NEWS
Dead fish, washes ashore
President of the La Brea Fisherfolks Alvin La Borde is claiming sabotage after several species of dead fish and two decomposing pelicans, washed ashore at Carat Shed Beach in La Brea yesterday. La Borde linked the fish kill with proposals to develop a ship yard and transshipment port from La Brea to Otaheite and a public meeting organised by the Ministry of Energy to discuss industrialisation opportunities in the area. That meeting is planned for tomorrow at the Vessigny High School. Read more here
Another rape victim comes forward
Another woman who claimed she was raped by a man who posed as a professional photographer has come forward even as police renewed their call more victims to report their crime. The woman contacted police on Sunday after the T&T Police Service (TTPS) issued a call for victims, who had not reported their attacks previously, to do so. The suspect was expected to be taken to court yesterday but this was delayed as he had to take part in another identification parade. The suspect is already facing charges in relation to an attack on a 19-year-old university student. Read more here
Five houses destroyed by coastal landslides
Landslides caused by coastal erosion have destroyed at least five houses in Cedros on Monday, leaving at least 20 people homeless. Three families were forced tp leave their homes at Bamboo Extension, Bamboo Settlement. The landslides swallowed the first house at around 4 p.m. Three hours later, at least four houses other houses were destroyed. Leroy Joseph who lives with his wife and four children, said he lives 20 feet from where the main damage took place. Read more here
POLITICS
Ministry: Only few cases of HFM disease
There are only a few suspected cases of Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease in T&T, according to the Ministry of Health. However, former Health Minister Dr Fuad Khan is warning that the virus could have mutated from the last outbreak in 2011. In an interview, Khan said that the increase in the number of cases of the disease is not unusual particularly because it occurred after the Carnival period. He warned that this strain of the coxsackie virus could be different to what was spread in 2011— the last reported outbreak. Read more here
Kamla: Was Carnival terror plot a charade?
Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar has questioned whether the Carnival terror plot was a charade and a distraction. "I have to wonder like others have wondered whether this whole charade that played out...over the Carnival period whether it was just to distract your mind from all the wrongs in this country," she said. Persad-Bissessar was speaking at the United National Congress (UNC) public meeting at the Don Miguel Hindu School on Monday night. Read more here
BUSINESS
Sandals deal above board
There is no secret deal between the government and Sandals Resorts International (SRI). No concessions have been given to the multinational resort chain, to develop its two brands- Sandals and Beaches hotels in Tobago. What exists is a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between both parties which addresses the scale of the resort, employment opportunities and training which would be available to locals. Read more here
TCL workers protest over outstanding negotiations, pension
Hours before they entered into another round of negotiations to discuss planned retrenchment, employees of Trinidad Cement Limited yesterday staged a lunchtime protest outside of the company's headquarters in Claxton Bay. During the protest, workers called on TCL's management to close off outstanding negotiations. They were accompanied by retirees and pensioners who complained that TCL's management had failed to review their pension investment strategies for 2017, and had denied them pension increases at a time when the cost of living was high. Read more here
Prima facie case in NCBFG hearing
The staff of the T&T Securities and Exchange Commission believe that minority Guardian Holdings (GHL) shareholders have put forward a prima facie case that there may have been breaches of the takeover bylaws in Jamaican financial institution NCBFG's US$400 million takeover bid for insurance company GHL. Read more here
REGIONAL
Robbing The Disabled - Able-Bodied Man Threatens To Shoot Prosthetic User For Parking Space
A member of the disabled community in Jamaica recently dared to tell an able-bodied person that he had parked in a space reserved for her and other persons like herself. The man threatened to shoot her. Sarah Newland-Martin, a double prosthetic user, who has dedicated her life to help transform the lives of at-risk boys at the Young Men's Christian Association, recounted to The Gleaner her shock and dismay after she tried to persuade a man who had no disability that he was parking in an area reserved for persons like her. Read more here
INTERNATIONAL
Syria war: Shelling and strikes despite Eastern Ghouta 'pause'
‘Don’t struggle if you’re raped’
In a lurid pink hotel room in Edo State, southern Nigeria, a trafficker is arranging to smuggle us across the continent to Libya -- and ultimately Europe. Fluorescent lights flicker intermittently inside the hotel, which doubles as a brothel and serves as the headquarters of tonight's operation. We are posing as would-be migrants attempting to reach Italy with the help of our "pusherman" -- one of an army of brokers who work alongside smugglers on the Nigerian end of the migrant route from Africa to Europe. Read more here
27th February 2018