NEWS
Father, Son Killed in an Accident
A trip to the doctor’s office ended in tragedy yesterday when a Princes Town man and his 25-year-old son were killed after the car they were in collided with a ten-tonne delivery truck along the M1 Ring Road in Princes Town. The father’s wife and seven-yearold daughter, both cheated death as they escaped from the crash with non-life threatening injuries. Police sources said the child, Tricia, suffered a broken arm and leg and was up to last night, receiving treatment at the San Fernando General Hospital where her mother Howantie Harriram, 30, was warded for observation. The woman suffered minor injuries. Namdeo Harriman, 41, a gardener of Daly Road, Torrib Trace, New Grant in Princes Town and his son Lalchan, 25, perished in the tragic accident which occurred near the Housing Development Corporation (HDC) construction site. Read more...
State closes case
After almost two years of intermittent hearings, interrupted by court vacations, public holidays and juror absences, prosecutors in the Vindra Naipaul-Coolman murder trial have closed their case against the 11 men accused of the crime. Lead prosecutor Israel Khan, SC, made the announcement in the Port-of-Spain High Court yesterday after presiding judge Malcom Holdip gave his ruling on a legal submission which was raised by defence attorneys after the State’s last witness — a forensic laboratory technician — completed her evidence almost two weeks ago. Read more...
POLITICS
Central, North East battle for Pro League top spot
Central FC and North East Stars will be battling for sole possession of the top spot today when the Digicel Pro League resumes. Action will be on Round One Match Day Four, with three games on the agenda today while the other two games will take place on Thursday. Both Cental FC and North East Stars have seven points from three games, but Central FC, the defending league champs, have a superior goal difference of plus-four compared to North East’s plusthree. Read more...
No second chance for ISIS terrorists
Former National Security Minister Gary Griffith has called on his successor Minister Edmund Dillon to protect T&T and veto moves to allow the return of nationals, now with fighting with the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). Griffith wants Dillon to pass any lists of such people Dillon may receive to T&T’s international allies. Read more...
BUSINESS
Citi hosts investor conference
International Bank Citi hosted its first Investor Conference for Caribbean investors recently at the Hyatt Regency in Portof- Spain. Catalina Herrera, Citi Country Officer, Trinidad Hub and James Ollivierre, Treasury Head, opened the seminar to more than sixty investors. The day-long conference was provided by Citi with a view to offering investors broader perspectives and innovative solutions in an increasingly global marketplace. Read more...
TTCA president: Construction can revive economy
President of the T&T Contractors Association (TTCA) Mikey Joseph says the construction sector can play a key role in T&T’s economic revival. He said even with a smaller public sector investment programme (PSIP), there can still be significant capital expenditure to stimulate the economy if projects are carefully prioritised, planned and properly executed. Read more...
REGIONAL
Dominica opposition leader calls for reason on Commonwealth nominee
Following what he described as a disingenuous position taken by Dominica at end of the 62nd meeting of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Authority last week, parliamentary opposition leader Lennox Linton has called on Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit to disclose whether or not his government has been compromised by outside influence in the nomination of British Baroness Patricia Scotland for the post of Commonwealth secretary general.At the meeting of OECS heads of government in Roseau last week, Skerrit was asked to withdraw his nominee so that Commonwealth Caribbean countries could proceed to the selection event in Malta this week with a single candidate in the person of the Antigua and Barbuda’s nominee Sir Ronald Sanders, who has already secured majority regional support. Read more...
Collaborate To Bridge Gap Between Primary And Prep Schools - Educators React To Gleaner/Bill Johnson GSAT Rankings
The 2015 Gleaner-Bill Johnson Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT) rankings show that prep schools continue to outperform their primary-school counterparts in the exams. Educators, citing a number of reasons for this, including the level of parental support that one set of students get over the other, are calling for measures to close the gap. Janet Walsh-Davis, secretary of the Jamaican Independent Schools' Association (JISA), has called for more collaboration between primary and prep schools to bridge the gap in the performance between public and private institutions. Read more...
INTERNATIONAL
Turkey 'downs Russian warplane on Syria border'
Scientists create new strain of malaria-blocking mosquito
Scientists in the U.S. say they've created a new strain of mosquito that could eventually help eradicate malaria. Researchers at the University of California used a gene editing technique to insert DNA into the germ line of theAnopheles stephensi mosquito -- a leading vector of the disease. They found the gene stopped the transmission of malaria through 99.5% of their offspring, according to a statement on the university's website. The research was published in the early online edition ofProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the statement said. Read more...
24th November 2015