NEWS
Coast Guard gets new naval ship
Yesterday was labelled an historic day in T&T with the docking of the TTS Nelson II, a large operational naval ship of T&T Defence Force. Under the captaincy of Commander Jason Kelshall, who is the son of retired Rear Admiral Richard Kelshall, and Executive Officer, Lt Commander Akenton Isaac, the ship departed China for T&T on September 10. The elder Kelshall had captained the TTS Nelson in 2000 from England to T&T. That vessel is to be decommissioned. From China the new vessel crossed three oceans, three seas, visited three continents and five countries in a 12,476 nautical mile journey that took 35 days and nine hours. Read more...
Residents don’t want new building
Several residents of Trincity voiced their objections to a proposed five-storey office building planned for their area by Bhagwansingh’s Hardware and Steel Industries Limited (BHSIL), at a lively public consultation held by BHSIL last Monday night at Trinity East College, Trincity. Residents’ concerns raised from traffic-congestion, to the possible noise and physical effects of pile-driving, to potential threats to flora and fauna and the local water-table. A head-table of experts in areas such as architecture, engineering, project management and environmental planning fielded questions from a packed hall of residents amongst whom emotions often ran high. The building proposed for the corner of Trincity Central Road and Trincity Boulevard will have a footprint of 23,000 square feet, on a site area of 120,000 square feet, according to architect, Thomas Mc Cartney. It will be populated by 180 employees, and have 230 parking- spaces, he added. Read more...
Greens to write book on 'Caribbean Ripper'
Peter and Murium Green, the British couple who survived a brutal cutlass attack in Tobago in 2009, plan to write a book about their experience with the “Caribbean Ripper”. This was confirmed in an e-mail exchange with the Express yesterday.
The Greens suffered horrific injuries when they were attacked in their Bacolet villa on the afternoon of August 1, 2009, by a cutlass-wielding intruder.
Peter Green, 71, lost sight in one eye as a result, while severe facial scars serve as a permanent reminder to Murium of the attack. Read more....
POLITICS
Step aside Kamla
Former United National Congress ministers—Kevin Ramnarine and Collin Partap and Partap’s father, former ambassador Harry Partap—don’t believe Kamla Persad-Bissessar should seek re-election to the post of political leader. Partap Jr is supporting deputy leader Roodal Moonilal if he decides to contest the leadership post. Ramnarine said fatal mistakes were made under Persad-Bissessar’s leadership in UNC’s general election campaign, such as the “No Rowley” thrust, which was conceived and promoted by Naparima MP Rodney Charles. These were among latest party views on the UNC’s December 5 internal election. Moonilal is expected to announce within coming days whether he will accede to calls within and outside of the party to challenge incumbent Persad-Bissessar. Read more...
President gives assent to Budget
Checks of the Parliament’s website yesterday indicated that President Anthony Carmona gave his assent to the $63 billion fiscal package on Monday. By law, the Budget must be passed by both Houses of Parliament before the end of October. Finance Minister Colm Imbert presented the Budget in the House of Representatives on October 5, commencing the Budget debate in the House. Opposition Leader Kamla Persad- Bissessar gave her response to the Budget in the House on October 9. The House concluded its Budget debate on October 13. Planning Minister Camille Robinson- Regis, Chaguanas West MP Ganga Singh and Couva South MP Rudy Indarsingh were the only MPs who did not speak in the Budget debate in the House. Read more...
Civil society groups welcom Rowley's thinking on gender ministry
Civil society organisations are welcoming signals from Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley that his Government is reconsidering its decision not to have a Ministry of Gender and Child Development. In a statement on Monday, the Women’s Institute for Alternative Development (WINAD), speaking for civil society, said it welcomed this declaration from the Prime Minister as an indication that Government is beginning to view gender as an important development construct. Read more...
BUSINESS
Economy distorted by energy, fuel prices
T&T’s dependence on the energy industry has created a distorted and inefficient economy both in terms of energy use and fuel prices, Dr Thackwray Driver, president of the Energy Chamber said yesterday. Driver, who delivered the feature address at the launch of the second phase of the Arthur Lok Jack Graduate School’s Sustainable and Renewable Energy Project Incubator at Mount Hope, said the country is inefficient in it use of energy, on a per capita basis and in terms of gross domestic product (GDP) said: “At present almost all of our energy comes from fossil fuel, mainly oil and particularly natural gas. Our hydrocarbon dominated economy has traditionally provided the state with significant levels of revenue. at least when the prices of oil are high. Read more...
AmCham TT gets new members
The American Chamber of Commerce of Trinidad and Tobago welcomed 17 new companies into its organisation at its annual New Members reception on Tuesday October 20, at the Hyatt Regency Trinidad. AmCham TT President Ravi Suryadevara encouraged new and current members to take an active role in collaborating with the organisation as Am- Cham TT continues to foster and strengthen relationships with the local private and public sector and maintain its position as the leading voice on issues of business and economic growth in Trinidad and Tobago and the Americas. Read more...
NFM records $29m profit
National Flour Mills (NFM) has produced an after-tax profit of $29.07 million for the nine-month period ended September 30. NFM’s unaudited results for the period were sent in a notice from the Trinidad and Tobago Stock Exchange. Read more...
REGIONAL
Cuba moves to protect shark population
The Cuban government, in collaboration with a US environmental group, has launched a long-term plan to protect shark populations around its shores. The initiative, reached through two years of collaborative research with the New York-based Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), will impose size and capture limits on fishermen, create closed seasons for shark-fishing, and set aside protected areas, according to officials. Scientists believe that nearly 100 of the world’s 500 shark species swim in Cuban waters, sustained by relatively healthy coral reefs, the EDF says. Read more...
Regional financial services sector called on to be proactive not reactive
The Caribbean region has to take ownership of regulatory issues affecting the international financial services sector. Stakeholders in the sector must start using their high level of expertise and the Diaspora community with their vast international connections to lobby and convince international regulatory institutions of the importance of the sector for the regional economies. To change the focus from reactive to proactive, a regional secretariat should be established that advocates and formulates policies for the region. This was the main “takeaway” of the workshop ‘Caribbean Banking and the Caribbean International Financial Services Sector’ which was held in Curacao on September 30-October 1, 2015 by the Caribbean Export Development Agency (Caribbean Export) in conjunction with Caribbean-Central American Action (CCAA). The workshop acted as a precursor to the Global Forum of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), scheduled to take place in Bridgetown, Barbados on October 29-30, 2015. Read more...
INTERNATIONAL
Cassini probe to sweep over Saturn's moon Enceladus
Showdown in the South China Sea: How did we get here?
Dotted with small islands, reefs and shoals, the South China Sea is home to a messy territorial dispute that pits multiple countries against each other. China's "nine-dash line" -- its claimed territorial waters that extend hundreds of miles to the south and east of its island province of Hainan -- abut its neighbors' claims and, in some cases, encroach upon them. Tensions have ratcheted up as China has reclaimed some 2,000 acres of land in a massive dredging operation, turning sandbars into islands equipped with airfields, ports and lighthouses. Read more...
28th October 2015