The CEO was speaking at TSTT’s Connect @ bmobile Technology Exposition 2017, a forum the company hosted for local businesses for discussion and a rich exchange of ideas around the various new hi-tech solutions in the market.

Following closely on the heels of bmobile being the first and only local mobile operator to deliver 4G LTE very high speed mobile data, it was recognised that dynamic change was increasingly guiding the future of work and life via disruptive technologies.

The technology experts presenting at the forum showed how TSTT in fact can create massive new opportunities for business innovation and industry and economic transformation to drive national prosperity.

At the “Thought Leadership” forum on January 17, executive leaders from among TSTT’s business, enterprise and government clientele heard from TSTT’s EVP, Strategic Alliance, Enterprise and Tobago Operations, Rakesh Goswami about the latest cutting-edge technologies being reviewed by Singularity University inclusive of neo-science, hand-held devices to perform medical diagnosis and bitcoin economy.

They also heard perspectives from three Trinidadian technology leaders based at internationally renowned organisations.

Senior Technical Director, Product Innovation at AT&T- Big Data, Lerrie Hercules presented on current global trends of Big Data/Analytics being utilized by successful firms and noted TSTT’s new role in enabling Big Data analytics because of their Data Centre Services inclusive of Disaster Recovery; Analytics; and Managed Services.

Trevor Maison, Lead Enterprise Architect for Buy Technology at Nielsen and Dr Colin Parris, Vice President Software Research Software Science & Analytics Organisation, GE Global Research Center also gave their unique insights of data-driven organisations.

They both gave testimony to TSTT’s position as a service provider ideally equipped with the technology, infrastructure and services to support local businesses adopting their own data-driven strategies.

The Technology Exposition continued on January 18 with workshops on: Mobility and illustration of automated call transition from mobile to office hand-set by Mitel Latest in SDDC (Software-Defined Data Centre) technology and VMware Intelligence gathering from CCTV (Closed Circuit TV) via facial recognition and analytics by Aimetis World renowned Google’s Culture of Innovation Business to Business transactions, the next Success presented by Huawei LTE (Long Term Evolution) & New Technology presented by TSTT Attendees were able to also network with subject matter experts at the various booths inclusive of Hosted PBX, Video Collaboration Cloud, “Pete The Pan Stick” VDI (Virtual Desktop) application, Data Centre Services, E-Tender application, mobile LTE, CCTV, Google Suite and Big Data Analytics.

The Connect @ bmobile Exposition & Technology Conference 2017 was truly a new experience, via engagement, with multiple industry specialists – focused on how to stimulate innovation, increase collaboration and drive growth and productivity through investment in technology.

For more information on how any of these services can boost your business contact your TSTT Account Manager or TSTT’s Rolph Young, Senior Manager Enterprise Marketing via email at royoung@tstt.co.tt

Now that the Carnival 2017 celebrations are behind us, some mischievous people at the National Carnival Commission (NCC) are trying to engage executive officers of Pan Trinbago in a new set of bacchanal and confusion, when it comes to the payment of the $1,000 pannist remittance for Panorama 2017.

The NCC is saying to Pan Trinbago that two of it’s executive officers met with them on or between January 27-30 and agreed to a cut of the pannist remittance by 50 percent. This is as blatant a lie as ever. But, given our experiences with them over the past five to six months, nothing is surprising coming of that camp.

However, Pan Trinbago would like to make it pellucidly clear that no officer was ever given such a mandate, and would not have exercised such power. The last discussion the parties had on that issue, the NCC was informed by the acting president of Pan Trinbago that coming out of a general membership meeting at City Hall, Port-of-Spain, some days prior, the pannist remittance remains the same.

The NCC chairman’s reply was that he would go to the Prime Minister for another $10 million investment into the Carnival that should take care of the shortfall.

When next the 50 percent cut was mentioned by the NCC, they were reminded of our proposal.

Pan Trinbago is anxiously awaiting the receipt of the agreed management fees for the Panorama events to which they were charged, and successfully produced, and the constitutionally due ten percent from each participating steelband, as agreed to be deducted and delivered to us by the NCC.

May we continue to propel and control the commanding heights of our indigenous art form, in the midst of that rarer atmosphere where our opinions do not collide.

Michael L Joseph PRO, Pan Trinbago

Why then is TT a country filled with so much hypocrisy, prejudice, bias and ignorance? For example, being gay/lesbian or different in our neck of the woods is like being accused of the most heinous crime. When in truth and fact and from a openly- minded global context, this salient issue of gayness and lesbianism must be looked at in today’s modern new-age settings, from a non-discriminatory angle.

