NEWS
Trou Macaque man gunned down
Relatives of 26-year-old Kerwyn Michael Prescott remain in a state of shock after he was shot and killed just outside his Trou Macaque, Laventille home yesterday afternoon, as he was speaking with several family members. Prescott, who worked as a PH (private hire) taxi driver in the area, was described by relatives as a generous, helpful person who, despite small arguments, was never involved in any criminal activities. Kriston Lessey, Prescott’s cousin, said she was at home a short distance away and heard when the gunshots rang out. “He was in the yard of his home... talking to a few other relatives when a vehicle pulled up and fired about three shots and sped off. One of my cousins came over to my house and told me what happened. Read more…
No-confidence motion flops
A petition calling for the removal of Law Association president Reginald Armour, SC, and vice-president Gerry Brooks failed to get off the ground yesterday after almost half of the attorneys who initially supported it withdrew their support. Speaking with media personnel outside the Hall of Justice, Port-of-Spain, minutes after the association’s special general meeting to decide on the petition finished, Armour explained that a dozen of the 30 signatories attended the meeting and indicated that they had been duped into lending their support. In the petition, the attorneys who drafted it claimed both Armour and Brooks were politically biased based on their alleged failure to speak on several recent legislative measures taken by Government. Read more…
Car crashes into crowd
Some spectators enjoying a Sunday evening car racing lime at the Frankie Boodram Wallerfield International Raceway are lucky to be alive following a horrific crash into the stands. Three of the four victims are in stable condition at the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex where they were paid a visit yesterday by Sport Minister Darryl Smith. Read more…
POLITICS
Kamla: AG engaging in cry-baby routine
Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar and Attorney General (AG) Faris Al-Rawi yesterday continued to cross political swords over who is misleading the population on the issue of the Anti-Gang and Bail laws. In a statement issued in response to comments made by Al-Rawi (in response to a statement made by her on Sunday), Persad-Bissessar accused the AG of engaging in a “cry-baby routine.” Reiterating her call for Al-Rawi to, “come clean and provide the necessary information on the number of persons denied bail under these laws so that the public can determine whether renewal of these laws is warranted,” Persad- Bissessar claimed that Al-Rawi continues, “blaming the UNC (United National Congress)for the loss of his rattle when he is in fact sitting on it.” Persad-Bissessar also reiterated that Government’s rush to renew the Anti-Gang Act and Bail (Amendment) Acts, through passage of the Miscellaneous Provisions (Anti-Gang and Bail ) Bill 2016 in Parliament, “without any examination and analysis of the empirical data must be condemned.” In response, Al-Rawi said Persad- Bissessar continues to play “loose politics” with the people of TT and it is noteworthy that “all of a sudden” statistics on the Bail and Anti-Gang laws are important to the UNC. He reiterated that Persad-Bissessar has failed to acknowledge the absence of the statistics she refers to is because her administration failed to do the analysis on the Anti-Gang and Bail laws which it promised the population it would do, over the last five years. Read more…
Jack goes with Imbert abroad to raise funds
Secretary of Finance and Enterprise Development of the Tobago House of Assembly (THA) Joel Jack is part of the local delegation accompanying Finance Minister Colm Imbert on an international multi-city visit to raise funds to finance Government’s spending for fiscal 2016. Jack, according to a statement, is representing Tobago’s interest. The team left yesterday. The Finance Secretary said apart from the technical aspects of the meetings and presentations he would also assist in marketing T&T as a viable investment destination to international investors. He said the mission was a critical component for encouraging wide investment and investor participation in the bond sales. Thus far, he added, the Government had already raised $3 billion through bond sales on the local market and that initiative would further serve to finance expenditure going into 2017. Read more…
Why is UNC opposing what they piloted?
Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi said yesterday the Opposition UNC had statistical information provided by the acting Commissioner of Police (CoP) with respect to the Bail Act. He said the CoP had information on high court proceedings brought by “temporary senator Gerald Ramdeen on behalf of his client which litigation seeks to set aside the same Bail Amendment on the ground of unconstitutionality”. “It is therefore not surprising that the UNC would undertake a complete about-face in supporting the Anti-Gang and Bail Amendment bills when they were in Government, and now without real explanation opposing the same laws which they piloted and championed,” Al-Rawi stated. He said the PNM simply requested an opportunity to consider the impact of these laws, a proposal made against the backdrop of the several State agencies which required more time to produce more statistics and information which would then be drafted into policy for legislative construction, including possible amendments to the laws. Read more…
BUSINESS
Agriculture Minister: Money laundering thriving in T&T
Despite the efforts of the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) and passage of laws aimed at stemming money laundering, the illegal trade continues to thrive in T&T, says Agriculture Minister Clarence Rambharat. Speaking on the subject, Hard Economic Realities Facing T&T, at the Employers’ Consultative Association’s Leadership Conference at its Training Room in Aranguez, the minister said no matter how well capitalised an organisation was and its wealth of talent, it could not get away from the issues of disruption and distortions caused by money laundering. Rambharat said other illicit practices affecting the economic health of T&T included illegal quarrying, the illegal diesel trade and gambling, each of which generated $5 billion annually and cost the Treasury $15 billion in revenue for the same period. Read more…
Barbados to borrow $244m via T&T bank
The government of Barbados received its Parliament's approval to borrow the equivalent of $244 million (BD$73 million or US$36.5 million) from Ansa Merchant Bank, the Barbados Parliament confirmed in a supplemental order paper released yesterday. Read more…
REGIONAL
Cayman Islands judge rejects ban on release of genetically engineered mosquitoes
Justice Ingrid Mangatal has rejected the application by activists in the Cayman Islands to overturn a decision of the National Conservation Council (NCC) regarding the controversial release of millions of genetically engineered mosquitoes in Grand Cayman. However, this does not mean the bio-engineered insects will be released in the Cayman Islands just yet. In the absence of her written ruling setting out the basis for her decision, the attorneys representing the applicants asked for a further stay to give them a chance to appeal her decision once they see the ruling. Read more…
'RADA's Role Misunderstood' ... CEO Responds To Farmers' Failing Grade
Severe financial constraints make it impractical for the 98 extension officers employed by the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) to effectively service the 178,837 registered farmers in its databank, on an individual basis, regularly. For this reason, Peter Thompson, acting chief executive officer of RADA, told The Gleaner that Monday's front page story, 'F for RADA ' Clarendon, St Catherine farmers give agriculture authority failing grade, was unfair and not truly representative of the agency's ongoing contribution to agriculture and rural development. With more than 200,000 farmers across the island benefiting from the expertise of extension officers, the small number of farmers who outlined their woes in the article could not accurately reflect the views of the national farming community, Thompson said. The farmers had complained that RADA was more of deterrent than facilitator for their agricultural ventures ? some complaining about the lack of inputs. Thompson pointed out that there was clearly a misunderstanding on the part of the farmers quoted in the article about the role of RADA. Read more…
INTERNATIONAL
France church attack: Priest killed in hostage-taking near Rouen
A priest has been killed in an attack by two armed men at his church in a suburb of Rouen in northern France, police and French media have said. The armed men entered the church in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray during Mass, taking the priest, Fr Jacques Hamel, 84, and four other people hostage. Police later surrounded the church and French TV said shots were fired. Both hostage-takers are now dead. Pope Francis decried the "pain and horror of this absurd violence". French interior ministry spokesman, Pierre-Henri Brandet, said one of the hostages had been critically wounded. He said the hostage-takers had been "neutralised" after coming out of the church. Police were now searching the church for explosives. Police sources said it appeared the attackers had slit the priest's throat with a knife. The area has been cordoned off and police have told people to stay away. Mr Brandet said the motive of the attackers was not immediately clear, but the investigation into the incident would be led by anti-terrorism prosecutors. One of the men was known to the French intelligence services, French TV channel M6 has reported. Read more…
Michelle Obama: 'When they go low, we go high'
Michelle Obama cast the presidential race as one between a positive role model for children -- in Hillary Clinton -- and a damaging one -- in Donald Trump -- in the marquee speech on the Democratic National Convention's opening night. The first lady never mentioned Trump by name, but leveraging her popularity, she made a rare, if not unprecedented, foray into partisan politics to knock the Republican nominee. Obama condemned "the hateful language that we hear from public figures on TV," saying that "our motto is, when they go low, we go high." And in a shot at Trump's "Make America Great Again" campaign slogan, Obama discussed raising her children in a White House that was built by slaves. Read more…
26th July 2016