NEWS

P/Town Pres protest again

FOR a second consecutive day, parents and students of Princes Town Presbyterian Primary School No1 were in protest mode yesterday, as they demanded that work should begin on a new pre-fabricated building promised to them by the Ministry of Education since last year. However, unlike Monday’s demonstration, which was staged at the vacant lot on Edward Street, Princes Town,where the school once stood, yesterday’s protest took place some three miles away, outside the Princes Town Presbyterian Primary School No 2, at Craignish Village, Princes Town. Read more here

Injured cops turned away from health facility

An investigation has been launched into an incident at the Couva Health Facility in which three police officers were refused treatment because they had no medical card. The officers, dressed in their police uniform, went to the health facility early Sunday morning after receiving minor injuries during the arrest of two men at Dow Village, California. Read more here

Five pharmacies under probe for selling unregistered drugs

Some five pharmacies have been investigated for the sale of unregistered drugs and are facing prosecution. Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh says this is as a result of the Ministry cracking down on counterfeit pharmaceuticals over the past year. Responding to an urgent question during Tuesday's sitting of the Senate, Deyalsingh said instructions were given to the Ministry’s Chemistry, Food and Drugs department to step up their surveillance on unregistered drugs. Read more here

POLITICS

AG: Economy ruined by PP

Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi yesterday slammed “massively, radically insane financial decisions” by the former People’s Partnership (PP) government for the current state of TT’s economy. Al-Rawi made this condemnation as he rejected allegations from the Opposition during debate on the Valuation of Land (Amendment) Bill 2018 in the Senate. After he dismissed Opposition Senator Wade Mark’s claim that the 2009 Valuation of Land Act was oppressive, Al-Rawi reminded senators that the PP used that same law as the basis to implement property tax from 2014-2017. He quoted former finance minister Larry Howai’s statement in Parliament on September 9, 2013 to support his argument. Read more here

AG to refile matter

The Government has suffered a setback in its prosecution of a corruption lawsuit against former Housing Development Corporation (HDC) officials, two State officials and two private companies over a $175 million land deal. High Court Judge Eleanor Donaldson-Honeywell yesterday upheld an application by the 10 defendants in the case to set aside the lawsuit, based on the procedure used by the Office of the Attorney General in filing it two years ago. Read more here

State loses HDC land case

Government has suffered a major defeat in its fight against “white-­collar crime” after its multi­million-dollar lawsuit against Jearlean John, former managing director of the Housing Development Corporation (HDC), and nine other government officials and companies was struck out by the High Court yesterday. Read more here

BUSINESS

Espinet: Petrotrin must abide by WGTL deal

The current board of Petrotrin did not sign the agreement with Niquan Energy for sale of the World Gas to Liquids Plant (WGTL) at Pointe-a-Pierre, but chairman Wilfred Espinet said there is nothing they can do other than to “abide by what was agreed to.” “If there is a legal agreement between the company and some other entity, the company has to maintain the legal agreement or it will be challenged legally,” he said. Read more here

Is Sagicor Financial ripe for takeover?

Sagicor Financial Corporation (SFC) was established as a publicly-listed holding company in 2002, following the demutualisation of Barbados Mutual, and operates as a financial service group in 22 countries across the Caribbean, the US and Latin America. Read more here

REGIONAL

Seek Justice! - Windrush Generation Urged To Contest Deportation

Jamaicans and other Caribbean nationals dubbed the Windrush Generation who have been aggrieved by the actions of the United Kingdom (UK) government should immediately take steps to seek redress, advised Diana Baxter, solicitor in Britain. At the same time, Prime Minister Andrew Holness is urging the UK Government to ensure that the pre-1973 Commonwealth Caribbean migrants currently detained as illegals are released and that those deported are afforded the necessary UK assistance in having their cases urgently reviewed and their rights restored. Baxter told The Gleaner in an interview yesterday that Jamaicans who fall in the category of the so-called Windrush Generation and had been deported should make contact with the UK Home Office to contest their deportation. Read more here

INTERNATIONAL

Mike Pompeo: CIA chief made secret trip to North Korea

CIA director Mike Pompeo travelled to Pyongyang for a secret meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, US President Donald Trump has confirmed. A "good relationship" was formed at the meeting last week, Mr Trump tweeted on Wednesday. News of the visit first emerged on Tuesday. US officials were quoted as saying the aim was to prepare a summit between Mr Trump and Mr Kim. Mr Trump had earlier alluded to high-level direct talks with Pyongyang. But the unexpected and clandestine meeting marks the highest level US contact with North Korea since 2000. "We have had direct talks at... extremely high levels," Mr Trump said from Florida, where he is hosting Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. The president added that he gave his "blessing" for talks between the South and North to discuss a peace treaty to formally end the 1950-1953 Korean War. Read more here

Starbucks will close 8,000 US stores May 29 for racial-bias training

Starbucks says it will close its 8,000 company-owned stores in the United States for one afternoon to educate employees about racial bias. The announcement follows an uproar over the arrest of two black men who were waiting for a friend at a Philadelphia Starbucks last week. The store manager called the police. The racial bias training will be provided on May 29 to about 175,000 workers. Read more here

18th April 2018

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