Jack: House must lift suspension

Independent Liberal Party (ILP) leader Jack Warner has filed a motion to be debated in the House of Representatives today calling for an immediate end to the suspension of Opposition Leader Dr Keith Rowley. Warner said this was prompted by a statement issued on Wednesday by Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions (Deputy DPP), Joan Honore-Paul, "indicating that no conclusion has been made by the Office of the DPP nor the police as to whether these emails are in fact fake or genuine, and that investigations into the authenticity of the emails are still ongoing." Warner was speaking at a press conference held at the ILP's Edward Street, Port-of-Spain offices yesterday." Read more...

Kamla: I can "trounce" Bas again 

Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar yesterday said while she was happy to see former United National Congress (UNC) leader Basdeo Panday still very much involved in politics, she has no doubt she would "trounce him" again if he ever ran against her.On Wednesday, Panday indicated he "may" contest a seat for the upcoming election, indicating that he would like to try for Siparia, which was currently held by the Prime Minister, or his former seat, Couva North. "It is wonderful to see Mr Panday very much alive and eager to get back into fray. I have no problem, it is a democracy; put your nomination in and we'll take it from there. I am sure I will trounce him the same way I did last time, I have no doubt about that. Read more... 

Business 

Ganga downplays Moody's downgrade 

Despite T&T's downgraded status by Moody's Investors Service, Environment and Water Resources Minister Ganga Singh says the Inter-American Development Bank's US$546.5 million loan shows that it has confidence in T&T. Speaking at the launch of the San Fernando Wastewater Improvement Project on Wednesday, Singh said the loan not only represented the largest investment in wastewater rehabilitation in T&T's history, but was the largest hemispheric loan granted to any country. He said T&T has witnessed a period of unprecedented growth and that confidence in the country was mirrored by the Solomon Hochoy Highway Extension Project, the San Fernando Waterfront Project and the Nursing Training Centre. Read more...

Massy Holdings Ltd gains $0.06

Overall Market activity resulted from trading in 11 securities of which 4 advanced, 1 declined and 6 traded firm. Trading activity on the First Tier Market registered a volume of 162,791 shares crossing the floor of the Exchange valued at $7,536,101.64. Massy Holdings Ltd. was the volume leader with 76,650 shares changing hands for a value of $4,871,107.50, followed by Guardian Holdings Limited with a volume of 37,409 shares being traded for $531,321.91. Grace Kennedy Limited contributed 18,691 shares with a value of $66,060.13, while Republic Bank Limited added 14,539 shares valued at $1,671,985.00. Massy Holdings Ltd enjoyed the day's largest gain, increasing $0.06 to end the day at $63.55. Conversely, Guardian Holdings Limited suffered the day's sole decline, falling $0.05 to end the day at $14.20. Read more...

Financial crisis plan coming

Government is working on a national financial crisis management plan to facilitate electronic transactions conducted at various State departments. Finance Minister Larry Howai made these announcements on Wednesday at the InfoLink Services Limited conference at the Hyatt Regency, Port-of-Spain.Howai said Government is aware of the importance of domestic financial system in lubricating the flow of financial transactions between consumers and producers/retailers, and has begun the process of putting contingency measures in place in the event of any future financial crisis. "To this end a National Financial Crisis Management Plan for Trinidad and Tobago is currently under development. The plan seeks to provide an effective regime for the orderly resolution to a crisis faced by any of the financial institutions deemed systemically important and regulated by the Central Bank." Read more...

Industrial tension threatens Juniper US$2bn project

The schedule of bpTT's US$2.1 billion Juniper Project is beginning to be affected by industrial tensions at the Labidco Fabrication yard where the platform is being constructed, according to Energy Minister Kevin Ramnarine. Ramnarine said if a quick resolution is not arrived at between workers and their employer, Trinidad Offshore Fabricators (Tofco), it could spell a loss of revenue and natural gas production for the country. Tofco workers have caused numerous work stoppages due to protests over terms and conditions of employment."Juniper is important for the country and any delay on the project will impact on the schedule of the project and will delay the date of first gas," said Ramnarine, speaking at the Energy Chamber luncheon held at Paria Suites, La Romaine, on Wednesday.First gas from the facility is expected in 2017. Read more...

REGIONAL 

Opposition coalition wins in Guyana

Figures provided by chief elections officer Keith Lowenfield, during a press conference on Thursday, hosted at the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) command centre, showed that A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance for Change (APNU/AFC) opposition coalition has won the 2015 general and regional elections in Guyana. The APNU/AFC won 206,817 of the votes, with the former ruling party People's Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) gaining 201,457 votes, after GECOM had processed the 2,299 statements of poll presented by the returning officers. The multiracial opposition coalition led by former army brigadier David Granger therefore appears to have broken the ruling Indo-Guyanese party's 23 year-old grip on power, which many hope will usher in a new era in the traditionally ethnically-divided South American nation. Read more...

IMF appoints new mission chief for Jamaica

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has appointed one of its top advisors, Dr Uma Ramakrishnan, as its new mission chief for Jamaica.Ramakrishnan, who served in a similar capacity in El Salvador, prior to her assignment to Jamaica, takes over from Dr Jan Kees Martijn, who was the first mission chief under the country's current four-year US$932 million IMF Extended Fund Facility (EFF), which commenced in May 2013.The new chief, who has worked in several capacities with the IMF since joining the institution in 1998, undertook her first engagement in Jamaica, overseeing the country's eighth quarterly programme review, between May 4 and 13, when the mission team visited. Read more...

INTERNATIONAL

Nepal's latest earthquake: Death toll climbs above 100