NEWs
Deyalsingh: Target is 62,000 second covid19 vaccine doses by mid-July
Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh says his ministry is working towards vaccinating 62,000 people with their second dose of covid19 vaccines by mid-July. Deyalsingh received his second dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine at the Paddock, Queen's Park Savannah, Port of Spain, on Monday. He told reporters that target numbers for daily vaccinations have changed. Read more here
Ambassador: China ‘happy’ to help T&T
China’s Ambassador to Trinidad and Tobago Fang Qiu is giving this country’s vaccination drive a thumbs up, saying he is pleased the Sinopharm vaccines are helping Trinidad and Tobago. Ambassador Fang Qiu took to social media where he said, “Glad to see that the Sinopharm vaccines donated by China are helping T&T with its mass vaccination drive. China will continue to stand in solidarity with T&T and its people to fight against the pandemic together.” Read more here
POLITICS
Rowley: Trinidad and Tobago exploring hydrogen economy
Trinidad and Tobago could be seeking to position itself to benefit further from the transition to clean energy, particularly in the hydrogen economy. The Prime Minister, at the virtual opening ceremony of the Energy Conference 2021, announced that research is already being done into the ramifications of developing a hydrogen economy in TT. “Hydrogen along with carbon capture and storage will be catalysts for deep decarbonisation and hard-to-abate sectors as heavy industry,” Dr Rowley said. Read more here
Persad-Bissessar wants inquiry into govt's handling of COVID
After UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson bowed to public pressure to have an inquiry into his Government’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, Opposition Leader Kamla Persad- Bissessar is calling for a Commission of Inquiry into this Government’s management of the virus in Trinidad and Tobago. At Monday night’s United National Congress (UNC) forum, Persad- Bissessar said she’s sending a letter to Prime Minister Keith Rowley today (Tuesday), seeking that he ask the President to appoint a commission for this. Read more here
BUSINESS
Three bid rounds in next 12 months
In the next 12 months, Trinidad and Tobago will have three bid rounds—deepwater, onshore and a shallow water—and the country will continue to negotiate gas supply contracts and push the decarbonisation agenda. Those plans would aid in the Government’s longer-term objective of successfully transitioning the energy sector away from crude oil by 2028. In making his maiden contribution titled: “Leading The Energy Transition” at the virtual, annual Energy Conference yesterday, Minister of Energy, Stuart Young, gave a horizon of 2028 for oil production. Read more here
REGIONAL
COVID-19 vaccination rollout ‘injected’ with 100,000 more Sputnik V jabs
AS Guyana continues its aggressive COVID-19 vaccination rollout, after already administering more than 210,000 people with their first of two doses, an additional 100,000 first doses of the Russian Sputnik V vaccine were received, on Monday afternoon, at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA). The amount of vaccines received on Monday was confirmed by the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Ministry of Health, Shabana Shaw. In total, Guyana received about 305,537 doses of the Sputnik V vaccine as well as 118,400 AstraZeneca doses and 20,000 Sinopharm vaccines. Read more here
INTERNATIONAL
ANOM: Hundreds arrested in massive global crime sting using messaging app
More than 800 suspected criminals have been arrested worldwide after being tricked into using an FBI-run encrypted messaging app, officials say. The operation, jointly conceived by Australia and the FBI, saw devices with the ANOM app secretly distributed among criminals, allowing police to monitor their chats about drug smuggling, money laundering and even murder plots. Officials called it a watershed moment. Targets included drug gangs and people with links to the mafia. Drugs, weapons, luxury vehicles and cash were also seized in the operation, which was conducted across more than a dozen countries. This included eight tons of cocaine, 250 guns and more than $48m (£34m) in various worldwide currencies and cryptocurrencies. Read more here
8th June 2021