NEWS
Inseparable brothers drown in Balandra
A family’s weekend outing to the beach ended in tragedy when two teenaged brothers drowed at a beach in Balandra, Toco, on Saturday. The teens — Raphael Rambarran, 16, and his younger brother Ricardo, 14 — reportedly got into difficulty while bathing at the beach. Raphael’s body was recovered and up to late Saturday, the TT Coast Guard were conducting intensive searches for the younger boy’s body. According to police reports at about 3.30 pm, Raphael, a Form Five student of the Barrackpore West Secondary, his brother Ricardo, a Form Four student of St Stephen’s College and a close relative, Quin Garcia, were seated on a rock close to the Balandra Beach Resort when they were hit by a wave. Read more…
Chaguanas fireman murdered
Homicide detectives are investigating the murder of a 33-year-old firefighter from Chaguanas. According to reports, Alcole Charles, of Flemming Street, Longdenville, was found by his younger brother Tekle at a liming spot near their home hours after he had been killed. Tekle told police that he returned home from work around 10 am on Saturday and noticed his brother was not at home. He said he went searching near a neighbour’s auto garage, where Charles would often lime with friends, and found his bloodied body next to a car at the side of the road. Charles had a large wound on the right side of his head and his left hand was partially severed. Read more…
POLITICS
Rowley: Help to reject bobol
Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley said the success of his proposed sweeping decentralisation of power to local government will wholly depend on citizens rejecting corruption, or otherwise the reforms will fail badly. He said TT will get foreign help with governance reform by both an offer to him from the Singapore Government and by his attendance at a Commonwealth Anti-corruption conference next month. Dr Rowley was addressing a People’s National Movement (PNM) rally at Tunapuna last Saturday night in support of the party’s two candidates in today’s local government by-elections - Merlyn Calliste for Malabar South and Travis Williams for Auzonville Tunapuna - respectively in the Arima Borough Council and Tunapuna/Piarco Regional Corporation. Read more…
After disappointing election loss: Vasant needs time to heal
Quite disappointed. This was how Vasant Bharath, one of the three candidates vying for the post of political leader of the United National Congress, described his lost yesterday. But in the face of defeat, Bharath vowed to work with everyone, including its reelected political leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar, for the greater good of the party. Persad-Bissessar secured a landslide victory on Saturday, although serious questions are being raised due to irregularities highlighted. In an interview yesterday, Bharath said his slate and the members of his team who worked hard on the campaign trail were also particularly disappointed. “Clearly, I feel obviously disappointed not just for myself but for the party. Read more…
BUSINESS
DOMA: Focus more on agriculture
President of the Downtown Owners and Merchants Association (DOMA), Gregory Aboud, says that agriculture is one of the great potential solutions to the current economic difficulties facing the country. He said the value of agriculture has been discussed but very little is being done about it. In response to a question at Friday’s Fifth Monetary Policy Forum held by the Central Bank at the Hyatt Regency, Wrightson Road, Port-of- Spain, Aboud said there is need for attention to basic facilities for farmers to sell their produce. Read more…
Mora Ven stops oil production
A dispute between local energy company Mora Ven Holdings Limited and Spanish energy giant Repsol over crude oil supply has led to the T&T company shutting down production on its oil platform. In a statement, Mora Ven, parent company of Mora Oil Ventures Limited (MOVL), said it had been supplying crude to Repsol for some time and recently the arrangement had become a month-to-month contract. “There is a dispute as to the amount of crude that is being supplied. In recent weeks Repsol have indicated that the level of crude being supplied is no more than 1.5 per cent of the amount with the Mora certified meter states,” the company said. Read more…
REGIONAL
Surgeon Opens Centre To Hand Knowledge To Young Colleagues
The country's young surgeons now have access to specialist training in hand surgery with the opening of the Carnegie Hand Institute and Surgery Centre (CHISC) at Whitter Village in Montego Bay. The state-of-the-art facility, the first of its kind in the Caribbean and a replica of the Tampa Bay Hand Center in Florida, was officially opened by executive director Dr Cecil Aird, last Thursday. Aird's aim is to pass on the knowledge and skills he has acquired over the past 30 years to young surgeons. Read more…
High profile corruption trial to open in Turks and Caicos
The trial of former premier Michael Misick and nine co-defendants on multiple charges of fraud, corruption and money laundering will begin on Tuesday at the Supreme Court in Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI), and is expected to last six months. It is understood that procedural issues will be dealt with by the court until December 18 and the trial will then resume on January 18, 2016. The trial results from a lengthy investigation into alleged systemic corruption in the TCI during the 2003-2009 Misick administration. A 2009 Commission of Inquiry report also resulted in the suspension of internal self-government in the TCI and the imposition of direct rule from Britain for three years until 2012. Read more…
INTERNATIONAL
San Bernardino attack: Obama vows to overcome terror threat
Xi'an City Wall: How China turned a military site into a unique park
For a city with a history of a few dozen centuries, and one that's also home to the 2,000-year-old Terra-cotta Army, Xi'an, China's 637-year-old city wall is a relatively new kid on the block. Then again, it's a pretty impressive block. At 12 meters high and 15 meters wide, the 14-kilometer-long Xi'an City Wall is the most complete ancient city wall in China. It's also the most dramatic place to view one of China's most fascinating cities. Read more…
7th December 2015