Author: Newsday

WITH the memory of the 2022 Paria diving tragedy still fresh, the country was yet again set on edge on December 22 by another incident in the energy sector. That incident once more underlines the scope of the challenge faced by safety regulators and should serve as fresh impetus to all sectors to redouble efforts […]

Part 1 THE TEACHER labour market is peculiar since the state retains monopoly power over the recruitment and retention of teachers. It is a highly unionised occupation where remuneration is agreed upon through a process of collective bargaining. Historically, teachers’ salaries have been low since teaching was considered sub-professional. This forced many people to enter […]

THE EDITOR: Our political culture does not fully appreciate the importance and contribution made by our elected officials who are generally the target of derision and ridicule. With an election year quickly approaching, the toxicity of the political landscape is expected to escalate, especially on the social media platforms. Politicians will be keenly jockeying to […]

THE EDITOR: The Fire Service will now get all the blows from the PNM, John Public and those who do not vote. Last year, a mother and daughter from Siparia were incinerated in their home. The Siparia Fire Station had an appliance, but it was not working. Penal had to respond; they were a Morris […]

The government’s appointment of a three-member committee to investigate the circumstances of the house fire in which Minister in the Ministry of Education, Lisa Morris-Julian, and two of her children – one just six years old – died, must lead to a deeper examination of how effective the Fire Service is to respond to fire […]

Austin Fido AS YEAR-END approaches, it is time for taking stock. In that spirit, here is a look at some highlights and lowlights of the political scene from around the world: this column’s entirely unofficial Year in Politics Awards (2024 global edition). 1. The Don’t-Try-This-At-Home Award: Javier Milei Javier Milei has spent much of December […]

Fourteen-year-old Zaheer Samuel was helping his parents offload potted plants at dawn on December 18 at their small shop on the Eastern Main Road, St Augustine when armed men kidnapped him. The boy overheard his abductors discussing a ransom of $200,000, but according to his father, no call was ever made. Police activity played a […]

AND JUST like that, a landmark vanishes. The demolition of the Chinese Association building at 7 St Ann’s Road, Port of Spain, on December 19 is a lamentable development. Gone in a few hours is a building that had stood for almost a century. During that time, its striking edifice was a powerful symbol of […]

A traditional mas Christmas Dara E Healy “Greetings to all and sundry Is Pierrot again Here to tell allyuh a story ’ bout how King Speechmaker Land up in a state ah perplexity. Come back to he Tobago land To enjoy Christmas and family Only to face endless stress and big adversity But King Speechmaker […]

AS THE COUNTRY continues to process the horrific deaths of Lisa Morris-Julian and two of her children in a fire, an unsavoury, untimely and unproductive series of exchanges between Public Utilities Minister Marvin Gonzales and fire service officials has broken out. This has needlessly compounded the tragedy. Too many questions attend the events of December […]