainable Energy Conference at the Hilton Trinidad and Conference Centre yesterday, Young said, “The Ministry of Energy and Energy Industries has identified vacant State lands located in North East Trinidad that are suitable for solar utility-scale projects. It is estimated that the establishment of solar utility projects at these sites, when combined with Project Lara, could meet the 30% goal of power generation from renewables set by the Government.” Read more here
REGIONAL
Guyana secures US$45M grant for climate adaptation project
TO reduce the risk of severe flooding, the World Bank has approved a US$45 million grant for Guyana to roll out a new Coastal Adaptation and Resilience Project. The initiative, according to the World Bank, will see the country adapting to climate change, and reducing the risk of flooding in its coastal and vulnerable regions. It is expected to benefit around 320,000 people, which captures approximately 40 per cent of the country’s population, including the most vulnerable. According to a press statement, Guyana is among the countries most vulnerable to climate change. Studies have shown that rising sea levels, among the highest in the world, expose 100 per cent of the country’s coastal agriculture, and 66.4 per cent of its coastal urban areas to flooding and erosion, with potential GDP losses that could exceed 46.4 per cent. Read more here
INTERNATIONAL
Blinken says fate of ceasefire plan down to Hamas
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said that if a ceasefire plan backed by the US and UN does not progress, Hamas will be to blame. Mr Blinken reiterated his call for Hamas to accept the plan as outlined by President Biden 11 days ago. He said the onus was on "one guy" hiding "ten storeys underground in Gaza" to make the casting vote, referring to Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar. Mr Blinken said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had "reaffirmed his commitment" to the proposal when they held talks in Jerusalem on Monday. Read more here
11th June 2024