NEWS

Tighter border control at airports

The implementation of an Automated Border Control Kiosk System at the Piarco airport and the ANR Robinson airport in Tobago is geared towards making the journey through Customs checkpoints easier on travellers. The system was launched on Monday evening at the Immigration Hall in Piarco where 12 kiosks were installed. Read more here

Man on 105 wildlife charges gets $50,000 bail

An 18-year-old unemployed man has been granted $50,000 own bail on 105 wildlife charges. Ricardo Hospedales is accused of having several protected birds, two turtles and a South American capybara in his possession. He, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges before Princes Town Magistrate Nalini Singh. Read more here

Brothers, homeless man charged for breaking into factory

Two brothers and a homeless man who allegedly broke into a factory and stole over a quarter million dollars’ worth of equipment were expected to appear in court on Tuesday. Ramnanan Goolcharan, 53, of no fixed place of abode, and Maxwell Augustine, 22 and Stephon Augustine, 28; both of Perry Street, Perseverance, were jointly charged with factory breaking and larceny. The incident occurred on July 8. Read more here

POLITICS

Rowley talks crime today

On the backs of 300-plus murders recorded this year so far, government will today launch its latest anti-crime initiative, the National Crime Prevention Programme (NCPP). The NCPP’s launch takes place at the Hilton Trinidad from 10 am. The Prime Minister is scheduled to deliver the feature address. Other speakers at the event include National Security Minister Edmund Dillon and parliamentary secretary in the National Security Ministry, Glenda Jennings-Smith. Read more here

Galleons Passage weeks away from service

The Galleons Passage is finally here but it will be another two to three weeks before it is servicing the seabridge, Minister of Finance Colm Imbert said during a debut tour of the vessel yesterday. The vessel docked at the Port of Port-of-Spain around 11 pm on Monday – a nine-hour delay from the initial estimated time of 2 pm. The National Infrastructure Development Company (Nidco) said “strong currents” forced the crew to reduce the vessel’s speed. Read more here

AG blames UNC for election loss

The rhetoric advanced by the United National Congress (UNC) simultaneously during the by-election campaign and the debate in Parliament that the Anti-Terrorism legislation was anti-Muslim seemed to have resonated with some Muslim voters in Barataria. Read more here

BUSINESS

Digicel unveils superfast LTE network

Digicel has delivered a $250 million LTE (Long Term Evolution) network to its customers. At the launch at One Woodbrook Place yesterday,Technical Director Chandrika Samaroo said the new network was “packing superfast speeds up to ten times faster than existing 4G technology” and will deliver expanded coverage, greater reliability and superior availability. Read more here

CL Financial liquidators’ report: Time to divest

The Holiday Inn Express at Piarco will be up for sale in the coming months as Home Construction Ltd (HCL) seeks to divest its interest in it and its holding company Trinidad Hotels Limited. Read more here

REGIONAL

Murders Down - PM Says State Of Emergency Reducing Rate Of Killings Islandwide

Prime Minister Andrew Holness has said that the state of emergency (SOE) in St James has been instrumental in the reduction of the average daily murder rate across the island. All 52 members of parliament who were present yesterday voted in favour of the resolution to extend the SOE for an additional 90 days. "... The argument is that it's only for St James that the state of emergency has been effective," said Holness. "But if you look, you will see that at the point of the declaration of the state of emergency, the average daily murders have fallen from 4.65 to 3.44, nationally. So it is cumulative ... ," he added. Read more here

INTERNATIONAL

Trump, facing fury, says he misspoke with Putin

President Donald Trump, facing an onslaught of bipartisan fury over his glowing remarks about Vladimir Putin, said more than 24 hours afterward that he had misspoken during his news conference with the autocratic Russian leader. In one of the only times of his presidency he's admitted to a mistake, Trump said that when he returned Monday from the summit with Putin in Helsinki, Finland, he "realized there is some need for clarification" about his remarks on Russian interference in the 2016 US election. Read more here

Google hit with €4.3bn Android fine from EU

Google has been fined a record €4.34bn ($5bn; £3.9bn) over Android. The European Commission said the firm had used the mobile operating system to illegally "cement its dominant position in general internet search". The firm's parent Alphabet has been given 90 days to change its business practices or face further penalties of up to 5% of its average daily turnover. However, it has said it plans to appeal. Google's chief executive Sundar Pichai was pre-briefed about the decision by Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager on Tuesday. At a press conference in Brussels the watchdog said consumers needed choice and suggested the ruling could lead manufactures to sell smart devices using different versions of the Android operating system to Google's, such as Amazon's Fire OS. Read more here

18th July 2018

Back