NEWS

Protest outside Flanagin RC

Almost a century ago, the ancestors of the currents students of the Flanagin Town RC School were moved into a nearby church when their school building was destroyed by fire. It was supposed to be a temporary measure but yesterday, parents of the school staged a protest as they called for a start to construction of a new building. Located in a remote village in Central Trinidad, the ‘school’ houses about 65 students. The church building is next to the site earmarked for the school’s construction. The makeshift classrooms are divided by rotting, termite-infested blackboards. Read more here

Garbage truck driver in East PoS protest charged

The driver of a private sanitation truck, who claimed to have been threatened at gunpoint to dump garbage on the street of east Port-of-Spain during protests earlier this week, has been charged over the incident. The 34-year-old from Diego Martin was yesterday charged for wilfully obstructing the free passage of a road and for littering. He is expected to appear in the Port-of-Spain Magistrate’s Court this morning. If convicted, the obstructing charge carries a fine of $200 and up to a month in prison, while the maximum penalty for littering is fine of $4,000 or up to six months in prison. Read more here

Archie moves to stop probe

Chief Justice Ivor Archie has initiated legal proceedings via a pre-action protocol letter to the Law Association of T&T (LATT), challen­ging an investigation of misbeha­viour in public office against him. The disclosure was made yesterday through LATT secretary Elena Araujo in an e-mail to LATT membership. Read more here

POLITICS

Political activist removed from PNM meeting

Social activist Ishmael Samad was bodily thrown out of last night's People's National Movement's political meeting by police, after he interrupted the event to complain about the poor state of some of the country's roads. Samad, who was seated in the La Horquetta Regional Complex hall, got up holding a newspaper outlining a story of the poor condition of the Guaico Tamana Road when Minister of Works and Transport Rohan Sinanan was about to address constituents, causing the meeting to be disrupted. Read more here

AG: Anti-Gang legislation in hands of Opposition

Declaring that it is only being done to “satisfy” the Opposition's concerns, Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi has now proposed a three-year sunset clause for the Anti-Gang bill. Read more here

BUSINESS

Bartercoin: TT joins digital coin revolution

This country has joined the digital currency revolution. BarterCoin Exchange Ltd and Zip Coin, through Rentier Company Limited, will launch with a gala event at Hilton Trinidad and Conference Centre tomorrow. Rentier Company Limited has partnered with an international team to establish BarterCoin exchange. In a media release, the company said, “Our executive team has been on a promotional campaign in London, Dubai, China and the US. Read more here

T&T ranking improves on corruption index

T&T has improved in its ranking on the Corruption Perception Index (CPI), moving from 101 in 2016, to 77 in 2017. The country recorded a score of 41 to go with its improved ranking. While 41 shows the need for T&T to still improve its CPI score, this is an improvement from its 2016 score of 35 and ranking of 101. Read more here

REGIONAL

No Scrapping JCF - Disbanding The Police Force Is Unrealistic, Say Montague, Finzi-Smith

Longstanding suggestions that the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), which is believed to be ill-equipped and outdated to deal with current realities, be disbanded and reconstituted have been dismissed as a "utopian dream" by National Security Minister Robert Montague. "That's a wonderful utopian dream. It's not real. Crime and violence is not only about the constabulary force. Right now in St James, for instance, you have upstanding persons in society, professionals, who are providing service to those very criminals," Montague said. Read more here

INTERNATIONAL

Florida shooting: Bullets flew for 4 minutes as deputy waited outside

When Nikolas Cruz started shooting last week, an armed deputy stationed at the Florida school rushed to the building. But instead of going inside, the officer waited outside for four minutes as the shooter killed students and faculty behind the walls, authorities said. School resource officer Scot Peterson "never went in" despite taking a position on the west side of the Building 12, where most of the carnage happened, Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel said Thursday. Read more here

Barnaby Joyce: Australia's Scandal-hit deputy PM to resign

Barnaby Joyce says he will resign as Australia's deputy prime minister following a politically damaging saga that began with his affair with a former staffer. Mr Joyce said he would step down on Monday as leader of the Nationals, the junior government partner. He had previously resisted calls to quit amid intense scrutiny over his ministerial conduct. Read more here

23rd February 2018

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