NEWS
Calls for probe into iron plant mishap – ENGINEER SUFFERS BURNS, DIES
There must be no attempt to cover up the circumstances surrounding the death of electrical engineer Rossi Mansingh, both the Opposition and a major trade union are demanding. Mansingh died on Monday night, four days after suffering electrical burns while working on the site of the former Arcelor Mittal steel plant in the Point Lisas Industrial Estate. He died at the San Fernando General Hospital. Both Pointe-a-Pierre MP David Lee, and Oilfield Workers Trade Union (OWTU) education and research officer Ozzi Warwick made separate calls for an in-depth investigation, when contacted for comment by Newsday on Tuesday. Read more here
5-hour gridlock as man run over by vehicles on highway
A fatal road traffic accident along the westbound lane of the Churchill-Roosevelt Highway yesterday morning claimed the life of one man and left hundreds of motorists stuck in gridlock for close to five hours. Students heading to school, employees making their way to work and people on their way to do business from as far east as Piarco, central and south Trinidad were forced to endure long hours in their private cars and public transport on the way to Port-of-Spain. Some people, exasperated with the situation, returned home. The accident hampered the smooth flow of traffic headed West from 5.20 am to around 10.30 am, as the scene was cordoned off to allow forensic officers to retrieve the remains of Krishna Ramgas, 66, who was run over by several vehicles. Police said that around 5.20 am, a driver, who lives at La Resource South, D’Abadie, was proceeding west in his Nissan Navara when he struck Ramgas who was attempting to cross the busy highway. Read more here
POLITICS
Augustine: Tobago People's Party internal elections coming
The next step for the Tobago People's Party (TPP) is its internal elections. Interim political leader of the party, THA Chief Secretary Farley Augustine, told Newsday this on January 23. Augustine said he and other members met for over three hours with supporters at the Shaw Park Complex on January 20. “The party, with the help of lawyers, went through the entire constitution article by article and then onto a ratification by way of a vote among those present.” Read more here
He added: “The next step for the party would be internal elections for the party. A date will be set and announced publicly.”
Griffith: I approved 3000 FULs to law enforcement officials
The National Transformation Alliance is echoing the call of Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar for personal firearms to be made available to Law Enforcement Officials. In a media release NTA Political Leader Gary Griffith said aligns with the position taken by him when he was Commissioner of Police, where almost half of the FULs (Firearm User’s License) issued during his tenure were for past and present members of the Protective Services, constituting just 3000 of the 15,000 personnel in the protective services. He said in his first year alone, almost 1000 FULs were issued to Law Enforcement Officials. However, he said after his departure, “ A virtual stop occurred, possibly influenced by political motives, as both Rowley and Hinds seem to have an agenda against the issuance of legal firearms.” Griffith said this “stance” continues to prioritize the well-being of criminals over that of law-abiding citizens. Read more here
BUSINESS
AI can help, but humans must decide
As more advanced technology continues to be integrated into different sectors, senior officials from different energy companies maintain that the judgment and decision-making should be left to human staff. The discussion was one of several topics raised during the question and answer segment of a panel discussion during the 2024 T&T Energy Conference at the Hyatt Regency conference centre yesterday afternoon. The theme of this year’s conference is Accelerating Action. Responding to questions from an attendee on data management using a mobile application, chief operations officer for Atlantic LNG Jean Andre Celestain said having humans as the main operators behind such systems was critical. He added that access to data is necessary for the operation of facilities and it is critical to ensuring faster, more efficient responses. Celestain noted that disorganised or inaccessible data could take longer. Read more here
Energy Chamber chair: 'Saving a year on oil well saves US$120m'
Energy Chamber chairman Jerome Dookie made a plug for quicker approvals of energy projects by regulatory bodies by saying reducing the waiting time to drill an oil well by one year could save US$120 million. He was addressing the Energy Chamber's energy conference at the Hyatt Regency, Port of Spain, on January 23. Read more here
REGIONAL
Law Reform Commission essential to modern Guyana
President, Dr Irfaan Ali on Tuesday emphasised the importance of a functioning Law Reform Commission in the building out of a modern Guyana during the swearing in of a new chairperson of the commission.
The Head of State said: “Guyana’s current and future development ties into the need for modern legislation,” especially since the advancement of partnerships and cooperation between companies and countries must be done on the right legal basis. Laws, he added, are necessary to advance, support and protect the development process. The President spoke about the dynamic and ever-changing nature of society and the need to make necessary reforms to the legislative architecture to protect the explosive development and to be responsive to modern justice demands. Read more here
INTERNATIONAL
Mongolia: Six dead after liquified natural gas tanker crashes
Six people have died - including three firefighters - after a truck carrying 60 tons of liquefied natural gas crashed and exploded in the Mongolian capital. Hundreds of firefighters had been sent to battle the blaze following the collision with a car in Ulaanbaatar on Wednesday morning, officials said. At least 11 people were injured, with the fire spreading to nearby buildings. One local resident described how he initially thought a plane had crashed. Erdenebold Sukhbaatar, a 40-year-old lawyer, told Reuters news agency the crash, which took place just after 01:00 local time (17:00 GMT on Tuesday), had felt like an earthquake, but was followed by a bright light. Read more here
24th January 2024