Daily Brief - Monday 3rd August, 2020

NEWS

Two covid19 cases at a children’s home

The Office of the Prime Minister (Gender and Child Affairs) and the Children’s Authority (CA) are working with the management of the St Jude’s School for Girls after a child and a worker tested positive for covid19. A release on Sunday from the Office of the Prime Minister said the Health Ministry did tests after the two began exhibiting flu-like symptoms. “The school has implemented all health protocols to ensure the health and well being of the children and staff, who reside and work on the compound,” the release said. Read more here

President: T&T not yet healed from 1990 coup attempt

President Paula-Mae Weekes has claimed that the country is still yet to heal from the damage caused by the 1990 attempted coup. Weekes made the comment while addressing State and religious leaders at the National Day of Prayer at St Patrick's RC Church, Newtown, Port-of-Spain, yesterday. "Many traumatised victims have not returned to their former selves and the ripple effect of those awful five days are still rearing their ugly heads," Weekes said as she shared a personal coup story of her aunt, who was a nun in the United Kingdom at the time. Read more here

 

POLITICS

MSJ accuses Persad-Bissessar of making 'unbalanced statements'

Political leader of the Movement for Social Justice (MSJ) David Abdulah has accused the UNC and its leader of engaging in fear-mongering and using fear tactics as the general election campaign heats up. "She is making totally unbalanced statements," he said. Abdulah, who is contesting the Pointe-a-Pierre seat, further accused Kamla Persad-Bissessar of making extreme statements recently like using sunlight as a cure for the coronavirus. He also referred to it as the nancy story of sunlight. Read more here

Stuart threatens to sue Kamla, daily newspaper

With one week before the general election, National Security Minister Stuart Young is threatening legal action against Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar and the Express Newspaper for what he termed as perpetuating lies and propaganda against his father Richard Young for acting as a broker in a multimillion-dollar transactions. Young was speaking yesterday at a press conference held at the ministry’s headquarters, Port-of-Spain.  He said he was pained and disturbed by the publication of the article. He said it was an attempt to tarnish his family’s good name. Read more here

 

BUSINESS

First Citizens’ profit falls significantly during COVID period

First Citizens’ profit after taxation fell by 60 per cent for the three months ended June 2020 when compared to the same period last year. According to First Citizens’ unaudited financial statements for the three months ended June 2020 profit after taxation was $62.225 million. First Citizens’ profit after taxation for the same three months last year was $158.098 million. T&T recorded its first case of COVID-19 on March 12. Read more here

T&T’s rising Covid-19 costs

As Trinidad and Tobago enters its sixth month of dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic, Sunday Ex­press investiga­tions have placed the total cost to taxpayers of direct pandemic relief so far at about $4 billion. Read more here

 

REGIONAL

‘Terminator’, ‘Hitler’ among Clarendon gangsters killed

Six reputed members of what the police call “a very big and dangerous” criminal network were killed in an alleged fierce fight with the security forces shortly after midnight Saturday, disrupting the Bushman Gang’s reign of terror in central Jamaica.  An intelligence-based operation led the soldiers and the police to the bushy, secluded shelter in Effortville, from which they launched their attacks – a hideout that was to be the gangsters’ last parados until they were overwhelmed by superior firepower. Highly placed police sources on the ground said that the criminals had a vice-like grip on the community, extracting sexual favours at will and enforcing a code of silence. “Dem a grind off the girl dem. When dem call dem over, dem haffi come. That is what happens in this garrison,” said a policeman who requested anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to the press on the matter. Read more here

Dr. Ali Takes Charge

DR Irfaan Ali became the 9th President of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana on Sunday, ushering in a new era with a promise of bold action to lift the country out of its present economic state, and help unite its citizens, badly bruised during a divisive elections campaign. Taking the oath at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre, Dr Ali became the youngest head-of-state of this 54-year-old independent country, fulfilling, at last, the full promise that youths are the leaders of today. Around him at the ceremony were cheering party leaders and family members, celebrating a turning point of history and looking eagerly for a new voice and vision to lead the country in a new century. Read more here

 

INTERNATIONAL

Islamic State group claims deadly attack on Afghanistan prison

The Islamic State (IS) group has said it was behind a high-profile attack on a central prison in the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad that saw hundreds of prisoners try to flee. The attack began on Sunday evening when car bombs were detonated at the prison's entrance by gunmen. It continued through the night and into Monday morning, with the IS militants battling security forces. At least 21 people were killed, said a spokesman for Nangarhar province. According to Attaullah Khogyani, 43 people were injured and taken to a regional hospital. He said three attackers had been killed but others were continuing to resist security forces from the top floor of a residential building. Read more here

No signs Trump has pandemic plan despite chilling warnings from administration's top doctors

Donald Trump's top government experts now say that the pandemic is entering a new phase as it invades the rural heartland -- and they can't say how long it will last. With millions of kids nowhere near going back to school and the economy reeling from a 32.9% annualized contraction in the second quarter, the months ahead are stretching into what looks like an endless crisis as Trump tweets "Make America Great Again" and spends his weekends on the golf course. Read more here

 

3rd August 2020

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