NEWS
200 Centrin workers laid off
While hundreds of workers, laid off at steel giant Arcelor- Mittal are expected to report for duty at the Point Lisas Industrial Estate-based plant on January 18, 200 workers of Centrin (Central Trinidad Steel Limited) have been given notice of retrenchment letters yesterday, Steel Workers Union (SWUTT) president general Christopher Henry revealed yesterday. He spoke at a media conference outside the Ministry of Labour’s St James Street in San Fernando shortly after the union met with representatives of ArcelorMittal. Read more…
Four cops quizzed in robbery report
Four police officers were arrested by officers of the Professional Standards Bureau on Sunday night. Senior officers yesterday confirmed the officers who are assigned to the Morvant Police Station were in police custody. Up to late yesterday, the lawmen were being questioned by their colleagues in connection with a robbery at the apartment of three Chinese nationals at their home at Orchard Drive, Edinburgh Gardens, Chaguanas, last December. Read more…
Court cleared for accused, 17
The Arima Magistrates' Third Court was cleared yesterday afternoon when a 17-year-old made his first appearance for allegedly murdering 13-year-old Nathan Barcoo-Campo. The teenager was brought to the courthouse earlier in the day but the matter was not called until about 4 p.m. before Magistrate Debbie Ann-Bassaw. Read more…
POLITICS
Bhoe slams Govt on VAT
Opposition Caroni Central MP, Dr Bhoe Tewarie yesterday slammed the Government for removing 99 food items off the Value Added Tax (VAT) zero rated list. In issuing the Opposition’s first criticism of this move in his contribution to debate on the Finance Bill 2016 in the House of Representatives, Tewarie charged that Government was “giving with one hand and taking away with the other.” While saying the Opposition welcomed the Government’s decision to exempt persons 60 years and over from paying to renew their passports and driver’s permits and improve the income of individuals through increasing their personal allowance, Tewarie claimed that these benefits would be undermined by the removal of such a large number of items from the VAT zero-rated list. Read more…
Cabinet approves new rules for picking top cops
Under the new process for the appointment of a commissioner of police and deputy commissioner the Police Service Commission will have to contract a local firm under the Central Tenders Board Act to conduct the recruitment process, which includes inviting applications for the posts. This is according to the Commissioner of Police and Deputy Commissioner (Selection Process) Order 2015, which was tabled in the House of Representatives yesterday by National Security Minister Edmund Dillon. Read more…
‘I did not abuse my position’
Housing Minister Marlene McDonald admitted yesterday that, in 2007, as Community Development Minister, she enquired after the status of an application to purchase State housing on behalf of someone with whom she had a "personal relationship". Read more…
BUSINESS
NGC makes $2.8B profit
A recession is on and energy prices continue to fall on the world markets but the National Gas Company (NGC) is projected to record an after-tax profit of $2.8 billion for the year 2015, Minister of Energy Nicole Olivierre said yesterday. The Minister said given revenues of $13.2 billion, this amounts to a 21.2 percent profit margin. Read more…
FirstCaribbean recovers from loss in 2014
Chairman of FirstCaribbean International Bank Limited David Ritch says 2015 was a year of recovery for the bank which achieved net income of US$98 million. He said this was “a significant improvement” over fiscal 2014 when the bank suffered net loss of US$148 million. In the bank’s annual report which has been posted to the T&T Stock Exchange, Ritch said FirstCaribbean’s restructuring programme, which was announced in October 2013 will end in the current fiscal year. Read more…
Food items that are now subjected to VAT
The following are some food items that were previously zero-rated on which 12.5 per cent Value Added Tax (VAT) will now apply.
(a) Rice (except parboiled and boiled rice);
(b) Flour (except all-purpose and wheat flour);
(c)Milk—including processed and tinned milk, UHT milk, condensed milk, flavoured and unflavoured milk and milk substitutes whether or not from animal origin and cream and creamers; Read more…
REGIONAL
Election Splurge - ECJ Says 'Yes' To Big Election Spending Increase
Cabinet has approved a 50 per cent increase in the amount candidates will be allowed to spend in general election campaigns. Phillip Paulwell, the minister with responsibility for electoral affairs, said yesterday that the upper spending limit for candidates is to be increased to $15 million, which is way beyond the $10 million that is now allowed. Parliamentarians raised the limit to $10 million ahead of the 2011 general elections, claiming that the $3 million that existed was not enough. Read more…
Evidence of election fraud destroyed, says St Vincent opposition leader
Vincentian opposition leader Arnhim Eustace says that documents destroyed in last Thursday’s fire at a government public works facility were records of local residents who had received donations of the materials stored at the warehouse prior to last month's general election. Eustace rejected suggestions that his New Democratic Party may have been involved in the fire that destroyed the facility and building materials stored there. Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves, at a news conference on Thursday, appeared to link opposition protests over the results of the December 9 general election to the fire. Read more…
INTERNATIONAL
Turkey: Several dead in suicide blast in central Istanbul Sultanahmet district
'Like coming back to life' says child soldier who escaped ISIS
"Nasir" is one of the lucky ones. He managed to escape from the grasp of ISIS, which was training him to be a suicide bomber. He is just 12 years old.The boy is now reunited with his mother at the Esyan refugee camp in Kurdistan, home to almost 15,000 Yazidis fleeing ISIS. He's asked CNN not to broadcast his face or voice, or to disclose his real name. "There were 60 of us," Nasir says. "The scariest times for us all were when the airstrikes happened. They'd lead all of us underground into the tunnels to hide. They told us the Americans, the unbelievers, were trying to kill us but they, the fighters, they loved us. They would look after us better than our parents. Read more…
12th January 2016