NEWS
It's A Fake
A letter purportedly penned by United States’ Democratic presidential candidate, Vermont Senator Bernard “Bernie” Sanders, to former US Attorney General Eric Holder, calling for an investigation by the US Department of Justice (DOJ) into an allegation that former prime minister and current Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar received US$20 million from former Cconcacaf president Jeff Webb, is a fake. The letter was published in this week’s edition of the Sunshine Newspaper, a weekly newspaper owned by former FIFA vice-president, former Government Minister and former United National Congress (UNC) member Jack Warner. The Sunshine’s publication which hit newsstands on Wednesday, is headlined “US Senator wants probe into Kamla’s alleged TT$125 Million Bank Account.” But in an interview with Newsday yesterday, Senator Sander’s deputy communications director and digital director Josh Miller- Lewis said the letter did not come from the Senator’s office. Read more…
Wife abuser gets 16 months in jail
A Tarouba man was sent to jail yesterday for 16 months yesterday for maliciously wounding his common-law wife with a cutlass during an argument. Kadir Drickpaul, 30, of Bocus Drive, Thompson Road, Tarouba, pleaded guilty to the charge when he appeared before Magistrate Margaret Alert in the San Fernando Magistrates’ Court. According to the facts, read by court prosecutor Krishna Bedassie, on August 29, 2015 the victim, Melissa Sooknanan, was at her home at Picton Street Extension, Picton Settlement, San Fernando. Read more…
‘Winter’ is over at Piarco
The winter display in the atrium of Piarco International Airport is no more. And it has been replaced with scenes more reflective of a "Trini Christmas". The decorations came down on Wednesday hours after an Express article was published on-line about citizens being annoyed at the decorations saying it was inappropriate for tropical Trinidad and Tobago. Read more…
POLITICS
HDC looks for more money
The Ministry of Housing will be asking the Parliament to increase the Housing Development Corporation’s (HDC) borrowing limit to meet its financial needs to complete incomplete projects and to begin new ones says Housing Minister Marlene Mc- Donald. Addressing the media yesterday after she had presented instruments of appointment to the new board of directors of the HDC at the Ministry of Housing, Port-of-Spain, McDonald said, “Certainly we will get some assistance from Minister of Finance (Colm Imbert) because we have to continue our work.” She said, “We have a lot outstanding to contractors, but we will deal with that.” One of the things, she said, she does not want to get involved in, was the blame game. “This (debt) is what we have inherited. Read more…
PP maxed out loan limits—PM
Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley on his return from his first official trip abroad said yesterday the existing limit for borrowing under the Development Loans Act, the Guarantee of Loans Act (for companies) and the External loans Act have been used up by the former government and if the new Government had to borrow the it had to be increased by Parliament. He said that was the reason why Finance Minister Colm Imbert was presenting a motion to increase the limit for borrowing under the legislation in the House of Representatives this afternoon. The motion is seeking to increase the limit to $75 billion. Read more…
Report released on why PP lost elections
A foreign consultancy firm has detailed in a report exactly why the People's Partnership Government lost the September 2015 general election. CTF Partners of London was hired to provide overview and manage the national election campaign of the People's Partnership coalition which comprised the United National Congress (UNC), the Congress of the People (COP), the Tobago Organisation of the People (TOP) and the National Joint Action Movement (NJAC). The Partnership led by former prime minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar suffered a 23-18 defeat to the People's National Movement (PNM). Read more…
BUSINESS
First Citizens Investments in St Lucia
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of First Citizens Karen Darbasie has hailed First Citizens Investment Services, St Lucia, which was opened recently in that Caribbean island, saying this shows First Citizens’ strength and commitment to bringing its indigenous brand of service to loyal customers in the region. She flew out to the picturesque isle on Sunday November 22 to join hands in the opening of the new office off the John Compton Highway in Sans Souci. Among the specially invited guests joining the Group for its official opening ceremony were Governor General of St Lucia Dame Pearlette Louisy, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure, Port Services and Transport Philip J. Read more…
Importers hard hit by forex limits
Local businesses continue to be hard hit by the limited availability of foreign currency and some are claiming the ongoing restrictions are now threatening their operations. Importers are among the hardest hit, Balliram Maharaj, CEO of ADM Distributors and a former President of the Supermarkets Association of T&T (SATT) said yesterday. “A lot of my colleagues are now deciding on if they should get out of this business. People are losing confidence because of the inability to pay for goods. A lot of people are being cut out from credit arrangements,” he told the T&T Guardian yesterday. Read more…
REGIONAL
Alleged million-dollar money laundering in St Lucia
During his “90 Minutes” show on the government owned Radio Saint Lucia last Friday, local broadcaster Shelton Daniel revealed what he described as a million US dollar drop off of funds at a hotel in the north of Saint Lucia by a suspected money launderer. “I know about a major drop off of funds that was done at a hotel in the north of Saint Lucia and these funds were brought to Saint Lucia by a retired or still functioning banker who is widely suspected of being a money launderer. I won’t tell you money launderer for whom. This man is an American citizen not an American native. He went to the United States in the 1960s,” Daniel said. Read more…
Water shortages have heavy impact on women in Cuba
Denia Arrascaeta suffers water shortages on a near daily basis in the neighbourhood in the Cuban capital where she lives. “Sometimes I don’t even have water to drink,” she told IPS. At her grandmother’s house, the water supply is more regular, so when the shortage becomes acute, she fills several big bottles and carries them the eight blocks to her home. The 39-year-old accountant lives in a neighbourhood on the west side of Havana, where the water supply is more erratic. Read more…
INTERNATIONAL
German parliament votes to expand ISIS fight
Lawmakers have voted to expand Germany's role in the fight against ISIS. The parliamentary vote Friday was 445 in favor, 146 against and 7 abstentions. Germany's post-World War II constitution hinders it in participating in battle on foreign soil. So, it can't commit to airstrikes. But it can enhance its military support role. It can, for instance, deploy high-tech intelligence jets over Syria and northern Iraq to help other countries' forces pinpoint targets. The German Cabinet approved the military support mission against ISIS in Syria this week. Read more…
Cairo restaurant firebomb attack kills 16
4th December 2015