NEWS
Boxes of Bones
Thirty boxes of human bones are taking up valuable and limited space at the Forensic Science Centre in St James while 14 unclaimed bodies remain on ice in the Centre’s morgue leading to Forensic Pathologist Dr Valery Alexandrov yesterday calling for a bone depository to be set up at the Centre. He said some of the bones cannot be disposed of via incineration or burial since they form part of ongoing cases; are exhibits/evidence in court cases; or could become central to current cold cases if and when new information surfaces during the police investigation process. Some of the bones have been at the Centre for years. According to Dr Alexandrov, there are 30 skeletal remains at the Centre and because there is no bone depository, he has had no choice but to place some in 30 cardboard boxes which are taking up much needed space in fridges at the Centre. He added that in many instances, some of the bones are simply lying around in the fridges and there is no way to determine which skull belongs to which torso and the situation is very chaotic. Read more…
CDA’s hotel plan for tracking station under fire
Chaguaramas Development Authority (CDA) chairman, Anthony Pierre, has given an assurance that if an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) shows that construction of a hotel at the old tracking station in Chaguaramas would disrupt the wildlife, flora and fauna of the area, the proposed project will be discontinued. Pierre made the comment yesterday as he tried to allay fears of naturalists, environmentalists and users of the area, many of whom took to Facebook in the last three days to condemn the CDA’s plan to build a hotel at the tracking station site. The criticisms came after the CDA on Monday placed a media ad for expression of interest (EOI) for investors/developers into the planning, design, construction and commissioning of a full service hotel at the old tracking station at Macqueripe, Chaguaramas. Read more…
Jealous lover behind plane bomb hoax
A jealous boyfriend was behind a July 27 bomb threat against a Caribbean Airlines (CAL) flight out of New York, USA, to Guyana where the man feared his lover would reunite with her ex-husband. The New York Daily News online reported on Tuesday that the couple reunited on that day outside the Brooklyn Federal Court after the man, Danesh Gomanie, was released on $20,000 bail for calling in the fake bomb threat. The girlfriend, who declined to provide her name, has apparently forgiven the man and has chalked up the incident to “just jealousy”. Read more…
POLITICS
London: Daaga had an impact
Tobago House of Assembly (THA) Chief Secretary Orville London yesterday said while National Joint Action Committee (NJAC) Chief Servant Makandal Daaga never held high political office, “his impact on the social and economic landscape of this country is indisputable.” In a statement, London said, “Many of us remember the fervour with which we embraced his vision and the power, passion and persuasiveness of his addresses as he mobilised the people and forced the country to re-evaluate its basic principles and, eventually, re-fashion itself.” Read more…
Hunt for bad pay students
Students who have received funding under the Government Assistance for Tuition Expenses (Gate) programme and failed to complete their course of study may soon be tracked down and asked to repay those monies. This was the word from the director of the Ministry of Education’s Funding and Grants Administration Department, Teresa Davidson, yesterday, as she noted they had received approval from Cabinet for increased financial and human resources to be invested in order to restructure and improve the department’s operations. Speaking at a press conference at the ministry’s St Clair head office, Davidson said: “Going forward in terms of trying to recover money, we will have to look at ways to verify the students in the database and their status.” Read more…
Rowley’s book will be available next month
Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley’s memoirs titled From Mason Hall to Whitehall will be released on September 17. Rowley has promoted the book on his official Facebook page, writing: “The back cover of From Mason Hall to Whitehall is a nod to my own history, and the history of Tobago. Read more…
BUSINESS
TTNGL reports $190 million profit
Trinidad and Tobago NGL Limited (TTNGL) recorded total comprehensive income of TT$190.2 million, for the period January 1 to June 30 (the first half of this year). This was announced yesterday in a statement by National Gas Company (NGC) Group chairman, Gerry Brooks. Brooks said this underscored the continuing success of TTNGL and represents a 235 percent improvement over the corresponding period in 2015, when $80.8 million was recorded. Read more…
Aquaculture in the new economy
With eyes set on new economic growth poles, aquaculture experts are of the view that opportunities in their field need to be better explored. For this reason, longstanding commercial aquafarmer Kent Vieira insists that the country needs to pay greater attention to building capacity within the sector by sharing knowledge of the know-hows of the industry. Vieira describes the prospects as “global” in nature and highly achievable because of some natural advantages. “Climate wise we can produce year round and so can sustainably and consistently supply markets,” Vieira told T&T Guardian and he makes specific reference to the farming of tilapia. Read more…
Gas discovered off the East coast
Global commodities and energy company BHP Billiton has confirmed a new gas discovery off the East coast of Trinidad. The company said in a statement Tuesday that it confirmed “positive drilling results for the LeClerc well in Trinidad and Tobago through the company’s targeted petroleum exploration programme. Read more…
REGIONAL
Anti-Gay Laws Across The Region Should Now Tumble - UN, Human Rights Groups
The United Nations, local and regional rights groups, and advocates say a train has now been set in motion for colonial laws throughout the English-speaking Caribbean outlawing anal sex to tumble after a Belize court ruled that laws in the country punishing 'unnatural sex' are unconstitutional. Jamaican defence lawyer Bert Samuels, however, stressed that yesterday's oral judgment issued by Belizean Chief Justice Kenneth Benjamin "is not binding on other Caribbean courts", adding, "it (judgment) is of persuasive value only". The ruling came six years after Caleb Orozco, 42, a gay man, filed an application challenging Section 53 of the Belize Criminal Code, which calls for a 10-year prison term for "carnal intercourse against the order of nature". The Belize attorney general has not indicated whether it will appeal. Read more…
Curacao-St Maarten anti-corruption raid targets central bank president
Officers of the anti-corruption unit (TBO) of the Kingdom Detective Cooperation Team (RST) on Wednesday raided the residence of the president of the Central Bank of Curacao and St Maarten, Emsley Tromp. In addition to the raid on Tromp’s private home in Mahaai, TBO also executed a search at the offices of United Trust, owned by businessman Gregory Elias, where Tromp is reportedly a customer, as well as at the offices of the Central Bank. Tromp is suspected of tax evasion and money laundering. He has for many years been alleged to be associated with financial malpractice. Read more…
INTERNATIONAL
Syria conflict: Russia 'halts Aleppo action' to allow aid in
Secret Service spoke to Trump campaign about 2nd Amendment comment
A US Secret Service official confirms to CNN that the USSS has spoken to the Trump campaign regarding his Second Amendment comments. "There has been more than one conversation" on the topic, the official told CNN. But it's unclear at what level in the campaign structure the conversations occurred. The campaign told the USSS that Donald Trump did not intend to incite violence, according to the official. "No such meeting or conversation ever happened," Trump tweeted in response to CNN's report. Read more…
11th August 2016