NEWS
Billion$ Down The Drain
Details of yet another Petrotrin project, in which billions have been wasted, emerged yesterday. A Parliament committee heard that while $3.3 billion has already been lost through expenditure on the litigious issue of the World Gas-to-Liquids (GTL) project, a further $3.2 billion has gone down the drain in relation to a separate project involving an ultra low sulphur diesel (USD) plant constructed by South Korean firm Samsung Engineering and Construction Limited. Petrotrin officials told the Joint Select Committee on State Enterprises that the USD facility – which was meant to handle highly toxic materials such as hydrogen sulphur – was built with 200 design flaws, did not comply with required earthquake specifications and featured a beam which was bent out of shape. As in the case of the World GTL project, the USD project was entered into during the tenure of the Malcolm Jones-led board, back in 2009. Read more…
Friends ambushed, killed in St Joseph
Two longtime friends were murdered yesterday afternoon at Guaratta Hill, Upper Maracas, St Joseph, in what police believe was a hit ordered from behind prison walls. Police said following the murders of Keston Charles, 31, and Anton Du Four, 37, both of Blood Street, Maracas, St Joseph, a PH driver was allegedly held for aiding the gunmen in their escape. Police said they received vital information from an informant that the killing was orchestrated from the jail and was connected to the murder of Sherwin Wallace on Saturday morning, a short distance from yesterday’s double murders. The killing of the two pushed the number of murders to 106 for the year. Read more…
Calabar Foundation in run-down building
The building is run-down and in a somewhat dilapidated condition. Seemingly almost inhabitable. But 10 Ariapita Road, St Ann's, is the office address of now controversial Calabar Foundation. The postbox outside the building carries the name “Joyce Carew”. But the Carew names that have become publicly identified with the foundation are Michael Carew, the romantic partner of Port of Spain South MP Marlene McDonald, and his brother Lennox. The two Carew brothers and Victor McEachrane are listed as the directors of the Calabar Foundation. Read more…
POLITICS
Christlyn leads Forwards again
A Tobago partnership is in the making to unseat the Peoples’ National Movement (PNM) which has been in charge of the Tobago House of Assembly (THA) since 2001 under the leadership of Chief Secretary, Orville London. This was the position of the newly elected leader of the Tobago Forwards, Christlyn Moore at the party’s election and first annual convention on Sunday evening held at the Bishop’s High School in Mt Marie, Scarborough. Moore called for a unification within her party and with all opposition forces in Tobago to get rid of the London administration. The PNM is soon to host its own internal elections and London has indicated that he is bowing out of active political office. Read more…
Law allows it if they dissolve—Imbert
Finance Minister Colm Imbert said yesterday ArcelorMittal was under no legal obligation to pay its workers severance benefits which would be allowed under T&T laws as the company is seeking to voluntarily wind up its operations rather than retrench its workers. “Legally, right now, they can avoid the severance benefit liability by dissolving the company, which I assume is why they are doing what they are doing,” Imbert said at a wide-ranging news conference at the ministry’s 20th storey conference room at the Eric Williams Finance Building, Independence Square, Port-of-Spain, yesterday. Imbert said he met with both the union representing the 644 steel workers and the company on Friday and was told by ArcelorMittal that the steel workers “would have been entitled to” about US$30 million ($198.6 million) if they had been retrenched “but the company has not retrenched the workers, they are dissolving the company.” Read more…
Govt to guarantee US$5m loan...to save 400 jobs
Government will be moving to guarantee a loan of US$5 million to a private company—Grand Bay Ltd— in an effort to save the jobs of some 400 workers. This was disclosed yesterday by Finance Minister Colm Imbert at a news conference at the Finance Ministry at the Eric Williams Financial Complex, Port of Spain. Imbert said the Arima-based company which has a sister company—Trinidad Tissues Ltd—approached the ministry for assistance. He said Grand Bay imports pulp from which it makes paper and it supplies products to its sister company, Trinidad Tissues, which manufactures toilet paper. Read more…
BUSINESS
WASA denies reports of mass lay offs
General secretary of the National Union of Government and Federated Workers (NUGFW) Jillian Joy Bartlett-Alleyne claims there are plans by the Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA) to send home 2,000 daily and monthly paid workers in the coming months. Last week, WASA issued dismissal letters to between “10 to 15 daily paid workers” from its National Social Development Programme (NSDP), said Rodney Lewis, NUGFW grievance officer. However, WASA’s senior manager, corporate communication, Daniel Plenty, denied that the utility is a on major job cutting exercise. He said to date only 31 workers were given notices after the short-term projects on which they were employed ended on January 31, February 15 and March 21 respectively. Lewis claimed WASA used an improper process to terminate the workers but has since “decided to stop the process and have dialogue with the union.” He said NUGFW representatives will meet with WASA’s acting CEO Dion Abdool this week to discuss the job cuts. Read more…
Imbert: $7b from CL sale
The Government will be recovering some $7 billion from the sale and wrapping up of subsidiaries of CL Financial, says Finance Minister Colm Imbert. This was disclosed yesterday by Imbert at a news conference at the Finance Ministry in the Eric Williams Financial Complex, Port of Spain. Imbert said he meets with the Central Bank every Wednesday and this is an issue always on the agenda. He said the Central Bank informed him last week that they have advertised for sale, the traditional portfolio of Colonial Life to some 17 entities in Trinidad and Tobago. Read more…
REGIONAL
Suriname eases visa regime to boost tourism
In an effort to boost its new emphasis on the tourism sector, the government of Suriname has recently abolished the requirement for a visa to enter the country from an additional 13 countries, including China, India, Indonesia and Turkey, four of the world’s most populous nations. The nine other countries are from Latin America. The list does not include any African or Arab countries. However, to visit Suriname, citizens of these countries must purchase a tourist card, which costs US $35 at the Johan Pengel International Airport. The tourist card isn't available at the official border crossing posts between Suriname, Guyana and French Guiana, which is an inconvenience for some travellers. Moreover, the immigration and customs processing to enter Suriname from Guyana at the South Drain Ferry Terminal is a long and arduous ordeal that can take up to three hours. Read more…
Bruce Is Back - Golding New NHT Executive Chairman
Former Prime Minister Bruce Golding is tipped to become the first executive chairman of the National Housing Trust (NHT). The Gleaner understands that the decision to appoint Golding, a former construction minister, was made late last week. The announcement of the new NHT and other public boards is scheduled for Thursday. As executive chairman, Golding is expected to take on the day-to-day management of the affairs of the NHT. The original mandate of the Trust is to lend money at low interest rates to contributors who wish to build, buy or repair/improve their houses, or who wish to buy or build on lots. However, as part of his pre-election 10-Point Plan, Prime Minister Andrew Holness committed to allow people to access 60-year mortgages from the NHT, instead of the traditional 25-to-30-year loans. Read more…
INTERNATIONAL
Brussels explosions: Many dead in airport and metro terror attacks
Raul Castro skirts question on political prisoners
Cuban President Raul Castro denied having political prisoners in his country after being questioned by CNN 's Jim Acosta during a press conference Monday with President Barack Obama. "What political prisoners? Give me a name or names," Castro said in response to Acosta's question on why the prisoners have not been released. "After this meeting is over, you can give me a list of political prisoners, and if we have those political prisoners, they will be released before tonight ends." After the news conference, Obama told ABC in an interview that he had not yet given Castro a list of dissidents but that he had in the past. Read more…
22nd March 2016