NEWS

More arrivals in TT due to hurricanes

Shamfa Cudjoe, Minister of Tourism, officially launched Trinidad and Tobago’s 2017/2018 Cruise Ship Season in fine style at the Port of Spain Cruise Ship Complex yesterday. She told guests and stakeholders: “For the period January to June 2017, Caribbean cruise arrivals stood at 15.3 million, a four percent increase on the corresponding period of 2016. This represented the largest number of cruise passengers in the region at this time of year.” Read more here

Ban imports of unhealthy foods

President of the Farmers’ Union of T&T Shiraz Khan wants Government to ban importation of unhealthy foods which contribute to life-threatening diseases. He said a negative list should be developed prohibiting importation of apples, tomatoes, cabbage, lettuce, all meats, fish and frozen fruits. Speak ahead of World Food Day which is being observed today, Khan said: “We should not be importing foods that are not healthy. Some of these foods are treated with chemicals beyond our consideration, hence the reason why the Government has to inject billions of dollars into the health sector every year to treat with life threatening diseases.” Read more here

Another piece of Trinidad’s history in danger

Three weeks ago, a dump truck reversed into one of Trinidad’s most treasured pieces of railway history at Stanleyville, Ste Madeleine, and tore the device from its 104-year-old foundation. There was no one in authority to intervene or penalise those involved, and none outside of the village even knew it had happened. Read more here

POLITICS

Kamla: Rowley ‘Prime Groomer’ of golf courses

Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley’s observation that a golf course could be compared to a woman which required regular grooming drew the ire of Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar who said Rowley had traded in the Prime Ministership of Trinidad and Tobago for that of the “Prime Groomer” of golf courses. Read more here

'I was offered $.1m to surrender cellphone'

Mark Adams, the man who claims Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi conspired with him to wiretap the offices of United National Congress (UNC) Senator and attorney Gerald Ramdeen, says he was offered a $100,000 bribe to surrender a cellphone allegedly containing text messages between the AG and himself. Read more here

BUSINESS

Central Bank failed to manage exchange rate

The Central Bank failed in its role to regulate the exchange rate over the last 15 years, leading to the crisis that has now developed, where a sharp and sudden adjustment is now required to stabilise the current account, Economic Development Advisory Board chairman Dr Terrence Farrell has said. “In my own view… by the time the crisis came around in 2014/2015, (the rate) should have already been over TT$7 to US$1. Read more here

IMF says improving world economy still needs help

The world economy is the healthiest it's been in years but could still use a little help from low-interest rates and higher government spending from countries that can afford it, the International Monetary Fund says. "There was a strong consensus that the global outlook is strengthening," said Agustin Carstens, governor of the Bank of Mexico and outgoing chair of the IMF's policy committee. "This does not mean we are declaring victory just yet." Read more here

Nine-month market review

This week we at Bourse review the performance of the local equity market for the nine months ended September 2017. Read more here

REGIONAL

Mindless Jamaicans - Lecturer: Masses Exploited By Politicians, Elite Because Of Critical Thinking Deficit

Critical thinking is not a common trait among many Jamaicans because the country's leaders, both past and present, have been reaping much rewards from keeping the minds of the people in bondage, University of the West Indies lecturer in the School of Education, Dr Clement Lambert, has contended. Lambert was part of a Gleaner Editors' Forum that was held at the company's North Street offices in Kingston on Thursday. The main focus of the forum was to highlight the primary role and importance of media and information literacy to everyday life, and how citizens need to be equipped with the ability to evaluate a variety of content themselves in order to make informed decisions. Read more here

INTERNATIONAL

Kirkuk: Iraqi forces capture key sites from Kurds

Iraqi government forces have captured key installations outside the disputed city of Kirkuk from Kurdish fighters. A military statement said units had taken control of the K1 military base, the Baba Gurgur oil and gas field, and a state-owned oil company's offices. Baghdad said the Peshmerga had withdrawn "without fighting", but clashes were reported south of Kirkuk. The operation was launched a month after the Kurdistan Region held a controversial independence referendum. Read more here

Iran's hardliners say Trump has done them 'great favors'

Tehran is a city that wears its political colors on its sleeve. The sprawling Iranian capital nestles between barren mountain ranges, its streets packed with high rises, leafy parks and markets. A major boulevard slices through the metropolis, from the working class south to the more affluent north; a journey along this road highlights the many political views of its population. Read more here

16th October 2017

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