NEWS
TT Rideshare driver, passenger robbed
A Lange Park man and his rideshare driver were robbed after they went to Caparo to pick up a woman he barely knows. On February 1, the 36-year-old man hired TT Rideshare to take him to Chickland Road, Caparo, to pick up a woman he only recent met online and only knew by her first name. The woman told them to park on a narrow street near to Chickland Road and wait for her. When the two men arrived, a man with a cutlass got into the back seat and announced a robbery. Read more here
Erla removed! DCP Benjamin tipped to act as CoP
The country’s first female Commissioner of Police, Erla Harewood-Christopher, has been removed. The day after she was arrested, the Police Service Commission (PSC) dismissed Commissioner of Police (CoP) Erla Harewood-Christopher and wrote to President Christine Kangaloo to appoint Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Junior Benjamin as her replacement. In a letter to Kangaloo, which she received on January 31, the PolSC said that it directed Harewood-Christopher to “cease to report for duty and cease to discharge the duties of Commissioner of Police.” At the time, Harewood-Christopher was arrested and detained at the St Clair Police Station for questioning over the granting of an import licence to secure military-grade equipment for the Security Services Agency (SSA). Read more here
POLITICS
Moonilal: Criminals 'jubilant,' police in chaos after CoP's arrest
Oropouche East MP Dr Roodal Moonilal says criminals are "jubilant" while the police are in "chaos" after the arrest of Commissioner of Police (CoP) Erla Harewood-Christopher for questioning over the import of two sniper rifles for the Strategic Services Agencies (SSA) on January 30. Moonilal urged Parliament should be immediately convened to try to address any fallout. Harewood-Christopher was released on February 2 without charge. It's not yet clear when she will return to work. Read more here
BUSINESS
Stock market CEO: Time to buy equities
Once again, the Trinidad and Tobago Stock Exchange (TTSE) endured a challenging year, but company’s CEO Eva Mitchell is hopeful that 2025 will bring better returns than 2024. The Composite Index of the TTSE, which includes T&T companies and regional companies cross-listed on the local market, declined by 11 per cent in 2022, 8.8 per cent in 2023 and about 11.6 per cent. Over the three-year period, the Composite Index declined by about 28 per cet. She explained that much of the struggles faced by the local stock market in the past three years have been related to several macroeconomic and market-specific factors. Read more here
RBC to shorten branch hours from next month
Starting on Ash Wednesday (March 5), RBC Royal Bank (Trinidad and Tobago) Ltd will allow 30 minutes less time for customers to enter their branches. According to a release from RBC, this change aligns with the evolving needs and preferences of its customers and will also enhance the work environment for its employees. Read more here
REGIONAL
‘We are creating an enabling environment for the future’ – President Ali
The government’s policies and programmes have been targeted towards ensuring that Guyana has an attractive framework for investment and further creates an enabling environment for future economic opportunity. This is according to President Dr Irfaan Ali who recently examined his government’s growth agenda over the last few years. The Head of State indicated that because of several policies that have been pursued and all the investments made over the past four years, what can be seen is increased private sector investment among other things. Read more here
INTERNATIONAL
'People are afraid': BBC visits DR Congo city under rebel control
When I first drove into DR Congo's eastern city of Goma, it was hard for me to tell I had entered a conflict zone. Goma residents filled the streets a few miles from the border with Rwanda - commuters headed to work, hawkers sold goods by the roadside and taxi drivers scrambled to win customers. But it only took a few minutes to notice there was a new "government" in town. As I reached a checkpoint near a police post formerly run by the Congolese authorities, gun-toting fighters from the M23 rebel group stopped my car. Read more here
3rd February 2025