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door Marinio Balsemhof PARAMARIBO — Het kickboksgala ‘Upcoming Warriors 3’ is een succes geworden vindt Saraya Truideman, voorzitter van de
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The UNC’s shadow finance minister and Oropouche West MP Dave Tancoo. FILE PHOTO –
THE Opposition is warning the nation, especially those families in the middle and lower income brackets, not to expect any relief from the Government in the 2022/2023 budget.
Insisting that the Spotlight on the Economy forum last Friday, staged by the Ministry of Finance at the Hyatt Regency, was nothing short of PR and gimmickry by the Government, the UNC says claims of TT’s improving economy will not be reflected in Finance Minister Colm Imbert’s budget, to be read in Parliament on September 26.
At its weekly Sunday press conference, at the Office of the Opposition Leader in Charles Street, Port of Spain, shadow finance minister and Oropouche West MP Davendranath Tancoo and Opposition Senator Taharqa Obika both described Imbert’s Spotlight on the Economy forum as, “a pappyshow.”
Tancoo said this minister “continues to gloss over the true state of the economy,” by basing the economic uptick on the recent windfall largely caused by the tripling of ammonia, urea and methanol global prices.
“If they don’t have a plan, then say so. All of his celebration at the spotlight last Friday as premised on this temporary windfall. The increased revenue was a result of world price hikes and had nothing to do with increased production.
“It had nothing to do with ease of doing business. It had nothing to do with any policy action by this government. More than that, this windfall is not sustainable,” Tancoo said.
Finance Minister Colm Imbert. FILE PHOTO –
He added, “Imbert clutched to this windfall like a drowning man clutching to a piece of straw. He is trying to convince the population that this was as a result of fiscal management, fiscal credibility (by government) when this is obviously not true.
“The PNM government has failed to present any plan to transform the economy away from over reliance on the dwindling and dying energy industry or in addressing any of the underlying issues of the economy.”
Tancoo said the Opposition, like so many people in society, just isn’t convinced that Imbert’s “continuous references to financial resilience” can be seen as a sign of hope for citizens.
He expects the government not to provide any incentives that would ease the burden of ever increasing food and gas prices, especially in the new fiscal year. He said, all one could do was hope the Government will inject resources into job creation, enterprise development, national security, education and health.
He accused Imbert of, “cherry-picking data to explain why the country has experienced sustained economic regression for the past seven years.
“The government has been blaming Kamla, covid19, and Russia in an attempt to distract people from the fact that they have been spending $153 million daily, for the past seven years, yet every single sector has gotten worse.”
Tancoo said the government’s inability to maintain its debt obligations, lower the unemployment rate and manage resources are all signs of an impending economic depression.
“The robust growth that the minister boasts about is heavily premised on higher prices in the energy sector, which is still the primary driver of this economy. But what will happen when prices revert to normal levels?
“Ironically, while the minister was stretching backward to pat himself on his back, he admitted that what was helping the economy was higher ammonia, urea and methanol prices, over the last two years which allowed for a short-term windfall. This had nothing at all to do with anything Imbert and his government did.”
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Miss La Reine Rive winner Tineka Francois after she was crowned on Saturday evening at the SAPA in San Fernando. PHOTOS BY LINCOLN HOLDER –
SCIENCE student Tineka Francois, who dreams of one day becoming a neurosurgeon, while still pursuing her passion to be a designer, was crowned the Ms La Reine Rive Best Village Queen 2022 on Saturday night.
Representing Vance River Village Council, Francois, 20, was crowned by Sports and Community Development Minister Shamfa Cudjoe, as the curtain came down on the month-long festival of folklore and cultural events known as the Prime Minister’s Best Village Competition.
In a show dubbed, Le Gran Z’Affaire, at the Southern Academy for the Performing Arts (SAPA) in San Fernando, Francois was a favourite among the 12 competitors, and wowed both the judges and the audience with her grace and intelligence.
A gown she designed, decorated and helped sew, gave her the edge.
NATIONAL PRIDE: Members of the Amritam Shakti dance group of Caroni, incorporated the National Flag, during their dance routine. – Lincoln Holder
The question-and-answer segment in which she identified, Best Village, the Tobago Heritage Festival and Carnival as three events any tourist to TT must experience, also secured her place among the five finalists and eventually the top spot.
