NEWS
UK leader David Cameron to resign after Brexit humiliation
It's often said that David Cameron is a lucky politician who has seemed to coast through politics on instinct and charm during a career that has culminated in six years as British prime minister. On Thursday, his luck ran out. In calling a referendum on Britain's membership in the European Union, Cameron made a gamble that sank his career — and set his country on a course to leave an international alliance it joined more than 40 years ago. Speaking to assembled reporters outside his Downing Street office Friday, he said he would stay on for as long as was necessary for stability's sake, but that he could not be the one to lead Britain out of Europe. Read more here…
More workers to lose jobs
Another 66 workers are set to lose their jobs with no severance payments. The workers from four branches of roofing company GGI Trinidad and Tobago Ltd are expected to be sent home in 45 days. The company has its headquarters in Arima and other branches in Port of Spain, Marabella and Tobago. And the company states that workers may not be paid their severance.
On Wednesday, workers received letters informing them that they will be sent home on August 6 after the company goes into receivership. By July 29, they are expected to return all company property to GGI Ltd. Read more here…
Garcia vexed as govt-supplied books being sold: An act of dishonesty
National Security assistance has been recruited to ascertain how new state-supplied textbooks—bearing the stamps of some schools—are being sold on the streets of Port-of-Spain, Education Minister Anthony Garcia says.“The people doing this (selling) should be before the courts—it’s an act of dishonesty,” Garcia added at yesterday’s post-Cabinet media conference at the Office of the Prime Minister, St Clair. Garcia revealed the issue while reinforcing Government’s decision to top-up supplies of textbooks to schools by only ten per cent. He said when this was first done last year—rather than total replenishment of supply—there had been outcry and claims that some children didn’t have books to go to school with. But deeming that “totally false”, Garcia said Government did an audit of the situation and found there were large numbers of textbooks in all schools. Read more here…
POLITICS
Bidaisee: Govt owes me $3m for legal fees
Attorney to the CLICO Commission, Shankar Bidaisee, says he is still owed $3 million in fees by the Government. The Express reported yesterday that Bidaisee’s fees from the commission amounted to $7,192,000. He was the highest paid local attorney attached to Sir Anthony Colman’s $100 million commission into the failure of CLICO and the Hindu Credit Union (HCU), of which $80 million were spent on legal fees. In an e-mail response to the Express to explain his fees, Bidaisee said: “A substantial portion of the fees (the rate of which was fixed by cabinet) quoted in yesterday’s Express represented invoices for work (including months of work in London) which dated as far back as 15th May, 2014 up until 14th May, 2016 have not yet been paid and are still outstanding. They represent payment for in excess of five years of advising Sir Anthony, reading through millions of pages, analysing the information, research and indexing of information disclosed to the commission by the several parties to the commission and assisting in the preparation of the report.” Read more here…
Rambharat on sale of Bharath’s Porsche Cayenne: Unsuitable for ministry’s fleet
Minister of Agriculture Clarence Rambharat has deemed the luxurious Porsche Cayenne which was yesterday advertised for sale in a daily newspaper as “unsuitable for the ministry’s fleet.” However, former minister of food production, Devant Maharaj, who used the SUV licensed PCR 100 for ministerial duties, agreed with the Ministry of Finance’s Central Tender Board selling the six-year-old vehicle in a public auction. Read more here…
BUSINESS
Britain votes to leave EU: Cameron to resign; markets rocked
LONDON (AP) — Britain voted to leave the European Union after a bitterly divisive referendum campaign, toppling the government Friday, sending global markets plunging and shattering the stability of a project in continental unity designed half a century ago to prevent World War III. The decision launches a yearslong process to renegotiate trade, business and political links between the United Kingdom and what will become a 27-nation bloc, an unprecedented divorce that could take decades to complete. Read more here…
REGIONAL
Voting in referendum on same-sex unions begins in Bermuda
Residents of Bermuda are today casting their votes in a non-binding referendum on same sex unions.A total of 44,367 voters are registered to cast their ballots on two questions – whether they are in favour of same-sex marriage and whether they are in favour of same-sex civil unions in Bermuda. Read more…
Former Antigua-Barbuda UN president dies in New York
Former United Nations General Assembly president and Antigua and Barbuda ambassador Dr John Ashe died suddenly on Wednesday, reportedly of a massive heart attack. He was 61. Read more…
INTERNATIONAL
UK referendum: Latest updates
In the single most momentous day in British politics since WWII, the United Kingdom has voted to leave the European Union. The impact of this result has been far and wide, with global markets hit and UK Prime Minister David Cameron announcing his resignation. Read more…
Shares and pound plunge on Leave vote
Experimental Zika vaccine to be tested on humans
24th June 2016