NEWS
Jamaat members clash with cops
A protest by members of the Jamaat Al Muslimeen last night escalated into a stand-off with police officers at the Piarco and Belmont police stations. Members of the group had planned the protest outside the Piarco police station at about 8 pm as a show of solidarity with a woman they believed was detained at the station. The woman was among nine people, including Jamaat leader Yasin Abu Bakr, detained on Monday during a police exercise along the East-West Corridor in connection with the murder of Senior Counsel (SC) Dana Seetahal. When the Express arrived at the scene, three police vehicles with armed officers were parked on the roadway outside the police station, which is located across from the Piarco International Airport’s runway. Read more…
TSTT working to repair cables damaged by seismic activity
TSTT has said it is working to resolve Internet connection problems after its submarine fibre optic cables, located up the Caribbean between St Vincent and Grenada, were damaged. Damage to the cables was caused by increased seismic activity at the Kick 'em Jenny underwater volcano yesterday. In a press release yesterday, TSTT noted that it uses the underwater cables for international data and Internet traffic. It said as a result of the damage, local customers may experience slow browsing and data speeds for Internet access and mobile data, where the content resides outside of Trinidad and Tobago. “This is also affecting some TV channels,” the company said. TSTT noted that the cables are run by a regional communications company. “TSTT is providing all assistance possible for the vendor to have this issue resolved in the shortest possible time so that normal services can be restored to customers. Read more…
ODPM: Kick ’em Jenny no threat to T&T
The Office of Disaster Preparedness and Management (ODPM) has advised that Trinidad and Tobago is not currently under alert with regard to Kick 'em Jenny in Grenada. In an advisory yesterday, the ODPM stated that it remains in constant communication with all key stakeholders on and off-shore, both local and regional, including the Seismic Research Centre of The University of the West Indies, the National Operations Centre (NOC), Ministry of Local Government, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Energy and Energy Affairs and the National Disaster Management Agency (NaDMA) of Grenada. The ODPM will continue to update the status of the volcano and advise citizens of any impending threat. Citizens may also direct questions or concerns to the ODPM's Customer Care Centre at 511 and/or its website, www.odpm.gov.tt, for new information on any existing threats. As news spread yesterday of Kick 'em Jenny's activities, many locals took to the social media site Facebook to offer prayers and well wishes for the citizens of Grenada. Read more…
POLITICS
PM taking election campaign to new low
The Kamla Persad-Bissessar led UNC is taking the election campaign to a new low with the norowley.com campaign, the Women's League of the People National Movement stated yesterday. In a release, the League registered its “abhorrence” to the policy of personal vilification being implemented by the Persad-Bissessar UNC. “What is worse is that Mrs Persad-Bissessar continues to abuse the resources of the State in her campaign for re-election, now going as far as defacing a national monument, by using the Port of Spain museum for its offensive political displays,” the release stated. The league was referring to the use of the model train at the Port of Spain museum by the UNC to deliver a campaign message about the proposed Rapid Rail project. The league said the policy of demonising Dr Rowley was first unveiled via a leaked memo written by the party's campaign manager, Rodney Charles, “under the instruction of Prime Minister Persad-Bissessar, who recalled him from a diplomatic posting to undertake the assignment last year”. Read more…
PNM committed to campaign finance reform
The PNM is committed to campaign finance reform, the party’s General Secretary Ashton Ford said yesterday, but he fell shy of saying the party would agree to disclose its financiers at any stage prior to legal reforms. In an interview with Newsday Ford was asked to state whether the party would also provisionally disclose its financiers pending reforms. On Wednesday, Prime Minister and UNC political leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar said the party would declare financiers after the September 7 General Election, should other parties agree to do so. “Dr Rowley made it clear that we are putting campaign finance in our manifesto,” Ford said. “We are going to pursue the whole question of campaign financing. We are the only party that attended conferences in Jamaica and Barbados organised by the Organisation of American States. They didn’t get authorisation to hold such a conference here.” Read more…
BUSINESS
Ministry: Oil production up 2%
