NEWS
Cops must dead
“All ah allyuh police have to dead” That was one of the many threats hurled at police officers yesterday in the wake of the early morning shooting death of reputed gang member, Anton “ Bready” Mitchell, 26, of Enterprise. Residents, police said, also threatened the lives of their families when they turned on the police officers for fatally shooting one of their own. They denied that Mitchell had shot at police first. Mitchell has since been identified by officers as the “second in command” of the notorious “Unruly Isis Gang” operating in the hotspot Enterprise community. Further reports stated that Mitchell had been fearful for his life following the recent release of two members of a rival gang from prison. The killing sparked immediate outrage in the neighbourhood and angry villagers showed their disgust by blocking the road and setting fire to tyres and other debris in Crown Trace and surrounding areas. Fire appliances from the Chaguanas Fire Station responded. Police officers said they are not taking the threats lightly. “These are active threats coming to us and our families,” one officer told Newsday yesterday. One person, identified as Jadah Lewis, took to Facebook to express her anger over the killing. Read more here
Families seek easy re-entry
The five T&T nationals who have been in a Venezuelan prison since March 2014 will be reunited with their families later this morning. Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister, Stuart Young, told T&T Guardian yesterday there had been recent developments in Venezuela on the men’s return. He confirmed arrangements were being made to bring them home. Islamic Front leader, Umar Abdullah, said the men were expected to arrive at the Piarco International Airport at noon. Among people Abdullah thanked for the outcome was the Dr Keith Rowley-led People’s National Movement Government. “Alhamduillah! (All Praise and Thanks is Due to Allah),”Abdullah added. Read more here
Inclement weather continues to affect T&T
Meteorologist Albert Alexander from the TTMET (Trinidad & Tobago Meteorological Service) issued the following bulletin at 6:22AM on the consistent showers. INCLEMENT WEATHER AFFECTING TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO Trinidad and Tobago will continue to experience cloudy to overcast conditions with showers and thundershowers. This activity is related to the presence of the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ). Numerical Weather Prediction Models (NWP) forecast that the intensity of this rainfall activity will fluctuate and continue intermittently for at least 12 - 18 hours. The activity would be widespread with heavy showers in localized areas that can yield rainfall accumulations between 25 to 30 mm or even greater in some locations. Read more here
POLITICS
Kamla: Let US Treasury probe US$2M find
United National Congress political leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar is demanding that experts from the United States Treasury Department be invited to investigate the discovery of US$2 million in the Point Lisas Port by customs officers three weeks ago. Persad-Bissessar made her call before a crowd of a supporters at the UNC’s public meeting at the Penal Secondary School, Penal on Wednesday night. First, she restated previous questions to the Prime Minister about possible links between him, the People’s National Movement, (PNM) and the “plywood man” responsible for the US$2 million discovery. “Do you know the person who is alleged to have brought in these US dollars? Is he a financier of the PNM? Does he visit your residence? Answer the question. Don’t distract and go off on tangents. Answer!” she said. Read more here
Garcia: I will not allow myself to be abused
He also charged children were being used as “political pawns” in a growing number of school protests across the country. Speaking on CNC3 Morning Brew yesterday, Garcia said: “I did not walk out. I would not stand and allow myself to be abused by parents.” On Wednesday, Garcia was accosted by parents and children at the Santa Flora school after he met with school officials. The children walked right up to him after he emerged from the meeting and told him they wanted a new school and had a right to education as every other child. Noting he always was “accommodating to parents,” the minister said it was decided during his meeting with school officials students would be relocated to Petrotrin’s Beach Camp facilities. He said students lost eight weeks of school. Read more here
Rowley: 'I am available 24/7 to the National Security Council'
Whether he is in pyjamas or a track suit, Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley says he is available 24/7 to the National Security Council as the war against crime continues. Rowley knocked Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar for her statements that his Government had dismantled crime fighting mechanisms put in place under her former People's Partnership administration. Read more here
BUSINESS
China’s president seeks to foster closer ties
