NEWS
Kidnappers free Stuart Young’s stepdaughter, ransom paid
Kidnappers have freed Krystiana Sankar, stepdaughter of government minister Stuart Young, hours after she was kidnapped from a friend's home in Diego Martin on Thursday night. Her family paid a ransom of $167,000 and was told where to pick up Sankar. The 24-year-old woman was released at about 2 am, at Morne Coco Road, where relatives met her and took her to the nearby Four Roads Police Station. She told police she was not harmed. Police said a suspect, 33, is in custody. Read more here
T&T Spirit on final sea trials—Port chairman
Good news finally for users of the seabridge as word is that the T&T Spirit could be back out soon after a successful three-hour sea trial yesterday. Chairman of the Port Authority, Lyle Alexander told Guardian Media that DNV, the company which has to certify the vessel’s seaworthiness for the seabridge, was satisfied, “there were no issues today, everything went quite well,” he said. The vessel sailed the waters of the Gulf of Paria for the sea trials and Alexander said he expected that the Port will get the certification required for the vessel to resume service. Read more here
Jereem Crowned
Jereem “The Dream” Richards proudly displayed a sign for all who cared to view at the Carrara Stadium here in Gold Coast, Australia, yesterday. “I wrote a message behind my number, and I wanted to show it, with a gold medal: ‘I could do all things through Christ who gives me strength’.” But even Richards, with all his bold faith, could not have anticipated just how appropriate the Philippians 4:13 scripture would be in the context of the drama that unfolded around the men’s 200 metres final. Read more here
POLITICS
Moonilal: Rowley’s return as Housing minister disturbing
Oropouche East MP Dr Roodal Moonilal has described Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley’s return to the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development as a “disturbing throwback to an earlier and troubling period” when, under the 2003-2007 Patrick Manning administration, Rowley had “presided over the HDC-approved board expenditure of $9 billion and $3 billion in unapproved variations at the Ministry of Housing.” In a media release on Wednesday, Moonilal said “over one dozen projects” started at that time were still incomplete owing to “poor designs, drawings, engineering, infrastructure and project management.” Read more here
Two weeks for Darryl Smith’s report— Young
The public must wait for two weeks for an investigating committee’s report to find out what “new information” caused PNM’s Darryl Smith to be fired from the Government on Tuesday. That’s the request from Stuart Young (Office of the Prime Minister) who has signalled that nothing might be said on the issue until Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley receives a report — in two weeks — from a team probing the Sport Ministry’s settlement matter allegedly involving Smith. Read more here
President hosts Independent senators to English high tea
President Paula-Mae Weekes yesterday hosted the Independent senators to English high tea in keeping with a “stated preference” of Senator Dhanayshar Mahabir. Scones, strawberry jam and clotted cream were to be served. Read more here
BUSINESS
Chinapoo joins Massy Holdings
Ian Chinapoo, who is stepping down as Executive Director of the Unit Trust Corporation (UTC) at the end of May, is joining Massy Holdings Limited as Group Chief Financial Office. A notice published in the T&T Stock Exchange yesterday said Chinapoo, who has also been appointed a director of Massy, will take up the new position on June 1. In February, the UTC board of Directors announced that Chinapoo was leaving having served his term and thanked him for his contribution to the company’s growth and development during his tenure. Read more here
Radio Company pleads guilty, fined
The Telecommunications Authority of Trinidad and Tobago (TATT) yesterday described as “yet another victory in the courts” the fact that Radio Vision Ltd pleaded guilty to two offences related to breaches of the Telecommunications Act last week Thursday. Read more here
REGIONAL
Psycho Killer - Psychiatrist, St Thomas Residents Paint Disturbing Picture Of Convicted Murderer
A prison doctor and residents in two St Thomas communities have painted a very disturbing image of Michael McLean, the deportee and businessman who slaughtered six members of one family, including four children ages three to nine years old. The doctor, a consultant forensic psychiatrist who examined McLean, stopped short of describing the 50-year-old businessman as a psychopath who posed a risk to those around him. Read more here
INTERNATIONAL
Comey paints unsparing portrait of Trump in devastating tell-all book
It is nothing less than the most devastating, contemporaneous takedown of a sitting president in modern history. The James Comey storm, brewing menacingly on the horizon for months, slammed into the White House just after 5 p.m. ET on Thursday, as the first leaks of the fired FBI director's explosive new book started gushing out. Proving that revenge is a dish best served cold, Comey waited 11 months to exact his retribution for his dismissal by President Donald Trump last May. When it came it was unsparing, richly detailed and mortifying for the President. He painted Trump as a relentless liar who is obsessively unethical, devoid of humanity and a slave to his ego, who is clueless about his job and unconcerned about a Russian assault on American democracy. Read more here
Russia says Syrian 'chemical attack' was staged
13th April 2018