Trinidad and Tobago's oil production averaged two per cent higher in the first half of 2015 versus the first six months of last year, the Ministry of Energy has said. The ministry was responding on Wednesday to a July 21 Express article headlined “T&T oil, gas production down seven per cent since January”. Although Trinidad and Tobago is predominantly a gas producer, gas production figures were left out from the response. “For all intents and purposes this is a gas economy. We produce nine times more natural gas than we produce oil on an equivalency basis,” Energy Minister Ramnarine had said to the Petroleum Economist forum in Port of Spain in December. The ministry took issue with the Express not having used figures the ministry has not yet published. Up to last night, the data on the Ministry of Energy and Energy Affairs website still only had figures up to May. Read more…
NFM posts $20.57m profit
Food producer National Flour Mills (NFM) has posted an after tax profit of $20.57 million for the six-month period ended June 30. This was “significantly better” than the same period in 2014 with earnings per share of 17 cents in 2015 compared to five cents in 2014, NFM chairman Michael Bazie said in his review of the company’s performance posted on the Stock Exchange’s website yesterday. NFM recorded a profit after tax of $6.7 million for its half-year in June 2014. The improved performance this year was “driven by an increase in sales of 15 per cent and the implementation of strategies in grain purchasing, management of our working capital and overall plant productivity”, Bazie stated. The latter half of 2015 will see a continuation of these initiatives along with “accelerated training of the workforce and a strengthening of the commercial culture of the organisation”, he added. Read more…
REGIONAL
Kick 'em Jenny rumbling off Grenada
Early Thursday morning, a strong continuous signal was observed on instruments monitoring the Kick ‘em Jenny submarine volcano 10 km (6 miles) off the coast of Grenada in the Caribbean Sea. The alert level has been elevated to Orange in response to the increased activity. According to the University of the West Indies Seismic Research Centre (UWI-SRC), signs of elevated seismicity (earthquakes) began on July 11 and continue to present. For the period since the July 11 a total of more than 200 micro and small earthquakes, of varying magnitudes, have been recorded, with the largest, prior to the strong signal, less than magnitude 3.0. There have also been observations from divers of degassing occurring off the west coast of Grenada in the Moliniere Sculpture Park area. This activity is being closely monitored by the UWI-SRC. The Orange alert level denotes a highly elevated level of seismic and/or fumarolic activity or other unusual activity. Eruption may begin with less than 24 hours notice. Read more…
CCJ ruling may have implications for telecoms companies in the region
A ruling this week by the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) may have implications on how telecommunications companies dictate to their customers about what they can do with their internet service, according to local tech expert Russell Williams. The ruling delivered on Monday involved the court’s decision in James Samuels v Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GT&T). This appeal centered on the issue of whether GT&T breached its contract in disconnecting Samuels’ internet service because of his use of Vonage (an internet phone service that uses voice over internet protocol (VoIP) technology). Samuels’ appeal was allowed and GT&T’s cross appeal dismissed. A release from the CCJ said the court accepted the findings of the trial judge that Samuels had not signed any written agreement with GT&T and he was given no notice of any restrictions on his internet usage. The court held that the court of appeal wrongly implied a term into the contract restricting Samuels’ use of his internet service for making and receiving international calls. Read more…
INTERNATIONAL
Fifa admits scandal deters new sponsors
Fifa has admitted the corruption scandal is putting off new World Cup sponsors and plans to hold a summit with existing backers in August. Secretary general, Jerome Valcke, said: "The current situation doesn't help to finalise any new agreements." Earlier, key sponsor Visa lambasted Fifa for a "lack of awareness" of the seriousness of corruption charges. This week, Fifa said it would set up an 11-strong taskforce to examine the issue of corruption. The August meeting was first suggested by major sponsors, Mr Valcke said. "Clearly, there were a number of sponsors, mainly three, Coca-Cola, McDonald's and Visa, who... sent a letter to Fifa, asking for information," he told a news conference. Read more…
Singapore shipping firm blacklisted by US over North Korea links
The US has blacklisted a Singapore-based shipping firm over allegations it is supporting illicit arms shipments to North Korea. The US Treasury said that Senat Shipping was providing "extensive support" to a North Korean company already under sanctions. It means that any assets the firm holds in the US are frozen and prohibits US citizens from doing business with it. Senat Shipping has denied the allegations. The US Treasury makes clear that measures against Senat Shipping also extend to the company's president, Leonard Lai. It said that Senat Shipping was co-operating with Ocean Maritime Management Company (OMMC), a North Korean firm already under sanctions. In 2013, a ship operated by OMMC was seized by Panamanian authorities for hiding undeclared military equipment from Cuba under its cargo of sugar. Read more…
24th July 2015