NEWS

Chamber: TT living beyond its means

President of the TT Chamber of Industry and Commerce Reyaz Ahamad said one of the takeaways from Monday’s Spotlight on the Budget and the Economy 2021 is that TT has been living beyond its means in some cases. Ahamad told Newsday given the present economic situation in TT Government took a bold position to try to give the public a clear indication of what the country was facing and present the economic information at hand. He said some of what was presented was known, such as the oil and gas situation, forex issues and most importantly the effects of covid19 on the economy. He also said some direct statements were made, such as that there would be no devaluation of the economy. Read more here

CoP off to Ireland for 1st vacation in 2 years

Four days after he applied for his first vacation leave since becoming Commissioner of Police, Gary Griffith was given the green light to proceed for a month, where he plans to spend some time in Ireland with his son, Gary Griffith III. Griffith sought permission to leave the country in his application letter for leave to Minister of National Security Stuart Young via a letter dated September 25, 2020. Read more here

POLITICS

Browne: Imbert caught in stasis

Former minister in the finance ministry Mariano Browne said Finance Minister Colm Imbert’s presentation at the Spotlight on the Budget and Economy 2021 on Monday showed the minister is “caught in stasis.” “The minister is not prepared to change.” Browne said Imbert spoke about mandatory payments, debt obligations and salaries for state enterprises. “By now we should have examined which state enterprises are important and are critical to move forward and determine what we have to salvage and what we can’t. Because we can’t continue with business as usual.” Read more here

Minister considers Carnival later in 2021

There is now a possible lifeline for the thousands who depend and look forward to Trinidad and Tobago’s carnival, as Minister of Tourism, Culture and the Arts Randall Mitchell says he is weighing the possibility of staging it later than February of next year. His comment came a day after Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley announced that Carnival 2021 is not on due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This sent shockwaves throughout the country, particularly among key stakeholders, some of whom called for the “Greatest show on earth” to be held virtually. Read more here

BUSINESS

Patriotic confident it can meet government deadline

Ready, willing, able – and very happy that Government has given an October deadline for the closure of the Guaracara refinery purchase deal with Patriotic Energies and Technologies Company Limited. That was Patriotic head Ancel Roget’s position yesterday on Government’s disclosure that the end of October is the deadline for closure the of negotiations regarding Patriotic’s bid to buy the Pointe-a-Pierre refinery. Read more here

‘$1b in potential revenue’

Property Tax is not open for debate, Finance Minister Colm Imbert has said. Responding to questions from the public during Monday’s Spotlight on Budget 2021 event, Imbert said he was aware of many discussions on the tax. Read more here

REGIONAL

Agriculturist Allan Rickards Has Died

Veteran agriculturist and sugar cane farming expert Allan Rickards died late Tuesday night, a close member of the family confirmed. He was 79. Rickards, who had been ailing for some time, was former chairman of the All Island Jamaica Cane Farmers' Association. Read more here

Creating a conducive business environment

Miners tomorrow will benefit from the complete removal of the requirement for all vehicles used in the mining industry to be registered and have licence fees paid. This was revealed by Prime Minister (PM), Mark Philips during his supportive speech for the Motor Vehicles and Road Traffic (amendment) Bill 2020, Bill number 10 of 2020, in the National Assembly on Tuesday. Read more here

INTERNATIONAL

Trump's chaotic debate underscores stakes of November's election

It was easily the worst and most rancorous presidential debate in history. But it still left the country with its starkest election choice in many generations. Americans will need to decide if they want four more years of the fury, insults, chaos and self-absorption served up to millions of viewers by Donald Trump. If they will embrace a President with authoritarian reflexes who again said he may not accept the result of a democratic election and again refused to condemn White supremacy. Or they may pick the other guy. Read more here

Berlin patient: First person cured of HIV, Timothy Ray Brown, dies

The first person cured of HIV - Timothy Ray Brown - has died from cancer. Mr Brown, who was also known as "the Berlin patient", was given a bone marrow transplant from a donor who was naturally resistant to HIV. It meant he no longer needed anti-viral drugs and he remained free of the virus, which can lead to Aids, for the rest of his life. The International Aids Society said Mr Brown gave the world hope that an HIV cure was possible. Mr Brown, 54, who was born in the US, was diagnosed with HIV while he lived in Berlin in 1995. Then in 2007 he developed a type of blood cancer called acute myeloid leukaemia. Read more here

30th September 2020

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