NEWS
China's Sinopharm vaccines en route to Trinidad and Tobago
The shipment of 100,000 Sinopharm covid19 vaccines from China, expected to arrive on Tuesday, is officially en route to Trinidad and Tobago. In a Facebook post on Sunday, Chinese Ambassador to TT Fang Qiu said the “donation” had been moved from the plant at which it was manufactured to the cargo airport in Beijing. “They are ready to go across the ocean and reach the TT people as I am posting this. Read more here
Nine more die from COVID, active cases climb
Nine more lives were lost to COVID-19 as the Ministry of Health reported a further climb in deaths on Sunday. The Ministry also recorded an increase in active COVID cases after 356 cases were reported yesterday, continuing a worrying trend in this country’s case management and numbers. According to the Ministry of Health, nine people died yesterday from the virus. It’s the third-highest jump in deaths to date, the highest being 21 which was recorded last week. Six of those who died had comorbidities. They were three elderly males, one elderly female and a middle-aged man and woman. Read more here
POLITICS
UNC Senator knocks state of emergency 'by vaps'
A day after the Prime Minister announced a State of Emergency and a curfew, UNC Senator Jayanti Lutchmedial is asking what are the regulations, powers of armed forces and limitations on constitutional rights, and most of all, why does the country not already know. “Almost an entire day later, we are still asking... Where are the regulations? What powers will the police and/or army have? What are the limitations on the constitutional rights of citizens? Read more here
Maharaj: SoE doesn’t mean end to citizens rights
Even though Trinidad and Tobago was placed under a State of Emergency (SoE) as of midnight on May 15, Senior Counsel Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj said there is a regulatory process that must be followed. In a brief telephone interview yesterday, he said Under Sections 7, 8 and 9 of the Constitution, “That proclamation would be enforced for 15 days...but there has to be a debate in the Parliament and the Parliament has to approve any extension of 15 days by a simple majority. It has a system in which the Government has to account to the public through the Parliament, for the proclamation and also for any extension of the proclamation.” Maharaj said restrictions would have to be imposed. Read more here
BUSINESS
Sagicor nets US$41.6m in Q1
Regional insurer Sagicor Financial Corporation, which has thousands of Trinidad and Tobago customers and shareholders, on Friday declared US$41.6 million in net income for the three months ended March 31, 2021, after recording a net income loss of US$25.1 million for the same quarter in 2020. Read more here
REGIONAL
Over $800M earmarked for six agro-processing facilities
The development of the agro-processing industry remains a priority for the Government of Guyana, particularly the Ministry of Agriculture. To this end, in excess of $800 million have been earmarked for the establishment of six agro-processing facilities across the country. Agriculture Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha, told a virtual United Nations (UN) Food Systems forum hosted last week, that these facilities are slated to be established in farming communities, notably Aranaputa and St. Ignatius in Region Nine; Black Bush Polder in Region Six; and Leguan in Region Three. Minister Mustapha has also committed to ensuring this is also replicated in Regions Two and 10. Read more here
Jamaica has forfeited right as mediator in global conflicts – Hanna
As the conflict between Israel and Hamas escalates in the Middle East, Opposition Spokesman on Foreign Affairs Lisa Hanna has urged the United Nations (UN) to move swiftly to bring a resolution to the violence that has claimed the lives of nearly 200 Palestinians and 10 Israelis. “We believe that both parties need to have dialogue, and those powers that be, particularly in the United Nations, need to act quickly so that we can bring some normalcy to the region for a quick ceasefire and to have peace in that part of the world,” Hanna said in a Gleaner interview on Sunday. Read more here
INTERNATIONAL
European leaders seized more power during the pandemic. Few have 'exit plans' to hand it back
Hundreds of thousands of people have lost their lives across Europe due to Covid-19, and many more have suffered long-term ill health after contracting the disease. They're not the only casualties of the pandemic. Democratic norms have also been seriously dented by a year of restrictions, and experts now fear power-hungry politicians could be reluctant to give up their near-total authority once the crisis is over. In France, for instance, parliament approved a bill earlier this week that extends the country's state of emergency until late September. The bill allows President Emmanuel Macron to introduce a health pass, showing whether someone has been vaccinated against Covid-19 or not, as well as curfews across the nation. Read more here
Israel launches new strikes on Gaza as calls for ceasefire grow
Israel conducted dozens of air strikes on the Gaza Strip on Monday, after Palestinian militants fired barrages of rockets at southern Israeli cities. The pre-dawn raids on Gaza were some of the heaviest seen since the fighting began a week ago. Israel said it hit facilities belonging to the militant group Hamas and several commanders' homes, but main roads and power lines were also damaged. There were no immediate reports of casualties following the strikes. People in Gaza have told of their fear. "I was getting ready to die. I had to be at peace with it," Najla Shawa, a Palestinian humanitarian worker and mother of two, told the BBC. Describing previous air strikes over the weekend, she said: "People we know [were killed], people we work with... ordinary people, professional people, young and old." Read more here
17th May 2021