By Raffique Shah
April 01, 2012
THE announcements of two new oil finds over the past two weeks generated excitement among many in the population. “God is a Trini!” screamed the Express headline, quoting the Prime Minister. Such was the importance of Petrotrin’s discovery of 48 million barrels of relatively light crude, it warranted a full house of ministers and top company officials at the Cabinet Media Centre.
Continue reading Oil and Gas Arithmetic
By Darren Joseph
March 26, 2012
I woke up on Saturday 17th March, logged onto my laptop to read in the press that REDjet had suspended operations. The notice on their website read in part:
“Unlike the heavily subsidised airlines that serve the region, REDjet does not receive any assistance. As indicated, REDjet is hopeful that we will be given a small part of the State assistance others receive, as it will allow us to get our recently approved and exciting new routes established and profitable. Once this happens, our shareholders and staff will do their utmost to see that there is no return to high fares and business as usual.”
Continue reading Why is REDjet Grounded
By Raffique Shah
December 11, 2011
FIVE weeks ago, in my column titled “Diplomatic Blunders”, I wrote, “…The US has the right to decide what countries it has relations with, so excluding Cuba as a trade or investment partner is not the issue. What is criminal is for the US to use its might to deny other countries, as well as all corporations, their right to have relations with Cuba…”
I was referring to America’s unjust trade embargo against Cuba, but also to the People’s Partnership Government’s seemingly confused foreign policy positions. Trinidad and Tobago had abstained at a UNESCO general meeting at which Palestine was granted full membership, with an overwhelming majority of nations voting in favour of the motion.
Continue reading Blunder after Blunder
EDITORIAL
December 10, 2011
The U.S. has laws and regulations which prevent U.S. companies from doing business with Cuba unless they obtain a special licence from the U.S. Department of the Treasury. These laws extend to operations of U.S. companies in other countries as well. The United States Department of the Treasury refused to grant a licence to the Trinidad Hilton Hotel, which is managed by Hilton Worldwide, to host the CARICOM-Cuba summit which involved Cuban leader Raul Castro. This untenable affront to Trinidad and Tobago’s sovereignty reflects the continued tradition of U.S. imperialism in the Caribbean and our local leaders’ complicity in this abuse.
Continue reading Hilton’s Ban on Castro: An Affront to Our Sovereignty
By Clint Chan Tack
Friday, December 9 2011 – newsday.co.tt
CUBAN PRESIDENT Raul Castro yesterday slammed United States (US) President Barack Obama for failing to keep a commitment he made at the Fifth Summit of the Americas in Port-of-Spain in April 2009 to lift the 49-year-old embargo which the US placed on Cuba since 1962.
Continue reading END ISOLATION OF CUBA
Click here for more photos
Arrival of H.E General Raul Modesto Castro Ruz, the President of the Councils of State and Council of Minister of the Republic of Cuba for state visit ahead of the Fourth Cuba-Caricom Summit.
Continue reading Arrival of Cuban President Raul Castro: Fourth Cuba-Caricom Summit
US BIG STICK FOR RAUL
Hilton blocked from hosting Caricom conference attended by Cuban president
By Julien Neaves
December 07, 2011 – trinidadexpress.com
US-BASED hotel chain Hilton Worldwide has been denied a special licence from the US Government to allow for the IV Caricom/Cuba Summit to be held at the Hilton Trinidad and Conference Centre with visiting Cuban President Raul Castro.
The two-day summit, which starts today, will instead be held at the National Academy for the Performing Arts (NAPA) in Port of Spain.
Continue reading US Bans Hilton Hotel from Hosting Castro
TrinidadandTobagoNews.com
October 28, 2011
Many Trinbagonians held their hands to their chests in anticipation of the nail-biting Project Runway finale. When Anya Ayoung-Chee, Trinidad and Tobago’s representative won, social networking sites and blogs were abuzz with praise, mostly from Trinis, for her victory. Many of them also spent time justifying her win to other commentators who felt that Anya lacked the dexterity and the know-how to win the show.
Continue reading Anya Ayoung-Chee Wins Project Runway
By Raffique Shah
October 15, 2011
NOT surprisingly, Jack Warner is back in the international news—for all the wrong reasons. When he resigned as one of the most powerful men in FIFA earlier this year, Warner probably thought he had buried his past in the murky waters of Lake Zurich.
But that was not to be. FIFA is not the kind of “brotherhood” from which principal players simply walk away. If or when they do, they are expected to maintain “omerta”, the ancient Sicilian code of silence that FIFA has cleverly combined with the Swiss code of banking secrecy.
Continue reading Unlimited Liability
By Dr. Kwame Nantambu
October 09, 2011
Apology for Slavery
In April 2006, the Church of England voted “to apologize to the descendants of victims of the slave trade” and in March 2007, considered paying reparations.
Continue reading Question of Apology for Slavery and Reparations: Updated
