TTMA IN THE NEWS
Opportunities for private sector in CSME
Irwin La Rocque, secretary general, Caricom Ambassador, delivers his address during the TTMA’s business breakfast meeting at Hilton Trinidad Hotel last Wednesday. Over the years the Caricom Single Market Economy (CSME) has come under much criticisms for failing to make progress in integrating economies within the Caricom region. Read more here
NEWS
Cedros fishermen and ‘Shakti’ still in Venezuela
The wait continues for the return of three fishermen held two weeks ago off the coast in Cedros by members of Venezuela’s La Guardia Nacional. But apart from the return of the men, a 70-year-old man is also awaiting the return of his pirogue named Shakti. Suklal Mannah of Chatham, said his pirogue remained impounded by the Spanish-speaking officials and he is fearful he may lose it. Read more here
Ports get 4 container scanners
Violent crime, fuelled by illegal narcotics and weapons, has had an adverse effect on the landscape of T&T. However, the influx of this type of contraband is expected to be addressed with the implementation of four mobile container scanners at two of the country’s major ports at Point Lisas and Port-of-Spain. The scanners were gifted by the US government at a cost of US$7.2 million and two of them were unveiled at the Port of Point Lisas yesterday. Mounted on a rugged truck chassis, the Mobile VACIS system helps trained operators see the contents of closed vehicles and containers and can support a wide variety of scanning scenarios. Read more here
Cocaine and cucumbers: Vegetable stall vendor arrested
A Williamsville woman is expected to appear before a San Fernando Magistrate today, charged with possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking. The 32-year-old, of Kumar Village, Williamsville, was arrested and charged by officers of the Marabella Police Station on Tuesday. Read more here
POLITICS
Imbert: Signs of economic recovery
Acting Prime Minister Colm Imbert has hinted that TT may be experiencing an economic recovery after several years of negative growth. Speaking with reporters after the launch of the Customs and Excise container scanner at the Port of Point Lisas yesterday, Imbert, who is also Finance Minister, said details of the economic turnaround would be revealed when he delivers the mid-year review in early May. Read more here
Govt made no error
Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi has rejected suggestions that the Government’s corruption lawsuit against former Housing Development Corporation (HDC) officials, two State officials and two private companies over a $175 million land deal has collapsed. Speaking at a press conference at his Port-of-Spain office yesterday, Al-Rawi criticised one newspaper for inaccurate reporting on a procedural issue in the case by High Court judge Eleanor Donaldson-Honeywell. Read more here
Not so fast, Jearlean
State’s $175m case against Jearlean, nine others: The Government’s case against former managing director of the Housing Development Corporation (HDC) Jearlean John and nine other defendants has not collapsed and is still being vigorously pursued. So said Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi yesterday, as he expressed confidence all defendants would be made to feel “the full brunt of the law”. Read more here
BUSINESS
Heritage legacy
Not all older buildings are worth the effort of preservation. In some cases, people argue it may be simpler and cheaper to simply start anew. But some buildings are treasures because they are distinctive symbols of our history, carrying a special resonance about our past realities and the peoples who came here. As bearers of parts of our culture, they can give a sense of permanence, dignity, and pride. There are stories to be told here, from the design and craftsmanship of the construction to the lives of the people who once lived in, worked in, or helped build them. Even flamboyant buildings which were once high symbols of colonial white privilege in a multi-ethnic society can be repurposed to new, more democratic and more creative uses to serve the public interest. Read more here
$11.8m in shares traded on TTSE
Overall market activity resulted from trading in ten securities of which none advanced, five declined and five traded firm. Trading activity on the First Tier Market registered a volume of 338,327 shares crossing the floor of the Exchange valued at $11,805,368.31. Scotiabank T&T Limited was the volume leader with 148,531 shares changing hands for a value of $9,285,362.99, followed by Sagicor Financial Corporation Limited with a volume of 74,685 shares being traded for $575,174.50. Guardian Holdings Limited contributed 59,627 shares with a value of $894,405, while FirstCaribbean International Bank Limited added 33,030 shares valued at $293,967. Read more here
REGIONAL
False Hope - Workers Resigning With Wrong Expectation Of Redundancy Payment
Scores of employees have been resigning from their jobs with the mistaken expectation that they will receive redundancy payments from their employers, a Ministry of Labour official disclosed yesterday. "There's a misconception out there among the public, especially employees, (that) when they resign, the company should pay them for their years of service," said Patreena Minto-Powell, acting director of the Pay and Conditions of Employment Unit at the Ministry of Labour and Social Security. Read more here
INTERNATIONAL
Southwest Airlines engine explosion linked to prior accident
Beaten, tortured, sexually abused: An American ISIS widow looks for a way home
For Samantha Sally, a vacation was all it took to flip her quiet middle-American world of muscle cars, cotton candy and an Indiana packing company, into the horror of the ritual beatings, serial rape, torture and propaganda videos of ISIS's so-called Caliphate. A holiday is what her husband, Moussa Elhassani, promised her when she went to Hong Kong in 2014, she says. The couple was planning to move to Morocco to start a new, cheaper life, she says, and needed to go through Hong Kong to transfer money. Read more here
19th April 2018