NEWS
'I am not a water magician'
PUBLIC Utilities Minister Robert Le Hunte has said he cannot promise water to the people of the South on 24/7 basis because he is not a “magician”. But he is promising from next year there would be a two- to three-day a week supply. Read more here
Ministry to distribute 100,000 doses of flu vaccines
From today 100,000 doses of influenza vaccines will be made available at public health centres as the Ministry of Health seeks to prevent the spread of the virus. The H1N1 virus, in particular, has claimed over a dozen lives over the past decade and is especially dangerous to the elderly, babies and people suffering from obesity, diabetes and other non-communicable diseases. Read more here
Gunman in house
The owner of a funeral home is now in fear for his life after gunmen attacked him and tried to invade his home on Wednesday morning. He believes the mastermind behind this attack, and another a month ago at one of the branches of his company, is a woman who used to work there. Read more here
POLITICS
PM: OWTU has Govt's full support with Petrotrin refinery
Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley says the Oilfield Workers Trade Union (OWTU) has the support of the government once their plan for the Pointe-a-Pierre refinery is a robust one. Read more here
PNM woos Siparia voters
THE People’s National Movement (PNM) rode with vigour into the opposition stronghold of Siparia tonight to launch its local government campaign as it seeks to wrest control from the United National Congress (UNC). Read more here
BUSINESS
Quality matters to everyone
Implementing the National Quality Policy (NQP) and developing the National Quality Infrastructure will create the opportunity for TT’s manufacturers and service providers to attach themselves to global value chains, said Norris Herbert, permanent secretary in the Ministry of Trade and Industry. Read more here
Republic’s profits jump 19.5 per cent
REPUBLIC Financial Holdings Ltd (RFHL) ended its 2019 financial year with a profit of $1.58 billion, an increase of $258.3 million or 19.5 per cent over the previous year. Read more here
REGIONAL
‘Hell & Back!’ - Excommunicated Yahweh Leader’s Wife Says Claims Of Child Marriage Are True
The estranged wife of Omar Thompson, leader of the Assembly of Qahal Yahweh in Montego Bay, has corroborated allegations that the controversial religious sect has conducted child marriages as a probe by the police and welfare agencies deepens. Thompson’s wife, whose name is being withheld because she has expressed fears about her security, said that she is still trying to overcome the emotional torture of years of indoctrination by the religious group, which has since banished her for rebelling against the instructions of Yahweh. “I have been going through a lot. I don’t know how I hold strong. I don’t know how I am not in the streets. I am now trying to keep my sanity,” she told The Gleaner in an exclusive interview yesterday. “Over the years, I was never a part of anything like what is happening now. Read more here
INTERNATIONAL
Australia bushfires: Record number of emergencies in New South Wales
Australian authorities say an "unprecedented" number of emergency-level bushfires are threatening the state of New South Wales (NSW). More than 90 blazes were raging across the state on Friday. Gusty winds and up to 35C heat have exacerbated the fires, many of which are in drought-affected areas. There are reports of people trapped in their homes in several places, with crew unable to reach them due to the strength of the fires. "We are in uncharted territory," said Rural Fire Service Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons. "We have never seen this many fires concurrently at emergency warning level." At one point, 17 emergency-level fires were burning simultaneously across NSW. Read more here
Democrats' impeachment inquiry hits overdrive
A push by House Democrats to impeach President Donald Trump by Christmas reflects urgent political pressures but also a deeper driving force: a belief that they have got the impeachment goods on him. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's generals are cranking up the pace of their investigation ahead of next week's televised hearings, which will stress the grave historic reality of what lies ahead. It makes sense for Democrats to seize the moment as the attention of the nation is focused on impeachment, as a torrent of evidence runs in their favor and as flailing Republicans struggle to settle on a coherent defense of the President. Read more here
8th November 2019