In an interview with the Newsday on Sunday, the first time entrant in the competition said the experience took her breath away.
“Winning this for Vance River, a small community, this has never been done before and it is something to marvel at and be thankful for,” she said.
She lamented that over the past few years, especially during the pandemic, the youths seem to have moved away from traditional cultural artforms.
“I believe this win could spark a cultural renewal within my community. I want to use this to advocate for more cultural activities within my community.”
A spoken word artiste, Francois recalled that while a primary school student at the Vance River Primary School, she nurtured the dream of becoming a designer.
Plans for this were shelved based on family expectations and replaced with the practical career choice to pursue medicine and specialise as a neuro-surgeon.
Sciences were among the subjects chosen at both Holy Name Convent in Point Fortin and Holy Faith Convent in Penal, where she studied for and wrote the CSEC and CAPE exams respectively.
With online classes giving her more free time during the pandemic, Francois said her desire to occupy her time wisely, rekindled her yearning to design. She has enrolled with a privately-run design school with the intention of registering with the UTT, upon completion of the course with the design school.
Reigning National Calypso Queen Makeda Darius performs at the show. –
She is also a member of FLVS Management modelling agency, modelling for both local and international designers.
In a brief address, Minister Cudjoe said the Best Village journey over the past few months, from learning to successful execution would undoubtedly be rewarding and fulfilling for the participants.
With the last physical competition being in 2019, Cudjoe noted how the pandemic had put a damper on the competition.
Despite the setbacks, she said, the pandemic provided opportunities to invite new groups and introduce new areas of competition, such as the grow-it-yourself kitchen garden competition.
She congratulated all participants from the different village councils.
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GUNNED DOWN: Nigel “Bulls” Henry, shot dead outside his Petit Valley home on Sunday morning, is seen in this photo posted to social media. –
POLICE say they have no motive for the murder of Nigel Headley of Upper Simeon Road, Petit Valley.
Headley, 45, who was originally from Beverley Hills, Laventile, was gunned down on Sunday morning at his home.
When Newsday visited the area, his immediate family was too distraught to speak with reporters. Residents and family gathered along the pavement leading to his home. A group of men described Headley as a mentor to young men in the community.
One man who didn’t want to be named said, “He was a good one, never in nothing. He was like a father to plenty people up here.”
A police report said that at around 8.30 am, Headley was standing at the front door of his home when the incident happened.
A relative who was at the back, later told police of hearing rapid gunshots and on checking, found Headley bleeding on the ground and gasping for breath. He died minutes later, before medical help could be reached.
His body was removed to the Forensic Sciences Center in St James for an autopsy. Up to press time, no arrest had been made and investigations are ongoing.
Headley was one of at least three men men murdered over the weekend.
On Saturday, around 1.20 pm, Garvan Burke, Josiah Holder, David Williams, Anton Selmon and another man only identified as Akim, were in a Kia Cerato along Prosperity Lane, Upper Gonzales, Belmont when gunmen opened fire at them.
The five were all shot and later taken to the Port of Spain General Hospital where Williams died while undergoing emergency surgery. The others remain hospitalised, up to press time.
Less than five hours later, Carib Street residents reported seeing an injured man on the road. Police found Sherlock “Bandit” Charles, 42, with several bullet wounds to his body. He died shortly after.
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door Jason Pinas PARAMARIBO — Ondernemer Mixon ‘Saya’ Jean is gebelgd over de recente uitspraken van minister Steven Mac Andrew
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Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett has offered condolences to the families of the persons who died as a result of a motor vehicle crash on the Braco main road in Trelawny on Thursday afternoon.
Three persons died and 26 more were otherwise injured in the collision.
The crash involved two buses, one of which was transporting employees of the Ocean Coral Spring Hotel.
On Friday, Bartlett visited the Falmouth Hospital in Trelawny to see those who were admitted following the incident.
The minister has also reached out to the families of those who have been hospitalised, as well as the staff members of the hotel.
Edmund Bartlett (file photo)
Meanwhile, he has suggested that there needs to be a psychosocial approach to dealing with certain motorists, noting that key questions should be asked, such as: “How do our people think?” and “What influences their actions and choices while they are using the road?”
