NEWS
Friend killed at wake
Hours after the decomposing body of 24-year-old murder victim Anil Sankar was found in an outhouse, a nearby resident was shot and killed while attending his (Sankar’s) wake in Claxton Bay on Saturday night. Dead is 33-year-old Troy James, of Pranz Gardens, Claxton Bay. According to police reports, at about 11pm, James was walking along 5th Street, Pranz Gardens when he was approached by a lone gunman. Reports said that the man pointed a gun at James and shot him several times in the chest. He died on the spot outside the house where Sankar’s wake was held. James lived a short distance from where Sankar’s decomposing body was found along 5th Street, Pranz Gardens on Saturday morning. Sankar was found dead by his parents after being reportedly missing for a week. Newsday learnt that on the day Sankar disappeared he was seen conversing with James at his (Sankar’s) home. It is uncertain if the two killings are linked to each other. Read more here
Cops on extortion charge in court today
Three police officers last attached to the Rapid Response Unit will appear before Port-of-Spain magistrate today charged with misbehaviour in public office, after they were arrested for allegedly accepting a total of $6,500 to forego prosecution against a Diego Martin man. The men, Anderson Richards, 36, Nicholas Henry, 34 and Ronald Modeste, 26, were arrested between last Wednesday night and Thursday morning following a sting operation by the Professional Standards Bureau. The officers were last working out of the Western Division and are all Special Reserve Police officers. The men, who are being represented by Fareed Ali, were granted $80,000 station bail. Read more here
Business owner killed in hold-up
A Mayaro man who fought against armed thieves during a robbery at his business place was gunned down on Saturday. Daniel Pacheco, 43, of Radix Village, was shot three times and died at hospital. Around 9.05 p.m., Pacheco and his wife, Savitri Singh, were in their business, Danny’s Burgers and Grill, when two men walked in and announced a hold-up. Pacheco, police said, was in another room when Singh was forced to hand over $6,000 and $2,000 worth of cigarettes. The bandits were exiting when Pacheco emerged from the other room and began to struggle with one of them. The second bandit fired at Pacheco and he collapsed. Read more here
POLITICS
100,000 flu shots on offer
At a cost of US$5 per shot the Health Ministry is offering 100,000 flu shots against the deadliest strains of the virus at the current onset of this country’s flu season (at a total cost of about $3 million), said Health Minister, Terrence Deyalsingh, last week at news conference at his Ministry. They can be accessed for free on a walk-in basis at any one of 33 health clinics nationwide on Tuesdays and Thursdays. While news of eight flu-deaths last year had prompted a rush of persons to get vaccinated, the Minister urged that this year people seek out vaccines now rather than wait on him to deliver dire news of flu deaths. He said previously the Ministry had only issued 6,000 doses per year, but now he wants deaths to be as few as possible. Read more here
No T&T delegation at Fidel’s funeral?
