NEWS
Protect Toco reefs too
Dr Anjani Ganase talks with Dr Stanton Belford about the coral reefs at Toco, different from Tobago but in need of protection. This is also Trinidad’s only reef system. Dr Stanton Belford grew up on Temple Street, Arima, while spending most of his childhood traveling between Arima and Blanchisseuse where his father’s family lived. This was Stanton’s first introduction to life underwater in the ocean and in the rivers and streams of the Northern Range. When he was not riding the waves on the north coast, he was catching fish and crab in nearby streams. Nature encouraged his passion for research in biology, particularly the marine environments of northeast Trinidad, which he was fortunate to experience when he was in high school. Read more here
Man killed in Couva
A man was shot and killed at Bahadoor Street in Couva, last evening. Police say it is the first murder recorded in the Central Division for 2020. According to reports, at approximately 6:30 pm, the man—identified as renaldo chinapoo—was shot once. He later died. Read more here
POLITICS
Chaguanas East MP: Plant something
More than 5,000 short-crop seedlings were distributed to residents of Chaguanas East and lucky passersby on New Year’s Day as the constituency’s MP, Fazal Karim, surpassed expectations at his “2,020 seedlings in 2020” plant distribution drive. At Karim’s sub-office on Railway Road, Cunupia, scores of kitchen gardeners and first-time farmers capitalised on a wide selection of pimento, chive, celery, tomato, lettuce, patchoi, ochro, hot pepper and melon seedlings at no cost. Read more here
BUSINESS
BHP stands by TT
Call it a hunch. The deepwater acreages off the east coasts of Trinidad and Tobago were uncharted territory for hydrocarbon exploration but BHP, the world’s largest mining and extraction company, still felt there was potential. So, when these blocks came up for auction at the country’s first ever deepwater bidding round in 2012 and again in 2013/2014, the company went after them aggressively, eventually winning all of their options, in some cases, partnering with BPTT in the north and Shell in the south. Now, the last time BHP had one of those good feelings about exploration and production potential in TT, way back in 1996 when it first started operations in this country. Just three years later, it made history with the first major oil find in 30 years. This time, maybe the company’s luck would hold. Read more here
8 fiscal measures come into effect
A total of eight fiscal measures announced in the 2020 budget took effect from yesterday. The Ministry of Finance in a newspaper advertisement reminded the public of the measures. Read more here
REGIONAL
15-Y-O Shot In Head - Injured In ZOSO As Gun Salutes Islandwide Ring In New Year
A 15-year-old high-school student successfully underwent surgery at Falmouth Hospital in Trelawny yesterday to remove a bullet from her forehead after she was believed to have been shot by men involved in a gun salute as part of New Year’s celebrations in Mount Salem, St James. The tragedy unfolded hours after the Jamaica Constabulary Force and the Firearm Licensing Authority had warned New Year’s revellers to desist from the illegal tradition. But that threat appears to have been widely ignored, as our newsroom received multiple reports of gun salutes across the Corporate Area and St James. Read more here
‘Dawn of the ‘Decade of Development’
Guyanese can expect a higher quality of life over the next five years and government is laying the plans for this, President David Granger said in a New Year message to the nation. “We are planning for improvements in our lives in the form of: economic growth which will accelerate as production increases and the major sectors become stronger and more resilient; farmers and fishers benefitting from the modernisation and diversification of their sectors,” the Head of State said in his address. Read more here
INTERNATIONAL
Taiwan military chief among 8 people killed in Black Hawk helicopter crash
Taiwan's top military official was among eight people killed on Thursday when their Black Hawk helicopter crashed in mountains in the north of the island. Gen. Shen Yi-ming, 62, the Taiwan military's chief of general staff, was en route to visit troops when the UH-60M helicopter disappeared from radar near New Taipei City while carrying 13 people, including the crew. Shen was confirmed dead along with seven other people on board, Lt. Gen. Hsiung Hou-chi of Taiwan's air force told a news conference Thursday afternoon. Five people survived. Read more here
Australia fires: New South Wales declares week-long emergency
2nd January 2020