NEWS
Tobago hoteliers to get info on $50 million grant
Tobago hoteliers can expect to access the guidelines and registration forms for the Government’s $50 million grant facility to upgrade their properties later this week. Chief Secretary and Secretary for Tourism, Culture and Transportation Ancil Dennis made the announcement on Saturday during a virtual post-executive council news conference at the Scarborough Library. The briefing came after a day-long reprioritisation exercise in which secretaries reviewed the projects and initiatives in their respective divisions in light of the covid19 pandemic and made adjustments. Read more here
Maraval man charged with brother's murder
A Maraval man is expected to appear before a Port of Spain Magistrate May 18 charged with the murder of his brother, Atilola Josiah Herod, which occurred on May 12, 2020.Stephen Linton, 25, of Paramin Village, Maraval, was charged with the offence following advice received from Director of Public Prosecutions, Roger Gaspard SC, on May 15. Read more here
POLITICS
PM advice to business operators: No masks, no service
With phase two of the reopening of the economy moved up by three days beginning on Thursday, the Prime Minister on Saturday encouraged proper hygienic practices and advised businesses to enforce a use-of mask-policy. Dr Rowley, speaking at the Diplomatic Centre, St Ann's, announced both the construction and manufacturing sectors will be fully opened, and with an anticipated increase in people requiring public transport, he also announced a one-off $2,000 fuel grant to maxi taxis and taxis. Read more here
MOH update: One low-risk stable COVID-19 patient remains hospitalised
As part of the national drive to safeguard the health of the Trinidad and Tobago population in the face of the global COVID-19 outbreak, the Ministry of Health continues to provide up-to-date information on the country’s status in this regard.The Ministry of Health provides the following clinical update as of the morning of Saturday 16th May, 2020: Read more here
BUSINESS
T&T’s growing joblessness
Samantha was supposed to start a new job on Monday March 30.“I was excited. I was turning a new page in my life and I was very hopeful about what was to come,” Samantha, 35, told Guardian Media. After working at the same job for the past five years Samantha felt this move was a positive step towards her goal of professional development. “It’s not that I did not like my old job or anything, I just felt it was time to move on to something new,” she said. Unfortunately for Samantha on March 27, mere days before she was set to begin a new work life, National Security Minister Stuart Young provided a list of companies that were deemed essential during this time of COVID-19.Her job and the new organisation were not listed among them. Read more here
Point Fortin mayor launches digital grant
More than three weeks after Point Fortin Mayor Kennedy Richards Jr placed a video on Facebook announcing the imminent launch of his digital grant initiative, the young councillor made the first disbursement under the programme to ten single mothers from the southern town on Friday. Read more here
REGIONAL
1,044 ship workers coming but government 'totally unprepared'
Jamaica’s Health Minister Dr Christopher Tufton says the local health system is "totally unprepared" for more than 1,000 ship workers due to arrive in Falmouth, Trelawny on Monday. The Jamaicans are aboard Royal Caribbean Cruise Line's 'Adventure of the Seas', which departed the Dominican Republic on Saturday after disembarking its nationals in La Romana. Speaking with The Gleaner on Saturday night, Tufton described the impending return of the Jamaicans as a surprise saying he became aware of it only moments earlier. "I knew nothing of it except tonight I am learning... we will have to seek further information," Tufton said. Read more here
‘We’ve got the evidence’
IN a high-level meeting with the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) on Saturday the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) said it has all the necessary evidence to support allegations that unscrupulous people voted not only on behalf of the dead, but also for Guyanese residing overseas. Elections Commissioner Desmond Trotman strongly believes that these allegations should be investigated by the commission before the conclusion of the national recount. The high-level APNU+AFC delegation included Minister of Social Protection, Amna Ally; Minister of Public Health, Volda Lawrence; Minister of Public Infrastructure, David Patterson; Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman; Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National COVID-19 Task Force, Joseph Harmon; and APNU+AFC candidate and Attorney-at-Law, Roysdale Forde. Read more here
INTERNATIONAL
Du Wei: Chinese ambassador to Israel found dead at home
China’s Ambassador to Israel, Du Wei, has been found dead in his apartment north of Tel Aviv, an Israeli official told BBC News. The official said Israeli police had launched an investigation but initial findings suggested no foul play. Mr Du, 57, was only appointed ambassador in February having previously served as envoy to Ukraine. The ambassador was married and had a son but his family had still to join him in Israel. He was living in Herzliya, some 10km north of Tel Aviv. Read more here
Exclusive: Lack of immunity means China is vulnerable to another wave of coronavirus, top adviser warns
China still faces the "big challenge" of a potential second wave of Covid-19 infections, the country's top respiratory authority has warned, with the lack of immunity among the community a serious concern as the race to develop a vaccine continues. Dr. Zhong Nanshan, the Chinese government's senior medical adviser and the public face of the country's fight against Covid-19, also confirmed in an exclusive interview with CNN on Saturday that local authorities in Wuhan, the city where the novel coronavirus was first reported in December, had suppressed key details about the magnitude of the initial outbreak. Read more here
17th May 2020