He said the judgment of some motorists is cause for concern, and is a matter that should be seriously examined.
In pointing out that there may be other issues at hand regarding the quality and state of repairs of the roadways, as well as the levels of road signage, Bartlett said “tourism is interested in a holistic approach to the situation on our thoroughfares, and the sector would be willing to fully engage its partners through the Destination Assurance Councils and look at how do we make the use of our roads safer.”
He added that this needs to be done to “assure the destination’s integrity”.
Bartlett has also lamented that safety and security on the nation’s roads “have reached crisis proportion”, adding that the “number of deaths on our highways are now surpassing several other causes of death in the country.”
He called for motorists to be properly trained so they can use the roads in a more responsible way.
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Now that he is baptised the Mighty Sparrow says there are songs that he may never sing again.
Sparrow, birth name Slinger Francisco, told Loop News in a brief interview from his home in New York, that he will stop singing some songs.
Birdie, as he is also fondly referred to, is known for a vast catalogue of social commentary calypsoes such as “Federation”, “Education”, and “Jean and Dinah “as well as cheeky double entendre songs such as “Saltfish”, and “Congo Man”, and more sexually explicit songs such as “Bag ah Sugar” and “Mae Mae”.
Sparrow was baptised on Saturday in Brooklyn, New York, by Pastor Claudius Morgan of the Seventh Day Adventist Church.
He confirmed the baptism to Loop, stating that his daughter Gina has always encouraged him to do so.
“I always had to get baptised at some point,” the 87-year-old bard known as the Calypso King of the World said.
Stating that he was baptised as a baby, he said he feels very blessed to be able to rededicate his life to God.
Asked if his baptism would change the songs, he sings, Sparrow said he would have to tread very carefully.
“I would personally have to look at it very carefully. Obviously, there are some things, some topics I would not be interested in but there are so many others to sing about,” he said.
Born in Grenada on July 9, Sparrow has won the Trinidad and Tobago Road March and Calypso Monarch titles eight times each.
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PARAMARIBO — Oliver O. is opgesloten door de politie. Hij wordt ervan verdacht te hebben ingebroken in een woning te
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Basseterre, St. Kitts, August 31, 2022 (SKNIS) — The Ministry of Social Development and Gender Affairs launched its Girls Empowerment Movement and Sisterhood (GEMS) programme on Wednesday (August 31, 2022) under the theme “Girls Under Construction – Building a Firm Foundation for a Stronger Future.”
The launch was marked by a ceremony at the Lodge Community Centre attended by government officials, His Excellency Michael Lin, Resident Ambassador of the Republic of China (Taiwan), mentors, and the young people to be mentored.
Director of Gender Affairs, Virgil Jeffers, said that the programme’s design enhances the development of young girls. It also provides a suitable forum that espouses the benefits of a positive self-image, responsible personal conduct and respect for self and others.
“This programme will seek to provide a structured and trusting relationship that brings … the mentees together with caring and accountable females who offer guidance, support and encouragement aimed at developing your competencies, self-esteem and character,” he stated at the opening ceremony.
Mr. Jeffers added that statistics often testify to the success of mentorship programmes. Thus, this is a welcomed effort to positively intervene in the lives of at-risk teenagers. He saluted the mentors for volunteering their time, experience and service.
“It’s people like you who help me to believe that children who grow up in a world surrounded by doubt, fear and negativity, can still be loved, inspired and hopeful for their future,” he said. “It’s events like these that make me feel like we are building a culture where no girl can feel like they are on their own.”
The mentees were encouraged to embrace the opportunities now afforded to them. They were strongly encouraged to be “open-minded and learn from their assigned mentors.”
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Basseterre, St. Kitts, August 31, 2022 (SKNIS): Prime Minister Hon. Dr. Terrance Drew is presently away from the Federation. He is in Barbados attending the AfriCaribbean Trade and Investment Forum 2022 from September 1-3. While the Honourable Prime Minister is abroad, below are the acting appointments of his Cabinet colleagues:
Hon. Dr. Geoffrey Hanley, Acting Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Citizenship and Immigration.
Hon. Konris Maynard, Minister of National Security.
Hon. Dr. Joyelle Clarke, Minister of Health and Social Security.
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