Wayne’s Choice

By Raffique Shah
October 12, 2014

Raffique ShahWayne Kublalsingh’s second hunger strike has bared the good, the bad, and the very nasty sides of his fellow citizens, although I feel certain none of this surprises the environmental activist whose dogged pursuit of his goals puts many of us to shame.

One does not have to agree with Wayne to admire the man. I have stated before, I do not know whether his opposition to the Debe to Mon Desir section of the San Fernando to Point Fortin Highway is justified, if the alternatives he proposes are better. Like most people, including Wayne, I support the construction of a highway that will make commuting in Deep South Trinidad easier.
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Truth be told

By Suzanne Mills
October 10 2014 – newsday.co.tt

Armoured Personnel CarriersWhat I’m about to say will likely be deemed harsh, but it is my view that MPs serving in hotspot communities should not ask for or receive armed security and should definitely not be more protected than the residents who live in their constituencies and face the same threat from criminals as they do. It can also be argued that an MP who is guarded is less likely to do his or her best to bring crime under control and that until politicians stand the bounce for their misguided policies, they should not be spared from having to look over their shoulders.
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Update: African students recount racist attack in India

African students from Noida recount mob attack horror


Niharika Lal, TNN
Oct 6, 2014, 03.15PM IST – timesofindia.indiatimes.com

The brutal attack on three African students at Rajiv Chowk Metro station hit headlines last week, reopening debates on racism experienced by Africans in the city. There is no official version yet of what the students – Yohan Koumba Daouda and Mapaga Yannis, both students of Amity Institute of Information Technology, and Guira, a first year BBA student of Sharda University – had done to incite the attack. One of the witnesses, who posted a video of the incident on YouTube, reportedly said that they were accused of ‘misbehaving with female passengers’ by making lewd comments at a woman on a train. Another report said that in the rush to board a train on the Yellow Line, one of the students was pushed aside. He apparently made a comment against Indians in protest, which then angered some passengers.
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Pay heed, Madam PM

By Keith Subero
Octobeer 06, 2014 – trinidadexpress.com

The Prime Minister, should be “so advised” that before she makes any other statements on Dr Wayne Kublalsingh’s hunger strike, she should re-examine the Dr James Armstrong independent report on the Debe to Mon Desir section of the Point Fortin Highway.
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Minority May Decide

By Raffique Shah
October 05, 2014

Raffique ShahPollster Nigel Henry’s projection that the results of the 2015 general elections will likely be a “statistical dead heat” is in keeping with the trend that emerged post-1986, after the PNM lost its electoral supremacy.

Every election since 1991 has been a tight race between the PNM and the UNC in whatever form or combination the latter contested the polls.
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10 Myths About Obama’s Latest War in Iraq and Syria

By Reese Erlich
October 03, 2014 – reeseerlich.com

ISILVeteran foreign correspondent Reese Erlich was in northern Iraq at the start of the U.S. bombing campaign against Islamic State. He interviewed Kurdish leaders, peshmerga fighters and U.S. officials. He says the reality on the ground is far different from the propaganda coming out of Washington.
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US debates APCs after Ferguson killing

By Andre Bagoo
September 30 2014 – newsday.co.tt

Armoured Personnel CarriersARMOURED vehicles similar to the Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs) destined for use in TT next year are currently at the centre of a debate in the United States over the increased militarisation of the police there, in the wake of their reported use during the events at Ferguson, where police force provoked a national discussion about State powers and race.
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Polling the Pollster

By Raffique Shah
September 28, 2014

Raffique ShahI won’t challenge the results and projections of the Solutions by Simulation poll published in the Express last week. Nigel Henry’s company has established itself as being uncannily accurate in projecting the results of four elections in Trinidad and Tobago last year, the most startling being the 12-0 victory to the People’s National Movement (PNM) in the Tobago House of Assembly election.
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Rowley blasts TT support of UN security resolution

Sunday, September 28 2014
www.newsday.co.tt

Prime Minister Kamla Persad-BissessarOpposition Leader Dr Keith Rowley yesterday lambasted Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar for Trinidad and Tobago’s co-sponsorship of a United Nations Security Council resolution on the fight against terrorism saying it was best for TT to have passed up on the occasion.

TT cannot afford to declare war on terrorists “at a time when you can stay away, ” Rowley said.
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