NEWS
Asami’s body to be returned to Japan
The body of Japanese murder victim Asami Nagakiya will be returned to Japan for her final interment. Newsday understands that a certificate of clearance to ensure that Nagakiya did not have any infectious diseases will be sought from forensic pathologist Dr Valery Alexandrov today. When that certificate is obtained, all arrangements will be made to fly the body from Trinidad to Japan. Newsday understands that relatives of Nagakiya did not wish to come to this country, stating that they were afraid for their safety and preferred that the body be returned to Japan. The Consul General of the Japanese Embassy last week ordered that the body of the 30-year-old victim be removed to a local funeral agency to be embalmed in preparation for the return to Japan. Read more...
Sando Mayor upset after fire
San Fernando Mayor Kazim Hosein is calling for an inspection of all fire hydrants and an increased water pressure in commercial and residental areas in San Fernando. Hosein made the call after expressing his “disappointment over the water situation which affected fire hydrants in the High Street area” during Saturday’s fire which destroyed the Imperial Plaza, at Lower High Street. Fire officers have since denied that there was no water in the hydrants. The water pressure was low, they said, but they were able to get that sorted out. They said they also had in place a plan, which they successfully executed, to utilise water from the nearby sea. Read more...
Right Move
Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley said yesterday that remarks by Port of Spain Mayor Raymond Tim Kee, following the death of Japanese pannist Asami Nagakiya last week, were “totally unacceptable”. Rowley, who was reluctant to assume any role in Tim Kee's announcement Saturday that he intended to submit his resignation, also said he would never be supportive of “victim-blaming”, being a father of two daughters and a brother to sisters. He said Tim Kee had made the right decision in responding to the public's reaction. Read more...
POLITICS
Ads soon for new Director of Women’s Health
Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh will be relinquishing his role as Director of Women’s Health (DWH) in the not too distant future, following a Cabinet decision in which he was “given...approval to appoint a proper Director of Women’s Health.” The minister announced the pending change yesterday at the 2016 edition of “The Red Dress Valentine’s Day Luncheon”, hosted by the Trinidad and Tobago Heart Foundation (TTHF) at Hyatt Regency, Portof- Spain. Noting that the DWH post was formulated to address what he described as “unacceptably high” numbers of maternal and infant deaths, Deyalsingh told reporters this particular Cabinet decision was made “two weeks ago” and the ministry’s focus now is on advertising the post. Read more...
Rowley defends Red House plans
Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley yesterday defended his decision to take charge of restoration works on the historic Red House. He was responding to comments from former Speaker of the House Wade Mark who described Rowley’s decision as “out of line, out of bounds and out of place.” Mark was joined by Opposition MP Dr Roodal Moonilal who described the move as an attempt by Dr Rowley to “micro-manage multi-billion dollar construction projects. This approach has inherent dangers when a PM gets his hands in such matters.” Read more...
Al-Rawi commends Tim Kee on quick response
Attorney General and San Fernando West MP Faris Al-Rawi has given Port of Spain Mayor Raymond Tim Kee a commendation for responding quickly to the public outcry against statements he made regarding the death of Japanese national Asami Nagakiya.
Al-Rawi was responding to a press release issued by Tim Kee that he has convened an emergency meeting of the council and that he intends to tender his resignation. The AG said Tim Kee’s resignation was a first in Trinidad and Tobago, but he reminded politicians that “when you slip you slide” and “our revolving door turns quickly”. Al-Rawi, who was speaking to the media during a visit to High Street, San Fernando, on Saturday, said Tim Kee was a serious man who has done a lot of good work in Trinidad and Tobago. Read more...
BUSINESS
OWTU, Powergen reach agreement to save jobs
PowerGen and the Oilfields Workers’ Trade Union (OWTU) have reached an agreement to preserve jobs at the company following the mandatory shutdown of its Port-of-Spain plant on January 15. In a statement over the weekend, the company said it was mindful of the call by Government to preserve jobs during this difficult period for the country and the economy, and despite the challenges presented by the plant closure, it engaged in a collaborative process with the OWTU to avoid retrenchment of any employee affected by the closure. Read more...
Crafting a forward-looking investment portfolio
This week, we at Bourse evaluate the investment considerations and opportunities having looked previously at three main investor risk profiles and their respective portfolios, namely the Moderate, Conservative and Aggressive. We put forward our recommendations to investors on the main elements of arranging their portfolios in order to achieve positive returns. Read more...
REGIONAL
Former diplomat promotes juridical resolution of Venezuela's claims to Guyana
The signing of the Geneva Agreement was the only available option of resolving peacefully the conflict of Venezuela’s outrageous claims to Guyana, according to former Guyanese diplomat Sir Shridath Ramphal, who recently noted that, with the signing of the agreement, Guyana could move forward with its independence. Read more...
No Reason To Party - Neither PNP Nor JLP Able To Convince 50% Of Electorate To Love It
Fewer than half the 1.8 million persons on the latest voters' list have a favourable opinion of the governing People's National Party (PNP) despite every indication that it will be elected for another term when the votes are counted on February 25. The latest Gleaner-commissioned Bill Johnson poll has found that 43 per cent of the electorate has a favourable opinion of the Portia Simpson Miller-led party, while 45 per cent has an unfavourable opinion. Read more...
INTERNATIONAL
John Paul letters reveal 'intense' friendship with woman
Syria: In Aleppo, one man's story of fear, defiance and survival
Karam al Masri is watching his city die. Or more accurately, he is watching the life gradually ebb from it. Masri is a 25-year-old photographer in Aleppo who documents the fatalism, fear and sometimes the defiance of tens of thousands of civilians who remain in rebel-held areas of the city now almost encircled by Syrian government forces and their allies. Masri has witnessed and experienced enough tragedy to fill many lifetimes. He has been detained by the regime's secret police and ISIS; he has seen others executed and expected to be killed himself. He has lost relatives and friends and watched his beloved city become a battlefield. Read more...
15th February 2016