Daily Brief - Wednesday 27th October, 2021

NEWS

Tobago has 309 active covid19 cases

Tobago’s active covid19 cases stand at 309 after 17 new cases were reported overnight. The island’s death toll remains at 99. In a statement on Tuesday, the THA Division of Health, Wellness and Family Development reported there are 27 patients in state isolation, 280 in home isolation and two in ICU. Twelve people have been discharged. The division said to date, a total of 16,428 people have been tested for covid19 in Tobago. Of that number, 3,223 have tested positive. Read more here

Doctors fear ‘ethical minefield’ of deciding who lives, dies from COVID

With Intensive Care Unit spaces in the parallel healthcare system now almost gone, doctors are now closer to being placed in a position where they will have to choose who gets the critical, life-saving COVID-19 treatment. Despite having to shoulder this responsibility, the T&T Medical Association (T&TMA) and internal medicine specialist Dr Joel Teelucksingh do not believe there needs to be a formalised triage policy to determine who, quite literally, gets to live or die. According to the T&TMA PRO Dr Keegan Bhaggan, such a policy will do more harm than good if it’s ever implemented. Read more here

 

POLITICS

Opposition tells Independent Senators: Prepare for political blows

Accusing Independent Senators of “stepping out of their crease and into the political gayelle,” Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar issued a warning for them to brace for political attack. She said the days when conventions protected them from political attacks are over, as they have now declared their hand. “The Opposition will fight back,” she said referring to last Thursday’s Electoral College sitting, when the Independent Bench voted with the Government against the removal of President Paula-Mae Weekes. Read more here

 

BUSINESS

Development in Latin America, Caribbean worst affected in 2020

The executive secretary of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), Alicia Bárcena, has reported that Latin America and the Caribbean was the region hardest hit in the developing world by the covid19 pandemic,with a drop in 2020 of -6.8 per cent, the largest since 1900. She spoke at last week's 25th Annual Conference of CAF (Development Bank of Latin America), which was held virtually as a result of the covid19 pandemic. Read more here

Paria Fuel records $231 million profit

Paria Fuel Trading Co Ltd has recorded a profit of $231 million for the year ended 30 September 2020, according to the company’s audited financial results for the period. For the ten month period ended 30 September 2019, Paria recorded a profit of $109 million. In his chairman’s report Newman George stated that the audited report demonstrated the company’s “continue thriving success.” “Paria’s successful 2020 performance was achieved in a market environment of price fluctuations and demand destruction arising from the COVID-19 pandemic with consequent lower revenues,” George stated. Read more here

 

REGIONAL

Act or consign humanity to doom

Delayed climate action is unthinkable, said President Dr. Irfaan Ali as he addressed a high-level thematic debate on ‘Delivering Climate Action for People, Planet & Prosperity’, which was convened virtually by the United Nations’ General Assembly on Tuesday. Emphasising the fact that climate change continues to be one of humanity’s foremost existential threats, the Head of State told world leaders, “We are faced with no other choice but to act now, or consign humanity to doom.” Read more here

 

INTERNATIONAL

Moldova: Russia threatens gas supply in Europe's poorest state

His country is immersed in a gas crisis. But Nicu Popescu is trying to remain positive. "On Monday our country made history," Moldova's foreign minister tells me. "For the first time Moldova bought gas from a source that was not Russia's Gazprom." The gas shipment from Poland's PGNiG was one million cubic metres. Moldova will need much larger volumes if Gazprom does what it has threatened to do: turn off the gas taps. Up until now, 100% of Moldova's gas has come from Russia. But the contract to supply it expired at the end of September. Gazprom raised the price and Moldova balked at paying it. In the absence of a new deal, the Russian energy giant reduced supplies, prompting Moldova to declare a 30-day state of emergency. Gazprom accused Moldova of "provoking a crisis" and demanded repayment of a $709m (£514m) debt, which Moldova disputes. Read more here

27th October 2021

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