NEWS
Trinidad and Tobago sends aid to Suriname
Trinidad and Tobago has shipped relief supplies to Suriname after that country experienced torrential rain and severe flooding in April, May, and June.
The widespread flooding devastated homes and livelihoods and the displacement of thousands of people.
Garbage bags, baby food, face masks, long boots, mosquito nets, tarpaulin, cots, and chargeable battery-operated lamps were among the items sent on June 22 on a Caribbean Airlines aircraft leased by Suriname Airways. Read more here…
C-4 explosives, guns found buried outside MSP
C-4 explosives and three firearms were found buried outside the Maximum Security Prison in Arouca by officers of the Special Operations Response Team (SORT) and the National Security Special Operations Group (NSSOG) in the early hours of Thursday morning.
Senior police sources familiar with the find believe that this is part of a more sinister plot afoot by criminal elements within the walls of the MSP and that the law enforcement officers had possibly foiled a jailbreak attempt. Read more here…
POLITICS
Govt eyes $2b casino tax
THE Government expects to earn $2 billion from various taxes on casino-style gambling in Trinidad and Tobago, with the passage of the Gambling (Gaming and Betting) Control Bill 2021 in the House of Representatives on Wednesday.
This is what Minister of Public Administration Senator Allyson West told Newsday hours later. West is a former minister in the Ministry of Finance, an attorney and a tax specialist.
The bill was also passed in the Senate on Monday. Read more here…
BUSINESS
The restructuring of CAL
AT A virtual news conference on June 15, Minister of Finance and Corporation Sole Colm Imbert stated that the Government cannot bail out Caribbean Airlines (CAL) to the tune of $700 million in 2021 “unless the airline gets itself ready and makes itself as efficient as possible for resumption of flights.”
The minister further stated that whatever system is put in place to allow the resumption of flights, CAL will be required to make a presentation to the wider public and let everybody know what the restructured airline would look like because the Government cannot spend another $700 million of taxpayers’ money on CAL. Read more here..
Economic recovery after covid18 linked to vaccination
The financial damage wrought by covid19 can be felt across many economies, from increased unemployment rates to businesses closures.
For the last 15 months many businesses have experienced interrupted operations or closure. As we have seen in many countries, when cases fall and social distancing is relaxed, it leads to a rise in both economic and social activity and the spread of infection.
Vaccination interrupts this dynamic by limiting transmission. As more and more people get vaccinated, the risk associated with relaxing public health regulations is reduced, allowing a wide range of social and economic activity to safely resume. Read more here…
REGIONAL
Demerara Bank disburses financial support to businesses
THE disbursal of a US$7 million line of credit to Demerara Bank Limited (DBL) by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) through their Trade Finance Facilitation Programme (TFFP) is timely as Guyana continues to grapple the “devastating” effects of COVID-19, which has been compounded by the recent unprecedented flooding.
These were the sentiments shared by Senior Minister in the Office of the President with responsibility for Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh, at a simple ceremony held at the bank’s corporate office, located at 214 Camp Street, Georgetown, on Tuesday, to hand over the funding to five beneficiaries from the private sector. Read more here…
INTERNATIONAL
Covid-19: Europe braces for surge in Delta variant
Her warning came as EU health officials said the variant would account for 90% of the bloc's cases by late August. The spread could disrupt plans for lifting restrictions during the summer.
The Alpha variant, first discovered in the UK, hit Europe hard early this year and Delta, now dominant in the UK, is thought 40%-60% more transmissible.
Andrea Ammon, the director of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), said on Wednesday that the spread of the Delta variant showed the importance of speeding up vaccinations in Europe, as "preliminary data shows that it can also infect individuals that have received only one dose of the currently available vaccines". Read more here…
UK plays down Crimean naval confrontation while Russia says 'London has lost its manners
A UK government minister said Thursday that Britain was prepared to sail naval vessels through disputed waters near Crimea again, a day after confrontation between a British warship and Russian forces in the Black Sea.
Environment Secretary George Eustice disputed claims from Moscow that Russian warplanes dropped bombs and a patrol boat fired warning shots at a British destroyer it claims entered into its territorial waters in the Black Sea. Read more here…
24th June 2021