NEWS
No Room For Deportees
Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley says the Government hopes that US President-elect Donald Trump's intention to deport millions of undocumented immigrants does not become US policy. Rowley said, though, that Trinidad and Tobago will have no choice but to absorb its citizens if they are indeed sent back home. Read more here
Enterprise resident charged in grandma’s murder
A woman yesterday appeared in the Chaguanas Magistrates’ Court charged with the murder of another woman. Keeda Adarhar appeared before First Court Magistrate Joanne O’Connor charged with the recent murder of grandmother Pamela Balgobin, of Walcott Lane, Enterprise. Adarhar, 29, of African Ground, Enterprise, was remanded in custody and will reappear on December 12. Read more here
POLITICS
PM: Kamla ‘fed’ PNM wives
Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley yesterday declared that his predecessor, Kamla Persad-Bissessar, would be responsible for any contracts the wives of People’s National Movement (PNM) Government ministers may have received from the Housing Development Corporation (HDC) under her People’s Partnership (PP) administration. Read more here
...PM: She's an embarrassment
Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley yesterday described Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar as an “embarrassment to this country” for saying that the wives of Government ministers were benefiting from multi-million-dollar Government contracts. “I heard her talking about ministers' wives and identifying contracts given to ministers' wives and all she is trying to do is to find company for the Government that she led that was tarnished with corruption,” Rowley told reporters following a local government campaign walkabout in St Joseph yesterday. Read more here
BUSINESS
ACS must confront threats to Caribbean Sea
The Association of Caribbean States needs the support of all to confront threats that have a direct impact on the economic, social and environmental development of the Greater Caribbean says Minister of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs Dennis Moses. Addressing the 19th Inter-sessional Preparatory Meeting of the Ministerial Council of the Association of Caribbean States (ACS) on November 11 in Port-of-Spain, Moses suggested that all ACS members should “share a commonality of purpose and a sense of urgency with regard to the need to address threats to the sustainability of the Caribbean Sea. Read more here
Beyond Borders Food Expo
Yet another Beyond Borders Food Expo will take place tomorrow at the Government Campus Plaza, Port of Spain. A press release from BP Trinidad and Tobago yesterday advised of this. This is the second Food Expo organised by BP in conjunction with The Rose Foundation and the Ministry of National Security, and it will feature thirty vendors. Read more here
REGIONAL
Haitian trade mission to visit Aruba
From Tuesday, 15 to Friday, November 18, 2016, a trade delegation, consisting of representatives of 13 Haitian companies, two representatives of the ministry of trade and industry and several representatives of the Caribbean Export agency, led by Sergio Valkenburg, founder and president of the Haiti-Benelux Chamber of Commerce, will be on an exploratory mission to Aruba. This mission of Haitian companies, organized by the Haiti-Bénélux Chamber of Commerce and Industry, in collaboration with the Haitian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Chamber of Commerce of Aruba and Caribbean Export, aims to enable Haitian exporters to expand their activities and seize opportunities by meeting with Caribbean companies including potential buyers, economic players and leaders in the private and public sectors. Read more here
Private Doctors For Us ... Jamaicans Shun Public Hospitals Because Of Time It Takes To Get Treatment
Six out of 10 Jamaicans say they head for to private doctors, rather than government-owned hospitals and clinics, when they have health problems. But while poor medical service and the bad attitude of staff figure among the causes Jamaicans shun the public institutions, the quality of care is not their main reason. Rather, it's the time it takes for them to get treatment - a problem the Government says it has begun to address by extending the opening hours at some clinics and increasing available staff. "We have actually started this initiative in some hospitals and some health centres that are close to hospitals," says Dr Jacqueline Bisasor-McKenzie, director of emergency medical services in the Ministry of Health. "We have chosen seven hospitals and we chose these hospitals based on the fact that they accounted for the highest volumes of visits per year to the emergency departments." Read more here
INTERNATIONAL
Trump transition memo: Trade reform begins Day 1
President-elect Donald Trump will begin the process of reshaping America's trade policy on Day 1 of his administration, according to a memo drafted by his transition team obtained by CNN. The document lays out the skeleton of Trump's trade policy for the first 200 days of his presidency, focusing on a set of principles including renegotiating or withdrawing from the North American Free Trade Agreement -- a frequent promise Trump made on the campaign trail. The memo itself notes that plenty could change before Trump starts his presidency on January 20, 2017, calling the contents "for discussion purposes only." But the draft memo reveals what the Trump transition team has developed as a blueprint for Trump's administration based on its pre-election work and Trump's own campaign promises. Read more here
Russian Economy Minister Ulyukayev charged with $2m bribe
15th November 2016