NEWS
Children’s Authority interviews Raquel’s daughter
The Children’s Authority has visited and interviewed the teenage daughter of Raquel Madoo. The child’s maternal grandmother, who has been taking care of her since Saturday, said staff from the authority interviewed the girl over the weekend. Deomattie Madoo is hoping that information from that interview may lead to the arrest of a man who abused her daughter. Yesterday, Children’s Authority chairman Hanif Benjamin said he could not give any details of the interview or the child’s case, as it is a very sensitive matter. He confirmed that he had given instructions for authority staff to interview the child and assess her case. Read more here
Lawyer: Burglary not normal
Attorney Nyree Alfonso said yesterday something was amiss after burglars broke into her law chambers, located a short distance away from Central Police Station, and left empty-handed. Alfonso said several items were disturbed and the petty cash in the office was not even touched. Read more here
Axed employees breached contract
Cadel Trading Limited, which owns and operates Francis Fashions Shoe Locker, has defended its decision to fire 22 employees last week. Read more here
POLITICS
Fuad: Open the damn hospital
“I call on them to open the damn (Couva Children’s) hospital.” That was the demand from former health minister Dr Fuad Khan after reports that part of the ceiling at the San Fernando General Hospital (SFGH) burns unit had caved in over the weekend. Part of the ceiling of theunit at Level 1 collapsed early on Saturday morning. Four patients were warded there at the time but neither they not the staff were inured. Read more here
Waiting for Carmona
As citizens wait with bated breath for outgoing President Anthony Carmona to explain to the Prime Minister on what authority he granted sabbatical leave to Chief Justice Ivor Archie, two High Court judges yesterday thanked the President for his outstanding service. Read more here
BUSINESS
Caribbean prepares for climate change
After the devastating effects of Hurricanes Irma and Maria last September, Caribbean nations are starting to fully embrace the necessity of becoming climate resilient in the face of extreme weather phenomena. Together, Irma and Maria caused over US$155 billion in damages and over 170 confirmed fatalities. Recovery is expected to take decades in a world where massive and intense storms like these – once anomalies – are now expected to be more frequent. Read more here
‘Performance abysmal’
The Magdalena Grand Hotel, suffering losses and low occupancy, is expected to get a new long term operator by October, says Evolving Technologies and Enterprise Development Company (eTecK) chairman Imtiaz Ahamad. Ahamad did so yesterday when eTecK management appeared before Parliament’s State Enterprises Committee at the Parliament Building in Port-of-Spain. Read more here
‘Boost to food, hospitality industry can help T&T’
Chief executive officer of Prestige Holdings Company Limited, Charles Pashley, believes if the local food and hospitality industry is developed well it can contribute to Trinidad and Tobago’s much needed economic recovery and boost tourism. Read more here
REGIONAL
Standoff, School Lockdown; Teachers' Protest Enters Day Two
Disgruntled teachers are stepping up pressure on the Government for a second day of protest action to deliver a better salary package than the 16-per cent over four years that they are being asked to accept. Yesterday, in preempting the likely fallout, the Ministry of Education put in place a number of contingencies including utilising Regional Response Teams comprising officers from the ministry, select tertiary institutions, secondary schools student bodies and the National Parent Teachers Association of Jamaica.The contingency measures covered 760 Primary, All Age and Primary and Junior High Schools and 171 High Schools. Read more here
INTERNATIONAL
From the GOP with love -- Trump gets gift from Russia panel
Donald Trump's friends on Capitol Hill have delivered. The President is now wielding a powerful new weapon in his war of credibility with America's spy agencies over their view that Russia helped put him in the White House, after House Republicans suddenly shuttered their probe into election meddling. Read more here
Russian spy: UK 'encouraged' by support over poison attack
The "strength of the support" shown to the UK over the poisoning of former Russian agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter has been encouraging, the foreign secretary has said. Boris Johnson said the UK had been talking to friends and there had been a "willingness" to show "solidarity". Russia's foreign minister said claims of Russian involvement were "rubbish". The UK has given Russia a midnight deadline to explain why a Russian-made nerve agent was used in the attack. Read more here
13th March 2018