NEWS
Kill Christians
The most recent edition of the Islamic State in Syria (ISIS) online propaganda magazine features a disturbing interview with Trinidadian fighter Shane Crawford who said it would have been an honour to kill then-prime minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar and her ministers in 2011. He also calls for the death of unrepentant Christians. Named in the article as Abu Sa’d at-Trinidadi, Crawford said the Bible had been corrupted by its leaders if Christians refused to follow the final messenger Muhammed “then the only thing between you and us is the sword”. Read more here
Security forces told to make criminals’ lives miserable
Law enforcement is targetting known offenders — the less than two per cent of people who conduct illegal activities in T&T—whose lives will be made “miserable” and “untenable,” says National Security Minister Edmund Dillon. Speaking at a media briefing yesterday, Dillon said that element would not be allowed to live normal lives in the current anti-crime thrust where reinforcement of police and army presence was being done following six murders over last weekend. Dillon said Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley held an emergency National Security Council meeting last Sunday and another meeting with law enforcement heads was held yesterday to discuss the current crime situation. Read more here
POLITICS
Cabinet meets on GATE today
Cabinet will hold an emergency today to consider the report of the task force on the Government Assistance for Tuition Expenses Programme (GATE). Newsday understands that the meeting will take place either 11 am at the Office of the Prime Minister in St Clair. Government officials were uncertain yesterday as to exactly how long the meeting would last or if a decision would be announced at the end of the Cabinet’s deliberations on this one issue. Officials hinted that if no announcement is made today, it could be done at the weekly post-Cabinet news conference which takes place on Thursday. Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley will chair today’s special meeting of the Cabinet. Read more here
Houses crumbling around C3 Centre
As the C3 Centre shopping and entertainment complex rises from the ground in Ste Madeleine, houses surrounding the complex are slowly crumbling. Residents of Merchiston Castle Street, Corinth, on the periphery of the $500 million complex say their lives have been in turmoil since the construction project started in 2013. Read more here
BUSINESS
Government should pay its bills
It is a damning indictment against Government, in this case three successive governments, that it has used the services of local contractors at a cost of close to $3 billion, enjoyed political mileage from the projects they executed, but stubbornly refused to pay money owed, in instances for as long as 10 years. Using the State machineries they control when in office, wielding them like weapons in the faces of legitimate claimants—take us to court, we can out-lawyer you—they have brought shame to the corridors of power by not honouring debts incurred or inherited. Read more here
Browne: Heritage & Stabilisation Fund not following best practices
Trinidad and Tobago’s sovereign wealth fund (SWF), the Heritage and Stabilisation Fund (HSF), is not following best practices as outlined in the Santiago Principles and exemplified by the Norway’s SWF, Mariano Browne, a former minister of state in the Ministry of Finance said last month. Delivering the feature address on July 21 at a special general meeting of the Trinidad and Tobago Transparency Institute (TTTI) at Fernandes Industrial Centre in Laventille, Browne, now the managing partner of Elida Management Services, looked at the comparable T&T Securities and Exchange Commission (TTSEC) Act which requires all publicly listed companies to report every 90 days. The HSF falls short of that standard, he said. Read more here
REGIONAL
Tropical Storm Earl heads to Belize
Tropical Storm Earl formed in the northwest Caribbean on Tuesday and was expected to pass near the Honduras Bay Islands on its way to Belize. According to the National Hurricane Center (NHC) in Miami, at 5 pm EDT on Tuesday, the centre of Earl was located about 200 miles south of Grand Cayman and about 450 miles east of Belize City, moving toward the west near 16 mph. This general motion is expected to continue through Thursday. On this track, the core of Earl is expected to pass just north of the Honduras Bay Islands on Wednesday afternoon and then be very near the Belize coast early Thursday. Read more here
Jamaica Could Face IMF Post Programme Monitoring
The executive board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has decided that members which are no longer in a programme relationship with it are expected to engage it under its post-programme monitoring if their total credit outstanding exceeds 100 per cent of quota. As at June 30 this year, Jamaica's quota was at 138.52 per cent, according to information posted on the IMF website regarding the island's financial position with the lending agency. In a release issued last week, the IMF said its executive board last month discussed the policy on post-programme monitoring based on a staff report. Read more here
Nine Trinidad nationals to be deported from Turkey after trying to join ISIS
Nine Trinidad and Tobago nationals were expected to be deported from Turkey late Monday for allegedly trying to travel to Syria to join the terror group, Islamic State, also known as ISIS. Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi said that the men, like any other deportees, will be kept under strict surveillance. He added that evidence was currently being gathered to determine what possible charges they may face. He said these could range from facing a jail term, heavy sanctions and forfeiture of assets, the Trinidad Guardian reported. Read more here
INTERNATIONAL
Sources: Trump-world frustrated by their candidate
Donald Trump aides and people close to his campaign are increasingly frustrated by his insistence on waging various fights that steer him off message. Sources close to the campaign are describing a series of missteps that are trailing the GOP presidential nominee, most prominently his now multi-day battle against Khizr Khan, the Muslim father of a killed US soldier. Trump has spent the days since the Democratic convention litigating whether their son is a hero, and on Tuesday only moved onto an equally unhelpful news cycle: whether he supports House Speaker Paul Ryan, and the 2008 presidential nominee, John McCain, in their primaries. Read more here
Emirates plane crash-lands at Dubai airport
An Emirates airline flight from India has crash-landed at Dubai International Airport with almost 300 people on board, officials say. Images posted online show thick black smoke coming from the plane. The Dubai government media office said on its Twitter account that all passengers were evacuated safely and no injuries have been reported so far. The Boeing 777 was reportedly flying from the Indian city of Trivandrum to Dubai. Emirates airline said there were 275 passengers and crew on board. "Our main priority now is the safety and well-being of all involved," the airline said on Twitter. All departures from Dubai international airport have been delayed until further notice, the Dubai authorities said, adding that the emergency services were dealing with the situation. Read more here
3rd August 2016