NEWS
3 charged for thefts at Heritage Petroleum
Two brothers from Golconda Settlement, San Fernando are among three men charged with stealing thousands worth of heavy oil equipment from state-owned Heritage Petroleum Company Ltd. The brothers, aged 29 and 32 and the other man, 21, will appear before a Siparia magistrate today charged with unlawful possession of 19 electrical motors and one generator. They were arrested in the Forest Reserve area on Wednesday night by officers from the Amalgamated Security Services Limited who were on mobile patrol. Read more here
Charlotte Street to get facelift
Street vendors who ply their trade on Charlotte Street, Port-of-Spain, between Thursday to Sunday will have to wait for six weeks before returning to their stalls as workers of the City Corporation look to clean up the busy street. This was the word of Port-of-Spain Mayor Joel Martinez, who confirmed that the contract for vending on the street expired on December 31. He explained that the decision to keep them off the street was part of a plan to rehabilitate Charlotte Street, one of many areas in Port- of- Spain earmarked for work. Read more here
POLITICS
Hinds: PSC issues must not be repeated in Tobago
Joint select committee (JSC) member Fitzgerald Hinds has questioned whether the setting up of a Tobago Service Commission will repeat the issues plaguing the Public Service Commission (PSC). He was speaking as the JSC for the Constitution (Amendment) (Tobago Self-Government) Bill 2018 met with the Director of Personnel Administration (DPA) Debra Parkinson and other officials yesterday at the ANR Robinson room, Parliament Building, Port of Spain. Read more here
Be reasonable with inspection in Tobago—Duke
As the mad rush to have vehicles inspected and certified continues, Minority Leader Watson Duke is calling on the Government to “be reasonable” in enforcing the Motor Vehicle and Road Traffic Act as two of three working authorised vehicle inspection stations, service the entire of Tobago. Both are located on the western end of the island—the Licensing Department on Shirvan Road, Buccoo and Sylvester Auto World, Sherwood Park, Carnbee. The end-of-year rush to meet the legal requirement after Government extended the period for inspection by five months last year, exacerbated the problem, Acting Assistant Transport Commissioner Michael Looby said. Read more here
BUSINESS
So Hippie: Plants = Happiness
Graphic designer Kirk Stoute and former account executive Sherry Maxwell are the brains behind So Hippie, a rapidly growing brand, So Hippie, which has graced desks and homes throughout TT with beautifully potted succulent plants. The concept of decorative succulents has been a growing trend, especially for millennials. While Stoute puts in tremendous time and energy in balancing production and sales with his job as a graphic designer, Maxwell decided to leave her corporate job to work on building the company while working as a freelance communications consultant for a number of companies. Read more here
REGIONAL
Outbreak - Ministry Urges Caution As Dengue Cases Spike, Fatalities Confirmed
The Ministry of Health has pumped an additional $250 million into its response efforts as the island is now experiencing an outbreak of dengue fever. Health Minister Dr Christopher Tufton made the announcement yesterday during a press conference at his ministry's offices in New Kingston. Tufton said that for December, there were 123 reported dengue cases. This number includes suspected, presumed, and confirmed cases. The number also exceeds the outbreak threshold of 96 cases. He noted, too, that seven deaths have been reported since the start of the season, two of which have been confirmed as dengue related. Read more here
INTERNATIONAL
Thousands stranded on Thai islands as Tropical Storm Pabuk hits
Thousands of people were left stranded on Thailand's southern gulf coast as Tropical Storm Pabuk made landfall on Friday. Authorities had moved to suspend all flights and ferry services ahead of the storm, which hit Pak Panang district in Nakhon Si Thammarat Province at 12.45 p.m. local time (12:45 a.m. ET) with maximum sustained wind speeds of 75 kilometers per hour (46 mph), according to Thailand's Meteorological Department. Some of the country's most popular tourist destinations, including Koh Samui, Koh Phangan and Koh Tao islands, along with islands in the Andaman Sea such as Phuket and Koh Phi Phi -- made famous by the movie "The Beach" -- are expected to be affected by the storm during what is peak holiday season. Read more here
US House Democrats challenge Trump on shutdown
4th January 2019