NEWS
Licks FOR Village Bully
A masked gunman, grabbed by residents of Brickfield Road in Carapichaima shortly after he went on a Sunday shooting spree which left three persons including a schoolgirl girl injured, turned out to be none other than the village’s bully. He received a sound cuttail from residents who then called in the police. Up to press time, one of the victims remained warded in critical condition at hospital while the suspect also remains warded under police guard. Once he is discharged, the man faces numerous criminal charges which could possibly include attempted murder, wounding with intent, unlawful possession of a firearm, unlawful possession of ammunition and others. The shooting took place while a birthday party was in progress. According to reports, Winsley Modeste of Ojar Maharaj Avenue, Carapichaima was hosting a lime outside the Brickfield Recreational Club off Waterloo Road to celebrate his 28th birthday, when the village bully - a 45-yearold deportee - came armed with a pistol, intent on causing mayhem. Read more…
BIOTT wants meeting to improve textbook programme
The Book Industry Organisation of T&T (BIOTT) says it is ready and willing to meet with Education Minister Anthony Garcia to explore ways of improving the ministry’s textbook rental programme as they move forward. The request for a meeting follows last week’s announcement by Garcia that textbooks bearing school stamps were being sold via second-hand booksellers on the streets of Port-of-Spain. Garcia later said the information had been brought to his attention from concerned teachers and parents. Up to last Friday, Garcia said they had not been in receipt of any of the books which had allegedly been purchased from second-hand booksellers. However, he urged people in possession of these texts to come forward and assist the police with their investigation. Read more…
Kerry gets ‘Lucky’
“This is a shocker.” This was the exclamation from Tunapuna resident/businessman Winston Kerry upon learning he had won an NP300 Nissan Frontier vehicle in the Trinidad Express Newspapers Final Frontier Competition and the grand prize of another Frontier is up for grabs and another lucky winner will be declared on August 10. Kerry, 44, was presented with his car keys yesterday at Massy Motors, Lady Young Road, Morvant. Among those present at the handing over were Melinda De Landro, group marketing officer Caribbean Communications Network (CCN — parent company of the Express and TV6)); Natalie Karamath, CEO, Massy Motors; Sindy Chandler, acting Nissan brand manager, and Adrian Singh, corporate account executive. A steady stream of sales staff congratulated Kerry on his new vehicle which boasts features such as fully powered steering, windows, mirrors and locks and hands-free phone system. Read more…
POLITICS
Charles vs Tracy in run-off
People's National Movement (PNM) Tobago Council leadership candidate Kelvin Charles, says he is finalising his strategy to win Sunday’s run-off poll against rival Tracy Davidson-Celestine, Secretary for Tourism and Transportation. Charles, who resigned his post as Presiding Officer of the Tobago House of Assembly (THA), months ago, to contest the leadership of the Tobago Council, garnered 1,289 votes in Sunday’s election, the majority of ballots cast among the seven candidates in the poll. But although he received 32 percent of the votes, he did not make the required 50 per cent target to secure an outright victory. Davidson-Celestine got 1,070 votes, 27 percent of the votes cast. A first-timer in the election race, Charles said although he was hoping for a convincing win “I knew that from a practical standpoint, it would have been statistically improbable.” “I did not do too bad,” he said. Charles said he was not intimidated by Davidson-Celestine. “If I were, I would not have been in the race,” he said. Read more…
Govt must come clean on views
Government must say if it sought views on the Bail Amendment Bill from those opposed to the bill in 2015 including the Law Association whose vice president Gerry Brooks is now in Government, says former PP attorney general Garvin Nicholas. Government and Opposition meet tomorrow on the bill which lapses in August. Government wants to extend it for another two years due to cases in the courts. The Attorney General said he’d written the Opposition since June 2 seeking a meeting on the bill which requires Opposition support for passage. Debate was shelved two weeks ago when the Opposition then sought a meeting on it. Nicholas, in an interview, said, “In analysis for the way forward, research has to be done into the effect of the law and it’s also important to ascertain the views of those vehemently opposed to the bill before (in PP’s tenure) such as Mr Brooks who was part of the LATT executive which opposed it and who signed a release to that effect in 2015.” Read more…
