NEWS
Children Burnt to Death
Little Miracle Gordon, two, and her four-year-old brother Mawaki yesterday perished in a fire which gutted their humble Valencia home. In the wake of the tragedy, two of the siblings’ relatives were detained by Eastern Division police last night following a report that the children had been left home alone moments before the blazed enguled the house. The bodies, police said, were found in an embrace at the entrance to the house. hen Newsday visited the rural community at Tattoo Trace off the Toco Road yesterday, residents wore dazed looks as they struggled to comprehend the loss of two innocent lives. The victims’ three other siblings are now homeless and were staying at the homes of relatives. Autopsies are expected to be done on the tiny, charred remains of the brother and sister at the Forensic Science Centre in St James for an official cause of death. Read more here
Man charged with rape of SRP in court today
PH taxi driver Afteba Huggi- ns will appear before a Siparia magistrate today, charged with the rape of a female Special Reserve Police constable. Huggins, 33, of South Oropouche, was charged yesterday with attempted murder, rape, false imprisonment and robbery by Sgt Gokool. Huggins, who is married and has three children, was arrested on Monday after a manhunt was ordered by South Western Division Snr Supt Inraj Balram. A team of officers, including Insp Ramphal, Sgt Gokool, Cpl Ramlochan, WPC Vesprey, PC Swan and PC Narine, found him in the South Oropouche area. Police said a trace showed he has a pending court matter for rape. Read more here
Cocaine Link In US $2M Port Find
Two Trinidad and Tobago nationals are behind bars in Florida, USA, on charges of intention to distribute cocaine after the United States-based Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) cracked what it says is a drug- and money-laundering ring with ties to a Trinidadian contractor. Sources in Trinidad and Tobago intelligence agencies and customs officials have confirmed the FBI's drug seizure is linked to the US$2 million found concealed in plyboard shipped to this country last month. Neil Jason Merritt of Santa Cruz and Beon “Bobby” Phillip of Petit Valley were on board a yacht called Buff in the Caribbean Sea bound for Florida, allegedly with an estimated 150 kilogrammes of cocaine. Read more here
POLITICS
Relief is coming
Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley yesterday assured the people of Matelot, Toco and Grande Riviere that relief is on the way to them, following torrential rainfall overnight Tuesday and on Wednesday which triggered massive flooding, sea swells and landslides trapping thousands who live in those communities. Newsday yesterday reported that up to 3,000 villagers in these vulnerable rural areas are in desperate need of food, water, mattresses and in some cases shelter as heavy winds blew the roofs of an undetermined number of houses. Up to late last night, many were without power, as electricity poles were pounded down by the wind and rain. Water lines were also broken, according to reports, and damage to the infrastructure has been described as extensive. Responding to a question on this issue at the post-Cabinet news conference at the Office of the Prime Minister in St Clair, the Prime Minister said, “Our immediate response is to bring relief to people trapped inside of Matelot as we are making our way from Toco, clearing the landslides in towards Matelot.” Rowley said he has been kept abreast of what is happening there from Works and Transport Minister Rohan Sinanan, who went up to Matelot yesterday with other personnel from his ministry. Read more here
PM peeved at media stats
The ruling People’s National Movement suffered an overall 8 per cent fall in support in Monday’s Local Government election compared with its position in the 2013 election, Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley said yesterday. Rowley gave the figure during the post-Cabinet media briefing as he slammed the media for “misinformation” in its coverage of Monday’s election. The PNM won seven corporations to the Opposition United National Congress’ six, with a tie for the Sangre Grande corporation. Rowely said misinformation was fed to the media to distract from what was clearly a defeat of the Opposition. Read more here
I was reacting to misinformation
Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley yesterday admitted he was “aggravated by the misinformation being deliberately peddled” to, and unquestionably accepted by, the media from people “who wanted to dampen the effect of another UNC defeat” when he gave his controversial “steups” during a news conference at Balisier House, Port of Spain, on local government election night. Speaking at yesterday's post-Cabinet news conference, at the Office of the Prime Minister, St Clair, Rowley said the discourse in the media on Monday night was about a 17 per cent voter turnout, which was deemed to be the lowest ever, and what this so-called historic low poll meant for the PNM and its political leader. Read more here
BUSINESS
Over thirty persons granted citizenship through CIP
St.Lucia's almost two year old Citizenship by Investment Programme (CIP) has granted thirty-eight citizenships, after approving eleven applications. This was disclosed at a recent public consultation hosted by the CIP unit in the northern town of Gros Islet. CIP Chairman of the Board Ryan Devaux, says 14 families and four single applicants have applied to the programme to date comprising of 65 individuals in total. Three applications have been denied with four pending. Read more here
REGIONAL
Counter-Attack - Army Ramping Up Recruitment To Help Crush Western Crime
The new head of the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF), Major General Rocky Meade, plans to deploy a battalion of soldiers - normally between 500 and 600 - to the crime-plagued western section of the island but made it clear that the army would have to recruit to support the deployment. This disclosure, in an interview with The Gleaner immediately after he assumed command of the military, seemingly highlights Meade's own sharp focus on Jamaica's crime problem, which is in keeping with what the Holness administration says is one of its key strategies for driving economic growth. Meade took over from Major General Antony Anderson, who has been appointed as Jamaica's first national security adviser. Meade didn't give a timeframe for the deployment but suggested that a full battalion could be built up over two years. Read more here
Nevis premier presents $236.3 million tax-free budget
Premier of Nevis and minister of finance, Vance Amory, presented the Nevis Island Administration’s $236.3 million tax-free budget, when he delivered the 2017 Budget Address in just over two hours, at a sitting of the Nevis Island Assembly on Wednesday. The theme was “A Revitalization of Skills Development and Entrepreneurship for Economic Success.” Amory said that there is an increase of 22.42 percent in the 2017 budget over that of 2016, which is driven mainly by the Administration’s capital investment budget. The ministries of finance and communications received the largest chunks with $82.3million and $39.7million allocations respectively, which represents 35 and 16.8 percent of the overall budget. Read more here
INTERNATIONAL
Trump names Gen James 'Mad Dog' Mattis as defence secretary
Chapecoense: 'I've a dual feeling about being alive,' says goalkeeper Nivaldo
There is a real sense that Chapecoense goalkeeper Nivaldo is struggling with survivor guilt as he comes to terms with the hand he's been dealt by fate. Nineteen of his teammates, along with 19 other club staff, were among the 71 who died, while three players were among the six survivors of the plane crash in Colombia Monday. Read more here
2nd December 2016