NEWS
Public unbothered by planned WASA plant shutdown
Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA) customers seem to be unbothered by the company's planned shutdown of the Caroni Water Treatment Plant (WTP) which is set to affect almost one third of the country’s population. At a media briefing on August 2, CEO Kelvin Romain, director of operations (acting) Shaira Ali and director of corporate services (acting) Alisha Romano explained the plant will be shut for 48 hours – from midday August 9-midday August 11. A recent statement said homes could face a further wait of up to 48 hours before water returns although Ali said it would be six-12 hours for areas in North Trinidad. Read more here
No charges yet for bank workers’ murder
Twelve days after Scotiabank employee Giselle Crystal Peters was ambushed, beaten, and stabbed to death in Gasparillo, the police are preparing to charge two suspects who have been in custody since Monday night. A senior homicide officer said yesterday that a file must be submitted to the Director of Public Prosecutions before any charges are officially laid. The two suspects were apprehended during a coordinated exercise involving officers from the Southern Division Homicide and Valencia Police Station. Both suspects in their 30s, were arrested at two separate locations in Valencia on Monday night. Peters, 38, was murdered on July 27 by men inside the house she and her husband were constructing. Read more here
POLITICS
AG hosts retreat ahead of financial task force evaluation
ATTORNEY General Reginald Armour has held a retreat in St Joseph with different people and groups, in preparation for Trinidad and Tobago's next evaluation of its anti-money laundering and anti-terrorist financing measures, later this year. A statement issued on August 8 by the Office of the Attorney General and Legal Affairs (OAGLA) said the retreat took place at Soledad Estate, Maracas St Joseph. National Security Minister Fitzgerald Hinds, Minister in the Ministry of National Security Keith Scotland, Minister in the OAGLA Renuka Sagramsingh-Sooklal and several other senior government officials. Read more here
Farley - Coast Guard to get rented fishing boats for Tobago's crime fight
Tobago House of Assembly Chief Secretary Farley Augustine is moving to choke criminal activity and the flow of guns into the island. In a swift response to Tobago’s unprecedented murder toll, Augustine yesterday launched immediate security measures to secure its borders and stop inland criminal activity. This includes the rental of two fishing vessels and the purchase of vehicles for the T&T Coast Guard to monitor the sea and operate on land, and the close monitoring of the movement of visitors and locals in the accommodation and car rental business. Read more here
BUSINESS
New Central Bank report
The net errors and omissions of T&T’s balance of payments returned to over US$2 billion in 2022 and 2023, following a dip during the period of the COVID-19 lockdown, according to information released by the Central Bank of T&T yesterday. The Central Bank publication of a note on errors and omissions in T&T’s balance of payments came after economist Marla Dukharan published a report last week Wednesday, outlining that on average over US$2 billion “disappears” annually from this country in errors and omissions. She added that on a per capita basis, T&T is the world’s largest loser of foreign currency. The Central Bank said the note is the first in a new series that aims to explain important concepts and monetary policy actions to a broad public audience in non-technical terms. Read more here
REGIONAL
‘The plan is in place and work has started’
GUyana has undergone remarkable economic transformation, especially in its housing sector, as the government continues to forge ahead with its vision of sustainable urban development across the country. This was according to President Dr. Irfaan Ali during his address at the opening ceremony of the 2024 building expo held at the National Stadium, Providence. The President highlighted the decades of targetted policies implemented by successive People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) governments to promote affordable and sustainable housing to all Guyanese. “Between 1992 and 2015, it is important for us to trace this segment of our history in the housing sector. In 1992, we had one of the highest debt burdens per capita in the world; our debt-to-GDP ratio was 750 per cent,” President Ali said, pointing out that Guyana has evolved to now having a development matrix which has seen the country garnering much investments. Read more here
INTERNATIONAL
Trump fights for spotlight as Democrats dominate coverage
On Thursday, Donald Trump walked into a room of journalists gathered at his Mar-a-Lago estate for a news conference. He didn’t look particularly happy. His remarks came after a week in which Kamala Harris and her new running mate Tim Walz have dominated media attention, raked in millions of dollars and enjoyed a bump in polling. Trump’s media event seemed more an attempt to win back the spotlight than announce anything new. Just before Trump stepped up to the podium, one of his advisors texted me the wry assessment that Donald Trump is “never boring!!” (the exclamation marks were his). The event included a couple of news items. Mr Trump announced that he’d agreed to join a TV debate with Vice-President Harris on 10 September. Read more here
9th August 2024