NEWS
Man killed near Cathedral
A 20-year-old man was shot dead while offloading musical equipment in the vicinity of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Port-of-Spain, shortly after 9.30 pm on Saturday. According to reports, Lorenzo John, of Trou Macaque, Laventille, was in company with a friend, Nathan Pierre, when a lone gunman walked up to John and fired several shots at him. As John slumped to the ground, the gunman walked over to where his body lay and fired several more shots, striking John at point blank range. Pierre told investigators that he ran away on seeing his friend being shot but returned to the scene after the killer fled. Scores of onlookers gathered at the scene and John was conveyed to the Port-of-Spain General Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival. Read more...
New venue proposed for city vendors
Officials from the Port-of-Spain City Corporation, Housing Ministry and Urban Development Corporation of T&T (Udecott) will meet this afternoon with Salvatori site vendors on a “Plan B” alternative relocation site at Independence Square. This, after vendors recently rejected the Corporation’s initial offer of a South Quay location and expressed anger at the Government and Corporation. Corporation workers began erecting a wooden and galvanised fence around the Salvatori site yesterday. Some vendors began shifting their stocks, in preparation for today’s handover of the building to Udecott, which had initially given a February 14, deadline. The processs was monitored by several police officers at the site. Read more...
Children’s Authority responds to viral photos of abused child
The Children’s Authority stated yesterday that it took immediate action after images surfaced on social media of a child with injuries about his body. The Authority said it did not receive any reports on the matter on its hotline but, when the images were seen, the Authority immediately contacted the Child Protection Unit (CPU) of the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service. There was a joint response by both agencies and the matter is being treated with the sensitivity and confidentiality it requires, according to the Authority. Read more...
POLITICS
Ballot recount in UNC elections
A possible tied vote in a hotly contested constituency, as well as ballot recount, have been identified by United National Congress (UNC) officials as the main factors in the delay of the release of party’s constituency executive elections. The party held executive elections in eight constituencies on Saturday - Caroni Central; Chaguanas West; Cumuto/Manzanilla; Couva South; Fyzabad; Lopinot/Bon Air West; Mayaro and Oropouche East. In an interview yesterday, UNC elections officer, Don Sylvester said the results should be released later in the week after the party had satisfied all of the “legal requirements” governing the elections. “We received all the tally sheets and the records of the polling stations, all the ballot boxes came in with all the results,” Sylvester said, adding, “we now have to go through them and one or two for example, one was a tied vote and in another case, you had one person querying, asking for a recount, so I cannot give you the final results, but during this week it will be sent to all the media.” Read more...
Business leaders on Govt’s six-months review: Room for improvement
Business groups—and the Opposition—who’ve pronounced on Government’s performance so far will be monitoring the results of the administration’s upcoming retreat this week to see where it takes T&T. Views were expressed to T&T Guardian by the TT Chamber, TT Manufacturers Association, Couva/Pt Lisas Chamber of Commerce and Opposition on the eve of the retreat. Prime Minister Keith Rowley on his return from Belize recently said his government has done “reasonably well” so far but “there was always room for improvement”. Communication Minister Maxie Cuffie said the retreat will reassess and refashion operations. It coincides with Government’s six-month mark in office this month. Cabinet will meet in Tobago on Thursday. Members undertake the retreat after. Venue is the Magdalena Beach and Golf Resort, Lowlands. The People’s Partnership administration had used the same venue for some retreats. Read more...
Fire Marlene from office
Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley has been once again called to remove Housing Minister Marlene McDonald from office. Kirk Waithe, head of activist group Fixin’ T&T, wrote to the Prime Minister on Friday expressing concern over events that took place during McDonald’s stewardship in 2010 as Minister of Community Development, Culture and Gender Affairs, under the former Patrick Manning-led People’s National Movement (PNM) government. “We write on a matter which yet again raises questions about Housing Minister Marlene McDonald’s conduct in public office and reiterate our insistence that she be immediately removed from all ministerial and Cabinet posts pending the outcome of independent investigations; and permanently if any of the purported documentation presented is authenticated,” stated Waithe. Read more...
BUSINESS
Target set for Caroni land leases
Although Government has accelerated the preparation of leases for distribution to former Caroni (1975) Limited workers, more than 200 of them cannot be distributed because the beneficiaries never showed up to execute them, Agriculture Minister Clarence Rambharat said. The leases are for two-acre parcels of agricultural lands allocated under a 2003 VSEP agreement. Speaking at an agricultural and residential lease distribution ceremony for the former Caroni workers at Rienzi Complex, Couva, the minister reiterated his commitment to meet a target delivery of some 7,246 leases for the plots by December 31. He said: “I learnt only last evening, that of those persons called to execute leases towards the end of January, 205 failed to show up and there are leases available for execution that have not yet been executed. Read more...
WCO and PHL push ahead
This week, we at Bourse analyse the recently released full-year results of Prestige Holdings Limited (PHL) and West Indian Tobacco Company Limited (WCO). The trading company, PHL, accounts for just 0.55 per cent of the value of the composite index (TTCI), while the manufacturing company, WCO, accounts for about 9.33 per cent. Year-to-date, PHL’s share price has advanced five per cent, while WCO has remained largely unchanged. Read more...
REGIONAL
New Polls Loom - Razor-Thin Majority Expected To Force Next Government Into Early Elections
Jamaica seems set to return to the polls in very short order, with indications that either of the two major parties that crawls out of last Thursday's election on top could end up governing with a majority of one in the House of Representatives. But more worrying for political commentator Dr Paul Ashley is what he described as the 159-vote mistake by the Electoral Office of Jamaica (EOJ), which, he said, has sent the electoral process into a tailspin. Dr Horace Chang, general secretary of the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), has acknowledged that an early election could be in the making. "In our system, even a one-vote majority can function, but it would not be appropriate to maintain for any long period," Chang told The Gleaner yesterday. He added: "Some decisions will have to be taken early, and the possibility of an early election would, in fact, arise." Read more...
CARICOM explores new platforms in fight against youth crime, violence
Each year, approximately 200,000 youths aged 10 to 29 die, and many more sustain serious injuries because of violence across the world. Youth violence is a global challenge that the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) knows only too well: its young people are both the main perpetrators and victims. But CARICOM is accelerating its fight. Its most current initiative is a two-day youth forum in Georgetown, Guyana. The forum begins on Monday, with an opening ceremony to be chaired by CARICOM Secretariat director for human and social development, Myrna Bernard. Guyana’s vice president and minister for public security, Khemraj Ramjattan, will deliver the address. Read more...
INTERNATIONAL
CNN Exclusive: In rebel-held Aleppo, residents suspect Syria truce a trick
A truce negotiated between Syrian rebels and the government has caused a dramatic decrease in airstrikes around rebel-held territory, but there were few celebrations, with many residents suspecting a trick. The United States and Russia helped lead the negotiation of a "cessation of hostilities" between a handful of rebel groups and the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, which began Friday. Terrorist groups like ISIS and al Nusra Front are not part of the agreement and ongoing attacks have been reported. Read more...
Salman Taseer murder: Pakistan hangs Mumtaz Qadri
29th February 2016