NEWS
Dick Is In
Maridsa Dick will be part of the Trinidad and Tobago team for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, BraziL from August 5-21, after the TT Olympic Committee (TTOC) announced yesterday its Games Management Committee had no choice but to respect the decision of the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) and allow the 18-year-old Canadian-born gymnast the opportunity to compete at the 31st Olympiad. Dick was a controversial replacement for the 20-year-old Thema Williams at the Olympic Test Event in Rio de Janeiro a fortnight ago, with Williams and her coach John Geddert denying the TT Gymnastics Federation’s (TTGF) assertion that she was unable to compete in the artistic gymnastics routine due to an ankle injury. Dick, who was flown in to Rio from her home in Alberta, Canada, subsequently qualified for the Games, but it is the TTOC which has the final say in terms of who will represent the twin-island republic at the Olympics. The TTOC held a media conference where its president Brian Lewis yesterday revealed, “the Games Management Committee (comprising himself, Dr Ian Hypolite, Dr Terry Ali, Annette Knott and Diane Henderson), after due consideration of a number of legal advice from senior counsel Elton Prescott and trustee and attorney Dave Williams, confirmed that the name change from Thema Williams to Marisa Dick was duly made by the Trinidad and Tobago Gymnastics Federation, in accord with the declaration from the FIG.” Lewis continued, “that declaration surely was the game-changer. Read more…
Udecott owed over $500m by Govt
In excess of $500 million is owed to the Urban Development Corporation of T&T Ltd (Udecott) by government ministries and Health and National Security have been identified as the chief culprits of late payments. The resultant trickle down effect of this has been the untimely payment to contractors, a Joint Select Committee (JSC) meeting was told by Udecott officials in Parliament yesterday. In making the comment, Udecott chairman Noel Garcia, who noted they could be considered a “big project company,” said most projects exceeded $500 million and in the health sector in particular, even exceeded one billion. Read more…
Highway Hell
Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley said yesterday it was “quite likely” that the contractor—Brazilian firm Construtora OAS—will have to be fired from the multi-billion-dollar Point Fortin Highway extension project. Rowley made the statement at the VIP Lounge of Piarco International Airport, where he hosted a news conference before departing on a 12-day trip to the US, UK and Ghana. The Prime Minister raised concerns over the highway project as he took issue with a newspaper article which he said was written by a university lecturer whom he did not name. “I have three university degrees and all from UWI and I am probably going to start another degree soon because I want to get one I am proud of,” said Rowley. Read more…
POLITICS
Colm wants Colman’s report ASAP
Minister of Finance Colm Imbert has called for the report of the Sir Anthony Colman Commission of Inquiry to be released “as soon as possible”. In an interview with Newsday over the weekend. Imbert said the findings of the commission would be relevant to his course of conduct in relation to the Clico bailout. “The inquiry was initiated by the former Prime Minister and Attorney General, so the AG’s office would have had conduct of the matter,” Imbert said when asked for word on the long-awaited report. “The country spent a lot of taxpayers’ money on this enquiry and the report needs to be published as soon as possible without any unnecessary delay.” On reports that lone commissioner Sir Anthony Colman had reportedly complained about a lack of competent staff, Imbert could not say whether this was addressed by the Cabinet. “I think the issues were resolved,” the Finance Minister said. “I will check.” He could not say when the report will be released. saying, “I cannot set a timeline since I am not in charge of this matter. It is under the AG’s office.” He said he will check with the Ministry of the AG on the report. Asked if, as Minister of Finance. Read more…
PM refuses to be drawn in
Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley has admitted that in the seven-plus months it has been in Government, no time was spent examining the decriminalisation of marijuana. He revealed this yesterday minutes before he left for a 12-day trip to the US, UK and Ghana. He made the comment in response to a question on a T&T Guardian article yesterday, headlined “AG looks at legal ganja”, which suggested Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi had started the process of looking at the possibility of decriminalising ganja. Rowley said he would be surprised if Al-Rawi spoke to decriminalising marijuana despite the fact that it was not discussed in Cabinet. Read more…
Rowley’s 12-day trip ‘cheaper than before
Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley said yesterday he did not have the information on how much his trip to the US, UK and Ghana was costing, but he was sure it was cheaper than previous trips by former prime minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar. “I don’t have the information, but I can tell you it’s a lot cheaper than previous trips,” said the Prime Minister when asked yesterday as to how much his trip was costing. The Prime Minister, who departed for a 12-day mission and is carded to return on May 12, was speaking at a news conference at Piarco International Airport.
