NEWS
Afraid to pray
Some Muslims who worship at the Masjid Al Falah in Arima yesterday said they are now afraid to worship at this mosque after a man was shot dead in his car which was parked outside the mosque on Saturday night. The members also told Newsday that while police were examining the body of Quincy “Tractor” Peters, 34, in his car, inside the mosque, the evening prayer was in session. Police said that at 7.05 pm, Peters was shot about 35 times and never got a chance to eat after breaking fast. When Newsday visited the mosque yesterday, one of Peters’ acquaintances said despite being a longtime follower of the faith, Peters only recently returned to the mosque after a two year absence and had hoped to use Islam to turn his life around. Read more here
Cop escapes shooting, friend injured
The police are investigating whether a police officer was the target of a shooting incident which left one man injured on Saturday. The incident took place at Syne Village, Penal. Police reports said around 3 pm on Saturday a 46-year-old construction worker and the officer attached to the Inter Agency Task Force were liming together when a Toyota wagon pulled out. An occupants came out the vehicle and said “Aye is you,” pointed a gun at them and opened fire. The police officer took out his firearm and returned fire. Read more here
Solidarity Network: Venezuelans fleeing to save their lives
Venezuelan citizens are arriving in Trinidad in unprecedented numbers. They are part of a massive migratory movement that has put the entire region on alert. Read more here
POLITICS
MSJ: Govt failed on local government reform
The government’s failure to enact local government reform was identified by Movement for Social Justice (MSJ) political leader David Abdulah as the reason behind the party’s decision not to contest the July 16, by-elections for the electoral districts of Barataria and Belmont East. “The PNM in its manifesto of 2015 put forward that they were going to engage in a process of reform of local government as one of the major planks of their commitment to that manifesto,” he said. “More than eighteen months have elapsed since the local government elections of 2016 and not a word have been heard or been uttered from the government with respect to the reform of local government,” he said. Read more here
NACC two-day forum starts tomorrow at Hilton Trinidad
The Office of the Prime Minister, National Aids Co-ordinating Committee (NACC) will host a two-day NACC’s Partners Forum in collaborating with all its stakeholders, on tomorrow at the Hilton Trinidad and Conference Centre Hotel, Lady Young Road, Port-of-Spain, beginning at 9 am. The forum seeks to improved co-ordination of activities between the NACC, its secretariat and its many partners which will significantly aid in the implementation and re-alignment of achieving the strategic intent of the National HIV/Aids plan. Read more here
Deyalsingh turns sod for $84m cancer facility
Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh said yesterday the Government is looking to retake control of public health and subject itself less to the “whims and fancies” of the private sector. Read more here
BUSINESS
PM Gonsalves: Forex squeeze impoverishing Vinceys
Prime Minister of St Vincent and the Grenadines Dr Ralph Gonsalves has argued that T&T’s foreign currency crunch is “impoverishing” Vincentians. Dr Gonsalves used the “high-level” session of a consultation of the Caricom Single Market and Economy (CSME) in Guyana as an opportunity to lay into T&T for continued currency difficulties experienced by Vincentian agricultural traders. Exports to T&T, the prime minister claimed, have declined from EC$20 million annually to EC$10 million. He said, by contrast, his country currently purchases more than EC$150 million in T&T products annually. Read more here
IMF summoned as Barbados seeks adjustments
This week, we at Bourse take a closer look at the Barbados economy. Known for its beautiful beaches, tourism and offshore financial services, ‘Little England’ has become overwhelmed by lacklustre growth and unsustainable debt levels. Following a sweeping victory in the general election held on May 24, 2018, the island’s newly elected government—led by Prime Minister Mia Mottley—has moved swiftly to address the economic situation of Barbados. Read more here
REGIONAL
Eating For Too Many - Obesity Contributing To Neonatal Deaths, Says Physician
One local physician is dispelling the myth that pregnant women should eat for two as obesity in pregnant women is proving to be a major risk factor for stillbirths and neonatal deaths in Jamaica. According to obstetrician-gynaecologist Dr Nastassia Tate, obese pregnant women should not try to gain any weight at all. “Pregnancy is not a time to eat twice as much, but twice as well,” she said during the Medical Association of Jamaica 2018 symposium at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston on the weekend. Read more here
INTERNATIONAL
History beckons for Trump and Kim
Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un are the unlikeliest of statesmen, but fate has thrown the US President and the North Korean tyrant an opportunity granted to few historic figures -- together they can change the world. Their summit in Singapore on Tuesday -- which will begin with a one-on-one meeting, alongside translators -- represents an opening awaited for 70 years but that was unthinkable just months ago as they traded insults that sparked fears of a slide into nuclear war. It could launch a process that could open the world's last Cold War frontier, finally usher in a permanent peace to end the 1950-53 Korean war, reshape the geopolitics of the Asia-Pacific region and bring millions of North Koreans out of famine and isolation. Read more here
Italy's Matteo Salvini shuts ports to migrant rescue ship
11th June 2018