NEWS
Trinidad and Tobago hockey team stuck in Chile due to PCR mix-up
A mix-up in the language, of a PCR (polymerase chain reaction) report, has caused the Trinidad and Tobago junior men’s hockey team to be deplaned in Chile on Tuesday. The TT Hockey Board (TTHB) issued a media release, which said that the TT Under-21 men’s team “were seated on the plane when Copa Airlines officials asked them all to deplane, because of the language of the PCR report.” Read more here
Caribbean Airlines increases inter-island flights
From today, Caribbean Airlines will increase the flight frequency on the domestic air bridge between Trinidad and Tobago to four daily return services. The announcement came yesterday via a statement from the airline. The move comes days after Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley revealed at a media conference that passengers accessing domestic travel will see more avenues to travel between the islands, with added flights and increased capacity on the ferries. Business groups, including the Tobago Chamber and even hoteliers, had complained that the activity Tobago usually sees during the July/August vacation was severely impacted due to a decrease in travel between Trinidad and Tobago because of measures taken to curtail the spread of COVID-19. Only essential travel was allowed. Read more here
POLITICS
Morning Brew host JW comes under pressure from Kamla
Jason “JW” Williams came under fire on the United National Congress (UNC) virtual platform on Monday night as the role of the media and his ability to be impartial were brought into question. JW is the new host of the CNC3 Morning Brew talk show, a radio personality and entertainer, and also a former People’s National Movement (PNM) senator who contested and lost the San Juan/Barataria seat in 2020 to the UNC’s Saddam Hosein. Read more here
‘Thank you Africa’
“Thank you Africa.” So said Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley yesterday as he thanked Africa for sending COVID-19 vaccines to Caricom. He was addressing the first Africa-Caricom Summit of Leaders at the time. The summit was geared toward formalising the relationship between the African Union and Caricom through a negotiated Memorandum of Understanding and exploring opportunities to strengthen linkages between both. Rowley also welcomed trade and investment discussions. Read more here
BUSINESS
Young discusses Atlantic LNG with BP
Atlantic LNG was one of the topics discussed as Minister of Energy and Energy Industries Stuart Young met virtually with BP Executives yesterday concerning the company’s current production in Trinidad and Tobago. BP’s executive vice President for gas and low carbon energy Dev Sanyal, EVP, Claire Fitzpatrick, Senior Vice President spoke with the Energy Minister about the progress of its current projects, including, Matapal and Cassia C, future gas production and continued investments in Trinidad and Tobago. Read more here
Govt gets green light for road to Toco ...seeking approval for port
Works and Transport Minister Rohan Sinanan said the Government has received approval from the Environmental Management Authority (EMA) to construct the roadway leading to the Toco Ferry Port. He said that approval was granted for a single lane highway in virgin territory, and that the Government is still going through the process to get full EMA approval for the Toco port. Read more here
REGIONAL
Greater collaboration, united approach needed
Given its shared interests and common objectives, President Dr. Irfaan Ali emphasised the need for there to be greater socio-economic collaboration between Africa and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). “Our regions represent creative and dynamic forces within the international community,” Dr. Ali told the Heads of States who attended the inaugural Africa-CARICOM Summit on Tuesday, and chaired by President of Kenya, Uhuru Kenyatta. The Guyanese Head of State, in his address, said that the historic meeting provides an ideal platform for Africa and CARICOM to strategise, ahead of two critical global events – the United Nations’ General Assembly, and the United Nations’ Climate Change Conference (COP 26). Read more here
INTERNATIONAL
Paris attacks 2015: Historic trial of 20 suspects to open in France
An historic trial is beginning in France over the 2015 Paris attacks which left 130 people dead. The shooting and bombing assault by Islamist State (IS) group extremists was the worst post-World War Two atrocity in France. The only surviving attacker, Salah Abdeslam, will appear in court with 13 other defendants at a purpose-built facility in Paris. The trial is being described as the biggest in France's modern history. Over the next nine months, there will be over 140 days of hearings involving about 330 lawyers and 1,800 civil plaintiffs. About 300 witnesses will be heard, including survivors and François Hollande, French president at the time of the attacks. Ahead of the trial, Mr Hollande told French media that this was an important moment for the victims of the attacks, which he described as an "act of war" at the time. Read more here
Royal Navy warships leave Britain for landmark Pacific deployment
Two Royal Navy patrol ships left the United Kingdom on Tuesday for a five-year deployment that will see them act as "the eyes and ears" of Britain from the west coast of Africa, to the west coast of the United States, according to a British Defense Ministry statement. "Two-thirds of the world is our playground," said Lt. Cmdr. Ben Evans, commanding officer of HMS Spey, a 2,000-ton, 300-foot-long offshore patrol vessel that will team with HMS Tamar for a mission that is not expected to see them return to their Portsmouth home port until 2026. While patrolling the waters of the Pacific and Indian oceans, the warships will venture as far north as the Bering Sea and as far south as New Zealand and the Australian state of Tasmania. Read more here
8th September 2021