TTMA IN THE NEWS

TTMA gives its 2019 wish list

As the TT Manufacturers’ Association prepares for a more prosperous 2019, including expanding brand TT to more international markets, it is encouraged by the sector’s growth in 2018 – including a 5.6 per cent increase in food and beverage and tobacco production. TTMA president Christopher Alcazar said in a statement. “The TTMA looks to 2019 as a year of greater opportunities both locally and internationally. We expect to see our members becoming more dynamic and efficient in their operations in order to successfully compete in the world’s markets. We will strengthen our ties and intensify our efforts in international markets such as the US, Jamaica, Suriname, Panama, Canada and Costa Rica in order to expand our market shares.” Read more here

NEWS

Erminy could not be resuscitated

The Eastern Regional Health Authority (ERHA) has detailed medical care provided to University of Trinidad and Tobago (UTT) assistant professor and National Drama Association (NDATT) president Edwin Erminy who drowned at Grande Riviere Beach on Monday. Gareth Jenkins who tried to save the 59 year-old Venezuelan production designer, criticised the “casual and cruel indifference” of health officials. Jenkins expressed concern at the delay in a doctor arriving at the scene including the doctor’s slow pace on the beach. Read more here

CoP revamps process for firearm licence

Po­lice Com­mis­sion­er Gary Grif­fith has made good on his promise to re­vamp the process for ob­tain­ing a firearm user li­cence. In an­nounc­ing the sweep­ing changes at the week­ly press brief­ing at the Po­lice Ad­min­is­tra­tion Build­ing in Port-of-Spain to­day, Sgt David Swan­son of the T&T Po­lice Ser­vice (TTPS) Firearms Sec­tion, sug­gest­ed that they would quick­ly ad­dress the al­most two-decade back­log of ap­pli­ca­tions plagu­ing him and his col­leagues. "Com­mis­sion­er Grif­fith has seen it fit to take the lead so as to ad­dress the chal­lenges faced by the Firearms Sec­tion by util­is­ing a hands-on ap­proach to ef­fi­cient­ly and ef­fec­tive­ly deal with all ap­pli­ca­tions both cur­rent and pend­ing," Swan­son said. Read more here

POLITICS

Attorney launches new party

Attorney Kenneth Munroe-Brown launched a new political party on Old Year’s Day, the Unrepresented People’s Party, he told Newsday yesterday. The Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC) has approved the name, he said, and its symbol of three horizontal and golden oil/gas pipes. Munroe-Browne explained why he had launched the party. “I returned from London in 1994 after ten years, and every day my heart bleeds to see the degradation, poverty and ineptness in our society. I’ve come to believe that evil prospers when good men do nothing. Read more here

Minister: No extension for vehicle inspection

No ex­ten­sion! Not even as long lines of those at­tempt­ing to get their ve­hi­cles to pass in­spec­tions formed out­side of the li­cens­ing of­fices through­out the coun­try. Works and Trans­port Min­ster Ro­han Sinanan says cit­i­zens had enough time to have their ve­hi­cles in­spect­ed. “The com­plaint about more time and so, I don’t buy that at all,” said Sinanan dur­ing an in­ter­view with Guardian Me­dia. “The mora­to­ri­um was for five months. What it sim­ply meant is that you have five months where we asked the li­cense of­fi­cers and po­lice to ease up on the charg­ing for the non-in­spec­tion.” Sinanan said the Min­istry of Works and Trans­port grant­ed a mora­to­ri­um of five months in 2018 for ve­hi­cle own­ers to get their ve­hi­cle in­spect­ed. Read more here

BUSINESS

bmobile promises exciting new developments in 2019

New and existing bmobile customers can confidently look ahead to 2019 knowing that there will be exciting new products and services, all designed to rapidly, seamlessly and cost-effectively support their growth and development needs. TSTT executive Rakesh Goswami assured the company will continue its digital transformation efforts to improve the service experiences for businesses and consumers. Read more here

REGIONAL

PM, Opposition Leader Held Private Talks

Prime Minister Andrew Holness and Opposition Leader Dr Peter Phillips yesterday held full, frank, and confidential talks on issues concerning security and crime management, a joint statement from both men has confirmed. The statement notes that the discussions were held in private at Vale Royal and that both men agreed that a meeting of teams from the Government and the Opposition would take place next Monday, January 7. They also agreed that at the Monday meeting, a date would be determined for a meeting with other stakeholders. Read more here

INTERNATIONAL

China lunar rover successfully touches down on far side of the moon, state media announces

In an historic first, China has successfully landed a rover on the far side of the moon, Chinese state media announced Thursday, a huge milestone for the nation as it attempts to position itself as a leading space power. China's National Space Administration (CNSA) landed the craft, officially named Chang'e 4, at 10:26 am Beijing time on Thursday, in the South Pole-Aitken Basin, the moon's largest and oldest impact crater, China Central Television (CCTV) reported. Read more here

North Korea ambassador to Italy 'disappears', says South

South Korea's spy agency has told officials that North Korea's ambassador to Italy has disappeared. The announcement follows unconfirmed reports that Pyongyang's top diplomat in Italy had sought asylum from an unidentified Western country. Jo Song-gil, the acting North Korean ambassador to Rome, is the son and son-in-law of high-ranking North Korean officials. The last senior diplomat to defect was the deputy ambassador in London. Thae Yong-ho abandoned his post in 2016, along with his wife and children. He defected to South Korea. As one of the highest-ranking officials to ever defect from the North, his move was seen as a blow to Kim Jong-un's regime. He would go on to urge the world to spread information in North Korea to undermine Mr Kim's status among his people. Read more here

3rd January 2019

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