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The content originally appeared on: Trinidad and Tobago Newsday Trade and Industry Minister Paula Gopee-Scoon has rubbished claims of any impropriety in the sale of the Preysal Industrial Park to local conglomerate Ansa McAL Ltd, saying all proper procedures were followed. Opposition Senator Wade Mark raised the issue at a Senate sitting dealing with the Special Economic Zones Bill 2021. Mark said the sale of the park was not brought before the Senate and asked whether it was bought competitively, […]
A November 26 letter from the presidency asked the head of Uganda's national drug authority to 'work out a mechanism' to clear the importation of the vaccines.
China has about five COVID-19 vaccine candidates at different levels of trials. It was not clear what vaccine was being imported into Uganda.
One of the frontrunners is the Sinopharm vaccine developed by the Beijing Institute of Biological Product, a unit of Sinopharm’s China National Biotec Group (CNBG).
On Wednesday, the United Arab Emirates said the vaccine has 86% efficacy, citing an interim analysis of late-stage clinical trials.
China has used the drug to vaccinate up to a million people under its emergency use program.
On Tuesday, Morocco said it was ordering up to 10 million doses of the vaccine.
Record cases
Uganda on Monday registered 701 new COVID-19 cases, the highest-ever daily increase, bringing its national count to 23,200.
The new cases were out of the 5,578 samples tested for the novel coronavirus over the past 24 hours, the country's health ministry said in a statement.
Tuesday's tally was 606, the second-highest ever number of new infections, bringing the cumulative number of confirmed cases in the east African country to 23,860.
Health authorities have blamed ongoing election campaigns which have drawn huge crowds for the rise in infections.
The Opposition UNC, through Oropouche East MP Dr Roodal Moonilal, has called for Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi to be referred to the Privileges Committee of the House of Representatives.
In raising the matter minutes before Finance Minister Colm Imbert concluded the 2022 budget debate, Moonilal claimed that Al-Rawi breached parliamentary privilege during his contribution to the debate on Friday.
He said the alleged breach occurred when Al-Rawi said in his contribution that when he said, \"And the Leader of the Opposition (Kamla Persad-Bissessar) is also not telling the country that under her prime ministership..rented properties to...Kamla Persad-Bissessar's members of family...received rentals from the government\"
Moonilal said this statement \"is absolutely false, untrue and misleading.\" As the former housing minister in the UNC-led People's Partnership coalition government, Moonilal said he had full access to cabinet notes and minutes.
\"So I would have been aware of any such government rentals.\" Moonilal said the Property and real Estate Services Division responsible for government rentals, also fell under his portfolio at that time.
Having known Persad-Bissessar and the members of her family for the last 30 years, Moonilal said, \"I can categorically state and confirm that no family members of the Member for Siparia benefited from any government rentals.\"
[caption id=\"attachment_918141\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"862\"] UNC Oropouche East MP Dr Roodal Moonilal filed a motion of privilege against Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi in Parliament on Saturday. - File photo/Sureash Cholai[/caption]
As a cabinet minister, Moonilal said Al-Rawi \"has knowledge of the facts with easy, ready and available access to government records.\" He added this suggested there is ready presumption that Al-Rawi made the statement with the intention to mislead the House.
Moonilal claimed Al-Rawi made his statement deliberately in response to the \"truthfulness and assertions\" made by Persad-Bissessar in her budget contribution to \"the many lucrative and multi-million dollar rentals which he and his family benefit..\"
In response to Moonilal, Speaker Bridgid Annisette-George said she would rule on this matter at a subsequent sitting of the House.
The post UNC: Al-Rawi breached privilege on family rental claims against Kamla appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.
Opposition Senator Wade Mark took issue with two incidents in the Parliament earlier this week and accused the government of assaulting democracy through their conduct.
In the first incident Mark stood by his protests on the adjournment of Wednesday's Senate sitting to Monday.
