NEWS
Stakeholders back physical classes for vaccinated teens but ask for prior consultations
Educational stakeholders are asking for consultation before the reopening of school for vaccinated students. At a press conference on Saturday, the Prime Minister announced that face-to-face classes would resume on October 6 for form four, five, and six students who have been fully vaccinated. Face-to-face classes were suspended in March 2020 as the country battled to contain the first wave of the covid19 pandemic. Virtual classes were introduced to reduce the gap in the education system. Read more here
CMTT launches Haiti relief drive
The Concerned Muslims of Trinidad and Tobago (CMTT) launched its “Haiti Emergency Relief Project 2021” over the weekend. Haiti was still recovering from a massive 7.0 earthquake in 2010, when it was again shaken on August 14, 2021, by a 7.2 earthquake. This earthquake destroyed a large number of houses and buildings mainly in the southwestern villages in Haiti. Over 2,000 deaths were recorded up to yesterday, scores are still missing and over 12,000 people were critically injured and hospitalised. Thousands of people were also left homeless in the wake of the disaster, with families now sleeping on the streets and at any available public area in tents and in unsanitary conditions, with diseases breaking out now a major threat. Read more here
POLITICS
UNC calls for midnight curfew
Push back the curfew time to midnight. This was the call made by Opposition Senator Damian Lyder yesterday, during the United National Congress’ weekly media conference at the Opposition Leader’s office in Port-of-Spain. Lyder, citing concerns raised by Trinidad and Tobago Chamber of Commerce CEO Gabriel Faria in a recent media interview, argued that the curfew should be adjusted in the best interest of the flailing business sector of the country. Read more here
BUSINESS
Govt invites private port investors
Government, operating through the Port Authority of T&T, on Saturday invited Expressions of Interest (EOI) from investors for the private sector involvement in the operation of the Port in the country’s capital city. The notice to potential investors was published as a newspaper advertisement, which was targeted at investors with experience in port investments, development and operations, shipping, logistics and cruise operations. Read more here
REGIONAL
IDB: Guyana has few daily COVID-19 cases compared to most Caribbean countries
With the exception of Barbados, Guyana has been recording fewer daily new coronavirus cases within the region. This is according to the Inter-American Development Bank (IBD)’s second Caribbean Quarterly Bulletin titled ‘The Fragile Path to Recovery’. The report, released at the weekend, indicated that notwithstanding Guyana’s ranking, new COVID -19 cases increased significantly towards the end of the first half of 2021 and that a similar trend was detected in other Caribbean territories. “The average number of daily new cases per month increased from 42 in January to 118 in May and declined to 80 in July,” the report highlighted. Read more here
INTERNATIONAL
Afghanistan: US investigating civilian deaths in Kabul strike
The US military has said it is investigating after at least nine Afghan civilians were reportedly killed in a drone strike which aimed to prevent an attack on Kabul airport. The strike targeted a vehicle carrying at least one person associated with the Afghan branch of the Islamic State group, US Central Command said. It is unclear how the civilians died. Information being shared by Kabul residents suggest four young children were among the casualties. A relative told US network CNN that all nine people were members of one family. Read more here
EU to recommend reinstating Covid-related travel restrictions on US, reports say
The European Union is expected to recommend on Monday that member states reinstate Covid-related travel restrictions and halt nonessential travel from the United States and five other countries, a diplomatic source told CNN on Monday. The EU would reestablish coronavirus travel restrictions such as quarantine and testing requirements for unvaccinated travelers from those countries, according to the source. Other countries to be removed from the safe travel list would be Kosovo, Israel, Montenegro, Lebanon and North Macedonia, the diplomat said. Read more here
30th August 2021