NEWS
Bandleaders get injunction against TTCBA
A High Court judge has granted an injunction to a group of Carnival bandleaders who are in dispute over a requisition for a no-confidence vote on the board of the TT Carnival Bands Association (TTCBA). On Monday, Justice Ricky Rahim granted the injunction to the group of 17 bandleaders. He said there was a serious issue to be tried in relation to the actions of the board in refusing to hold a special meeting when there was a quorum. Read more here
US Embassy helps T&T fight human trafficking with CariSECURE
This country’s crime-fighting capability and anti-human trafficking measures are being further enhanced following the official launch of the second phase of the CariSECURE programme—Strengthening Evidence-Based Decision Making for Citizen Security in the Caribbean—by the US Embassy and the Government of Trinidad and Tobago, under the auspices of the United States Agency for International Development Eastern and Southern Caribbean (USAID/ESC). CariSECURE 2.0 was launched on October 11 and will be implemented by the United Nations Development Programme on behalf of the US Embassy. Read more here
POLITICS
Chief Sec: Private sector to get contracts, THA will pay later
Chief Secretary Farley Augustine has said the Tobago House of Assembly (THA) will be relying on public-private partnerships to continue developing the island. At the THA's Mandate Monday briefing, Augustine said the administration is constrained by the limited resources from the national budget. Nonetheless, he said the THA will look at creative ways to fulfil its mandate. The assembly received $2.5 billion for the 2022/2023 fiscal year, 4.3 per cent of the total national budget. It wanted $3.97 billion. Read more here
United Nations Network on Migration launches in T&T
The rights and well-being of migrants are expected to intensify locally with the launch of the United Nations Network on Migration, Trinidad and Tobago (UNNM-TT). At yesterday’s launch at The Brix, Autograph Collection, Port-of-Spain, various United Nations’ missions including the International Organization for Migration, gathered in support of UNNM-TT’s establishment and partnership with the Government of Trinidad and Tobago. “As we are all aware, Trinidad and Tobago has been traditionally identified as a country of which migrants either originate from transit-through or see it as a destination…and there are challenges yes and it can be addressed and opportunities to be harnessed,” said IMO POS project officer, Zeke Beharry. Read more here
BUSINESS
James questions discontinuation of Virgin flights to Tobago
Economist Dr Vanus James has called for more clarity concerning the decision not to renew Virgin Atlantic’s contract for direct flights between London and Tobago. Last week both the Tobago Tourism Agency Limited (TTAL) and the airline put out statements confirming the discontinuation of its London to Tobago service at the end of this year. In the TTAL release, it was stated, “The return on investment for the Virgin Atlantic airlift subsidy funded by the public sector has been deteriorating steadily over the years, to the point where the renewal of their contract could not be logically defended and executed.” Read more here
THA: Carnival to cost $17.5m
The Tobago House of Assembly (THA) is expected to spend around $17.5 million on Tobago’s inaugural Carnival in October. Secretary for Tourism Tashia Burris revealed the figures at yesterday’s THA Mandate Monday event, at which THA Division secretaries reported on their achievements over the last few months. “We’re actually hoping to spend less, because we have a number of sponsors who have come on board to support the Carnival in its first year,” Burris said. “We have a number of persons who have pledged both cash and kind sponsorship for the Carnival, so that our spend is really largely targeted towards marketing…to ensuring that this is the safest Carnival that we can ever have,” she stated. Read more here
REGIONAL
Less debt, more ‘soft-term’ financing necessary
Considering the peculiar and special needs of Small-Island Developing states (SIDs) and low-lying coastal states, there needs to be more climate adaptation financing on soft terms, meaning more grants, concessionary interest rates, and long-term repayment periods, President, Dr. Irfaan Ali has said. In his passionate virtual address during the United Nations (UN)’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO)’s World Food Forum, President Ali said SIDs and low-lying coastal states face peculiar and inherent challenges to their food security. “These challenges relate to their smallness of land resources and the resultant diseconomies of scale, their remoteness from larger markets, susceptibility to external shocks and market vulnerabilities, narrow revenue bases, fragile ecosystems, and their vulnerability to climate risks. Read more here
INTERNATIONAL
This is not the time to change Conservative leader, minister argues
This is not the time to be changing leader, Armed Forces Minister James Heappey has argued, as he defended the prime minister. Suggestions that there is a candidate to replace Liz Truss who would unite the party is "for the birds", he added. Ms Truss has insisted she will lead the Conservatives into the next general election, despite U-turns leaving her battling to salvage her authority. Labour is calling for an election regardless of Ms Truss's position. Speaking the the BBC's Political Editor Chris Mason, Ms Truss apologised for the mistakes she made over the ill-fated mini-budget. Read more here
18th October 2022