NEWS
Attorneys question investigations into NICU deaths
More parents have come forward claiming medical negligence after their premature babies died at the neonatal intensive care unit of the Port of Spain General Hospital (PoSGH), attorneys representing the families of these infants have alleged. On Tuesday, another pre-action protocol letter was sent to the CEO of the North West Regional Health Authority which manages the PoSGH on behalf of another baby – Roxanne Ariah Fayloa Joy Richards – who died on December 24, 2023. “The death of this baby brings the number of babies who died at the PoSGH to 16,” the pre-action letter from attorney Sue-Ann Deosaran of Freedom Law chambers said. Read more here
NiQuan terminates 75 employees Liquidator expected to oversee winding-up exercise
NiQuan yesterday terminated its 75 employees and will now mothball its Pointe-a-Pierre plant, which had been in “sleep” mode. In an email to all staff, NiQuan’s founder and director Ainsley Gill said the company had run out of money trying to keep the plant operational. But it is a wind-up petition filed by its former vice president David Small last month which was the final blow for the troubled Gas to Liquids (GTL) plant. “Further, it is likely that a winding-up order will be made by the High Court pursuant to a winding-up petition brought against the company by two unsecured creditors. The next hearing before the court is scheduled for the May 3, 2024. As a result of this pending appointment of a liquidator by the court, the company is unable to extend the current furlough past the date of the 30th of April 2024. Therefore, at 5 pm on the 30th of April 2024, your contract of employment will be terminated and the company will issue individual formal termination letters,” Gill said in the letter to employees. Read more here
POLITICS
Palestine asks Trinidad and Tobago for help – UN committee seeks assistance in Gaza plight
A Palestinian diplomat in a UN team visiting this country on Tuesday asked Trinidad and Tobago to help end Israel's attack on the Gaza Strip and to recognise Palestine as a state. Palestine's permanent observer to the UN, Riyad Mansour, made this call at a briefing at the UN office in Port of Spain, with diplomats from three sympathetic nations. He is part of the UN's Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, set up in 1975 to champion Palestinian rights and a peaceful resolution to the question of Palestine. Read more here
Senate Pres scolds upper house after expletive used during debate
Senate President Nigel de Freitas was forced to lecture members of the upper house about their conduct and to suspend yesterday’s sitting for fifteen minutes after an expletive was used during debate, which caused an uproar from the Opposition Bench. On Tuesday, Opposition Senator Jayanti Lutchmedial-Ramdial brought forward a private motion calling on the Government “to reaffirm its commitment to the principles and the practice of democracy in Trinidad and Tobago.” Senator Lutchmedial-Ramdial accused the Government of eroding this country’s democracy by interfering with independent bodies like the Police Service Commission (PolSC), the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) and the Integrity Commission. Read more here
BUSINESS
Witco: New vape to boost revenue
Witco’s managing director, Raoul Glynn, said he expects the company’s new vaping product, the Vuse, to have a strong and positive effect on revenue this year. He said this at a media conference after the company’s annual general meeting held at Queen’s Hall, Port of Spain, on April 23. “The quality of the product is superior to the others on the market, the price points are attractive, the margin structure is very good and the strength of Witco on its ability to distribute and get the product where it needs to be is something that we are confident we can do without detracting from our core business. And I’m not just saying that because we make it,” he said, taking one of the vapes out of his pocket and taking a puff. “I’m saying it because I am a consumer.” Read more here
Building an entrepreneurial ecosystem
Waltnel Sosa was contemplating strategies for Trinidad and Tobago’s development when he stumbled upon an article discussing a town in Colombia called Manizales. “As they described Manizales I thought it was like T&T, one industry, which is coffee in their case, oil and gas in our case, but the social challenge that they were facing was similar to what we were facing,” Sosa said. “And there was a group of people who found a way to be able to galvanise their economy and it had an effect on the society and I said ‘but this is exactly what I was trying to figure out what to do here’,” he said. Read more here
REGIONAL
Guyana committed to supporting solutions to crisis in Haiti
President, Dr Irfaan Ali on Tuesday said that Guyana will continue to support efforts to bring a resolution to the ongoing crisis in Haiti and continues to monitor other situations in the wider world. The head of state made this disclosure while delivering remarks at an event at the Office of the President, where $110 million was handed over to provide humanitarian aid for the people of Palestine. Speaking of the situation in Haiti, Dr Ali said that as a country Guyana has been supporting efforts there and has even dedicated resources in this regard. “We have been supporting efforts there [Haiti], we’re spending a lot of time supporting efforts there, we have also dedicated resources as a government,” he said. Read more here
INTERNATIONAL
War in Ukraine: US to send new aid this week, Biden says
US President Joe Biden says his country will start sending fresh weapons and equipment to Ukraine within days. Late on Tuesday, the US Senate approved a $95bn (£76bn) foreign aid package that includes military support for Israel and Taiwan as well as Ukraine. Mr Biden vowed to sign it off "as soon as it reaches my desk" on Wednesday, so that aid can be sent "this week". Ukraine has recently stepped up its calls for Western assistance as Russia makes steady gains in its invasion. Included in the package is $61bn in military aid for Ukraine. It passed the Senate in a bipartisan vote of 79-18. Read more here
24th April 2024