The sitting was expected to deal with the Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters (Amendment) Bill, 2021 and the Miscellaneous Provisions (Special Reserve Police and Police Complaints Authority) Bill, 2020, but Leader of Government Business Clarence Rambharat noted that the Attorney General who was expected to pilot the bills was in the Lower House for a debate which took place at the same time.
At a media conference at the Opposition Leader's Office, Charles Street, Port of Spain, on Thursday, Mark said the adjournment of the Senate was cause for concern and accused the government of trying to use every opportunity available to silence the Oppositon.
While he acknowledged that Rambharat sent him a message on Tuesday night informing him of the possible changes, he disregarded it as he felt proper procedure was not followed.
\"I am taking a rest and at around 11 pm when I felt a message coming through but I didn't take it on.
\"Later on in the evening I looked at it and I saw it coming from the Leader of Government Business indicating to me that he advised the clerk that they would adjourn at 10 am without doing anything on the agenda.
\"I thought the Leader of Government Business can't be serious because when an order is given to us to come to the Senate all of us have to come and it is only us can determine if there will be an adjournment not one individual, so we just ignored this message completely and we proceeded to do the people's business the following day.\"
Mark also accused the government of being incapable in their duties and described the adjounrment as a lapse in co-ordination between the two houses.
On the issue of the Opposition's walk-out of the Lower House on Wednesday, Mark said political leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar was within her right to do so.
The post Mark: PNM Parliament behaviour an assault on democracy appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.
The Biden administration on Friday urged a federal judge to block the nation’s most restrictive abortion law, which has banned most abortions in Texas since early September and sent women racing to get care beyond the borders of the second-most populous state.
(Trinidad Guardian) Minister of Health Terrence Deyalsingh yesterday could not confirm whether the batch of COVAX vaccines that came in on Sunday was paid for by the Government or by the InterAmerican Development Bank (IDB) and said that he would have to check with his Permanent Secretary, Asif Ali.
The article IDB paid for Trinidad’s first batch of COVID jabs – Permanent Secretary appeared first on Stabroek News.
ABOVE: Local business owners, Kerrick and Adrienne Henny and their son Kristopher, are joined by…
The post Say His Name…George Floyd! Local Business Owners Unveil New George Floyd Mural at Their Popular Restaurant appeared first on Houston Forward Times.
By Haley Wilson The Birmingham Times On a recent September morning, Frank Thomas Martin arrives at Homewood City Hall to board a MAX Transit bus that will take him to several landmarks in the Birmingham metro area. He will be taking one of his final trips on the area’s public transportation system as executive director […]
Two days after a federal judge decided that South Carolina’s ban on school mask requirements discriminates against medically fragile students, the state
The post South Carolina court upholds mask ban; trumped by federal ruling appeared first on TheGrio.
[Egypt Online] Food industries are among the most important productive sectors that helped push up Egypt's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 17.5 billion dollars (5.8%) in 2019, a report by the Cabinet's Information and Decision Support Center (IDSC) stated Monday.
By Leonard E. Colvin
Chief Reporter
New Journal and Guide
With less than a month to go, the Democratic and GOP contenders for governor are fine-tuning their messages to voters, as polls show a close contest.
Democrat Terry McAuliffe and Republican Glenn Youngkin are the nominees for Virginia’s Governor for their respective parties.
Also on the ballot are State Delegate Hala Ayala, who represents the 51st District, and is the Democratic nominee for Lt.
Continue reading Candidates For Governor Running Close Race To Nov. 2 Election at The New Journal and Guide.
TRADE and Industry Minister Paula Gopee-Scoon has said Trinidad and Tobago is open for investment.
She expressed optimism that some of that investment could come from India, as efforts are being made to further strengthen economic ties between TT and India, on the journey towards a post-covid19 period.
Addressing a webinar on trade and business opportunities between India and Caribbean countries on Friday, Gopee-Scoon said, \"TT is open for investments in the areas of agriculture and agro-processing, manufacturing, tourism, maritime activities, financial services and logistics and distribution.\"
She reminded participants that Government had developed a Roadmap to Recovery plan to provide strategic policy guidance for rebuilding a more resilient and sustainable economy, in a post-pandemic world.
