Daily Brief - Monday 13th May, 2019

NEWS

TT ushering in a new era of business transparency

One of the software stars at the recently concluded Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU) Conference in Port of Spain, was TSTT’s e-Tender, an end-to-end procurement tool whose applicability extends way beyond telecommunications into a wide range of businesses. One of e-Tender’s big attractions is the promise of open and transparent government tendering – an area that is sometimes viewed by the public as murky and shrouded in secrecy in the award of tenders and contracts. Read more here

Zap the zeal of zessers and save their lives

Moth­ers need to seize the op­por­tu­ni­ty to in­spire and in­struct their chil­dren to zap the zeal of zessers and save their lives. This is ac­cord­ing to Jus­tice Frank Seep­er­sad as he spoke at a Moth­er’s Day func­tion at the Susamachar Pres­by­ter­ian Church yes­ter­day. He said, “We need to be­seech and im­plore our moth­ers, aunts and sis­ters to re­build our homes so as to abate the ram­pant law­less­ness which con­fronts us and we need to adopt a re­newed fo­cus which fos­ters fam­i­ly life so as to en­sure that our youth ex­pe­ri­ence god­li­ness and prop­er in­struc­tion in their lives.” Read more here

 

POLITICS

Imbert talks $

It’s been a volatile past week for economic news in TT and this week promises to be a continuation. Fresh off a fiery rebuttal of the Opposition’s motion on Friday that the Government mishandled the economy, Finance Minister Colm Imbert will on Monday deliver his mid-year review of the budget, including a supplemental appropriations bill to allocate more money to ministries. He will also have to address a major development in the country’s energy sector – BPTT’s recent announcement that it drilled four dry wells in the Columbus Basin. The company admitted in a statement on Friday that the setback will have a material impact on its forecasted production, especially in 2020/2021. Read more here

 

BUSINESS

Investing your US$$

This week, we at Bourse seek to provide some insight into US dollar investment opportunities available through Bourse and within the local financial landscape. “How can I invest my US dollars?” is a question on the mind of many investors lately, particularly those who have been or will be involved in market transactions—such as NCB Financial Group’s recently concluded offer to Guardian Holdings Ltd shareholders—where US dollars will be received. Read more here

 

REGIONAL

Integrity In Hot Seat - Commission To Face Tough Questions Over Probes

The Integrity Commission is expected to break its silence today on a public spat between its commissioners and Dirk Harrison, the director of prosecutions, as well as harsh criticism domestically and from international partners about the pace and transparency of its investigations of public officials. The commission, headed by retired Court of Appeal president, Justice Karl Harrison, will host a press conference at 10 a.m., at which it is expected to address those issues, as well as update the country on the filings of Prime Minister Andrew Holness and those of several other parliamentarians who have not been cleared of scrutiny, according to a report the commission tabled in Parliament on April 30. Read more here

 

INTERNATIONAL

Two Saudi oil tankers damaged in 'sabotage attack,' says press agency

Saudi Arabia said on Monday that two of its oil tankers had been sabotaged off the coast of the United Arab Emirates, in attacks it described as posing a threat to the security of global oil supplies. Tensions have risen in the oil-rich region in recent weeks amid the deployment of a growing number of United States military assets to the Middle East due to deteriorating relations with Iran. On Thursday, the US Maritime Administration issued an advisory warning that "Iran or its proxies" could be targeting commercial vessels and oil production infrastructure in the region. Read more here

Julian Assange: Sweden reopens rape investigation

Swedish prosecutors have reopened an investigation into a rape allegation made against Wikileaks co-founder Julian Assange in 2010. The inquiry has been revived at the request of the alleged victim's lawyer. Assange, who denies the charges, has avoided extradition to Sweden for seven years after seeking refuge at the Ecuadorean embassy in London in 2012. The 47-year-old was evicted last month and sentenced to 50 weeks in jail for breaching his bail conditions. He is currently being held at Belmarsh prison in London. Read more here

13th May 2019

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