NEWS
Schools ordered shut, flights cancelled as storm gets closer
All schools have been ordered shut and several flights cancelled as a tropical storm veers directly towards Trinidad and Tobago. The latest advisory from the Met Service at 5 am on Tuesday put the storm just 680 kilometres east of TT. A bulletin from the Ministry of Education on Monday night said with the exception of students scheduled to write CAPE exams on Tuesday, all schools have been directed to be closed. Caribbean Airlines in a statement on Tuesday said four domestic flights have been cancelled and flights to Suriname, Curaçao, St Maarten, Guyana and Barbados have been affected. Read more here
Several domestic ferry sailings have been cancelled, rescheduled
Several ferry sailings on the domestic seabridge have been cancelled and others rescheduled for today and Wednesday, in light of the Tropical Storm Warning/ORANGE Level in effect for both Trinidad and Tobago. “The Management of TTIT will monitor the weather situation and advise the public accordingly on the resumption of the daily schedule,” the Trinidad and Tobago Inter-island Transportation Company Ltd. (TTIT) has said. Read more here
POLITICS
Khan, Ramdial: UNC has no future under Kamla
Former Barataria/San Juan MP Dr Fuad Khan and former Couva North MP Ramona Ramdial are adamant that the UNC has no future under re-elected political leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar. While they will remain UNC members, Khan and Ramdial made it clear they will not be working with Persad-Bissessar or other members of her Star Team slate, who swept all 17 posts on the UNC's national executive (natex) that were up for grabs in the party's internal elections on Sunday. A statement issued on Monday by the UNC congratulated Persad-Bissessar and her slate for their landslide victory. Read more here
T&T and Suriname Energy Companies Sign MoU
A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) has been signed between Heritage Petroleum Company Limited, Paria Fuel Trading Company Limited and Staatsolie Maatschappij Suriname N.V. The MOU establishes a framework for cooperation amongst three of the top state-owned energy companies in the Caribbean region. According to a press release from Heritage Petroleum, Energy Minister Stuart Young stated “as Caricom partners, Trinidad and Tobago and Suriname will work together to address the challenges to develop our energy sectors as well as those of our region. Our countries have an important role to play in energy security for the region. I look forward to a fruitful relationship and I am pleased that discussions have already commenced among the parties.” Read more here
BUSINESS
High ammonia and grain prices to continue warns Nutrien
Expect continued high prices for ammonia over the next five years predicts Ken Seitz, the interim President and Chief Executive Officer of Nutrien. Nutrien is T&T’s largest ammonia producer. Speaking recently at the company’s virtual investor update, Seitz joined the Nutrien’s Chief Economist Jason Newton and its Vice President and CEO of Nitrogen and Phosphate, Raef Sully, who all painted a picture of elevated ammonia prices, but warned it will also mean higher costs for grain and seeds globally. Read more here
REGIONAL
Regional energy strategy in the making
Several Caribbean Community (CARICOM) member states have come together to advance work on a regional energy strategy that will guide Caribbean nations in areas for investment. This was announced by President, Dr. Irfaan Ali on Monday, while delivering remarks during the opening ceremony of the Suriname Energy Oil and Gas Summit in Paramaribo, Suriname. According to President Ali, discussions on the strategy have already begun with President of Suriname, Chandrikapersad “Chan” Santokhi, and Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, Dr. Keith Rowley and his Energy and Energy Industries Minister, Stuart Young. Read more here
INTERNATIONAL
Texas migrant deaths: At least 46 found dead in abandoned truck
At least 46 people have been found dead in an abandoned truck on the outskirts of San Antonio, Texas. A fire official said 16 people, including four children, had also been taken to hospital. The survivors were "hot to the touch" and suffering from heat stroke and heat exhaustion. San Antonio, which is 250km (150 miles) from the US-Mexico border, is a major transit route for people smugglers. Human traffickers often use trucks to transport undocumented migrants after meeting them in remote areas once they have managed to cross into the United States. Read more here
28th June 2022