NEWS
Jamaican reggae artistes beg Trinidad and Tobago: 'End the crime and bloodshed'
Redemption 8 The Concert not only took thousands of patrons down a reggae and dancehall musical memory lane but also was the forum where the performers begged for an end to the crime and bloodshed in TT. The five main acts – TT’s Black Loyalty and Jamaican reggae veterans Luciano (Jepther McClymont), Beres Hammond, Buju Banton (Mark Myrie) and Anthony B (Keith Blair) – all hit out at TT’s rampant crime and pleaded for peace to reign once more. It was a night of healing for many who had to endure another week of bloodshed where at least nine murders were committed. Read more here
State to file more grounds of appeal today in Brent Thomas case
The State will today file additional grounds for appeal against Justice Devindra Rampersad’s order on the Brent Thomas matter. This was confirmed on Saturday. Last Friday, the State submitted grounds of appeal to the Appeal Court against the order of Justice Rampersad’s April 25 judgment on the Thomas issue. The court’s record at 11.34 pm acknowledged uploading of the State’s submission done under the Gazette’s Practice Direction #12 . The matter is now sub-judice, officials said. The State is seeking an order setting aside the judge’s orders and seeking that costs of the appeal be paid by the respondents –Thomas and Shooting Specialist Training Centre Ltd (SSTCL). Read more here
POLITICS
UWI economist responds to scathing attack from Imbert: Let's have a public discussion
Economist and senior UWI lecturer Professor Roger Hosein has called fro a public seminar by the Ministry of Finance to discuss the facts surrounding the true state of this country's economy in the face of the recently published International Monetary Fund's (IMF) Article IV Report on the economy. His call came on Sunday afternoon, hours after Finance Minister Colm Imbert – in a press release – criticised claims ascribed to Hosein in a Sunday Express story. Imbert, in the release on Sunday, said that in the face of good news in terms of the TT economy as outlined in the IMF's report, Hosein "has declared without any rational basis, in an article published in the Express, that the data showed TT having 4.5 per cent reduction in real GDP growth in 2023 compared to 2022.” Read more here
Mark wants AG to face Privileges Committee over Govt’s hefty legal bills
Attorney General Reginald Armour, who denied last year that legal fees had been paid to his former chambers, is expected to be taken before the Privileges Committee for allegedly misleading the Parliament. This was revealed by Leader of Government Business Senator Wade Mark following the Sunday Guardian’s expose of the Government’s hefty legal bill, which has crossed the one billion dollar mark with critical figures yet to come in from the lucrative Ministries of Finance and Energy. Activist Ravi Balgobin Maharaj, in a series of Freedom of Information applications sent to Government ministries, obtained the data which revealed between September 2015 to March 3, 2023, a total of $1,116,405,411.34 was paid out to 109 attorneys, some of whom will be bestowed the title of Senior Counsel next week. Read more here
BUSINESS
Imbert: Hosein’s statements ‘erroneous and ridiculous’
Minister of Finance Colm Imbert has hit back at UWI professor Dr Roger Hosein calling his statements about the local economy “erroneous and ridiculous”. Hosein responded to the recently published IMF 2023 report on the Trinidad and Tobago economy. The IMF said the economy was recovering, but Hosein said he was not in agreement with that assessment, and said the data told a different story. In a statement yesterday, the Minister challenged Hosein’s position. Read more here
REGIONAL
Diaspora a critical source of investment, expertise
President, Dr Irfaan Ali, on Sunday at the Guyana High Commission engaged Guyanese living in England. The President outlined his government’s intention to make Guyana self-sufficient in Food, Infrastructure, Healthcare, Housing, and Energy by 2030. Dr Ali presented a video detailing his government’s plans for economic development and initiatives to develop local communities and municipalities. He thanked the diaspora for its contributions to Guyana’s development. He said that it is an important source of investment, expertise, and ideas that could help drive the country’s growth and development. (Office of the President). Read more here
INTERNATIONAL
Texas mall shooting: Officials probe gunman's possible far-right links
Federal authorities are investigating whether the gunman who killed eight people including children at a Dallas shopping mall had far-right links. The attacker, who was shot dead at the scene by a police officer, has been named as Mauricio Garcia, aged 33. Investigators are reviewing social media to look into his ideology, the BBC's US partner CBS news reports. During the attack he wore a clothing patch with the letters RWDS which stands for "Right Wing Death Squad". This is a phrase popular among right-wing extremists and white supremacy groups. One line of enquiry is whether he was motivated by these ideals and whether he had links to like-minded people, a law enforcement source told CBS. Read more here
8th May 2023