Features, General T&T, Law, People's Partnership, Politics, Religion, Security

Probe into 1990 Attempted Coup

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Abu BakrProbe into 1990 Coup
Twenty years later, there is going to be a Commission of Enquiry into the July 27, 1990 attempted coup which was led by Imam Yasin Abu Bakr and members of the Jamaat-al-Muslimeen. The announcement was made by Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar yesterday during at the post-Cabinet press briefing at the Office of the Prime Minister, St Clair.

PM: Why did it happen?
Cabinet has decided a Commission of Inquiry into the circumstances of the July 27, 1990 attempted coup will take place to find out “what went wrong” and to “bring closure” and relief to citizens traumatised by the event.
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Africa, Culture, Race and Identity, Religion

Identifying with Ancestral Home

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Emancipation Celebration
Emancipation Celebration
July 22, 2010 – guardian.co.tt

Emancipation celebrations this year, I suppose, will have added significance for those of the African diaspora who consider that their spiritual navel strings are buried on the continent of Africa, especially as the World Cup venture was a spectacular international success. Incidentally, the football extravaganza was conceivably Mandela’s parting gift to Africa as well as Africa’s final tribute to him.
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Culture, Entertainment, Features, General T&T, Photos

False Rumours about Death of Sparrow

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NAPA Fest: Celebrating our Calypso Monarchs 1939 - 1980
NAPA Fest: Celebrating our Calypso Monarchs 1939 - 1980, presented by the Ministry of Arts and Multiculturalism
NAPA Fest in pictures

July 29, 2010

Sparrow doing well after surgery
Renowned calypso icon Slinger Francisco, popularly known as Sparrow, is resting comfortably at a private hospital in Maryland, United States, after undergoing emergency surgery.

…Sparrow well after surgery
Slinger Francisco (The Mighty Sparrow) was yesterday in good spirits and recuperating well following emergency surgery on Sunday to treat an incarcerated right inguinal hernia.
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Finance, General T&T, PNM, Politics

State of the Economy

By Derren Joseph
July 20, 2010

Financial ComplexGenerally speaking, I often raise an eye brow when commentators use broad brush strokes to describe the somewhat intricate picture that is our economy. A picture made all the more interesting by the challenges facing the global economy in general. For my part, I try hard to appreciate the views of both sides of the fence—those who speak positively of the economy and those who do not. On one hand, it is hard to dispute that compared to many so called developed nations, and many of our neighbours in the region, we are doing relatively well. Looking at the charts available online, our public debt as a percentage of GDP is less than our Caribbean neighbours, our friends in North America (US and Canada) and even much of Western Europe. Our import cover is about 12 months when the international benchmark is 3 months.
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Court, Crime in T&T, General T&T, International, Law, Politics

The ‘Forum Conveniens’

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By Dana Seetahal
July 18, 2010 – guardian.co.tt

Ishwar Galbaransingh and Steve FergusonIn an Advice apparently solicited by attorneys for Steve Ferguson and Ishwar Galbaransingh, former president Ellis Clarke, an eminent attorney-at-law, proferred the opinion that the case for T&T being the “forum conveniens” to try the accused men is lucid and “compelling.” This is not the first time that it has been argued in respect of an extradition matter that local trial for people accused of similar offences in both the US and T&T should be preferred. The point was taken in extradition proceedings in relation to some of the men locally accused of killing Balram Maharaj, a US citizen, and in respect of whom the US had sought extradition for offences involving hostage taking. The accused were eventually extradited.
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Culture, Finance, General T&T, Politics

Poverty Facts and Fiction

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By Raffique Shah
July 18, 2010

PovertyEVERY time I hear someone parrot poverty numbers in my Trinidad and Tobago, I wince. Politicians, and many ordinary citizens, often accept as the “gospel truth” the amount of people in this country said to be living “below the absolute poverty line”, defined as US$1 a day. The estimated numbers range from 10 per cent to 20 per cent of the population, which suggests there are between 130,000 and 260,000 desperately poor people in our midst living on less than TT$6.37 a day. That’s around $190 a month.
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Features, General T&T, Media, People's Partnership, Photos

Prime Minister’s Residence and Diplomatic Centre

Media Tour of the Prime Minister's Residence and Diplomatic Centre
Media Tour of the Prime Minister's Residence
On Thursday July 01st 2010, the media toured the Prime Minister’s Residence and Diplomatic Centre at La Fantasie Road, St Ann’s. The tour was led by Government’s press secretary Garvin Nicholas and head of the Prime Minister’s household Armando D’Souza.
Prime Minister’s Residence and Diplomatic Centre in pictures

Inside the Prime Minister’s residence

By Lara Pickford-Gordon
July 12, 2010

On July 1, I had the opportunity to visit the Prime Minister’s residence and Diplomatic Centre along with my media colleagues.
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Business, Drug Trade, Finance, General T&T, International, Media, People's Partnership, PNM, Politics, Security

Bring OPV Report

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Scarborough CG 51 vessel at BAE Systems' shipyard on the Clyde River in Glasgow, Scotland
Scarborough CG 51 vessel at BAE Systems' shipyard
on the Clyde River in Glasgow, Scotland
Newsday Editorial
July 16, 2010 – newsday.co.tt

WE eagerly await the report recently promised by Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar on the former regime’s purchase of three Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPVs) that are said to cost $1.5 billion, which would work out at $500 million each.
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Crime in T&T, Death Penalty, General T&T, People's Partnership, Politics, Religion, Violence

The Law of Just Revenge

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By Dr. Selwyn R. Cudjoe
July 15, 2010

HangingAnand Ralogan is one of the leading lawyers of public law in T&T. There is no doubt that the prime minister selected him to be her attorney general because of his familiarity with the courts and how government agencies function. The attention he has paid to breaches in citizens’ rights and his advocacy for those against whom the state has discriminated have been admirable. All things considered, he is a good choice for the office.
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Finance, General T&T, Media, Passed on

Tribute to Professor Dennis Pantin

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By Norman Girvan
July 14, 2010

Professor Dennis PantinIt is with great sadness, and a sense of tremendous loss, that the Caribbean economics fraternity has learnt of the passing of Professor Dennis Pantin, former chair of the Economics Department and Coordinator of the Sustainable Economic Development Unit at the UWI, St Augustine.
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