NEWS
Help Us Find Nicole
A 16 year-old teenager who left her parents’ home in Diamond Village just off San Fernando on Saturday, has not returned and her parents are pleading with members of the public to help them find her. Nicole Lezama’s parents told Newsday yesterday that they fear their daughter, a form three student of the San Fernando East Secondary School, may have been abducted. Reports are that Lezama left her Picton Street home shortly after 11am to go to a cyber café a short distance away from where she lives. She had gone there to complete a school project she had been working on. When some hours had passed and she did not return home, her parents, Lydia Hinds and Neil Lezama, became worried and reported the matter to officers of the San Fernando Police Station. Read more here
Gun attack on popular beautician
Well known hairstylist and cosmetology teacher Essenese Sambury was up to late yesterday in serious condition at the Eric WIlliams Medical Sciences Complex, Mount Hope, after she was shot outside her Trincity home yesterday afternoon. Sambury, 55, whose clients include socialites and celebrities, was driving into the yard of her Palm Drive, Casselton Avenue, home at around 3.30 pm, when a car pulled up and a gunman shot at her twice before driving off. According to reports, there was no attempt to rob Sambury, who was shot in the head. Read more here
T&T to stop making 1¢ pieces
The Central Bank will stop making one-cent pieces, as the copper used to produce them is worth more than the value of the coin, the regulator said in a public notice over the weekend. In the notice released on its website, the Central Bank of Trinidad and Tobago (CBTT) estimated it will save $15 million from ceasing to mint one-cent (1¢) coins and changing the metal composition of the remaining 5¢, 10¢ and 25¢ pieces. The 50¢ piece and the $1 coin have long stopped being minted and are considered collectors’ items by the few who hold them.
Change in metal composition. Read more here
POLITICS
Hochoy: Today’s election still illegal
The Tobago House of Assembly (Validation) Bill 2017, passed in the Parliament over the weekend has only compounded an error that breaches the Representation of the People Act making today’s THA election “illegal and a mockery” according to political activist Hochoy Charles. “Nowhere can you pass a validation act to validate the breach of a law. When you breach a law, you stand the consequences. I am sure that some group, some individuals, or some groups of individuals will challenge it in the court. It has serious constitutional implications,” he said. Charles, a former THA chief secretary and leader of The Platform of Truth (TPT) told Newsday yesterday he heard that the Parliament validated a day for the elections, but maintained that today’s election date contravenes Section 33 of the Act because it is being held 20 days from Nomination Day to election day, and not the 21 days stipulated by law. Read more here
Too Many Guns
Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley said he's “far from satisfied with the results” from law enforcement, but at the same time is very “cognisant that we are a violent society”. Rowley, who also chairs the National Security Council, made the comment in an interview with TV6 News at the People's National Movement youth rally in Scarborough on Saturday night, just hours after there was a shooting incident in Bon Accord. Read more here
BUSINESS
Republic opens new branch at UWI
The University of the West Indies (UWI) St Augustine Republic Bank Limited branch is open for business! There, customers would have access to all standard amenities including 24-hour ABM access, Night Safe Deposit facilities, but not commercial transactions. At the official opening of the branch on Saturday evening, Campus Principal Brian Copeland noted that Republic Bank had been part of the campus for over 50 years. He said the bank was aware that education was for the preservation and growth of society. “Their ethos is like ours: that education is meant to ensure survival, individually and collectively. Read more here
Imbert: Revenue less than expected
Government’s 2016 revenue was $188 million lower than projected, Finance Minister Colm Imbert has confirmed. Speaking in Parliament, Imbert said while Government’s revised revenue projections for fiscal 2016 was $44.94 billion, the actual amount collected was $44.75 billion—$188 million lower than projected—which also led to a slightly higher deficit than projected. “All of the data for 2016 is not yet finalized, however, the provisional out-turn on fiscal operations for 2016 has shown a deficit of $7.6 billion, which is just over $300 million more than the revised estimates.” Read more here
Massy: Dividends stable, earnings lower
This week, we at Bourse review the year-end performance of one of the major conglomerates listed on the local stock exchange, Massy Holdings Limited (Massy). We offer some insight on what might have impacted the performance of its various segments throughout 2016. Finally, we consider various factors which are likely to impact earnings in the coming year. Read more here
REGIONAL
Surinam Airways must 'think big', says aviation expert
In his assessment of Surinam Airways (SLM), aviation expert Tomas Chlumecky has called on the airline to “get out of the thinking small syndrome, and to take bold measures” to grow in the region because there is great potential for the national airline of Suriname. However, SLM needs to come up with a strategic vision to achieve profitability and growth. He especially called for the modernization of SLM’s fleet, product improvement, and expansion of SLM’s Guyana hub, which can be the vehicle for bringing tourists to the Guianas. Read more here
No Delays - Chuck Says No Hesitation In Signing Extradition Orders; Alleged Lottery Scam Mastermind Now In US
Justice Minister Delroy Chuck has declared that there will be no delays in the signing of extradition orders for Jamaicans wanted in the United States on lottery scam-related charges. "All orders that come before me are signed within hours once I read them and everything is in order," Chuck told The Gleaner. The disclosure comes days after Lavrick Willocks, the Jamaican man accused by American authorities of running a multimillion-dollar international lottery scam syndicate, was extradited to the United States (US) to stand trial. Read more here
INTERNATIONAL
The Gambia 'missing millions' after Jammeh flies into exile
'Alternative facts:' Why the Trump team is 'planting a flag' in war on media
The alternative to "facts" is "fictions." But President Trump's special adviser Kellyanne Conway proposed something new on Sunday: "alternative facts." The strange phrase entered the lexicon when Conway told NBC's Chuck Todd that the numerous misstatements in press secretary Sean Spicer's angry statement to reporters Saturday were actually "alternative facts." Read more here
23rd January 2017