NEWS
Eight more dead, 329 new covid19 cases
Eight more people have died from covid19 and 329 new cases were confirmed in the latest Ministry of Health update on Sunday. The update said the eight people were three elderly males, three middle aged males, an elderly female and a middle-aged female. One person had no known pre-existing conditions while six of the patients had multiple pre-existing conditions which included high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, lung disease, obesity and cancer. One person was diabetic alone. Read more here
POLITICS
Moonilal: Opposition would not support SoE extension but beware 'tricky' PNM
Although the Prime Minister has indicated no desire to extend the state of emergency (SoE) beyond this month, the Constitution provides for the two Houses of Parliament to agree to an extension. According to Section 10 (1) of the Constitution, once a SoE has run for six months and 15 days, it "may be further extended from time to time for not more than three months at any one time, by a resolution passed by both Houses of Parliament and supported by the votes of not less than three-fifths of all the members of each house." Read more here
UNC accuses PM of misbehaviour in public office
Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley has been described as a doctor delivering the death announcement of Atlantic LGN Train 1. At a United National Congress press conference yesterday, Opposition Senator Wade Mark also called on the PM and his entire Cabinet to take full responsibility for what he described as a debacle. Further, Mark warned Rowley not to justify the bad decisions NGC had made by proposing to indemnify those fully responsible for its death. Train 1 is owned by Atlantic Trinidad Limited (Atlantic) which also owns the entire facility at Point Fortin where all 4 trains operate. “I also want to talk about the death announcement made by the Prime Minister of Train 1 last evening when he arrived from Glasgow Scotland,” Mark told reporters. Read more here
BUSINESS
Govt, BP in talks on restructuring Train 1 deal
Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley says despite the lack of a gas to supply Atlantic LNG’s Train 1 project, it is not yet dead and the Government is still holding out hope that it will be reanimated. However, a final decision on its future will come by the end of March next year. Rowley made the comment as he updated the country on what transpired during his attendance at the recent United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow, Scotland and energy meetings with Shell and BP in the UK. Addressing Train 1 specifically during a media conference at the Piarco International Airport on his return from the UK on Saturday night, Rowley said the restructuring of the arrangement was one of the key topics discussed with the energy companies. Read more here
Many net-zero opportunities for T&T business
The Global drive toward net-zero carbon emissions in the next three decades will create many opportunities for businesses in Trinidad and Tobago, according to Planning and Development Minister Camille Robinson-Regis. In an interview on Saturday with the Trinidad Express in Glasgow, Scotland, where she is attending the United Nations Congress of Parties (COP26) summit, Robinson-Regis said it is very important not to pre-empt or prejudge the outcomes of the negotiations which are still underway in Glasgow, Scotland, as we speak,” she answered. Read more here
REGIONAL
$45M soya bean trial farm yielding export-quality results
The massive soya bean trial farm at the Dubulay Ranch at Ebini along the Berbice River has begun to bear fruit, literally. Not only that: the yields of up to two tonnes per hectare is of good, export quality, according to Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha. “The harvesting is going well,” he said. The minister told the Guyana Chronicle last evening that although the crops are just part of a trial run to produce soya bean and corn, the initial results show that Guyana has the potential to supply at least the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). “That’s good news for Guyana,” Minister Mustapha said. Read more here
INTERNATIONAL
Biden seeks rebound as he basks in huge political victory
President Joe Biden's soon-to-be-signed $1 trillion infrastructure legislation is a direly needed political win and a vindication of his entire creed of politics. But on its own, it is unlikely to rescue a wobbling presidency as midterm elections loom. If ever a President needed a break, it was Biden, after brutal months battered by the pandemic, a consequent economic storm and his own mismanaged withdrawal from Afghanistan. In recent months, Biden has often looked outpaced by multiple challenges, raising questions about his authority and capacity to restore competent, calm leadership that voters craved when they chose him in 2020. Even more moderate members of his own party have wondered whether the President's decision to adopt a transformative agenda despite minuscule majorities in Congress backfired. Read more here
8th November 2021