NEWS

11 covid19 patients now at Caura Hospital

The number of covid19 patients at Caura Hospital now stands at 11. The Health Ministry in the covid19 update Sunday morning reported that the number of samples that have tested positive remained at 147. The number of samples and unique tests remained at 6,530 and 4,996 respectively. The number of deaths remained at eight and the number of people discharged remained at 128. There were no covid19 patients in step-down/transition facilities. Read more here

Public gives cops crucial info on illegal migrants

Police Commissioner Gary Griffith is moving on several reports of suspected illegal foreigners housed in parts of the country, including South Trinidad—and he’s reinforced that any T&T national assisting such situations will also be charged. Griffith confirmed this yesterday after information from certain areas, including South, was received. This after National Security Minister Stuart Young on Saturday announced a crackdown on illegal immigrants entering T&T and, noting the recent spike in localised COVID-19 cases, moves to penalise boatmen, drivers, landlords, businessmen and legal Venezuelans who are facilitating illegal immigrants. The latter puts the public at COVID-19 risk. Read more here

POLITICS

PM: Caricom observers only for general election

No Commonwealth observers will be coming to TT for the general election, but the Prime Minister said there will be Caricom observers, which may avoid any speculation over interference by the Government. Speaking during a pre-recorded lime, Friday Night Virtual Lime with Dr Rowley, the PM while waiting for his drink, said the question of foreign observers needed to be re-evaluated. On July 9, on his Facebook page, Rowley said he wrote to Caricom Secretary General Irwin La Rocque and Commonwealth Secretary General Baroness Scotland, QC, inviting them to send election observation missions to observe the electoral process. Read more here

PNM, UNC happy with GML election poll result

Both the People’s National Movement and the Opposition United National Congress yesterday expressed satisfaction with a Guardian Media-commissioned poll, the result of which was published on Sunday. Two polls were conducted on behalf of GML by HHB and Associates Ltd and the result of the first one was published Sunday, showing the PNM was slightly ahead of the UNC in the race for the August 10 General Election. The first part of the poll shows that 35 per cent of respondents support the PNM and 29 per cent support the UNC, while only two per cent said they would vote for other parties. Read more here

BUSINESS

Destructive economic impact of hurricanes

The Caribbean boasts some of the most pristine natural scenery in the world but is also one of the most vulnerable regions to climate-related and natural disaster risks.  Read more here

REGIONAL

APNU+AFC iterates position on ‘Valid Votes’

The APNU+AFC has stated that it will not remain silent while authorities — local and abroad — ignore evidence of electoral fraud in Guyana’s elections and made known its calls, once again, on Sunday, for “valid votes” only, to determine the outcome of the elections. In a press release, the coalition party said that it has written a total of 63 letters to the Chair and Secretariat of the Elections Commission requesting that these and other issues which were “parked” be dealt with. The party said that it speaks volumes that it has only received 6 responses to the 63 letters. As a major stakeholder in the elections, the party said that it finds this “totally unacceptable”. Read more here

Third Lottery Licence Issued To Mahoe Gaming As Court Fight With BGLC Continues

In a major development in the multibillion-dollar gaming industry, the board of commissioners of the Betting, Gaming and Lotteries Commission (BGLC) has approved the granting of a licence to newcomer Mahoe Gaming Enterprises Limited. Executive director of the BGLC, Vitus Evans, confirmed to The Gleaner that the approval took place after a meeting of the board of commissioners last Friday. The move by the BGLC means that Mahoe will be the third entity in Jamaica to be granted a licence to operate a lottery in the island. Read more here

INTERNATIONAL

Vietnam to evacuate 80,000 tourists from Da Nang after three residents contract Covid-19

Vietnam is evacuating 80,000 people -- mostly local tourists -- from the popular resort city of Da Nang after three residents tested positive for coronavirus, the government said. Vietnamese authorities are rushing to nip a potential new outbreak in the bud after the Southeast Asian nation recorded its first locally-transmitted case of Covid-19 in 100 days on Saturday. The patient, a 57-year-old man, had no international travel history and had been living in Da Nang for the past month, according to Vietnam's Ministry of Health. Two other cases were reported the following day. After the case was announced, Vietnam's Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc demanded that contact tracing be ramped up and large-scale testing conducted across the city, according to a government press release. Read more here

Chengdu: US leaves consulate amid row with China

American diplomatic staff have left their consulate in the Chinese city of Chengdu, after a 72-hour deadline expired. China ordered the closure in response to the US closing the Chinese consulate in Houston, Texas last week. Before Monday's deadline, staff were seen leaving the building, a plaque was removed, and a US flag was lowered. China's foreign ministry said Chinese staff entered the building after the deadline and "took over". A US state department spokesperson said: "The consulate has stood at the centre of our relations with the people in Western China, including Tibet, for 35 years. Read more here

27th July 2020

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