Those among us who blindly believe or espouse the false idealism that being gay is a choice have got to rethink and ask their inner conscience: Who on God’s green Earth gave them the right to believe that homosexuality is a choice? My humble, layman and personal opinion differs in that one cannot choose the reactions of his or her autonomic nervous system, which governs involuntary bodily functions like heartbeat, breathing, sexual arousal and feelings. And it is the same for homosexuality.

For the religious, that is how God made things function, so who are you to question His handiwork? Now tell me, why would an individual choose a life where he/she is criticised for the rest of their lives? Why would they want to be ostracised from their families, have a hard time finding jobs and have a difficult time trying to marry the person they love? Blaming individuals for being gay is like blaming them for being left-handed/southpaw. We need to realise that just because something is not the norm in society — for example left-handed or ambidextrous — does not mean it doesn’t exist or it is wrong.

According to journalist Michael Rowe writing in the Huffington Post, there was an incident in New York in which a 17-month-old toddler was beaten to death because he acted “too feminine” and his mother’s boyfriend thought beating him was the only solution. This innocent child was murdered just because of the manner in which he carried about himself. Now isn’t that a sin according to religious scriptures? Why should others be able to choose who marries who? If a man and a woman marry, no one seems to care, but if homosexuals want to marry, there is a huge uproar.

We are equals in this world, whether black, white, or any other race for that matter. Why should we not be equals based on sexual orientation? At the end of the day love is love and in a marriage there is one thing that truly matters — love.

Who would be affected if homosexual marriage was legalised? No one. Everyone believes there is one person who is out there to love us. Gay people feel the same way. If we are to go by the holy scriptures, Lord Jesus Christ, Lord Buddha, Lord Krishna and even Almighty Allah have never discriminated.

The ball is in open court.

Vanishka Maharaj Cunupia

Too old and should be in a wheelchair? Duke has exposed to the world that he lacks the basic etiquette that goes with high office.

Should he continue to aspire to higher positions, he should consider educating himself on what constitutes gentlemanly behaviour.

Knowledge is power.

The higher one rises in the world the larger becomes the glass house in which one’s personal reputation resides. Duke should take pause and examine the cracks in his own glass house before making inane remarks that can be described as crass.

The sadness of this is that Duke might think he was being humorous.

London’s appointment is most suitable because of his 16 successful years as THA leader. He possesses the experience and personal gravitas necessary to represent his country on the world stage.

London is not a place for political amateurs who view it as a step on the cocktail circuit. London, not Washington, is the centre of the international ambassadorial world.

Lynette Joseph Diego Martin

Cuffie Jack, 30, lived at Solomon Street, Mayaro, in 2005 close to murdered 26-year-old Ramlochan.

Justice Althea Alexis- Windsor and the 12-member jury in the San Fernando High Court, heard that Jack had given police a statement after the woman’s body was found in a latrine pit at her home and her 18-month-old son was discovered in the Ortoire River in Mafeking on August 14, 2005.

Anand Babooram, 41, also called “Son”, of Mayaro, has been charged with murdering Ramlochan and her son, Ishmael Timothy Ragbir.

Senior State Attorney Shabanna Shah questioned Jack about the statement he gave to police that he and a man named Andrew had gone to Ramlochan’s house on August 8, 2005. He replied in the negative.

Jack again replied “No Ma’am” to questions about his police statement in which he had said that Ramlochan gave him three postcards to give to Babooram, who he referred to as “Son”, after they had left her house on August 10, 2005.

Shah put it to Jack that he told police that he and Andrew met Babooram on the road that same night and he had handed him the postcards. This too was denied.

Shah made an application to Alexis-Windsor for the prosecution to be granted permission to cross-examine Jack. His attorney Rekha Ramjit, instructed by attorney Gina Ramjohn, did not object.

Jack also denied telling police that Babooram confronted him about collecting the cards. Shah referred Jack several times to what his police statement contained. He said he could not recall seeing Ramlochan on Wednesday 10th August, 2005.

He also denied that on the Saturday he saw police moving a body from Ramlochan’s home. “I can’t see from where I living,” Jack said.

The trial continues today.

A cause of death has not yet been determined.

On Monday, just before midday, people at the waterfront discovered the body floating out at sea. The police were immediately contacted and they in turn called the Coast Guard.

Justice Eleanor Donaldson- Honeywell yesterday granted leave to Hart to challenge the findings of the report as well as gave her permission to have each of the three commissioners named as defendants in the claim.

As a result of the judge’s order, former chairman of the commission, retired judge Mustapha Ibrahim and commissioners Dr Myron Wing-Sang Chin and Anthony Farrell will now be defendants in the claim and they will be served by way of an advertisement in two daily newspapers for two consecutive weeks.

Permission was also granted for the Attorney General to enter the proceedings.

