NEWS
Some cops to blame for crime
Some police officers must take blame for the “galloping murder rate” in the country because, in their respective communities, like so many citizens, they too have been turning a blind eye to crimes being committed. And yesterday, as he called on fellow officers to serve with integrity, secretary of the Police Social Welfare Association (PSWA) Insp Michael Seales, said officers must engage in some introspection. We have to take a very hard look at ourselves and we must say, for it to stop, it must begin with us,” said Seales as he addressed a poor turnout of police officers yesterday at the association’s 12th annual Inter Faith Thanksgiving Service at the Raja Yoga Centre in San Fernando , “How many of our policemen who live in a community, who have a batch, who have a neighbour, know something is wrong and say, ‘it is not my business and it doesn’t affect me’.” Sealy said he fears if some of his colleagues continue in to turn a bling eye, they would never live up to the Service’s Motto: ‘To serve and protect with pride.’ “We have to stick it out and say, ‘it is wrong’. Read more…
Abdulah gets hero’s send-off from OWTU
As he was saluted with union flags and serenaded with music, retired general secretary of the Oilfields Workers’ Trade Union, David Abdulah, received the union’s highest award on Friday night for 39 years of service. Abdulah, who retired from the union earlier this month, received an outpouring of praise from members of the labour movement both locally and internationally at the function held at Palms Club, San Fernando. President general of OWTU, Ancel Roget said Abdulah’s intellectual capacity and academic training as an economist brought benefits to thousands of workers. “David had plenty choices. After graduating from UWI as an economist, he chose a career path meant to transform the society. Read more…
Charge ‘Ganja’ Cops
Charge seven of them. A recommendation has been made that two former members of the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service, along with five Special Branch detectives, be charged following the alleged discovery of marijuana at the Phillipine home of former prime minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar in 2013. Read more…
POLITICS
Al-Rawi on Isis ‘red-flagging:’ Strict monitoring exercise ongoing
Amid growing concerns of T&T nationals being part of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (Isis) and operating in this country, Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi said there have been “significant efforts” with international partners in addressing the issue of statelessness as the Government continues to explore legislation to stop nationals from returning to the country after serving in Isis. The T&T Guardian reported yesterday that the Government was “red-flagging” as potential threats to national security the families of men and women who went to Syria to fight for Isis which was in addition to T&T fighters in Isis. Saying that combined efforts of local and international partners were therefore critical, Al-Rawi, in an interview yesterday, added, “When you stop someone it’s one thing but how you treat with them when you have stopped them is also equally important because there is a live issue in law of causing statelessness and there is also a live issue of making sure that people who are caught in these circumstances are treated within the confines of the law and the Constitution.” Read more…
Rowley vows Govt will turn around Laventille
Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley has vowed that despite the economic downturn, the Government will find the resources necessary to develop and turn around the stigmatised Laventille community. The Prime Minister gave this assurance while delivering an address on Saturday night at the Sogren Trace recreational facility, where scores of residents gathered to celebrate the success of three Laventille-based steelbands at this year’s Panorama final. Read more…
BUSINESS
Businessman on online shopping: New retail concepts needed
Online shopping will not disappear because of the new seven per cent tax, so local businesses will have to adjust to be competitive. According to Omar Hadeed, director of Sports and Games, many of them charge more than they should for some products. “Other countries regionally are facing the same issues and some have taken even more drastic measures to control it with even higher tariffs placed,” he said, commenting on Financer Minister Colm Imbert’s mid-term budget measures. “The local retail industry employs a very large percentage of this nation's population, and consumers must appreciate the cost of doing business as there are many expenses attributed to any retail business.“ Hadeed was also critical of the fact that goods purchased online are entering the country without the appropriate duties and VAT being paid. “A better procedure for importing online goods should be put into place so that the playing field is leveled.” Read more…
Survey shows big differences in food prices
Are consumers paying more for food based on their addresses? Some results from the Consumer Affairs Division of the Ministry of Trade and Industry’s survey of supermarket prices, published in Thursday’s newspapers, have shown differences of as much as $10 for food items like saltfish, corned beef, smoked herring and cheddar cheese, in different groceries in different parts of the country. Read more…
REGIONAL
Blackout - Widespread Outage Leaves Thousands In The Dark
Up to late last night, the Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS) was yet to determine what caused a "fairly widespread" power outage that left tens of thousands in darkness. Reports of the outage began to emerge shortly after seven o'clock from Manchester, Hanover, St Mary, Kingston, St Andrew, Portland, St Catherine, Trelawny, St James, Clarendon, and Westmoreland. The JPS issued a statement almost an hour later, from its Twitter account, advising that "the problem seems to be fairly widespread as customers in several parishes have been affected". It added: "We are not able at this point to say what caused the problem or how soon we'll have everybody back on, but power has already been restored to some areas." Winsome Callum, director, corporate communications at JPS, later explained that "a number of generating units went offline simultaneously, resulting in a fairly widespread outage affecting customers in several parishes. Read more…
IMF reaches agreement with Suriname on US$478 million stand-by facility
A staff team from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) led by Daniel Leigh visited Paramaribo March 30-April 12 2016 for discussions with the Suriname government. At the end of the visit, Leigh issued the following statement: “The IMF team has reached a staff-level agreement with the Surinamese authorities on the key elements of an economic program that could be supported by a two-year stand-by arrangement (SBA) in the amount of approximately US$478 million (SDR 342 million or 265 percent of quota). Subject to the timely completion of prior actions by the Surinamese government and obtaining necessary financing assurances, the IMF’s Executive Board could consider the proposed financing arrangement in early May. “Suriname is facing challenging conditions in the near term, caused largely by the sharp decline in the international prices of its commodity exports. The sustained drop in the prices of gold and oil has caused substantial external and fiscal deficits, and international reserves have declined significantly. These negative external developments, combined with the closure of Suralco’s alumina refinery in late 2015, have pushed the economy into a recession. Read more…
INTERNATIONAL
Brazil crisis: Rousseff loses lower house impeachment vote
NYC to Donald Trump: He's not one of us
Donald Trump's presidential campaign is rocking his hometown of New York City as he is poised for a thumping victory in the state's primary on Tuesday. Trump is dominating the polls with a double-digit lead over his rivals, Ted Cruz and John Kasich. The billionaire could pick up close to all of the 95 delegates at stake in the state, where he is especially popular among voters in upstate and rural regions. Donald Trump defines New York values in his own words That makes Trump's unpopularity in this diverse metropolis -- where he has been a fixture in the business, political and social scenes for decades -- all the more striking. His candidacy is widely viewed as distasteful and offensive by many residents. Read more…
18th April 2016