NEWS
Trinidad and Tobago’s first aquatic vet wins regional award
This country’s first and only aquatic veterinarian, Dr Ayanna Phillips Savage, has received a regional award for her professional contributions. She said she was honoured and that it was as a result of “years of dedicated, unwavering hard work in a still little recognised field in our region.” She is a lecturer in marine mammal medicine/aquatic animal health and co-ordinator of the aqua health/aquatic animal health unit and the aquatic animal health diagnostic laboratory at the School of Veterinary Medicine at UWI, St Augustine. Read more here
Moratorium on permit renewals, transfers extended to October 1
The Ministry of Works and Transport has announced that given the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the operations of the Transport Division’s Licensing Offices, on March 31, 2021 the Minister of Works and Transport, Rohan Sinanan signed orders which further extended: Read more here
POLITICS
UNC-led Sangre Grande council fires 12 workers
Long-serving PNM councillor for Toco/ Fishing Pond Terry Rondon is blaming the chairman of the Sangre Grande Regional Corporation, Anil Juteram, for the UNC-led council's firing of 12 contract workers. On Wednesday, at a special statutory meeting at the corporation’s Chamber Hall, six UNC council members voted to send home the short-term contract workers. Read more here
Moonilal: Private sector input needed to achieve herd immunity before 2025
This country’s vaccine process is taking off last in the Caribbean and at the rate of 1,000 to be administered daily, T&T may only achieve the necessary herd immunity and vaccinate the majority of people by 2025, said UNC MP Roodal Moonilal. Moonilal spoke yesterday after Government received its first tranche of 33,600 vaccines on Tuesday. The vaccines arrived after a four-hour flight from Miami. Read more here
BUSINESS
Fishermen navigate rough times as costs of going out to sea rise
Trinidad and Tobago is home to 987 species of fish, 60 of which are caught for commercial use. There are about 65 fishing sites in Trinidad and 32 in Tobago. In 2019, TT had 102 large-scale fishing vessels and 2,525 small-scale fishing vessels, with an associated 5,050 fishers. But let’s be honest, has anyone ever seen a happy fisherman? One with no issues or problems, especially when it comes to money? Read more here
Does Govt believe in free enterprise?
I was in Rio Claro recently and had cause to talk to a small business owner. For the purpose of this article, I will call him by his initials CG. CG owns and operates a food business, essentially selling grilled foods, but on Saturdays he also sells soup. According to CG his best days of business are usually Fridays and Saturdays, but since the pandemic, in his estimation, things have significantly worsened. Read more here
REGIONAL
Audit raps NIF resort arm for unjustified payments, shoddy records
A carnival-like splashing of at least $3 billion of taxpayers’ money from a ministry with responsibility for Jamaica’s poorest dominates the findings of a 2018 audit of the National Insurance Fund Resort Management Company Limited (NIFRMCOL). Read more here
Small businesses receive $99M in grants
Within the last seven months, the Government of Guyana, via the Small Businesses Bureau (SBB), has disbursed a quantity of grants to assist small businesses throughout the country. More specifically, since the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) assumed office in August 2020, an estimated $99 million has already been spent on supporting the operations of local small-scale entrepreneurs and their entities. This is according to Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce, Oneidge Walrond, who explained that the monies have benefitted some 300 persons/entities. Read more here
INTERNATIONAL
Covid: Europe's vaccine rollout 'unacceptably slow' – WHO
The World Health Organization (WHO) has criticised the rollout of coronavirus vaccines in Europe as being "unacceptably slow". It also says the situation in the region is more worrying than it has been for several months. Vaccination campaigns in much of Europe have been hit by delays and the number of infections is rising. France is the latest country to announce new lockdown measures, lasting four weeks. The EU has been criticised for the pace of its vaccination programme - only 16% of its population has received the jab, compared with 52% in the UK. But the EU says the UK has had an unfair advantage in contracts it signed with vaccine manufacturers, some of whom are based within the EU. Read more here
Derek Chauvin's body camera video shows his reaction just after George Floyd left in an ambulance
Moments after George Floyd was taken away in an ambulance last May, former Minneapolis Police officer Derek Chauvin was confronted by a witness who took issue with Chauvin's kneeling on Floyd's neck. "That's one person's opinion," Chauvin responded as he got into his squad car. "We had to control this guy because he's a sizable guy. It looks like he's probably on something." The short clip from Chauvin's own body camera, played in his criminal trial Wednesday, represents the first time the public has heard the ex-officer's perspective in the 10 months since Floyd died under his knee, launching a worldwide protest movement. Read more here
1st April 2021