Rerun for Tobago PNM leader poll
Tobagonians will return to the polls on Sunday to choose whether they want Kelvin Charles or Tracy Davidson-Celestine as the political leader of the People’s National Movement (PNM) Tobago Council and who will be the future chief secretary of the Tobago House of Assembly (THA). Just over 4,000 of some 8,077 PNM members came out on Sunday in Tobago and cast their vote for their new political leader and chairman of the Tobago Council. Read more…
BUSINESS
Monitor post-Brexit international markets
As Government prepares to embark on road shows in the United States to sell US$1 billion in bonds to financial institutions there, local bankers are calling for continued monitoring of international markets. This follows Britain’s vote to leave the European Union which caused global stock markets to plummet and oil prices to slide downward. President of the Bankers Association of T&T, (BATT) Darryl White said trends show that investors move to other markets when it’s not prosperous in a particular market. Speaking at the launch of Banking Week at the banquet room of the Queens’ Park Cricket Club in Port-of-Spain, White said if Government goes ahead with the bond “we will see how that affects the international markets.” Read more…
Stocks, pound fall again due to UK vote uncertainty
Investor jitters over the economic fallout of Britain's vote to leave the European Union sent U.S. stocks sharply lower Monday. The latest slump followed another rough day for European markets and a further weakening of the euro and British pound, which last week plunged to its lowest level since 1985. Ratings agency Standard & Poor's added to the market's anxiety Monday by stripping the UK of its top-shelf credit rating. The firm cited uncertainty over the UK's vote to leave the EU. Materials companies led the slide on Wall Street. Losses also piled up for financial and technology stocks. Shares in energy companies fell as the price of U.S. crude oil declined. Read more…
REGIONAL
Pressure On Portia - Analysts Urge Rivals Not To Fear Challenge
Political commentators have signalled that it is time that Jamaica's political parties unshackle themselves from the fear of challenging for the leadership of their parties, noting that the constitutions of both organisations have embraced competition for the top job at annual conferences. Kevin O'Brien Chang, political analyst, has encouraged Jamaicans to take careful note of the developments that are taking place post Brexit. He said on the one hand, British Prime Minister David Cameron has said he would step down, having supported the 'Remain' campaign, while Labour Party leader, Jeremy Corbyn, who also pushed for the United Kingdom to stay with the European Union, is under tremendous pressure from forces within his party who will be challenging him for the leadership of the party. Read more…
Expanded Panama Canal ushers in new era of global trade
The expanded Panama Canal is now officially open for business. During Sunday’s official inauguration ceremony, Panamanian President Juan Carlos Varela and Panama Canal administrator and CEO Jorge L. Quijano spoke to a crowd of more than 25,000 Panamanians, Canal employees, heads of state and dignitaries from around the world, Canal customers, shipping and trade executives, and nearly 1,000 journalists. This is the first expansion of the waterway since its original construction. "More than 100 years ago, the Panama Canal connected two oceans. Today, we connect the present and the future," said Quijano speaking to the people of Panama. "It is an honour to announce that what we did it together: providing this great connection to the world. This is the beginning of a new era." "Canal users can be assured that we'll continue to support the Panama Canal Authority and our port operators to provide them a world class service and strengthen our logistics system by creating the necessary incentives and conditions to give added value to our inter-oceanic route," Varela noted. Read more…
INTERNATIONAL
Brexit vote: Bitter exchanges as EU parliament debates Brexit
Rio de Janeiro's acting governor: Olympics could be a 'big failure'
The headache for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games organizers shows no signs of subsiding. Six weeks before the Games are set to begin, Francisco Dornelles, the acting governor of the state of Rio de Janeiro, told the Brazilian newspaper O Globo that the state has not yet received recently-approved federal funds to beef up security and transportation for the quadrennial competition. "I am optimistic about the games, but I have to show the reality. We can make a great Olympics, but if some steps are not taken, it can be a big failure," Dornelles told O Globo. Read more…
28th June 2016