NEWS
$27m spent on 2-star Manta Lodge
The keys for the newly renovated Manta Lodge Hotel and Dive Centre in Speyside were handed over to the Tobago House of Assembly (THA) on Wednesday, and tenders for managing it will soon be put out. THA Chief Secretary and electoral representative Farley Augustine attended the handing-over ceremony and hailed the increase in the island’s room stock. Read more here
Paria Fuel tragedy survivor plagued by nightmares, flashbacks
Saturday will make it one year since an underwater maintenance exercise took a deadly turn when five divers, employees of LMCS Limited, were sucked into a pipeline at the No 36 Sealine riser on Berth #6 at Paria Trading Company Ltd, Pointe-a-Pierre. Four of those divers, Fyzal Kurban, Kazim Ali Jr, Rishi Nagassar and Yusuf Henry, remained trapped in the pipeline and it took a few days for their bodies to be recovered. Read more here
POLITICS
Chief Sec: Logistical issues delaying THA reshuffle
Logistical issues have delayed the planned reshuffle within the THA, says Chief Secretary Farley Augustine. Responding to questions from reporters on Wednesday following the official handing over of keys at the Manta Lodge Hotel and Dive Centre in Speyside, Augustine gave an update on the issue. “Last year, I actually said I’ll do it early in this year. We have some logistical issues – that is what has held some things back but you can expect it pretty soon.” Read more here
Farley unfazed by Tobago Carnival numbers ... confirms THA transitioning to October event
Chief Secretary Farley Augustine has again said Tobago is looking forward to its own Carnival and is not competing with Trinidad’s event. He made the comment in an interview following the official handover of the Manta Lodge hotel from Udecott to the Tobago House of Assembly yesterday. Tobago hosted its first individual Carnival in October last year but also staged festivities in tandem with the national Carnival this month. Asked about the low attendance numbers in the just concluded Carnival events in Tobago, Augustine said he was not worried. He noted, however, that there had also been reports of fewer spectators at Carnival events across both Trinidad and Tobago. Read more here
BUSINESS
Mompreneur finds culinary success in Stuffed Kitchen
Nicole Joseph did not plan to get into the cookie-making business, but, like most of her endeavours, what she does, she does well. Her sugar cookies are moist, have a great texture, and, like her icing, are not too sweet. And of course, they taste great. The designer, artisan and creator told Business Day she has always been fascinated by the culinary arts, so when she went to a fair about eight years ago and a booth allowed people to decorate their own cookies, she tried it, then signed up for a class. Read more here
Chuck E Cheese turns to local suppliers, eyes regional expansion
Chuck E Cheese T&T is not only investing in smiles and happy families, but it also continues to drive growth in other businesses and generate much-needed revenue streams locally. Franchise owner Joanna Rostant gave an update to the Business Guardian about the company’s progress and challenges it still faces during an interview at the opening of its Westmall branch last week. Noting that supporting local continues to be fundamental for Chuck E Cheese, Rostant said this has enabled several entities to also prosper, as they are her key suppliers. She explained challenges brought on by COVID-19 and global supply chain problems led Chuck E Cheese to turn to homemade products. Read more here
REGIONAL
‘Development raging across Guyana’
Amid a torrential downpour at Brickdam, Georgetown, President, Dr. Irfaan Ali delivered stirring remarks ahead of Guyana’s 53rd anniversary as a Co-operative Republic, emphasising that development is ongoing rapidly throughout the country and his government has no intention of stopping or even stalling this progress. The area in front the Public Buildings, near the Stabroek Square, was transformed into a hive of patriotism as President Ali; First Lady Mrs. Arya Ali and their son, Zayd, joined Prime Minister, Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips and his family, and other officials and dignitaries for an event commemorating Guyana’s Republic Anniversary. Read more here
INTERNATIONAL
Nigeria elections 2023: Young people pin their hopes on outsider
Young Nigerians have turned Saturday's presidential election into the most competitive since the end of military rule in 1999, with many backing a third-party candidate to take on the country's two main political machines and bring change to the country after years of stagnation, corruption and insecurity in Africa's most populous nation. Spurred on by the 2020 EndSars anti-police brutality protests that morphed into calls for good governance, millions of young people have registered as first-time voters. "If Nigeria continues on this downhill, it will be disastrous, so yes, it's a defining moment," said Rinu Oduala, a 24-year-old woman who was among the protesters who camped outside the governor's office in Lagos for weeks, two years ago. Read more here
23rd February 2023