NEWS
Men nabbed in $94m drug bust released amid covid19 concerns
Two men held in a multi-million-dollar drug bust last week were released on Monday amid covid19 concerns. Newsday understands the men were among eight who were arrested in connection to a $94 million drug seizure last Wednesday. Members of the Central Intelligence Bureau, the Northern Division Gang Unit and the Inter-Agency Task Force, along with officers of the Customs and Excise Department and Port Security, intercepted a container at Kolahal Road, Charlieville, in Chaguanas. Read more here
Marriott no quarantine hotel
The management of the Marriott Hotel at Invaders Bay, Port-of-Spain, has denied rumours that the establishment is being used as a ‘quarantine hotel’. The Marriott’s Area Director, Public Relations for Central America and North South America, Zasha Perez Gallardo responded to emailed queries yesterday stating, “Please note that it is not correct that the hotel is a quarantine hotel.” In response to questions about whether or not any of the hotel guests were ill and had been receiving medical treatment, she wrote, “As a matter of privacy we cannot comment on guests or groups at the hotel.” Read more here
POLITICS
Rowley's new Cabinet
The new 19-member Cabinet of the Rowley administration will present a mix of old and new faces as they take the oath of office on Wednesday at the President's House. The Prime Minister offered little insight as he spoke to the media on Tuesday to announce the swearing-in of his new government after the Election and Boundaries Commission submitted its final results to President Paula-Mae Weekes. Read more here
Kamla stays on as UNC head
The lady continues. United National Congress leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar says she will serve until the party's internal elections and isn't running from responsibility in any General Election election mistakes - but she's alluded to the upcoming period as the "twilight" of her political career." After careful thought, prayer and reflection, I have decided to commit myself to the leadership of the party in and outside of Parliament until the internal election," Persad-Bissessar added yesterday. Read more here
BUSINESS
CinemaONE profits decline by 284%
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has caused CinemaONE Ltd to experience a 284.1 per cent decline in net profit for the nine months ended June 30, with an after tax loss of $1.84 million compared to a $1 million profit for the comparable period in 2019.In his Chairman’s report for the company, Brian Jahra said: “The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has triggered unprecedented challenges in the international economy and CinemaONE’s results highlight the impact of the global movie exhibition industry shutdown which commenced in March 2020.”In compliance with the T&T Public Health Orders, CinemaONE’s theatre facilities were closed for the entirety of the company’s third quarter. The mandated closure extended for 107 days until July 2. Read more here
We can operate at 65%, not 50%
President of the Route Two Maxi-Taxi Association, Linus Phillip, is seeking a meeting with the Government to operate at 65 per cent capacity instead of 50 per cent. The reduced capacity for private taxis became effective on Monday because of the increased numbers of Covid-19 cases. Read more here
REGIONAL
GPL open to purchasing power
Guyanese have been in the ‘dark’ for far too long because of inefficiencies in the services offered by the Guyana Power and Light Incorporated (GPL) but Prime Minister, Brigadier (ret’d) Mark Phillips, has demanded that there be a concerted effort to alleviate power outages, even if it means purchasing power from Independent Power Producers (IPP). Purchasing power from IPPs is an idea which was considered many times in the past but the project seems closer to fruition as GPL will be advertising for “expression of interest” from persons who have the capacity and are willing to sell power which would be added to the national grid. Read more here
PM defends calling election amid COVID-19 surge
Prime Minister Andrew Holness has declared that he does not regret calling a general election amid the latest coronavirus spike, arguing that the institutions of democracy cannot be allowed to fail. The polls are being held on September 3, six months before they are constitutionally due. The Constitution allows for a further three-month extension beyond the set due date. But as the political temperature rose in the weeks leading up to the August 11 announcement, the country was starting to experience an uptick in its coronavirus count. Read more here
INTERNATIONAL
A risky roll call turns into a surprise moment of national unity
Locked down, isolated and fearful as a pandemic fractured national bonds and the power of community, America got a sudden, startling look at itself on Tuesday night as the Democratic National Convention's virtual roll call vote whipped coast to coast and around the globe. For a few sunny minutes, the despondency of the summer of Covid lifted during a celebratory glimpse into the country's vibrant geographic diversity, cultural breadth and enduring common purpose. A risky television production experiment that could have gone badly wrong instead turned into a pageant of national unity, and injected unusual bounce into nominee Joe Biden's basement campaign. Read more here
China record floods wet feet of Leshan Giant Buddha
A giant statue of Buddha in China has had its toes dampened by floodwater for the first time since the 1940s. The 71m-tall statue, a Unesco heritage site, was carved out of a rockface near Chengdu in Sichuan province around the eighth century AD. It is normally high above the waterline, but the area has been hit by the worst flooding in 70 years. More than 100,000 people have had to be moved to safety.
19th August 2020