NEWS
Senior cops asked to retire early over poor performance
Two senior police officers were essentially given their walking papers by acting Police Commissioner Stephen Williams yesterday during the weekly police executive meeting. The men, head of the Eastern Division Snr Supt John Trim and head of the Inter-Agency Task Force Snr Supt Simbonath Rajkumar, formerly head of the Northern Division, were each given a letter outlining the shortcomings in their divisions and given seven days to respond. Rajkumar was re-assigned late last year while Trim was head of the division since October 2015. The men were both given failing marks for their division and told that was the reason for their send off. Read more here
PM to address nation tonight on economy, way forward
Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley's address to the nation at 8 o'clock tonight will focus on a number of issues, including the present state of the economy and the way forward for the country. Rowley disclosed this yesterday when he spoke to the Express in Tobago at the official opening of the $74.6 million new meteorological facility at Crown Point, which was started under the Ministry of Tobago Development. Read more here
POLITICS
Questions hang over purchase of luxury car
While panmen have been waiting for payment for the 2016 Panorama season totalling close to $8 million, they are complaining Pan Trinbago president Keith Diaz has purchased a luxury BMW vehicle from the United Kingdom using the organisation's funds. Read more here
BUSINESS
Tamana InTech ready for business
Civil works and electrical works have been completed at the Tamana InTech Park site to the extent that its 21 lots are now ready to be marketed out to potential tenants, Trade Minister, Paula Gopee-Scoon, told Newsday yesterday. She expected the initiative to play a key role in diversifying TT’s economy away from oil and gas dependence. Read more here
Analysts: Politics in OWTU settlement
Politics may have played a hand in Monday’s wage increase settlement between the Oilfields Workers’ Trade Union (OWTU) and the Government which led to the cancelling of strike action by oil workers. This was cautiously indicated by political analysts, Dr Bishnu Ragoonath, and Dr Winford James, who both recalled the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed between the Joint Trade Union Movement (JTUM) and the PNM on the eve of the September 2015 general election. Read more here
REGIONAL
Caribbean prepares to pilot insurance facility to protect fisheries sector
The Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM) hosted a working group meeting in Belize City from 9 – 10 January 2017, to advance the implementation of a risk insurance facility for fishers in the region. When fisheries ministers from CRFM member states met in the Cayman Islands in October 2016, they reviewed the progress made towards the activation of the Caribbean Ocean Assets Sustainability faciliTy (COAST). This week’s working group meeting, which the CRFM is facilitating in collaboration with the US Department of State, will aid in the selection of a representative sample of Caribbean countries in which the initiative will be piloted. Read more here
St Vincent PM remains opposed to economic citizenship
Prime minister of St Vincent and the Grenadines, Dr Ralph Gonsalves, has reiterated his disdain for the economic citizenship programmes being operated by some member states of the OECS. Gonsalves in his latest comment on the matter emphasized that his country’s citizenship is not for sale. Read more here
INTERNATIONAL
China Pledges Further Cuts In Excess Steel, Coal Production
AP: China's top economic planner pledged Tuesday to continue cutting steel and coal production, which have been a source of trade friction with many countries. China reached targets for cuts in production capacity last year, said Xu Shaoshi, chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission, adding that hundreds of thousands of steel and coal workers have been transferred to other jobs. Other industries such as cement and glass are also "actively" cutting capacity, Xu said at a news conference. Read more here
Intel chiefs presented Trump with claims of Russian efforts to compromise him
Classified documents presented last week to President Obama and President-elect Trump included allegations that Russian operatives claim to have compromising personal and financial information about Mr. Trump, multiple US officials with direct knowledge of the briefings tell CNN. Read more here
11th January 2017