The Oilfield Workers Trade Union is calling for a Budget focused on the people.
Education Officer Ozzie Warwick says the nation is not in a position to hear any more negative news.
He says the public has suffered enough and cannot take any added economic adjustments.
Mr. Warwick adds that if the public is given more reason to fear and worry it would result in economic contraction.
He feels it is time the needs of the people are made a priority.
As the nation prepares to hear the details of the National Budget today, one economist says don’t expect too much about rising food prices.
Marlene Atzs this morning said there are several factors, which are connected to the reality of increasing prices on goods and services.
President of the Supermarkets Association Rajiv Diptee has lamented the rising cost of food.
But he says the hike in prices cannot be blamed on retailers.
Mr. Diptee says local retailers and importers have no control over the prices they are being given.
On The Morning Show on i95.5fm Ms. Atzs among the areas, which are likely to be touched by the Minister of Finance, is expenditure, particularly in the health sector.
Ms. Atzs said the government’s spending must be curbed and members of the public will see the need to do the same.
The draft Elections and Boundaries, Local Government and Tobago House of Assembly order, 2021 is approved in the Parliament.
After hours of debate on the motion a division was called.
In an attempt to justify his criticisms of the EBC proposals, Opposition Sentaor Sadam Hussein recalled that in 2001 then opposition member Colm Imbert slammed the EBC.
But in his contribution Attorney General Faris Al Rawi sought to set the record straight on the matter.
The Barataria/San Juan MP said the EBC in its recommendations flouted its own rules.
But again the Attorney General said it would not have been the first case of this.
The way is now cleared for the dissolution of the Tobago House of Assembly and a fresh election with 15 districts up for grabs.
Meanwhile Deputy Political Leader of the Progressive Democratic Patriots Farley Augustine believes the 3 new seats was designed to give the PNM an advantage.
However, he says his party is ready for the polls and is convinced it will win.
He says there were other solutions.
Mr. Augustine was speaking on TV6’s Morning Edition program earlier.
Fifteen years after the killing of then 6-year-old Sean Luke, 2 men have been convicted.
Twenty-nine-year-old Akeel Mitchell and 31-year-old Richard Chatoo have been ordered to serve terms of imprisonment.
They were found guilty of the crime on July 23rd.
Just before 4pm yesterday Justice Lisa Ramsumair-Hinds ordered Mr. Mitchell to serve 33 years behind bars, while Mr. Chatoo will serve 27 years.
However, the time both men have already spent in State custody together with other deductions for good behavior while behind prison walls had to automatically be deducted from their sentence.
With those deductions, Mr. Mitchell was ordered to serve 17 years 6 months and 13 days while Mr. Chatoo was ordered to serve an average of 11 years, 6 months and 13 days.
Justice Ramsumair-Hinds explained that these terms imposed did not mean it was the precise amount of time the two would be spending in prison before being released.
She ordered that their cases come up for review every three years for the court to be updated on whether they had been making any rehabilitative progress while in prison which could possibly cause their terms behind bars to be altered.
Sean Luke’s mother Pauline Bharat is reported as saying the sentencing cannot bring her son back.
Ms. Bharat told the Express she did not listen to the sentencing because she did not want to know.
She questioned the kind of justice that would lead to the decision of the judge.
She said the system is part of the problem.
The Minister of Health describes as dire the low number of COVID vaccinations in both teens and adults.
Minister Terrence Deyalsingh says only 32.3%; of the 39.2 % of vaccinated people have received 2 doses.
The Minister stressed that the large number of unvaccinated adults remains worrying.
Referencing to a chart, Minister Deyalsingh said the vaccinated population among those between the ages of 12-18 is also of concern.
While the Minister noted that there are no cases of the Delta variant recorded in teenagers, he stressed that it does not mean none exist.
Minister Deyalsingh was speaking at the COVID-19 media briefing earlier yesterday.
Nicki Minaj’s claim that someone she knows has suffered bad side effects linked to COVID-19 vaccine is being dismissed.
But it has also thrown this country into the spotlight internationally.
Even Trinidad and Tobago’s vaccination numbers are being featured.
Nicki Minaj, born Onika Maraj, said a friend of her cousin became impotent after taking a vaccine in Trinidad and Tobago.
The man is also said to have suffered swollen testicles.
Yesterday Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh said the claim of the Trinidad and Tobago born rapper cannot be substantiated.
Now Ms. Minaj’s claim is are being widely discussed internationally and last night, Minister Deyalsingh was featured on talk shows and news channels.
Also last night Nicki Minaj stood her ground as she lashed out at those criticising her.
She also said she will continue to speak up for her Trinidad and Tobago relatives.
She said people are ganging up on her but she will continue to ask questions about the COVID vaccines.
She is insisting that people need to feel comfortable about taking the vaccine.
An unreserved apology from Opposition Senator Anil Roberts to Senate President Christine Kangaloo and the Upper House.
The apology follows comments he reportedly made on his social media program called Dougla Politics earlier this year, on February 23rd and 24th.
The comments were deemed to have brought the President and the Senate into disrepute.
On March 2nd, Senate Vice-President Nigel De Freitas agreed with a submission by late Leader of Government Business Franklin Khan, that a Prima-Facie case had been made against Mr. Roberts over his utterances.
Senator Khan had said Mr. Roberts referred to himself as a booming voice and the Senate as a “kangaroo court”.
During that sitting Mr. Roberts was defiant.
However, yesterday he apologised.
Had he been suspended he would not have been paid any remuneration or allowances.
Akeem Mitchell and Richard Chatoor will be sentenced today for the March 2006 murder of Sean Luke.
Confirmation of this comes in a release to the media from the Judiciary of Trinidad and Tobago.
It says Madame Justice Lisa Ramsumair-Hinds will deliver the sentences virtually in an open court hearing at 2:00 p.m. today.
Akeem Mitchell and Richard Chatoo were found guilty of the murder of then 6-year-old Sean Luke.
Sean was killed in a cane field near his Orange Valley, Couva home.
An autopsy found he died from internal bleeding caused when a cane stalk was inserted through the rectum.
Mr. Mitchell and Mr. Chatoo were teenagers when they first appeared before the court for the offence.
A 17-year-old girl was killed when a driver lost control of his vehicle and slammed into her.
Shaquana Hills was at the time walking along the pavement in Pepper Village Fyzabad.
The accident occurred on Monday.
Shaquana’s mother Adafi Hills is grief stricken.
She said yesterday police questioned the 22-year-old driver of the vehicle.
Ms. Hills told reporters she wants justice for the loss of her daughter, whom she described as a loving child.
Police are continuing their investigation into the fatal accident.
Police and the National Security Minister say Jamaat al Muslimeen leader, Yasin Abu Bakr is not a threat.
Minister Fitzgerald Hinds yesterday said based on what the police have said the Imam is no threat to national security.
Acting Police Commissioner, Macdonald Jacob also said there is at this time, no reason to question the Imam after his warning to the State last Friday.
On the morning show on i95.5fm yesterday Mr. Jacob explained that the police reviewed a recording of sermon delivered by the Imam.
It was during Jumaah, the Imam warned the police, the army, the coast guard and the government saying too many black men and women are being killed.
The video clip of the sermon triggered concerns among members of the public.
The Acting Police Commissioner said guidance would also be sought from the Director of Public Prosecutions.
Minister Hinds said the Imam’s utterances are not seen as a threat.
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