Editor's Choice

OVER 100 San Francique residents have physically signed a petition over landslides and bad roads to be sent to the Ministry of Works and Transport.

On Friday, the creator of the petition – Carissa Nanan – posted on Facebook saying, “It’s been 12 years suffering with these almost impassable roads.

“We would greatly appreciate your efforts in filling up the petition! It’s about time our voices and concerns be heard!”

The first batch of devices procured and purchased by the Division of Education, Innovation and Energy have been delivered to principals of 30 primary schools across the island.
The first phase saw devices distributed for primary school standards four and five students. Other students would be accommodated in the second phase of delivery.
Primary school principals received the devices during small-scale ceremonies on Thursday and Friday.
Principals signed a device loan agreement which highlights the division’s role in maintaining the device as well as the expectation for its upkeep by students.
The division said it continues to work to bridge the gap of the digital divide to ensure that during this period no child is left behind.
The THA had approved $7.8 million to purchase around 4,000 devices.
But the company that won the bid, Memory Bank Computers Ltd, is struggling to acquire the necessary foreign exchange to complete the purchase. Education Secretary Kelvin Charles said last year that the devices were in a warehouse in Miami waiting to be cleared.
TTUTA Tobago officer Bradon Roberts told Newsday recently, a little over 600 of the devices are already here.
“They are doing it incrementally to be able to have the US (invoice) amount cleared."
He was told another 600-plus would arrive within two weeks.
"And by the end of the month, they will be coming in (again) in that amount.”
The post Tobago schools receive digital devices from THA appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.

https://emonewsdm.com/dominica/
The Commonwealth of Dominica Police Force (CDPF) is mourning the death of Constable Philsbert Williams of Portsmouth who was involved in a fatal accident on December 26th, 2020. The accident occurred at about 2:27 PM on the E.O Leblanc Highway, […]
The post UPDATE: CDPF Mourns The Death Of Two Of Its Officers appeared first on emonews.

https://emonewsdm.com/dominica/
The Social Welfare Division of the Ministry of youth Development and Empowerment, youth at Risk, Gender Affairs, Seniors’ Security and Dominicans with Disabilities, embarked on its annual gift distribution to foster children and vulnerable children in Dominica. Nicole Toussaint Jno. […]
The post Welfare Division Brings Cheer To Underprivileged appeared first on emonews.

https://emonewsdm.com/dominica/
Jamaican Manufacturers have been purchasing soap chips (soap in a stage that must only be formed into bars before it is sold) from Indonesia, yet are selling their finished soap products under duty-free CARICOM provisions. CARICOM duty-free provisions for regional […]
The post Dominica Manufacturer’s Association Supports DCPS in case against Jamaican Soap Manufacturers   appeared first on emonews.

FORMER UNC MP Surujrattan Rambachan says in 2021, the UNC should shift its focus to finding ways to achieve social stability, reduce crime and poverty, among other things.
In a release on Sunday, he said everyone should “learn from the chulha maker in Siparia.
“It does not have to be doom and gloom in 2021 if the nation can be mobilised with an exciting vision and programme for change.
“There is the story of a lady making chulha and clay ovens as a result of having to survive during (the) covid19 (pandemic). She did not sit down and become State-dependent. She was not afraid to dirty her hands with mud and gobar. She invented a vision, reinvented herself, made action her mantra and is creating a sustainable job for herself and her family.”
He said 2021 might be a year of “turbulence” owing to decreasing economic power.
The real issue and challenge, he said, is how long the economy can be sustained at a time where “State dependants have grown and will continue to grow.
“Given the spectre of continuing job losses and business closures as well as closed borders affecting tourism it is clear that policy prescriptions supported by strategic interventions will be necessary to stave off an economic crisis with its social outcomes.
“The government is likely to harp on the $50-plus per barrel for oil as well as the better gas prices as evidence that we are not going to be badly off. This of course also due to our heritage and stabilisation fund which has been used to supplement falling revenues.”
He then suggested what the UNC, “as an alternative government” should shift its focus to in 2021.
“(They should focus on) how to achieve a diversified economy with sustainable jobs and foreign exchange earnings; how to reduce poverty and move more people up the economic ladder with the ability to house, feed, educate and keep their families healthy; how to raise the standards of performance and delivery of public service institutions including but not limited to health water and electricity; how to deal with environmental degradation including climate change and community hygiene, create safer communities and reduce crime; how to create a competitive people to compete with the best in the world, (and) how to ensure social stability.”
The post Rambachan: UNC should shift focus to social issues in 2021 appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.