Finance Minister Colm Imbert is acting as Prime Minister in Rowley’s absence. Read more…
BUSINESS
Republic makes offer to buy out Grenada bank
Republic Financial Holdings Ltd is making an offer to buy out Republic Bank (Grenada) Ltd. In a notice posted on the T&T Stock Exchange yesterday the banking group, which already has 51 per cent shareholding in that financial institution, announced that the offer document will be mailed out to shareholders on May 9 ahead of the offer period which opens on May 11. Republic Bank Ltd, as it was then known, bought its majority stake in the former National Commercial Bank of Grenada Ltd (NCB) from the Government of Grenada in July 1992. In April 2006, it was renamed Republic Bank (Grenada) Ltd, in a move designed to unite the two banks and greater capitalise on competitive advantages from systems and processes alignment. Read more…
JMMB Bank launches in T&T
Three years after it fully acquired Indian-owned Intercommercial Bank Ltd (IBL), JMMB country marketing head Lisa-Maria Alexander said the re-branding was taking place from the inside out as staff had already begun to adopt the JMMB culture. JMMB’s core value, as defined by its founder, the late Joan Duncan, is love. Read more…
REGIONAL
Pity For Killers - Widow Of Murdered Missionary Feels Sorrow For Slayers
The widow of a missionary who was found murdered in Albion Mountain, northwest St Mary, on Sunday says she feels sorry for her husband's killers. Teri Nichols, whose husband, Harold, was discovered bound and with head injuries, believes that some good must come from the killing, and has urged local residents to refrain from violent retaliation. "Personally, I don't feel angry. Maybe there's a stage where, at some point, I'm going to be ticked off, but I feel sad for whoever committed this terrible crime. They don't know what they were doing or who they were doing it to. The police found the bodies of American Christian missionaries Harold Nichols, 53, and Randy Hentzel, 48, in the bushes of the rural community of Albion Mountain, 24 hours apart. The nation's police chief, Dr Carl Williams, last night signalled that local investigators are prepared to accept assistance from their international partners, and vowed that the killers will be caught. However, despite an offer from United States Ambassador to Luis G. Moreno to provide aid to the Jamaica Constabulary Force, Williams indicated that the probe was still in the hands of local investigators and said a team had been dispatched to St Mary to help with the probe. Read more…
Building Caribbean resources to ensure safe seafood and protect and grow fisheries exports
Caribbean countries have a living bank of marine resources from which they collectively cash out hundreds of millions of dollars a year to support emerging national economies by providing good jobs, food and foreign exchange, among other benefits. However, in order to remain active and competitive in the global marketplace, countries have had to find ways to surmount the challenges posed by stringent international standards called sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures, for food safety and for protection against diseases carried animals and plants. Under an EU-funded SPS Measures Project, the ability of Caribbean countries to effectively address those challenges is being strengthened through initiatives such as specialized training for those gatekeepers who help to ensure the safety of both imported and exported foods. The project has reached a new milestone, as a group of professionals from CARIFORUM states -- the countries which make up the Caribbean Community, as well as the Dominican Republic -- has just concluded a sanitary and phytosanitary management course. The intensive two-week training, held at the United Nations University – Fisheries Training Programme (UNU-FTP) in Reykjavik, Iceland, was organized under the capacity building component of the project. Read more…
INTERNATIONAL
Migrant crisis: EU 'to back' visa-free travel for Turkey
What to watch in Indiana's primary
Donald Trump has defeated his Republican rivals in six straight contests. In Indiana, he could demoralize them. Trump will try to win a primary Tuesday that Texas Sen. Ted Cruz has set up as do-or-die for his own campaign. Bernie Sanders, meanwhile, will attempt to reclaim the momentum that Hillary Clinton has firmly seized. Read more…
3rd May 2016