NEWS
OWTU: Industrial court, unions essential
Both the Industrial Court and the trade union movement have been deemed essential components of society as they provide mechanisms to “contain the anger, frustration and pain of ordinary working people.” In a media release, Oilfields Workers Trade Union (OWTU) chief education and research officer Ozzi Warwick expressed concern with recent statements attributed to TT Chamber of Industry and Commerce head Ronald Hinds who blamed the actions of trade unions for the shutting down of steel company Arcelor Mittal and the decision by energy giant BP to relocate construction of its Angelin platform to the US. Read more here
Mottley: T&T at tipping point like mid-90s
National award holder Wendell Mottley says Trinidad and Tobago is at a tipping point like the mid-1990s again. But he is looking forward to leadership coming from the young generation. “...The leadership that will make me feel people of my age have passed the baton and we can live comfortably with that thought,” Mottley added yesterday, soon after receiving the Order of the Republic of T&T, the country’s highest award. A former politician and star T&T athlete, Mottley was presented with the award by President Paula-Mae Weekes at President’s House. Read more here
POLITICS
Emily: ‘Ministers don’t get involved’
Former housing minister Dr Emily Dick-Forde says she had no dealing with the stoppage and restarting of over 500 state constructed homes in Greenvale, La Horquetta. In a telephone interview with Newsday yesterday Dick-Forde reiterated what she posted on Facebook that the Greenvale project was not something she was familiar with adding that it was close to a decade ago. Dick-Forde replaced then housing minister, now Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley in 2007, the housing project was halted in 2009, both Dick-Forde and Rowley were out of government in 2010. Read more here
PM: Sandals pull-out would be a disaster
Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley has admitted that T&T’s back will be against a wall if Sandals Resorts pulls out of building two hotels in Tobago. Rowley made the comment at Thursday’s post-Cabinet media briefing at the Diplomatic Centre, St Ann’s, as he gave an update on the Sandals project, saying quite a few detractors have been saying the Government has not been following proper procurement processes with Sandals International since signing a Memorandum of Understanding last year. “We have no information to hide. Those who are pushing this story about secrecy...half of them are mischievous and the other half is not familiar with the conduct of public business.” Read more here
PM rejects secrecy claim
Dismissing as invalid the claim that his Government was functioning by secrecy, Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley yesterday lashed out that those who were prematurely demanding information. Read more here
BUSINESS
Crime robs growth: prevent it with innovation
How much does crime cost? According to an IMF report released in September, “Public and private spending on policing and securities, medical expenses, judicial procedures and forgone income, is about 3.5 per cent of GDP…compared to two per cent in advanced economies.” That is approximately US$770 million. And that is just the direct cost. Fear of crime drives emigration and capital flight. If your business has just been robbed, the chances that you will make a significant investment fall. Read more here
Jobs are not enough
By April of this year, T&T had seen 175 murders committed. This represented a 45 per cent increase on the same period five years ago. In fact, of the preceding 64 months, only 11 (17 per cent) averaged less than a murder a day. Only one of these months has come since the end of 20151. Over this same period, only 2014-2015 saw an annual reduction in murders. Perhaps that year offenders took Kerwin Du Bois and Ravi B literally when they sang ‘Overdoing It’. Either way, the respite was short-lived. The government and the police service say they are doing their best to remedy the situation. It is beyond the scope of this article to judge their progress or make policy recommendations. Read more here
REGIONAL
Haunted By Nightmares - Children Exposed To Violence And Sexual Abuse Not Sleeping, Says Specialist
Nightmares are common occurrences among Jamaican children who experience acts of violence or regular sexual abuse, Dr Elizabeth Ward, chairman of the Violence Prevention Alliance, has said. Examining the latest police data on the number of children murdered or sexually abused since January, Ward emphasised the need for the Government to speed up the implementation of the much-talked-about Safe Spaces for Children programme. According to police statistics, from January 1 to October 31, 2018, a total of 353 major crimes were committed against children across Jamaica. That figure represents 128 fewer major crimes than occurred during the same period in 2017, when it was 481. Of the 353 children, 38 were murdered (24 males and 14 females). This indicates a 21 per cent decrease when compared to last year, when 48 of the nation's youth were killed. Read more here
INTERNATIONAL
Khashoggi murder: Saudi prince 'said he was dangerous Islamist'
Lion Air crash: Why recovering plane from sea floor will be such a challenge
Indonesia's authorities lifted the wheels of crashed Indonesian Lion Air Flight 610 out of the sea Friday, as questions turned to how to retrieve what is left of the body of the aircraft from the seabed. Investigators located a plane engine turbine on the ocean floor Friday, one of the largest pieces of debris found so far, five days after the flight crashed into the sea off the capital Jakarta, killing all 189 people on board. Divers located the flight data recorder and landing gear on Thursday, but are still looking for the cockpit voice recorder to shed more light on what happened in the final moments of the flight. Read more here
2nd November 2018