ACTIVIST Dr Wayne Kublalsingh says he is tired of “begging” politicians to place greater focus on societal issues such as corruption and white-collar crime which affects the lives of many citizens. Come 2021, he said, he will launch an initiative to fix the criminal justice system and reduce crime.
How does he plan to do this? By creating a movement that "is so strong," change will be inevitable. Kublalsingh spoke after a small placard protest he and criminal justice system reform activist Adrian Gokool held at the Brian Lara Promenade on Christmas Day.
Kublalsingh said this movement will be championed by those frustrated by the steady increase in crime. “You cannot fix crime by staying home and waiting because if you stay home, crime will come to you. So therefore you have to come out, you have to advocate, take to the streets and do what they call 'making noise'.
"Because if you don’t make noise, the ears of the Prime Minister, the Attorney General and the Minister of National Security will all be closed, they would not get the work done,” Kublalsingh said.
“We will continue lobbying and we will build the most powerful movement to reform and revamp the criminal justice system in TT. Because I cannot come out there and arrest anyone, I don’t have that constitutional right. The ones authorised to do that are the ones authorised by the Constitution and law in Parliament and Parliament must look into this.”
It is first important to lobby for change in the justice system, he added. Kublalsingh said Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi has failed to bring change to the criminal justice system because he doesn’t have the support he needs. “We cannot blame the police, they sometimes go to court and are told to come back another time because the matter was adjourned.
“There are a lot of things that can be done very quickly. The Attorney General said he will free a lot of prisoners because of covid19 and overcrowding. We have checked and no prisoner was freed because of covid19, they were freed because of the routine freeing of prisoners.
He applauded Commissioner of Police Gary Griffith for his passion and drive towards making TT a safer place and said he believes Griffith can do much more to curb crime and violence, if only he has the support he needs and is provided with all necessary resources from Government.
“He (Griffith) needs to have the will of the Attorney General and the Minister of National Security backing him, making him feel like he can do his work with the safeguard of policy and with the safeguard of resources. The political officers need to come out and make strong statements and show that they are fighting,” Kublalsingh said.
He hopes his efforts will encourage the establishment of new laws that will reduce the time it takes to manage court cases, deal with the backlog (of court cases) and reduce crime and criminal activity.
The post Activist Kublalsingh ‘tired of begging’ for change appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.

https://emonewsdm.com/dominica/
Following the devastations of Hurricane Maria in September 2017, the Government of Dominica with the financial support of the World Bank US$25.0 million, (EC$67 million) started the implementation of the “Emergency Agricultural Livelihoods and Climate Resilience Project (EALCRP), a five-year […]
The post Fisherfolks Received Outboard Motors Engines from the Emergency Agricultural Livelihoods and Climate Resilience Project appeared first on emonews.

THE United States government has donated US$11 million to local NGOs and international organisations to help Venezuelan migrants in Trinidad and Tobago, said a post on the social media platforms of the US Embassy on Thursday.
The post came after the Prime Minister told a post-Cabinet briefing on Wednesday that he knew nothing of such a donation, but wished he did.
Dr Rowley himself was responding to a US Embassy statement last Monday which had criticised the Venezuelan government’s performance, and declared the US government the largest donor of humanitarian aid in the Venezuelan crisis.
The embassy statement said the US had donated US$1.2 billion since 2017, including over US$11 million to support TT’s efforts in helping Venezuelans in this country.
The embassy responded to Rowley’s remarks on Thursday by posting a list of 14 entities which had been given funds to help Venezuelan migrants and for covid19 assistance, totalling $11,440,016 for the period 2018-2020.
Aid to help migrants was given to: Democracy International: US$1.5 million Living Water Community: US$23,000 and US$25,000 Catholic Commission for Social Justice: $24,545 International Organisation for Migration (IOM): US$501,000 and US$600,000 Pan American Development Foundation: US$831,629 and US$1.209 million UN High Commissioner for Refugees: US$3 million and US$1.9 million UNICEF: US$600,000 and $50,000 International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies: US$100,000 UN Women: US$600,000. Covid19 assistance was given to IOM (US$250,000), UNICEF (US$135,000), TTDF Heliport Facility (US$88,692) and “Icacos/Cedros” (US$650).
The post US donates US$11m to NGOs to help Venezuelan migrants appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.

https://emonewsdm.com/dominica/
Roseau, December 23, 2020 – The Dominica Association of Industry and Commerce (DAIC) and the Dominica Electricity Corporation are pleased to announce the winners of this years Business Christmas Lighting Competition. Congratulations are extended to Springfield Trading, Sparkle Cleaners and […]
The post Springfield Trading Limited, Sparkle Cleaners and DEPEX Emerges Top 3 Winners of Christmas Lighting Competition   appeared first on emonews.