NEWS
Possible decision on vaccinating pregnant women on Wednesday
The Ministry of Health may, on Wednesday, say whether it will recommend allowing pregnant women to be vaccinated against covid19. Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh, at Monday’s covid19 media briefing, said representatives of CARPHA, PAHO, the various regional health authorities, as well as private and public obstetrician-gynaecologists were expected to discuss the issue on Tuesday. The World Health Organization (WHO) has interim recommendations to vaccinate breastfeeding women as well as pregnant women “when the benefits of vaccination to the pregnant woman outweigh the potential risks.” Read more here
POLITICS
Rowley: Trinidad and Tobago can’t continue to depend on oil $
The Prime Minister said on Tuesday people need to get real about government revenues, as he warned that cars will in due course be designed without internal combustion engines (which use gasoline, produced from crude oil, on which Trinidad and Tobago’s economy heavily relies, along with natural gas). Dr Rowley said people should not await funding from the Government's oil and gas revenues but instead act to help to diversify the economy, as diversification into fresh areas was now urgently needed. He gave the feature address at the sod-turning ceremony for the new Desperadoes pan theatre on Nelson Street, Port of Spain, which he hoped would be the basis of an entertainment hub as a prong of such diversification. Read more here
Public health specialist wants end of SoE, AG says it’s the PM’s call
As the Government deliberates on the future of the State of Emergency, which will expire at midnight on August 29, public health policy specialist Dr Mandreker Bahall believes the curfew no longer serves its purpose and is now counterproductive. However, when contacted by Guardian Media yesterday, Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi said any decision on seeking an extension of the SoE from Parliament will be made and announced by Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley. Read more here
BUSINESS
CinemaONE incurs $3.5m loss, hopeful of reopening for new movies
The patronage of moviegoers to see action thrillers Godzilla vs King Kong and Mortal Kombat early in April could not save CinemaONE theatres from a $3.5 million loss. Chairman Brian Jahra, in CinemaONE's financial results for the nine-month period ending June 30, 2021, said the continuing lockdown on cinemas setback operations which were even hampered during openings by restrictions of a 50 per cent seating capacity, and on alcohol consumption, and at the time, a 10 pm closure. These conditions preceded the state of emergency implemented in May. Read more here
BHP merges with Australian company
In a major move that could have implications for T&T, Australian outfits Woodside Petroleum Ltd (“Woodside”) and BHP Group (“BHP”) have entered into a merger that will combine their respective oil and gas portfolios by an all-stock merger to create a global top 10 independent energy company by production. BHP has become a major player in T&T's oil and gas industry with it being the operator in T&T's largest deep-water exploration campaign. Read more here
REGIONAL
$474 M in contracts signed to enhance agriculture sector
Several agencies that fall under the umbrella of the Ministry of Agriculture, on Tuesday, signed contracts for the supply of a number of key pieces of equipment as well as the provision of retrofitting and rehabilitation services for a number of facilities totalling in excess of $474 million. One of the contracts entailed the retrofitting and rehabilitation works that will be done at the New Guyana Marketing Corporation’s (New GMC) packaging facility which is located in Parika, Region Three. This contract was signed with Pacific Service System for a total of $20,902,924. The project is likely to commence next Monday and is expected to be completed in three months. Similarly, the New GMC also signed a contract with 3D Construction totalling $5,542,776 to retrofit the peanut butter processing facility at St. Ignatius, Region Nine. Read more here
INTERNATIONAL
What is Sharia law? What does it mean for women in Afghanistan?
The Taliban say they will rule Afghanistan according to a strict interpretation of Islam's legal system called Sharia law. In the first press briefing after taking control in Kabul, a Taliban spokesman said issues such as the media and women's rights will be respected "within the framework of Islamic law", but the group has not yet provided any details of what that will mean in practice. When they were last in power, the Taliban introduced or supported punishments such as public executions of convicted murderers and adulterers. Read more here
Ex-defense secretary: Trump's push to get US troops out of Afghanistan possibly 'undermined' deal with Taliban
Former Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Tuesday that he was concerned that then-President Donald Trump "undermined" the US' 2020 agreement with the Taliban by pushing for US forces to leave Afghanistan without the Taliban meeting the conditions of the deal. The Trump administration's "Agreement for Bringing Peace to Afghanistan" outlined a series of commitments from the US and the Taliban related to troop levels, counterterrorism and intra-Afghan dialogue aimed at bringing about "a permanent and comprehensive ceasefire." Read more here
18th August 2021