NEWS
Blue Waters appoints new CEO
Pradeep Subrian is the new CEO of Blue Waters Products Ltd, effective January 2. The company made the announcement via a newspaper ad Thursday. Subrian has been with the company for the past 12 years, initially joining as commercial director before becoming chief operating officer, the position he held for the last two years. "Subrian has been an integral part of driving the company's vision ... implementing processes, systems, structures and (a) corporate governance framework," the company said. Subrian is a graduate of UWI St Augustine. Read more here
Police seize shotguns, drugs in exercise
Police have seized two shotguns, 12 kilos of cocaine and 38 kilos of marijuana following an exercise in eastern Trinidad. Police say a Strike Back exercise was conducted in the Eastern Division during the period 5 pm to 8 pm on Thursday in keeping with the Commissioner of Police's mandate under the supervision of Snr Supt Dominque, when around 6.30 pm they stopped a silver Xtrail vehicle with two occupants. Read more here
POLITICS
Young: Six-month extension granted
Minister of National Security Stuart Young has announced that Venezuelans who were granted the registration cards under the Venezuelan Migrant Registration Process will receive an automatic extension of six months. Young made the disclosure at a post-cabinet press briefing at the Diplomatic Centre, St Ann's, on Thursday adding, "The methodology is being worked on." Minutes later, the information was published on the official twitter account of the Ministry of National Security. Last June, Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley had told Parliament 14,000 Venezuelans had registered, even as their oil-rich nation endures an economic/political crisis amid US sanctions incurred by alleged election rigging by the Nicolas Maduro Government. Read more here
Procurement Act debate in February
The Procurement bill will be debate in Parliament in February, Minister of Finance Colm Imbert announced during the Post Cabinet Press Briefing yesterday. Imbert denied media reports that he had procurement rules for the amendment simply languishing on his desk, and spent a portion of time at the briefing explaining that there had been an extended back and forth between his Ministry and the chief regulator concerning clauses in the bill up to December 18, two days after Parliament last convened. "We had had a lot of discussion stretching over quite a long period over the latter half of 2019. This is myself, my staff and the office of the procurement regulator as to whether or not section 7 of the public procurement and disposal of public property act should be amended to exclude those two types of procurement for the purview of the office of procurement regulations," he said. Read more here
BUSINESS
Money managers: Financial planning should start at birth
Every year, around the world, millions of people make resolutions. One of these is often saving more money. Business Day asked some local financial planners how they help people achieve their money goals. Angus Young, CEO of NCB Global Finance Ltd "Financial planning should never be considered at the start of a new year, financial planning should be considered from the moment you are born," Young said. The current economic times in TT is the new normal, he said. "Accept that, pivot, if you have to, and focus on the next move because there are always opportunities in crisis." Read more here
Angostura gets new CEO
Rum and bitters producer, Angostura Holdings Ltd, has a new CEO. He is South African Peter Sandström. Angostura announced his appointment in notice on the company’s website earlier this week. Read more here
REGIONAL
Party Cover-Up - Expenses Recorded As Meeting And Seminar Spending By CMU
A party staged for discarded former education minister Ruel Reid in April 2017 by the Caribbean Maritime University’s (CMU) beleaguered president, Fritz Pinnock, was labelled by the institution as a meeting and seminar. Pinnock, in April 2017, approved payments totalling $674,930 for a birthday party for Reid, which included $160,000 for rental of boat and $514,930 for decor for the cocktail party on the boat. “Review of CMU’s general ledger showed that the expenditures were classified as meeting/seminars and marketing activities, respectively. The requisite payment vouchers and cheques for rental of the yacht were not provided for review,” a special audit report from the Auditor General’s Department into allegations of malpractices at the university stated. Read more here
GAICO plugs $$$ into Anira Foundation
First Lady, Mrs. Sandra Granger, on Wednesday, received a monetary donation from GAICO Construction and General Services Incorporated, which will go towards the work being done by the Anira Foundation. The company’s Managing Director, Mr. Komal Singh and the Business Development Director, Mr. Khishan Singh, presented the cheque during a meeting with the First Lady in her State House office. Read more here
INTERNATIONAL
Republicans on the spot as Senate braces for impeachment drama
There's nowhere left for Republicans senators to hide. Come Tuesday, and the official start of President Donald Trump's impeachment trial, it will become clear just how unpleasant the political price the GOP must pay to acquit their President of "high crimes and misdemeanors" will be. The 53 GOP senators must sit in silence while House managers unspool an incriminating record of documents and witness testimony that alleges that Trump abused power to dig dirt on political opponents in Ukraine, including former vice president Joe Biden. Thus far, many GOP senators have tried to dodge questions about the President's conduct, professed they weren't really watching House impeachment dramas or warned that as jurors it would be inappropriate to wax on about a case they hadn't yet heard. Read more here
Iran plane crash: Khamenei defends military in rare address
17th January 2020