\"Critical components include the expansion of non-energy exports to traditional and non-traditional markets, improving fiscal incentives to promote investment and improving the ease of doing business.\"
Gopee-Scoon said, \"Our current trade policy, closely aligned to our Roadmap to Recovery, seeks to increase economic growth by diversifying the country’s trade in goods and services and transforming to an economy that is based on innovation and value-added in both the goods and services sectors.\" She said local small and medium enterprises (SMEs) stand to benefit from these efforts.
\"These smaller businesses are significant contributors to our local economy and are key priorities for expansion and growth in developing our domestic private sector.\"
Tthe importance of these businesses to the economy as major contributors to employment generation and poverty reduction cannot be overstated, she said.
Citing India as one of TT's longstanding international partners, Gopee-Scoon said TT has strengthened its ties with India through the signature of the Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT) and a double taxation treaty, signed in 2007 and with an initial duration of ten years. Gopee-Scoon said TT and India have expressed interest in entering into a new BIT.
\"Cabinet approval has been obtained and negotiations are expected to commence within the upcoming months.\"
The renewed BIT, Gopee-Scoon continued, \"will be a useful instrument to assure investors of Government’s commitment to promoting a stable, transparent and predictable domestic legislative environment.\"
She said the double-taxation agreement allows for the removal of tax barriers to facilitate cross-border trade and investment.
While there are six Indian companies operating in TT in various sectors of the economy such as retail and food and beverage, Gopee-Scoon was confident more Indian businesses could be encouraged to invest in TT. Between 2020 and 2021, she said TT enjoyed a trade surplus with India, with exports valued at approximately US$189 million and imports valued at imports from India valued at US$75 million. Gopee-Scoon identified information communication technology (ICT), textiles and garmers as some potential areas for TT-India collaboration.
We take a look at the stories and pictures that made the front pages of newspapers around the world on Wednesday 17 March 2021.
ATTORNEY General Faris Al-Rawi said he is yet to receive any information on the illegal entry of Pfizer vaccines being brought privately into the country.
At Wednesday’s Ministry of Health's virtual covid19 briefing, Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dr Roshan Parasram said if Pfizer vaccines were indeed brought into the country via a private route, it would have been done illegally.
He said the Office of the Attorney General would be tasked with handling this matter.
Parasram was responding to a claim by Fyzabad chamber head Clint Arjoon that the Pfizer vaccine, which has World Health Organisation (WHO) approval but is yet to be checked by the TT Medical Board before it can be imported, was indeed secured and imported by a private company.
Arjoon was a guest on the TV6 Morning Edition programme on Wednesday.
Parasram said he had confirmation from the head of the Food and Drug Division that no request had been made for the importation and therefore no approval had been given.
He said if it was done, “It has not been imported through government legal channels.”
He called on anyone with information to share it with his ministry and that of the AG’s office.
In a telephone interview, Al-Rawi said on Thursday, “Nothing has been passed to me yet in terms of advice.
“I want to be extremely careful that all facts as reported are carefully investigated, because in today’s world of fake news or angles, we have to be very careful not to run away with conclusions that are premature.
“Suffice it to say, I have not received any communication on the issue yet. Obviously, if I am called to advise on the issue I will.”
He cautioned, “There are many slips between cup and lip and in today’s world, where fake news can find a perceived reality very quickly, you need to be extremely careful that we look at the facts and verify information before advice on conjecture becomes the norm.”
Arjoon said he has since shared with the CMO the name of the company which he was told had imported the Pfizer vaccine. He said he would not make the name of the company public.
The post AG awaits info on Pfizer vaccines in Trinidad and Tobago appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.
TRADE and Industry Minister Paula Gopee-Scoon has said Trinidad and Tobago spent approximately $78 million a year over the last three years on the importation of luxury food items. She was responding to a question in the Senate on Tuesday.
