NEWS
PDP’s Sampson: I will bring back trade schools
Progressive Democratic Patriots (PDP) candidate for Canaan/Bon Accord in the January 25 THA election Joel “Nuttsy” Sampson says if elected, he intends to push for the return of trade centres in Tobago. He made the promise on Wednesday night while delivering his maiden political address at the opening of the party’s Canaan/Bon Accord office at Busy’s Hardware compound, Milford Road. Sampson said he is deeply concerned about young people on the island. Read more here
Nursing association ‘cautiously optimistic’
The Trinidad and Tobago Registered Nurses Association (TTRNA) is “cautiously optimistic” following a meeting with the North West Regional Health Health Authority (NWRHA) in the wake of a third outbreak of COVID-19 among nursing staff in the old COSTAATT building at the Port-of-Spain General Hospital. The meeting was held with the NWRHA executives last Tuesday and included the acting Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Salisha Baksh. Read more here
POLITICS
THA candidate: PNM helped me fulfil my potential
People’s National Movement (PNM) candidate for Plymouth/Golden Lane Melissa James-Guy has revealed that the party helped her to emerge from a life of stigmatisation and uncertainty. And she intends to use her platform, if elected as the representative for the area, after the January 25 THA election, to develop policies and programmes to enable residents to attain their fullest potential. In an emotional address at the Bethesda Multipurpose Facility on Friday night, James-Guy, 30, disclosed personal details of her life, including being once told she would never be successful. Read more here
West Shore probes breach, suspends tech leaking PM's medical info
Patient confidentiality is a golden rule that ought not to be breached. This from PRO of the T&T Medical Association Dr Keegan Baggan as West Shore Private Hospital in Cocorite has temporarily suspended one of its technicians after he posted details of the Prime Minister’s condition on Facebook. Contacted yesterday on the matter Bhaggan said, “Regardless of this person not being a member of the association we generally feel that patient health information, patient confidentiality is a golden rule to be adhered to at all times and we would not condone such breaches in patient confidentiality especially from our members. Ideally, we would hope that others will hold to similar standards.” Read more here
BUSINESS
Economic uncertainty, Covid-19 and oil prices
The onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in the first quarter of 2020 saw crude oil prices steadily decline, briefly falling into negative territory largely due to a collapse in demand for petroleum. Read more here
REGIONAL
Headmaster Estimates It Will Take Years To Recover From COVID Learning Loss
At least one high school principal has asserted that the lack of face-to-face engagement and limited cognitive stimulation has accounted for significant learning loss among students. Principal of Cumberland High School in St Catherine, Darien Henry, told The Gleaner that 191 Primary Exit Profile (PEP) students were assigned to the institution for the 2020-2021 academic year. Read more here
US restates support for Guyana in border controversy
Violations of international law will not be tolerated by the international community, renowned Guyana-born diplomat, Sir Ronald Sanders has said in response to Venezuela’s recent claims to the seas and seabed adjacent to the coast west of the Essequibo River, which belong to Guyana. “The international community has to be brought on board soon, because the Maduro Government and Opposition have to understand that the international community will not tolerate violations of international law,” Sir Ronald said during an exclusive interview with the Guyana Chronicle on Sunday. Read more here
INTERNATIONAL
UK entering 'worst point' of pandemic, top health official warns, as cases rise and bodies pile up
The United Kingdom is entering its most challenging weeks since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, a top official said Monday, as hospitals face being overrun and morgues fill up. "We're now at the worst point of this epidemic for the UK. In the future we will have the vaccine, but the numbers at the moment are higher than they were in the previous peak — by some distance," England's chief medical officer Chris Whitty told the BBC, adding that he expects the next few weeks to be the "most dangerous time." Read more here
Sriwijaya Air crash: Indonesia divers search wreckage as black box hunt resumes
The Indonesian navy has released footage of divers searching through the wreckage of a passenger plane which crashed into the sea at the weekend as the hunt for its black boxes resumes. Sriwijaya Air Boeing 737 left Jakarta with 62 people on board, but vanished from the radar on its way to Borneo island on Saturday. Search teams have already found aircraft parts and human remains. The plane's black boxes, which have been located, are yet to be recovered. Read more here
11th January 2021