NEWS
Local manufacturers receive grant funding
Trade and Industry Minister Paula Gopee-Scoon has presented two local manufactures with grant funding to assist with the acquisition of new machinery and equipment. In a release, the ministry said the total grant funding amounted to $471,867. The release said the Grant Fund Facility (GFF) was launched in November 2017 and remained accessible to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to provide support for capacity building and technological advancements across various non-energy sectors of the economy, including manufacturing. Read more here
Red Cross Society begins free health clinic to public
To help with the burden put on the healthcare system during the pandemic even with Government’s COVID-19 response, the T&T Red Cross Society started a free health clinic open to the public every Thursday. “Red Cross is a place that serves all persons. It doesn’t matter where you are from, the type of community you come from,” president Jill Debourg said. The Henry Dunant Health Clinic was established in April last year and provides free primary healthcare services. Read more here
POLITICS
UNC: Paria board must resign
The United National Congress (UNC) says the board of Paria Fuel Trading Company Ltd, including its chairman Newman George, should resign. Five divers Fyzal Kurban, Rishi Nagassar, Yusuf Henry, Kazim Ali Jr and Christopher Boodram were sucked into a 30-inch pipeline at Berth 6 of Paria Fuel Trading Co, Pointe-a-Pierre on February 25. The sole survivor was Boodram. This resulted in a national outpouring of grief over the incident. Read more here
BUSINESS
T&T national appointed as VP of Montreal Protocol
A Technocrat in the Ministry of Planning and Development’s Environmental Policy and Planning Division has been appointed by the Group of Latin America and the Caribbean (GRULAC) to one of three vice presidency posts to the Meeting of the Parties of the Montreal Protocol for 2022. Receiving the appointment is Dr Marissa Gowrie, who is the deputy environmental manager/national ozone officer of the National Ozone Unit. Read more here
REGIONAL
Competitiveness of sugar industry to be enhanced
Guyana is in the process of finalising a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Guatemala, and setting the agenda for a bilateral visit, which will see Guatemala assisting this country with its current revitalisation of the sugar industry, as well as looking at collaborating in the area of palm oil – a high value commodity – and coffee production. This was announced by the President, Dr. Irfaan Ali, on Sunday, during a press conference held at State House where the President noted that there is only a broad overview of the agreement thus far with the specifics expected to be worked out over the next two weeks. Read more here
INTERNATIONAL
Ukraine war 'catastrophic for global food'
The war in Ukraine will deliver a shock to the global supply and cost of food, the boss of one of the world's biggest fertiliser companies has said. Yara International, which operates in more than 60 countries, buys considerable amounts of essential raw materials from Russia. Fertiliser prices were already high due to soaring wholesale gas prices. Yara's boss, Svein Tore Holsether, has warned the situation could get even tougher. "Things are changing by the hour," he told the BBC. Read more here
Oil price surges to highest since 2008 on delays in Iranian talks
Oil prices soared to their highest since 2008 due to delays in the potential return of Iranian crude to global markets and as the United States and European allies consider banning imports of Russian oil. Talks to revive Iran's 2015 nuclear deal with world powers were mired in uncertainty on Sunday following Russia's demands for a US guarantee that the sanctions it faces over the Ukraine conflict will not hurt its trade with Tehran. China has also raised new demands, according to sources. Read more here
7th March 2022