Hart is being represented by a team of attorneys led by Jamaican Queen’s Counsel Dr Lloyd Barnett and including Michael Bullock and Tecla Duncan. The AG is represented by Senior Counsel Fyard Hosein and Rishi Dass. A case management conference has been set for May 24.

The Commission’s report, which was laid in Parliament in September of last year, stated that Hart should be held responsible for the failed $26 million Las Alturas towers.

While the report advised that no criminal action be taken against anyone, under the heading “civil liabilities” Hart was singled out in the report.

“Mr Calder Hart was clearly the mind and the management of Udecott with respect to this project. He failed to do that which a prudent buyer would have done in the purchase of the land. He was required to do an inspection of the land before purchase and if he had done that he would have seen all the facts that operate against its suitability for the project. He therefore should be held accountable and liable for the losses sustained in the execution of the project,” the report stated.

Hart has gone on record to say he did not find the report to be fair. He also labelled the report as “procedurally flawed” and “defective in substance”.

The commission of enquiry was set up to investigate “the entire process which led to the construction of the Las Alturas Towers at Lady Young Gardens, Morvant, and all other acts, matters or decisions done or undertaken incidental to and including the construction” of the project, which include the procurement process.

Two appellate court judges, Justices Alice Yorke-Soo Hon and Mark Mohammed, quashed the conviction against Varidan Lackraj and the four year sentence he received in 2014.

Lackraj, in his appeal argued by attorneys Israel Khan, SC, and Ula Nathai Lutchman, maintained that the conviction against him could not be supported by the evidence.

His attorneys also argued that the good character evidence was misapplied by the magistrate who determined the case.

The prison officer was accused of possessing a brown paper bag containing marijuana near the prison at Frederick Street, Port of Spain. He was on his way to report for duty at 6 am.

In delivering the judgment, Mohammed said Lackraj had no previous convictions and it was a material error not to properly consider his good character as it related to the likelihood of him committing the crime with which he was charged.

But Mohammed said the offence was a prevalent one and the fact that Lackraj was a prison officer was a compelling factor in ordering a retrial as public interest was involved. It was alleged that PC Neptune was in receipt of certain information while on enquiries on December, 31, 2010 around 4:55 a.m. near the State Prison on Frederick Street.

It is alleged that Neptune and another officer approached Lackraj at the entrance gate and saw him remove from under his jersey a small brown paper bag with marijuana and drop it on the floor.

Lackraj denied the allegations.

He said he had a bag containing his lunch when the officers “frisked” him.

He also testified that one of the officers then walked ten feet away and picked up a brown parcel on the pavement, in which he alleged the marijuana was found. He said he told the officer he did not know anything about that parcel with marijuana.

A statement issued by Unipet Chief Executive Officer, Dexter Riley, said that in 2015 the Government implemented a 200 percent increase in the Business Levy and Green Fund Levy and these levies have made the industry unsustainable and put many stations into losses.

It states that over the past nine months Unipet and others in the industry have been making representations to the Ministry of Energy and Energy Affairs for a revision of the 2005 margins but these requests have so far not resulted in any positive responses.

According to the statement, at the recently concluded Energy Conference, Unipet’s Chairman said “the industry profit declined by $37 million and losses have been continuously incurred”.

Unipet said it is committed to supporting the government in any effort to modernise the industry and bring its operations in line with international best practices but this can only be achieved if the industry is sustainable and not allowed to collapse due to neglect and inadequate margins.

Digicel Trinidad and Tobago CEO John Delves revealed this on Tuesday at a meeting with Minister of Public Administration and Communications Maxie Cuffie.

In a release, the ministry said Digicel reported that it would be adopting a new organisational structure with centralised regional hubs consisting of two in the Caribbean region and two in the Pacific region. The ministry said Delves advised that discussions on this restructuring are ongoing at an international level and a decision is yet to be made as to the location of the Caribbean hubs. “The reorganisation is part of a wider Digicel 2030 plan which also includes enhancing their digital platforms and services, as well as the rollout of full LTE capabilities for a better customer experience,” the release stated.

Delves said Digicel remains committed to its investment in the country and to delivering the best possible service to its customers here.

Cuffie expressed the hope that Digicel would consider this country as a possible location for one of its Caribbean hubs. He noted that such a decision will lead to job creation and boost the economy.

He said that he can “only trust that any reorganising would not affect Trinidad and Tobago particularly hard,” and assured that Government “will continue to work with Digicel and all other telecoms partners.” In addressing Digicel’s concerns about perceptions of an anti- competitive environment in the local telecommunications industry, Cuffie reiterated that telecommunications operates under the framework of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

He said government has “drafted legislation in keeping with those commitments for liberalisation, transparency and open access, and we have been consistent in our application of such”.

This can be placed, he said, in the context of the revised Public Procurement Act which will be fully proclaimed at the end of this month.