NEWS
Suspect freed... again
Dale Seecharan, who was arrested after being publicly deemed a person of interest in investigations into the murder of Republic Bank employee Shannon Banfield, was released for a second time just after midnight yesterday. This means no one is in custody for the murder of the 20-yearold woman whose body was found stuffed on a shelf behind boxes in a room on the third floor of the IAM & Co store, Charlotte Street in Portof- Spain. Contacted for comment yesterday Seecharan’s attorney Larry Williams said that investigations into both matters for which his client was detained are still continuing and he hopes that the public would not judge Seecharan negatively, since he was questioned and there was not enough evidence to charge him for any crime. “I believe that more than 50 percent of the nation has already convicted Seecharan without a trial and while he may have been found guilty in the court of public opinion I hope that people are smart enough to let police do their investigation and not jump to any conclusions.” Williams told Newsday yesterday. Read more here
New appliances for Matelot residents
Christmas came early for 51 residents of Matelot, Grand Riviere and St Helena villages who were affected by recent floods and landslides as they received $350,000 worth of stoves, fridges, televisions, living room sets, mattresses and electric fans yesterday from the Ministry of Social Development and Family Services. Another 15 households are also expected to receive appliances and furniture from Capil’s Furniture Store in Sangre Grande in the coming days. The items, according to former chairman of the Sangre Grande Regional Corporation Terry Rondon put a smile on the faces of the residents who were marooned recently from the rest of Trinidad, after two bridges were washed away and the roadway was left covered by slush, rocks and fallen electricity, cable wires and trees. Read more here
Criminal charge of contempt
The Trinidad and Tobago Chamber of Industry and Commerce, its chief executive officer, a prominent businessman and a lawyer were yesterday issued with subpoenas by the Industrial Court to answer a criminal charge of contempt of court. The subpoenas were delivered by a bailiff around midday yesterday to businessman Frank Mouttet, attorney Derek Ali, Chamber CEO Gabriel Faria and the Chamber itself. The four have been summoned to appear before president of the Industrial Court Deborah Thomas-Felix next Tuesday. The Industrial Court is a superior court of record. This is the first time in its 51-year history that it has taken such action. Read more here
POLITICS
Opposition slams Govt ‘act of thuggery’
The Opposition United National Congress (UNC) condemned events at yesterday’s swearing-in ceremony of aldermen and the election of a chairman for the Sangre Grande Regional Corporation as “an act of thuggery” by the ruling People’s National Movement (PNM). The UNC said it was designed to “steal the corporation” away from the people of Sangre Grande. This was the position advanced by UNC chairman David Lee and UNC senator Gerald Ramdeen at a hastily convened news conference at the Opposition Leader’s Office in Port-of-Spain, hours after the ceremony took place. Hinting that the Opposition had not ruled out taking legal action in this matter, Ramdeen told reporters, “We will take advice on this matter and we will not let it rest here.” He said this was something which the UNC would deliberate upon, once Opposition Leader and UNC political leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar returns home from London, where she is attending a conference. Read more here
Rondon retains power in Grande
Incumbent chairman of the Sangre Grande Regional Corporation Terry Rondon retained his title under controversial circumstances yesterday, as the corporation swore in its new executive. United National Congress councillors and aldermen walked out of the ceremony after Rondon used his deciding vote as chairman, thus giving him two votes in the process, to break the 4-4 tie in the corporation between the UNC and the People’s National Movement. There were signs yesterday’s proceeding would not go well from early on after Rondon entered the ceremony with the chairman’s chain around his neck and proceeded to chair the proceedings instead of corporation CEO Angela Guerra. Read more here
THA election Jan 23
The Tobago House of Assembly (THA) election will be held on Monday January 23, 2017. A release from the Office of the Prime Minister announced yesterday that the President Anthony Carmona has fixed January 23 next year as the date for the election of members to serve in the THA. Consequently, nomination day will be January 3, 2017, the release stated. Read more here
BUSINESS
TT, Venezuela to deepen collaboration
Seeking to deepen trade collaboration, this country’s Minister of Trade and Industry Paula Gopee- Scoon met recently with Juan Arias, the Minister of Basic Industries of Venezuela. Minister Arias’ visit to Trinidad and Tobago resulted from a commitment made during the Official Visit to Venezuela, earlier this month, by Prime Minister Dr the Honourable Keith Rowley where he engaged in wide-rang ing discussions with Venezuelan President His Excellency Nicolas Maduro, aimed at deepening the bilateral relationship. The Venezuelan Minister indicated that opportunities for joint collaboration exist in the areas of lumber and the downstream energy sector which would be mutually advantageous. Read more here
Failing State agencies hindering diversification
Diversification, failing State agencies and the “untouchable” underground economy were among the topics explored at Wednesday night's Trade and Economic Unit panel discussion at the Teaching and Learning Complex at The University of the West Indies, St Augustine. The panel included Prof Patrick Watson, Energy Chamber chief executive Dr Thackwray Driver, UWI economist Roger Hosein and Guardian chief editor-Business Anthony Wilson. Speaking under the banner “Creating an enabling environment for diversification of the T&T economy”, Hosein began the discussion examining the failings of successive governments to properly lead diversification. Read more here
REGIONAL
Venezuela foreign minister tries to crash Mercosur meeting
Venezuela's Foreign Minister Delcy Rodriguez tried to gatecrash a Mercosur meeting in Buenos Aires on Wedneday. Rodriguez had not been invited to the meeting because Venezuela has been expelled from the regional trade bloc. Nevertheless, she turned up at the Argentine foreign ministry and brushed past security guards only to find the room where it was meant to be held, empty, the BBC reported. She accused guards of "attacking" her; however, a recording shows her arguing with an official at the gate of the foreign ministry and then brushing past security guards. Read more here
Big Plans For Kingston - New Mayor Wants City To Be 'Capital' Of Caribbean
Delroy Williams, the new mayor of Kingston, has laid out a vision to lead Jamaica's capital since 1872 to 'mega-city' status in four years. But no sooner had he declared his intentions at yesterday's swearing-in than he had to put his gavel to use to get order - something he said would be central to the vision - following nasty bickering between councillors from both sides of the political divide. The chaos that threatened inside may have been influenced by what took place outside the Kingston and St Andrew Municipal Corporation building on Church Street when police had to call for reinforcements to quickly break up a clash between supporters of Williams' Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) and the People's National Party (PNP). As the police used their bodies to separate the supporters, Williams, a government senator, inside the council chambers, read into the records his vision for the city and how the other 39 councillors could play their part. Read more here
INTERNATIONAL
Syria suspends Aleppo evacuations, blaming rebels
Gloves-off White House creates rift between Obama and Trump teams
Donald Trump's dismissal of US intelligence about Russian election meddling has deeply alarmed the White House, prompting a new and combative approach to the President-elect that's caused rifts between the incoming and outgoing administrations. Even as President Barack Obama seeks to maintain an amicable relationship with Trump in an attempt to influence his successor's agenda, the public spat between aides over Russia's hacking has turned into the type of bitter back-and-forth the White House initially sought to avoid in the days immediately following the election. Also fueling the rhetoric: Democrats' complaints the White House was slow in confronting Russia's hacking in the final days of the presidential campaign, a claim the White House disputes. Read more here
16th December 2016