NEWS
New witness grilled by defence in Sean Luke trial
A new witness gave evidence on Wednesday in the challenge of the prosecution’s evidence against the two men charged with the murder of six-year-old Sean Luke. Acting Cpl Brendon Fraser was grilled by attorneys for Richard Chatoo at a virtual trial on Wednesday on the evidence he intends to give at the main trial. Also returning for questioning by Chatoo’s attorneys was police audio visual technician, Cpl Nigel Stephen. Read more here
200 people get yellow fever jabs in a fortnight
Two weeks after it was found that monkeys are dying from yellow fever, the Ministry of Health has ramped up its yellow fever vaccination drive, inoculating almost 200 citizens in a fortnight. However, there are still between 800 to 900 people who are yet to receive their yellow-fever vaccines. Speaking at the Ministry of Health’s press briefing on Wednesday, Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr Roshan Parasram said he has been liaising closely with County Medical officers to ensure that vaccinations are done. Read more here
POLITICS
Imbert: Opposition MPs spreading misinformation
Finance Minister Colm Imbert said there are no conditionalities attached to loans to TT from any multilateral funding agencies, and Opposition MPs are carrying out political mischief in suggesting otherwise. He said the government has no intention of entering into any loan agreement that would impose austerity or any other adverse conditionality on the people of TT. In a release, Imbert said over the last month Opposition MPs have been spreading false, inaccurate, misleading, and deliberately scandalous information regarding the government’s relationship with multilateral funding agencies, such as the World Bank, the IMF, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and CAF– Development Bank of Latin America. Read more here
Young labels border exemption video UNC mischief
National Security Minister Stuart Young is denying that some citizens linked to People's National Movement councillors are being allowed private access to him and the border exemption process. The question of line-jumping favours came up after a short video clip surfaced on social media yesterday showing Young talking to a woman who asked about an exemption to return home. The video call was facilitated through a councillor for the party, who was also on the call. Read more here
BUSINESS
Online pharmacy app MedL fills prescription gap for NCDs
In this day and age, no one should be die of a non-communicable disease. Yet in TT, NCDs are one of the leading causes of death – even higher than crime. In 2016, World Health Organization statistics said NCDs such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and other lifestyle illnesses accounted for 83 per cent of the nation’s deaths. In light of these facts, one would think that people with chronic diseases in TT – and in the world at large – would have the best access to medication prescribed by their doctors to combat their ailments. That assumption would be wrong. Read more here
NFM raises feed prices
National Flour Mills Limited (NFM) says it has been forced to raise the prices of its animal feed products, with increases ranging from 3 to 14 per cent due to the escalating cost of purchasing soybean meal and corn. These raw materials are primarily sourced from North America and there have been incremental increases in grain prices over the past months. The company noted that one major factor driving prices upward is China’s high demand for grain, primarily to support the recovery of its hog sector which was seriously affected by the African Swine Flu in 2018 and 2019. Read more here
REGIONAL
Guyana receives over US$61M for fifth oil lift
Guyana’s burgeoning oil-and-gas-sector continues to pump finances into the country’s Natural Resources Fund (NRF), with some US$61,090,968 (approximately G$13B) being earned from the sale of the nation’s fifth oil lift. The Government, in keeping with its commitment to accountability and transparency in the petroleum sector, has announced that the country received its latest payment after the sale of 997,420 barrels of oil which were lifted from ExxonMobil’s Liza Destiny on February 5, 2021. Read more here
Front-line healthcare workers take fight to virus on COVID anniversary
A year to the day Jamaica recorded its first coronavirus infection, healthcare workers pulled up their sleeves and launched a pivotal assault on a disease that has crippled the country. Public health nurse Marcia Thomas-Yetman, who was pictured on the front page of Tuesday’s Gleaner inspecting the first batch of doses, bared her arm on Wednesday to lead the fight at a juncture Prime Minister Andrew Holness called “the darkest hour”. Read more here
INTERNATIONAL
Famine has arrived in pockets of Yemen. Saudi ships blocking fuel aren't helping
When 10-month-old Hassan Ali arrived at the hospital, doctors were hopeful they could save him. So many children in northern Yemen, after all, don't even get this far, starved not only of food but also the fuel needed just to reach medical help. CNN watched overstretched doctors and nurses as they tried to give oxygen to Hassan, who had arrived six days earlier but wasn't putting on any weight, and was struggling to breathe. Just hours later, Hassan died. Read more here
Myanmar's military accuses Suu Kyi of taking $600,000 and gold
Myanmar's military rulers have accused the ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi of illegally accepting $600,000 (£430,000) and gold. The allegation is the strongest yet levelled by the military since it overthrew Ms Suu Kyi and the country's democratic leadership on 1 February. No evidence was provided for the charge. Brigadier General Zaw Min Tun also accused President Win Myint and several cabinet ministers of corruption. Ms Suu Kyi's party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), won a landslide victory in the polls last year, but the military now claims the election was fraudulent. Read more here
11th March 2021