While Minister of Foreign and Caricom Affairs Dennis Moses flew to Cuba last week to pay respects following the death of former Cuban president Fidel Castro, it was unclear up until yesterday evening whether the Government would be sending a representative to Castro’s funeral. The state funeral for Castro takes place this morning at 7.30 am at Santa Ifigenia Cemetery in Santiago de Cuba where Cuban national heroes Jose Marti and Carlos Manuel de Cespedes are laid to rest. The interment of Castro’s ashes followed a week of activities from November 28 to December 3 where Cubans and other well-wishers said adios to the former leader.The Sunday Guardian yesterday sent questions to Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley, Moses and other members of Government on whether any official from this country would attend. Rowley and Moses did not respond to messages. Read more here
PM to sign gas deal in Venezuela today
Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley is today in Caracas, Venezuela, to sign a second bilateral agreement that could, as he said recently, “open the door for commercial exploitation of the Dragon gas field in Venezuela” by Anglo-Dutch oil giant Shell for resale to gas-starved downstream companies at Point Lisas. Energy Minister Franklin Khan, Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister Stuart Young, Foreign Affairs Minister Dennis Moses and what Rowley described as “a fairly large team” will travel on a chartered Caribbean Airlines plane to Caracas today for the signing after which they will return to Piarco this afternoon. Over the last year, the Energy Ministry, State-owned National Gas Company (NGC), Venezuela’s Petroleum Ministry, State-owned Petroleos de Venezuela SA (PDVSA) “have worked consistently toward arriving at a situation where commercial users of natural gas, which is of concern in Trinidad and Tobago, can find supplies from Venezuelan fields which are close to our users,” Rowley said at a post-Cabinet press conference in Port of Spain on December 1. Read more here
BUSINESS
Banks accused of unfair treatment
President of the Couva/Point Lisas Chamber Liaquat Ali wants the business community to stand up against commercial banks, whom he is accusing of unfair treatment towards the business sector, and to “seek alternative arrangements with financial institutions in Trinidad and Tobago.” Speaking at the Chamber’s Christmas Dinner on Wednesday, Ali compared the operations of commercial banks to the Olympics. “They going for gold but the gold is not the gold medal, the gold is who going to make the most money, which commercial bank is going to highlight the most profit and is like a bragging right for these banks now,” he said. Ali told guests at the function, including the manager of RBC’s Couva operations, that he had nothing against any business organisation which is profitable, “but we have a problem when we find we being treated unfairly by the commercial banks.” Read more here
Why a retirement fund is right for you
This week, we at Bourse discuss an often overlooked area, investing for retirement. We provide some insight on the importance of planning for retirement by taking a closer look at group retirement funds. We also examine the benefits available to both employers and employees by investing in such funds. Read more here
REGIONAL
Venezuela expelled from Mercosur
South American sub-regional economic bloc Mercosur on Friday expelled Venezuela, effective immediately, for violating the grouping’s democratic principles and trade bylaws. It will now be required to renegotiate its membership if it wishes to rejoin. Mercosur was created as a customs union in 1991 by Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. Venezuela became the group’s fifth member in 2012. Bolivia, Chile, Peru, Colombia, Ecuador and Suriname are associate members. The purpose of the bloc is to promote free trade and the ease of movement of goods, people, and currency. It is currently seeking to sign a free trade deal with the European Union. “It is hard to get trade deals when you have a member who is against trade,” said a senior Brazilian diplomat who participated in the Mercosur talks with Venezuela. Read more here
Portia Plans Exit - Simpson Miller Stepping Down As President Of PNP
Portia Simpson Miller yesterday told her People's National Party (PNP) that she will step down as its president by the time her current mandate expires next September. But party insiders say that she could leave as early as March, after a leadership contest that will likely pit long-time aspirant Dr Peter Phillips against Peter Bunting, who earlier this year pulled back from a challenge of Simpson Miller. "The party president is likely to provide a clearer timetable of her departure at the next meeting of officers, which normally takes place on the second Tuesday of each month," said a source who is generally close to Simpson Miller's thinking on major issues. "A leadership contest could take place as early as February," said the source. "She is concerned that a drawn-out campaign could split the party apart, and, as she indicated, she doesn't want that to happen." Read more here
INTERNATIONAL
Matteo Renzi's referendum defeat risks Italy political crisis
Trump takes fresh swipe at China after controversial Taiwan call
President-elect Donald Trump has taken a fresh swipe at China just two days after a controversial phone call with Taiwan's president that upended decades of diplomatic protocol. Trump, in two tweets late Sunday, accused China of keeping its currency artificially low and of military posturing in the South China Sea -- home to a tense territorial dispute. "Did China ask us if it was OK to devalue their currency (making it hard for our companies to compete), heavily tax our products going into their country (the US doesn't tax them) or to build a massive military complex in the middle of the South China Sea? I don't think so!," Trump said on Twitter. Read more here
5th December 2016