NEWS
Drowning In Blood
The country is drowning in blood. Within a three-day period from Friday last to yesterday, 12 persons including a woman, were murdered in various incidents in Trinidad, sending the murder rate to 179. For the same period last year, 140 murders had been committed. The latest murder victim has been identified as Chaguanas mother Patrice Thomas-Fletcher who shortly after attending a party to celebrate her birthday, was found dead on the floor in her Enterprise apartment home. Her killer, a man whom she knew, is now in police custody. Police said Fletcher’s throat was slit and she bled out. As the nation reels from the weight of all these murders, even Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley admitted - moments after he returned home from a 12-day overseas trip on Saturday evening - that this country is a violent one and there is no switch to turn off murders and crimes. (See Page 5A). Read more…
Ramesar: Organised crime link in prison break
The July 24, 2015 Port-of-Spain Prison break which resulted in the death of PC Sherman Maynard has the characteristics of organised crime and a commission of enquiry will reveal the network of players involved. This was the conviction of Insp Anand Ramesar, president of the Police Social and Welfare Association, who is calling on President Anthony Carmona to set up a commission of enquiry into the incident. Shortly before he boarded a flight out of the country yesterday, Ramesar, in a T&T Guardian telephone interview, said, “We put a lot of things into context, the information that was brought forward before that day and after, and one thing stands out, it’s that this particular break has the characteristics of organised crime. “You need a network of several players, both internal and external, to the prisons service for this to happen. A commission of enquiry will reveal who were involved in this network.” Read more…
Duke Charged
President of the Public Services Association (PSA) Watson Duke is expected to appear before a Port of Spain magistrate this morning on five charges relating to an allegation of rape and indecent assault. Duke was charged late last night by a team of officers led by Assistant Supt (ASP) Ajith Persad, Insp Wilson and WPS Narine. The officers made their way to the office of Director of Public Prosecutions Roger Gaspard SC in Port of Spain last night. Read more…
POLITICS
Rowley: IDB loan for TT-Ghana energy projects
Local energy firms might be funded by the Inter American Development Bank (IDB) to build gas-pipelines or gas-processing plants in Ghana, effused Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley, on Saturday. He spoke to reporters at Piarco Airport upon his return from meeting IDB officials in Washington DC and officials in Ghana whose energy- sector he hoped TT could help develop. Rowley said the IDB had endorsed TT’s visit to Ghana, including projects the National Gas Company (NGC) and Petrotrin might undertake based on Ghana’s abundance of natural gas and oil. “If we do find something that we want to do out there, the IDB is prepared to partner with us,” he said. Rowley hailed this as a “first-time kind of arrangement” whereby the IDB is encouraging links between developing countries. Read more…
Rowley spoiling for fight on no-confidence motion
The Government will receive the motion of no confidence against Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi with “great glee,” said a combative Prime Minister Keith Rowley on his return to T&T on Saturday night from a two-week trip abroad. He said he wasn’t surprised by the opposition threat to file such a motion. Rowley also said as far as he knows his Government had done nothing wrong in its handling of the situation with temporary Independent Senator Justin Junkere. On Friday Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar said a private motion for the House of Representatives to express a loss of confidence in Al-Rawi was filed in the Parliament. If approved it could be debated in about 12 days. Persad-Bissessar said the motion was filed in the wake of the passage of the Strategic Services Agency (Amendment) Bill in Parliament. Read more…
Cops consult DPP on Duke matter
Officers investigating an allegation of rape against Public Services Association (PSA) president Watson Duke were seeking advice from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) last night, to determine if there was sufficient evidence to lay a criminal charge against the trade union leader. If the DPP’s office gives investigators the green light to charge Duke with the rape of the 33-year-old woman, which allegedly took place at the Hyatt Regency hotel in Port of Spain on Tuesday, then he will appear in the Port of Spain Magistrates’ Court today charged with the indictable offence. Investigators informed the Express yesterday evening that they were about to visit the DPP’s Office, sometime after 7 p.m., to seek directives. Read more…
BUSINESS
T&T looks for larger share of tourism
CEO of the Tourism Development Company (TDC) Keith Chin says despite the challenges to growth in T&T’s tourism sector, the experience gained as an active player in the global sector better positions this country to claim a larger share of the global market. In remarks at the launch of a Tourism Health and Safety Symposium at the Teaching and Learning Complex, University of the West Indies, St Augustine, Chin underscored the TDC’s commitment to its mandate of developing and marketing T&T’s tourism products. “Like many of our world’s industries today, the tourism industry operates in a globally-competitive environment. In fact, according to the United Nations World Tourism Organisation, tourism is the fastest growing global industry. “Operating within a US$1000 billion industry, destination T&T is competing with global and regional players with vast years of experience in tourism under their belts. Read more…
REGIONAL
IMF warns St Kitts-Nevis to brace for potential drop in citizenship investment
The International Monetary Fund has once again warned St. Kitts and Nevis against relying on revenue from its citizenship by investment (CBI) program. A team from the IMF, led by Inci Otker, visited St Kitts and Nevis during April 20 to May 3 to conduct the 2016 Article IV Consultation. Otker said the outlook for 2016 is positive, but remains dominated by developments in CBI inflows. Coming off an estimated 5 percent economic growth in 2015, the IMF is forecasting a moderate 3.5 percent growth in 2016 and a 3 percent growth over the medium term. Potential spillovers from weak growth prospects in key tourism source markets, de-risking trends, delays in regional financial sector resolution, and exposure to natural disasters pose additional downside risks to the outlook. Read more…
Royalton Engineering Firm Moves To Get Registered, Others Query Status
Therrestra Ltd, the engineering firm contracted to construct the Royalton Hotel inNegril, Hanover, where a section of a building collapsed and injured construction workers last week, has taken steps to become registered with the Professional Engineers Registration Board (PERB). The Gleaner reported last Tuesday that the company has been operating in Jamaica for more than a decade without being registered with the PERB, the body responsible for the registration and regulation of engineers in Jamaica. Last Friday, Dr Noel Brown, head of regulation and compliance at the PERB, said the firm, which is an overseas division of the Dominican Republic-based Therrestra Group, has made contact with the board seeking information on registration. "They have made contact with the board as a first step to start the process," Brown told The Gleaner. Brown also disclosed that other foreign firms have also contacted the PERB to ensure they are regularised. Read more…
INTERNATIONAL
UN says turning migrants away 'won't work'
2016 to be hottest year yet as April smashes records
The Earth is heating up like an oven and is showing no signs of slowing. This year recorded the highest land and ocean April temperatures on record, keeping 2016 on track to be the hottest year yet and by the biggest margin ever. New data released by NASA put April at 1.11 degrees Celsius warmer than average April temperatures between 1951 to 1980, which NASA uses as a reference point to study recent climate change. It was the seventh month in a row to rise by at least 1 degree Celsius above the 1951-80 reference averages. Read more…
16th May 2016