Media leaders in China, Latin America and the Caribbean convened in Chile over the past two days to share ideas on cooperating, collaborating and providing first-hand accurate reports on political, financial, social and cultural issues affecting each other. The President of China Xi Jinping, Chilean President Michelle Bachelet and close to 100 editors from around the region were present at the inaugural China- Latin America summit held in Santiago, Chile. President Xi, who was on his fifth visit to the region, declared that both China and Latin America must come to a firm determination to foster cooperation and face the current global challenges. In January 2015, Xi proposed that Chinese investment in Latin America will reach $US250 billion and bilateral trade volume US$500 billion in the next decade. And with strong financial ties taking place between both regions recently and further investment on the horizon, Xi noted that the media plays a vital role in promoting good relations between the parties to ensure it is a win-win situation for everyone. “We must support each other mutually. Read more here
Crowds expected for T&T's Black Friday
Its a shopping trend that has been gaining in popularity in T&T in recent years. Today, the day after Thanksgiving in the United States, some local retailers are offering one-day discounts and special offers hoping to attract bargain hunters. However, president of the Downtown Owners and Merchants Association (DOMA) Gregory Aboud said while the trend is catching on in T&T, it may be an awkward situation for retailers to keep up with given challenges of accessing foreign exchange to replenish goods. Traditionally US retailers offer deeply discounted sales, usually on clothing and electronic items, on the day after Thanksgiving. This phenomena, known as Black Friday has caught on in T&T. Last year, throngs of shoppers lined up from early at retail outlets offering Black Friday deals. Record crowds were reported at wholesalers PriceSmart and at the Gulf City Mall in south Trinidad as bargain hunters rushed to take advantage of one-day deals. Read more here
State-owned Oil Company records significant losses
State-owned oil company, PETROTRIN, Wednesday said that it had recorded a drop in revenue of TT$3.2 billion (One TT dollar =US$0.16 cents) for the financial year ending September 2016. In a statement, the oil company said that the preliminary unaudited results indicate a 16 per cent decline as compared to the previous year. But it said despite the drop in revenue, the unaudited net income improved by TT$286 million or 35 per cent from a net loss of TT$819 million in 2015 to a loss of TT$533 million in 2016. “Lower operating expenses helped to reduce the loss from the prior year. The Company continues to meet its debt service, required capital expenditure, and asset maintenance obligations with the support of its shareholder.” Read more here
REGIONAL
De-Bushing Probe - Contractor General Launches Investigation Into $600m State Project Days Before Local Government Polls
Just days before the local government elections, the country's main anti-corruption body, the Office of the Contractor General (OCG), has opened a probe into a government bush-clearing programme, the source of tensions between the administration and the Opposition People's National Party (PNP). The opposition party is contending that the programme is being used by the Holness administration to 'buy' support ahead of Monday's elections. Contractor General Dirk Harrison's probe was confirmed yesterday by the National Works Agency (NWA), which is spearheading the project that the PNP said bypassed its political representatives. Questions sent to the OCG on whether a probe is under way are yet to be answered. Read more here
Grenadians reject constitutional reform in referendum vote
According to preliminary results published by the Parliamentary Elections Office, with 99 percent of polling stations reporting, Grenadians appear to have decisively rejected seven proposed constitutional amendments in a referendum on Thursday. Notwithstanding a plea from Prime Minister Dr Keith Mitchell to his countrymen to show up at polling stations and let their votes count, a little more than 30 percent of the 71,241 registered voters cast a ballot in the referendum. Read more here
INTERNATIONAL
Football sex abuse claims: More former players speak out
Slaughter of innocents continues in battle for Mosul
Omar Ali stands outside his home in eastern Mosul weeping. The young father's sense of relief after being liberated from ISIS has been replaced by a feeling of unbearable loss. Only a day earlier his 18-month-old daughter Amira was there on the pavement in the Zahraa neighborhood playing with relatives when a mortar round landed nearby. Shrapnel tore through the air and the child's skull. Amira was killed instantly. Her two cousins were seriously injured. "Look world, this is my daughter," Omar Ali cries. "What did she do wrong? She's gone. She was just playing. She's gone from me and she's my only child." He holds a photograph of Amira dressed in a black sweater with white hearts, her cherub face looking up rather than at the camera. She is young and innocent like so many of the dozens of civilian victims the street-to-street battle for Mosul produces every single day. Read more here
25th November 2016