NEWS
Outgoing acting CEO: WASA needs new mindset
Outgoing acting WASA CEO Kelvin Romain said while WASA’s restructuring is well underway, it still has a long way to go to reach its target of self-sustenance and improving its ability to satisfy consumers with better service. He said to reach its goals, the company would need a new mindset. “For there to be a major change in WASA, there definitely needs to be a new outlook on the way we do things,” he told Newsday on June 19. “One of the shortcomings is efficiency. We definitely need to work on efficiency. When you look at the operational aspect of management and the operations of WASA and the production facilities, efficiency is key.” Read more here
Arts fraternity mourns death of multi-talented Marlon De Bique
Marlon De Bique, the star theatrical performer, who breathed life into the characters he played on stage, died on Tuesday at the age of 45. Many who woke up to the news yesterday morning took to social media to pay tribute to the award-winning actor and singer whose performances spanned stages from T&T to grand halls in the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Russia, England and Poland. De Bique’s family confirmed that he died on Tuesday night at the San Fernando General Hospital after a brief illness. In a statement yesterday, they thanked the doctors, nurses, staff, and the High Dependency Unit of the hospital for their “dedicated care, treatment, and sensitivity” after De Bique was admitted on Friday. The Marionettes Chorale, where De Bique flourished as a tenor from age 20 going on to star in the roles of Don Jose in Carmen and Valjean in Les Mis, hailed the “tremendously talented young man. Read more here
POLITICS
Imbert: Trinidad and Tobago raised US$750m on international capital market
Minister of Finance Colm Imbert says Trinidad and Tobago successfully raised US$750 million on the international capital market on June 17 “without difficulty.” Imbert answered questions via a virtual roadshow to international financial investors on June 17. In a release, he said the roadshow involved intense scrutiny and questions about the country’s credit rating, its financial situation, diversification, revenue and expenditure, prospects for oil and gas production, foreign exchange inflows and interventions, management of the exchange rate, foreign reserves, the Heritage and Stabilisation Fund, environmental, social and governance issues, human development, climate change, political stability, democracy, procurement, accountability and the rule of law, among many other issues. Read more here
PSA leader declares war on Rowley and the govt
Public Services Association president Leroy Baptiste declared war on the People’s National Movement (PNM) at Labour Day celebrations yesterday and said the union plans to work with the United National Congress (UNC) to form a new government. “Do you agree that we should engage the UNC in meaningful discussions and negotiations? Comrades, I know that is hard because I know some people have never said UNC in their lives. I understand that,” he told crowds gathered at Charlie King Junction, Fyzabad. Baptiste accused the PNM of not engaging trade unions in negotiations and said the PSA cannot negotiate with the Government, it should start discussing plans with the next government. Baptiste, who mounted the platform at the Labour Day rally to chants of “Vote them out!” from PSA members, noted that 2025 was right around the corner, and based on the attendance yesterday, they could make and break a government. Read more here
BUSINESS
D’ Market Movers prove local food is high-quality
The proof in the plantain is in the frying. Believe it or not, people can tell the difference between a local plantain and one that comes from abroad, especially when they eat. “A plantain grown in TT will always taste sweeter to us, because we are from this soil,” said Gerard Marquez, head chef at Our Moving Table, one of the companies in D’ Market Movers Ltd Group of companies. “If you take a plantain from the Dominican Republic or one from Miami, it would be drier. It wouldn’t be as supple or as sweet. You wouldn’t get a real nice fried plantain, where it's burnt on the outside and soft and nice on the inside and if you eat it too hot it will stick to your tongue.” Read more here
Woodside paid Govt $922m in 2023
Australian company Woodside Energy has reported that, in 2023, it paid the Government of Trinidad and Tobago US$135.5 million, or approximately TT$922 million, as the Government’s share of its oil and gas production and associated fees. The company released its annual report on payments to governments, revealing that this country ranked third in terms of the highest amount of money paid to a government, following Australia and the United States. In its native Australia in 2023, its liability was US$3.248 billion, while in the US, it was US$350.3 million.
Woodside operates the Angostura field off the northeast coast of Trinidad, where it produces both oil and gas. Read more here
REGIONAL
‘Innovation at its finest’
Digitally refining the way business is conducted in Guyana, the Ministry of Housing and Water and the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) on Wednesday launched their Electronic Planning and Development Single-Window System. The ‘rule-based’ system, according to the country’s President, Dr. Irfaan Ali will increase efficiency and transparency in the decision making of applications with a single point of entry. “The new system aims to centralise and simplify the approval process, by providing a one-stop shop for all development-related permission and clearance,” the Head of State told a large gathering of stakeholders during the launching at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre. Read more here
INTERNATIONAL
Climate change made US and Mexico heatwave 35 times more likely
Human-induced climate change made recent extreme heat in the US south-west, Mexico and Central America around 35 times more likely, scientists say. The World Weather Attribution (WWA) group studied excess heat between May and early June, when the US heatwave was concentrated in south-west states including California, Nevada and Arizona. Extreme temperatures in Mexico also claimed lives during the period. Such attribution studies take some time to complete, so it is too soon for scientists to say how much of a role climate change is playing in the current heatwave stretching from the centre of the US through to the north-east and into Canada. Read more here
20th June 2024