NEWS
Shooter with submachine gun escapes cops
A man with a submachine gun was involved in a shoot-out with police officers on the streets of Longdenville on Monday. The suspect dodged police officers and their bullets and eluded arrest. According to police, the suspect was seen around 7.20 p.m. by WPC Gomez and PCs Khan and Rajpath of the Chaguanas CID who were on mobile patrol along Lamont Street Extension. Read more here
Stiff fines for ‘nasty’ bands
Band leaders whose masqueraders deface people’s private properties during this year’s Carnival celebrations will now face stiff penalties. This was disclosed yesterday by National Carnival Commission (NCC) chairman Kenny De Silva, who urged residents and business owners to carefully document the alleged damage caused as mas bands pass their respective locations so they can face the penalty. Read more here
Pay Up Amigo
An error in their travel documents, led to three Trinis being detained at the Simon Bolivar Airport in Caracas, Venezuela shortly on their arrival on Monday, for a vacation. During their detainment, their TT Passports were taken away with a security guard later demanding US$100 from each Trini, to get back their Passport. Read more here
POLITICS
Trump fears T&T’s ISIS ties
A New York Times article claims the United States is worried about having Trinidad and Tobago, “ a breeding ground for extremists”, so close to it. It says the Donald Trump-led administration fears Trinidadian ISIS fighters might return from the Middle East and “attack American diplomatic and oil installations in Trinidad, or even take a three-and-a-half-hour flight to Miami”. The story, titled “Trying to Stanch Trinidad’s Flow of Young Recruits to ISIS”, was written by journalist Francis Robles, with contribution from former Trinidad Guardian news editor Prior Beharry. Read more here
Camille, Penny talk development
Planning and Development Minister Camille Robinson- Regis and this country’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York, Pennelope Beckles Robinson, held discussions in New York yesterday. A statement issued by the Planning Ministry said the purpose of this meeting was to discuss the national development of TT, in particular and the similar issues facing Small Island Developing States in general in the context of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Read more here
BUSINESS
‘Las lap’ for FATCA in House
THE House of Representatives will sit from 2.30 pm tomorrow at Tower D of the Port-of-Spain International Waterfront Centre, in what is regarded as the “las lap” to pass the Tax Information Exchange Agreements Bill 2016, ahead of the deadline for the legislation’s passage by the end of this month. When the House last sat on February 13, Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley moved a motion to ensure that the joint select committee (JSC) dealing with bill would complete its work and report to the House on Thursday. The bill is essential for TT being compliant with the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) of the United States. Read more here
View recession as opportunity
Savile Row tailor, Trinidadian Andrew Ramroop, says local entrepreneurs should not be discouraged because the country is in a recession as this does not mean their businesses are in recession. In fact, current economic conditions might present a huge opportunity for expansion. He gave this insight to students on Monday at Scotiabank Insights, a motivational programme of the bank, held at The Teaching and Learning Complex at the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine campus. Read more here
REGIONAL
Free expression under fire as Venezuela takes CNN en Espanol off the air
The Venezuelan government and CNN's Spanish language service, CNN en Español, clashed for a final time on February 15, when state authorities issued an official order to remove the channel from cable and satellite TV stations. CNN says the order is a response to its story “Passports in the Shadows”, when the network presented evidence that that Venezuelan consular staff illegally sold visas and passports to Syrian and Iraqi citizens. Read more here
CTU secretary general presents roadmap for CARICOM ICT single space
The secretary general of the Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU), Bernadette Lewis, addressed the 28th inter-sessional meeting of the conference of the heads of government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) on February 17, 2017, in Georgetown, Guyana. Read more here
INTERNATIONAL
Huge stakes for Trump immigration do-over
President Donald Trump is preparing to seize on a second chance to make a first impression with the release this week of a new executive order temporarily halting travel from citizens of seven nations he says pose a high risk of terrorism. The order will form the second thrust of a new administration push to significantly overhaul the shape of the American immigration system, following the release of new memos Tuesday empowering state and local authorities to enforce laws that could eventually lead to mass deportations. Read more here
Kim Jong-nam killing: Senior N Korea diplomat named as suspect
Malaysian police have named a senior North Korean embassy official they want to question in connection with the killing of Kim Jong-nam. Hyon Kwang Song is one of three North Koreans being sought, along with an employee of the state airline. Police also confirmed Mr Kim, half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, died after two women wiped a toxin on him at Kuala Lumpur airport. Read more here
22nd February 2017