NEWS
8-Pound Tumor Removed
The largest kidney tumour in the Western Hemisphere and second largest tumour in the world, was removed by doctors at the Southern Medical Clinic in San Fernando last Wednesday. The tumour weighed eight pounds. The largest kidney tumour ever successfully removed in the world was from a patient in a New Delhi Hospital at The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in India. That tumour weighed 11 pounds. The eight pound tumour was removed from the kidney of a 52-year-old man of Sangre Grande. Read more…
Police seek help to ID murder victim
Police are seeking the public’s help to identify the body of a man found yesterday with bullet wounds to the back of the head at Concord Road, San Juan. The latest killing pushed the murder toll to 389 for the year with the corresponding figure at 380 last year. Police responded to a report that the man’s body was found around 7.30 am in a track off the road near the NP gas station along Saddle Road. Read more…
Pregnant woman dies after waiting for ambulance
After trying for years to conceive, Lydia Mohammed- Pinchilia found out last Friday she was pregnant. Three days later, she was dead. A post-mortem found Mohammed-Pinchilia died from hypervolaemic shock due to a ruptured tubal pregnancy. Mohammed-Pinchilia’s husband of eight years, Kevin Pinchilia, was too distraught yesterday to speak. Read more…
POLITICS
Imbert: PP’s treasonous nature
Finance Minister Colm Imbert yesterday slammed what he described as “the treasonous nature” of the former People’s Partnership (PP) government for approving $11 billion in contracts which the new People’s National Movement (PNM) administration cannot implement, without running afoul of the law. He made the statement when he opened debate on two motions to increase the loan ceiling under the Development Loans Act, and increase of debt limit under the Guarantee of Loans Act. Read more…
UNC will die ‘slow, painful death’
The founder of the United National Congress says the party was now on a path for a “slow and painful death” now that the membership has re-elected Kamla Persad-Bissessar as its leader. Basdeo Panday, who championed the party into government in 1995 and was later dethroned by Persad-Bissessar in 2010, was bitter in his criticism of this country’s first woman prime minister. Read more…
JWALA OUT OF LINE
Minister of Finance Colm Imbert appeared to question the judgment of Central Bank Governor Jwala Rambarran as he commented on the issue of confidentiality in the Senate yesterday. Responding to a question from Opposition Senator Wade Mark, Imbert was emphatic he would not breach confidentiality. “If I were to disclose the informal discussions (I had with the International Monetary Fund) I would be guilty of a breach of confidentiality and there is far too much of that taking place in this country today. Read more…
BUSINESS
Recession may last awhile
While there are things that the country can do to alleviate the effects of the recession, it is likely that it will last a while given that global oil prices are likely to remain low for a while, according to chief executive officer (CEO) and president of the Energy Chamber of Trinidad and Tobago, Thackwray Driver. Speaking at a breakfast meeting held by the Chamber at Cara Suites in Claxton Bay yesterday morning, Driver, did not give a specified time for how long he thinks the recession will last, saying he did not want to speculate. Read more…
RBL denies forex diversion claims
In the last three years the Central Bank has injected US$5.575 billion into T&T’s foreign exchange system and Republic Bank Limited (RBL) purchased US$1,185.536 million of that amount. The bank released that information in full page newspaper advertisements yesterday to refute claims that it has been diverting foreign exchange for its own gains. Read more…
PriceSmart doing ‘particularly well’
Trinidad and Tobago’s single largest United States dollar consumer, PriceSmart, Inc, did “particularly well” in the country in its 2015 fiscal year ended August 31. This was disclosed by Jose Luis Laparte, the company’s president and chief executive officer, during a conference call on October 30. PriceSmart, Inc, the operator of 38 warehouse shopping outlets across Central America and the Caribbean, on Monday announced that for the month of November 2015, net sales increased 1.6 per cent to US$240.9 million from US$237.3 million in November a year earlier. Read more…
REGIONAL
Vincentians vote in historic poll
After weeks of campaigning, Vincentians vote for a new government on Wednesday, as the ruling Unity Labour Party (ULP) seeks an historic fourth term in office. A total of 89,527 voters in 15 constituencies are eligible to exercise their franchise across St Vincent and the Grenadines. The polls will open at 7am and close at 5pm. Read more…
St. Lucia on high alert for Zika virus
The Ministry of Health has put the public on high alert following recent announcements by the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) of the confirmed presence of Zika Virus in a Caribbean territory. Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Merlene Fredericks indicated that the Ministry of Health has ramped up its surveillance and testing procedures for Zika virus as well as dengue and chikungunya. Zika is spread in a similar manner as dengue and chikungunya – by the bite of an infected Aedes aegypti mosquito. Read more…
INTERNATIONAL
Paris attacks: Bataclan third attacker identified
White House: Donald Trump Muslim plan 'disqualifies' him from presidency
Donald Trump's statement that Muslims should be banned from entering the United States "disqualifies" him from being president, the White House spokesman said Tuesday. "The fact is what Donald Trump said yesterday disqualifies him from serving as president," White House press secretary Josh Earnest said in Tuesday's press briefing. For a White House administration to so heavily weigh in on an opposing party's nominating contest is a highly unusual step. Read more…
9th December 2015