NEWS
Tarodale gets ICT Access Centre
The Ministry of Digital Transformation has officially launched its information and communication technology access centre in the Tarodale Community Centre, allowing residents to access free digital services like the internet, computers, and printing. The centre, at Tarodale Hills, will be open from Mondays to Saturdays from 10 am to 6 pm. In his address, acting Minister of Digital Transformation Brian Manning said the centre is part of a broader initiative to provide digital resources nationwide. Read more here
Theft of WASA connections affects water supply in parts of Gasparillo
The Water and Sewerage Authority has strongly condemned the recent acts of vandalism and theft targeting its infrastructure in the Gasparillo area, which have severely disrupted water supply to several residents. In a statement yesterday, WASA said between March 31 and April 1, over 34 residential connections in San Fabian, Rawlings Avenue, Recreation Ground, PRV Goodman Trace, Bhagwansingh Trace, and Springland’s Third and Fourth Streets were vandalised, with brass fittings and service lines stolen. It said these criminal acts left affected customers without a reliable water supply, forcing the authority to prioritise emergency repairs while supporting police investigations. Read more here
POLITICS
Ex-SSA boss stuns at UNC meeting
Former Strategic Services Agency (SSA) director retired major Roger Best made a shocking appearance at a United National Congress (UNC) general election community meeting in Debe on April 1. Approached by the media at the end of the meeting, Best said he was invited by former Oropouche East MP Dr Roodal Moonilal and “decided to come show my support.” Asked if his presence meant he was now supporting the UNC, he said, “I am supporting righteousness. I believe righteousness is the key and I think everybody in Trinidad and Tobago should stand for righteousness. I am a patron of the state.” Read more here
Indarsingh still committed to UNC after being replaced by Barry
Incumbent Couva South Member of Parliament Rudranath Indarsingh says he had no clue that he would not have been selected by the United National Congress (UNC) to seek re-election for a fourth term. However, he says he remains loyal to the party. In a telephone interview almost 24 hours after the decision to replace him with incumbent Princes Town MP Barry Padarath was announced by Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bisssessar at Eid celebrations in Princes Town on Monday, Indarsingh said that he always accepted the outcome as a possibility when he put himself forward to be screened by the party after serving as MP for three consecutive terms since 2010. Read more here
BUSINESS
TTNGL reports reduced loss
Trinidad and Tobago NGL Limited has reported a net loss after tax of $119.4 million for the financial year ended 31 December 2024. NGL chairman Dr Joseph Ishmael Khan however said, in his chairman's statement in the company's summary financial statements, that this was an improvement from the TT$547.7 million loss in 2023. He said, "This result includes an unrealised impairment of $184.3 million (2023: $573.6 million), derived from TTNGL's 2024 impairment assessment. The impairment reflects prudent risk management and is based on a conservative outlook incorporating: Lower long-term gas supply volumes. Reduced NGL content in the forecast gas stream, and lower anticipated NGL prices over the medium term." He however explained that TTNGL's share of profit from its investment in Phoenix Park Gas Processors Limited ("PPGPL") rose to $66.6 million in 2024, from $28.1 million in 2023-an increase of 137 per cent. Read more here
eases insurance payments
Recognising the need for a financial solution to address insurance premium rates, personal loan provider Bayshore Finance Trinidad and Tobago Ltd created Solis Credit. In an interview with Express Business, Candice Adams, group marketing and sales manager, said Solis Credit is designed to help the many people struggling to pay their legally required insurance premiums. Read more here
REGIONAL
Maximum standards for education being achieved
In pursuit of the highest standards of education, the Government of Guyana is making continuous investments to integrate sectors, build out infrastructure and strengthen collaborations, President, Dr. Irfaan Ali has said. “Many times when you graduate to free university education, most times the capital investment comes down…we are giving free education, at the maximum standard, we’re going to invest in the highest standards, the maximum standard, so we’re not cutting costs or cutting corners to deliver that free education,” President Ali told a gathering at the commissioning ceremony for the new US$4.5 million College of Medical Sciences building at the University of Guyana’s (UG)’s Turkeyen Campus. Read more here
INTERNATIONAL
Trump poised to reshape global economy and how world does business
Every time Donald Trump has mentioned his plan to levy massive tariffs on imports into the US, there has been a widespread assumption that they will be delayed, watered down or rowed back. Today, he will reveal in the White House Rose Garden not just how serious he is about "the most beautiful word in the dictionary", but effectively call time on decades of economic globalisation. And it is still possible that he will do this by launching the equivalent of a salvo of ballistic missiles into the global trading system, with a universal tariff on all imports into the USA. Read more here
2nd April 2025