NEWS
Unvaccinated staff at private hospitals to provide weekly PCR tests
All unvaccinated staff at private hospitals across Trinidad and Tobago will soon be required to provide weekly PCR tests. A joint statement said the private hospitals are aiming to have all staff vaccinated by September 1. "We the undersigned private hospitals," it said, "have all agreed as providers of healthcare to the vulnerable population that we have an obligation to provide a safe environment for their treatment and care.” Read more here
St Vincent PM attacked during vaccine protest: Gonsalves expected out of hospital Friday
St Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves, who was hit on the head with a stone by a protester outside the Parliament building yesterday, is expected to be discharged from hospital today. His son Storm Gonsalves confirmed the situation to Guardian Media yesterday, after Gonsalves was struck on the right side of his head—inches above his temple– by a missile at 5.15 pm. Gonsalves, 74, had been entering the Parliament compound to attend a debate on proposed COVID-19 vaccine law when he was blocked by protesters. Read more here
POLITICS
OWTU accuses T&TEC of endangering workers, public
A decision to dismantle the staff rotation system at the electricity commission could act as a covid19 superspreader and put both workers and the public at risk. This is the view of the representing Oilfield Workers' Trade Union (OWTU) which contends that the intention is to replace workers with private contractors. OWTU president general Ancel Roget said the decision to scrap the union-sanctioned agreement to rotate workers, and bring them all out to work instead, will put the public at risk when crews respond to emergency calls and go into homes and offices. He said what is happening at the TT Electricity Commission (T&TEC) is in contravention of the public health protocols and goes against appeals by the Prime Minister for adherence. Read more here
BUSINESS
Mixed financial results for NFM, TSTT
National Enterprises Ltd (NEL) has reported $131.3 million fair value in investee company National Flour Mills (NFM) for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2021. But TSTT, another investee company, had a 35 per cent decline to $248.6 million. In its annual report released on Thursday, NEL, which owns 51 per cent shareholdings at NFM, said the value represented a 99 per cent increase from the previous year, which was $67.4 million. It added that in 2020 NFM’s operating profit increased by 170 per cent, and made a net profit of $23.4 million, a 285 per cent increase from 2019. Read more here
REGIONAL
World Bank pledges continued commitment to Guyana
World Bank Vice-President for Latin America and the Caribbean, Carlos Felipe Jaramillo, and Country Director for the Caribbean, Lilia Burunciuc, completed their first official visit to Guyana on Thursday. According to a release, they commended the progress made by the Government of Guyana towards COVID-19 recovery, noting that over 51 per cent of Guyana’s adult population has received the first dose of a coronavirus vaccine. Jaramillo and Burunciuc also discussed how the World Bank could support the government’s plan to create a more enabling environment for the private sector and improved living standards for the citizens of Guyana. Read more here
INTERNATIONAL
Lalibela: Ethiopia's Tigray rebels take Unesco world heritage town
Rebels from Ethiopia's northern Tigray region have taken control of the town of Lalibela, a Unesco world heritage site in neighbouring Amhara region. Lalibela, home to 13th Century churches hewn from rock, is a holy site for millions of Orthodox Christians. Residents have been fleeing the rebel advance, local officials told the BBC. Thousands have been killed since war broke out last November. Fighting is now spreading into Amhara and Afar, another region bordering Tigray. Millions of people have also been displaced. Both the Tigray rebel forces and the Ethiopian army and its allies have been accused of committing human rights abuses and war crimes. Read more here
6th August 2021