TTMA IN THE NEWS
TTMA meets Cuban Ambassador to talk trade
President of the T&T Manufacturers’ Association (TTMA) Tricia Coosal has met with Cuban Ambassador Tania Diego Olite to discuss trade and other related matters. She noted that the TTMA continues to drive its export manufacturing strategy via meetings with key stakeholders such as the Cuban Embassy. Expressing confidence that Cuba is a market of great potential for the TTMA, Coosal said members are aware of the sometimes unique challenges of this market. Open dialogue via meetings with the embassy is key to developing solutions that are of mutual benefit, she said. The TTMA added that it will continue have discussions with the Cuban Mission in T&T to foster potential relations that would redound to the benefits of both countries, be it in trade (exports and imports in goods and services), investment (joint ventures and other collaborations) and even technical assistance. Read more here
NEWS
PAHO to send vaccines to Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago is expected to receive its third tranche of covid19 vaccines from the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) on Wednesday. PAHO's online tracker says TT will receive 33,600 doses of AstraZeneca on August 11. On Tuesday, the Bahamas and Belize each got 33,600 doses of AstraZeneca from PAHO. The Caricom countries to receive vaccines from PAHO to date include TT, the Bahamas, Belize, St Vincent and the Grenadines, St Lucia, St Kitts and Nevis, Antigua and Barbuda, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Barbados and Suriname. Read more here
Agents use $6M from NLCB to stay afloat during lockdown
With many not able to access grants or assistance during the second lockdown of the pandemic, close to 150 lotto agents, who were caught in a financial bind, utilised $6 million of the National Lotteries Control Board (NLCB) funds to pay their rents, bills, loans and sustained themselves. The group of 150 agents is only a fraction of 1,200 who will not be reopening today, as NLCB has taken the decision to deactivate their machines until they can repay the outstanding sum. Yesterday, chairman of the Lotto Agents’ Committee Dean Persad pleaded with NLCB’s chairman Eustace Nancis to come to a comprise by reactivating the machines and allowing the agents to sign a payment plan to repay NLCB. Read more here
POLITICS
New party launched by Angus preparing for THA polls
The newly-launched Innovative Democratic Alliance (IDA) is already preparing for the Tobago House of Assembly elections. The party was launched last week in Tobago with Dr Denise Tsoiafatt-Angus as the face of the organisation. Since then Dr Tsoiafatt-Angus maintains that she is not the leader but represents the “voice of the leadership” of Tobago’s newest political party. The need for clarification comes after the party’s social media launch last week, where Dr Tsoiafatt-Angus was the only person featured in a fifteen-minute video introducing the party. And although there was no mention or appearance by any other party members, she said that IDA does not belong to any one person. She said no official positions have been assigned to party members just yet. Read more here
BUSINESS
IP lawyer Terita Kalloo protects 'creations of the mind'
What do you think about when you hear the term intellectual property (IP)? If protecting your ideas and intangible creations such as music, literature, art, brand, logo or business come to mind then, you’re right! IP, according to the Intellectual Property Office located on Frederick Street, Port of Spain, is “the expressed creation of the human mind” and intellectual property rights are “granted by the state to creators for defined categories of creations that satisfy a threshold level of newness. The rights are granted with exceptions and limitations.” Read more here
REGIONAL
Granger tapped the phones of Lawrence, Harmon and Trotman
During the recount of the March 2 General and Regional Elections, then President, David Granger reportedly tapped the phones of his comrades – Volda Lawrence, Joseph Harmon and Raphael Trotman – according to Vice-President, Bharrat Jagdeo. In an interview with the Newsroom’s Insider programme on Friday, Jagdeo reflected on the 2020 elections which he said saw a blatant attempt, by the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC), to sabotage not only the elections, but the recount of the votes as well. Read more here
INTERNATIONAL
Climate change: IPCC report is 'code red for humanity'
Human activity is changing the climate in unprecedented and sometimes irreversible ways, a major UN scientific report has said. The landmark study warns of increasingly extreme heatwaves, droughts and flooding, and a key temperature limit being broken in just over a decade. The report "is a code red for humanity", says the UN chief. But scientists say a catastrophe can be avoided if the world acts fast. There is hope that deep cuts in emissions of greenhouse gases could stabilise rising temperatures. Echoing the scientists' findings, UN Secretary General António Guterres said: "If we combine forces now, we can avert climate catastrophe. But, as today's report makes clear, there is no time for delay and no room for excuses. I count on government leaders and all stakeholders to ensure COP26 is a success." Read more here
New revelations expose future threat Trump poses
A burst of new disclosures exposing the extraordinary efforts by ex-President Donald Trump to steal power after his election defeat constitute a grave warning about the future and his potential bid to recapture the White House. The audacity of the former President's attempts to subvert the law by weaponizing the Justice Department not only underscores how close the United States came to a full blown constitutional crisis this year. It also emphasizes that any attempt by Trump to use a war chest already worth $100 million to try to recapture the White House in 2024 would represent a mortal threat to democracy and the rule of law from a leader who was undeterred even by his own first impeachment. Read more here
9th August 2021