NEWS
Adults go after Pfizer, slowdown among teens
Although the vaccination of children with the Pfizer covid19 vaccine has slowed down over the past week, adults continue to rush to get it. And while adults getting vaccinated is a positive step, Health Minister, Terrence Deyalsingh is encouraging parents and guardians to get their children vaccinated before the vaccines expire. On September 3 the Prime Minister announced 50,000 Pfizer doses would be allocated to members of the general public to vaccinate 25,000 people. Since then about 15,000 adults were vaccinated with Pfizer, which included 444 health care workers and 366 pregnant women. Read more here
Over 200 protected birds seized from businessman
Game wardens and police seized 214 protected animals from a Sangre Grande businessman on Friday. Conservator of Forests, Denny Dipchansingh, who coordinated the exercise said the businessman has not yet been arrested or charged as the investigation was at a ‘sensitive’ stage. He said the man was assisting the officers in their investigation. In an interview with Guardian Media yesterday, Dipchansingh said while he could not give the value of the birds, several of the species are sold on the black market for thousands of US dollars. The seized birds were of a variety of species, including the Blue TwaTwa, Chestnut Macaws, Eastern Rosellas, Red Head Parrots, Jenday Conures, Galah Cockatoos, Bronze Winged Parrots, African Grey Parrots, Red-shouldered Macaws, Red Fan Parrots, Bengalese Finches, Gouldian Finches, Red-bellied Macaws, Painted Conures, Brown Throated Conures, Blue Headed Pionus, yellow Crowned Parrots, Umbrella Cockatoo, green Winged Macaws and Scarlet Macaws. Read more here
POLITICS
PNM, PDP ready to fight for 15 seats
The People’s National Movement (PNM) Tobago Council and the Progressive Democratic Patriots (PDP) are in election mode after the laying of the Elections and Boundaries Commission (Local Government and Tobago House of Assembly) (Tobago) Order 2021 in the House of Representatives on Friday. The Prime Minister laid the order, which clears the path for the staging of a fresh THA election to break the six-six deadlock between both parties in the assembly, after the January 25 poll. It was the first time in the THA’s 40-year history that the result of an election ended in a tie. Read more here
BUSINESS
Ross takes Intangience to the world
A locally developed, trademarked branding methodology called IntangienceTM has been receiving global acclamation. The branding methodology was noted in the Harvard Business Review in France by Dr Guila Kessous, UNESCO Artist for Peace. Writing about how intangible values are integrated into what she calls KBI’s or Key Behavioural Indicators, Dr Kessous referenced the body of work called Intangience developed by Ernie Ross of Ross| ReThink. The IntangienceTM branding methodology developed by Ross was validated by the University for Peace established by the General Assembly of the United Nations. Read more here
Haloute family expands tissue output
Local paper products manufacturer, John Dickinson & Co (WI) Ltd, has recently made significant investment towards the expansion and diversification of their operations. The company is a stalwart in the local manufacture sector of tissue, school and office stationery, the Ministry of Trade said in a news release. Minister of Trade and Industry Paula Gopee-Scoon, on Friday last toured the expansion of the John Dickinson tissue operations and its newly established related entity Guiltless Gourmet Ltd at the Diamond Vale Industrial Estate, Diego Martin. Read more here
REGIONAL
$3.2B for new housing development in Essequibo
Being cognisant that access to adequate and affordable housing is the cornerstone of economic development, the government plans to invest some $3.2 billion to install the necessary infrastructure for housing at Charity and Onderneeming, Essequibo Coast, Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam). Access to adequate housing is viewed as a basic human right, and considered to be an integral factor for the enjoyment of other economic, social and cultural privileges. And, with Guyana’s economy poised to quadruple in the coming years, the government has started creating the conditions for Guyanese, especially from the low and middle-income brackets, to have access to adequate housing. Read more here
INTERNATIONAL
Afghanistan: UN seeks millions in international aid
The United Nations is seeking to raise more than $600m (£434m) in aid for Afghanistan, warning the country is facing a major humanitarian crisis. The organisation will hold a conference in Geneva on Monday where it will call for international support following the Taliban takeover last month. "Afghans urgently need food, medicine, health services, safe water [and] sanitation" the UN said. It added that the $600m target would bring "vital relief" to millions. "The country faces an extremely dire situation and is confronted with protracted conflict, severe drought and the Covid-19 pandemic in a context where... almost half of the population were already in need of aid," a UN statement said. "Recent developments have increased their vulnerability," it added. "The economy is grinding to a halt with cash in short supply. Concern for the rights of women and girls is rising." Read more here
Australia is shaping up to be the villain of COP26 climate talks
If Australia's allies were worried that the country might cause them problems at upcoming climate talks in Glasgow, the events of the past week should leave little doubt in their minds. It will. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Thursday all but confirmed a report that his country had pressured the UK into dropping key climate commitments from their bilateral trade agreement, showing no sign of regret or embarrassment at being caught out. And on Monday last week, when a senior UN official warned Australia's climate inaction would eventually "wreak havoc" on its economy, Australia's resources minister, Keith Pitt, dismissed the UN as a "foreign body" that should mind its own business. He even bragged about Australia's plans to keep mining coal "well beyond 2030," while much of the developed world is already well on its way to phasing out the fossil fuel. Read more here
13th September 2021