Gopee-Scoon recalled that Finance Minister Colm Imbert indicated in his 2021 budget statement in the House of Representatives last October that \"the full value added tax (VAT) rate of 12.5 per cent would be applied to a wide range of luxury imported foods, with the intention of reducing the high local demand for luxury foods and subsequently the demand for foreign exchange.\"
She said the Finance Ministry \"is reviewing the list of luxury food items that will come under this initiative.
\"It should be noted,\" she said, \"that over the last three years...2018-2020...imports of selected luxury items such as smoked salmon, lobster, grapes, apples, pears, strawberries, peaches other fruits...(were) valued at approximately $78 million per annum, on average.\"
Gopee-Scoon said increasing domestic food production and export promotion were among the strategies being used to reduce TT's food import bill.
\"With the food import bill valued at approximately $5.7 billion per annum, the Government recognises the importance of investing in the expansion of the local agriculture and food and beverage sectors.\"
She reminded senators there is a $500 million stimulus package for agriculture in the budget.
Gopee-Scoon also said there are currently four tenants at the Moruga Agro-processing and Light Industrial Park, which the Prime Minister opened last July. She said there is a list of ten potential tenants for the park which is currently being reviewed.
On the InvestTT website, the park is advertised as offering leasable space for the growth and expansion of operations in the processing of primarily agro products, and light manufacturing.
As he opened debate on the Finance Bill later in the sitting, Imbert supported Gopee-Scoon's earlier comments on luxury food imports. He said the tax imposition on them does not require any legislative amendment, but can be done by ministerial order and under the VAT Act, and this order would be published in due course.
The post Gopee-Scoon: $78m spent on luxury foods in three years appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.
– Recycled water leaders from across the state gathered today in a virtual setting to honor the Dominguez Technology Center in Carson, CA for partnering on a project with West Basin Municipal Water District (West Basin) and other local agencies to convert its landscape irrigation system to use recycled water.
The 300-acre industrial park, located adjacent to California State University, Dominguez Hills, uses locally-produced, recycled water from West Basin to irrigate the property’s sizable landscape, saving more than 40 million gallons of drinking water per year.
West Basin, a provider of drinking and recycled water supplies for nearly 1 million people in coastal Los Angeles County, nominated Dominguez Technology Center for the Recycled Water Customer of the Year Award.
With the project complete, West Basin now delivers more than 40 million gallons of recycled water per year to 36 different landscape irrigation sites located within the business park’s campus, saving enough drinking water annually to serve more than 400 single-family households.
In addition to partnering with property owners Watson Land Company and Carson Companies, West Basin worked closely with private water purveyor California Water Service – which owns the recycled water distribution pipeline within the site – to provide the campus with recycled water.
THE Judiciary has sought to assuage the uncertainty surrounding the payment of fixed penalties for breach of public health regulations.
On Tuesday, Police Commissioner Gary Griffith told the NOW Morning Show that 10,000 tickets have been issued for not wearing face masks. This equates to $10 million in fines.
But fingers were pointed at the Judiciary for failing to make it possible to pay these fines.
Last week, Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi said he would ask Cabinet to approve President Paula-Mae Weekes' to proclamation of the Electronic Payments into and out of Court Act 2018, clearing the legal stoppage.
In the past eight months, there have been successive deferrals for fine payments, with the latest due to end on May 31.
In a statement late on Tuesday, the Judiciary said there are several options to pay electronically.
It said the Judiciary collects both trust monies and revenue and has been prepared for online payments by credit card online, debit card online, credit card and Linx point of sale, as well as by voucher followed by online entry of voucher ID, as has been used with CourtPay for receipt and disbursement of maintenance for several years.
It said for the collection of revenue, as opposed to trust monies such as maintenance, however, the Judiciary required additional approvals from the Treasury, which in turn required the approval of a cyber-security incidence response team.
The team is a body mandated to investigate and review; approve or refuse online payment systems.
Approval is also needed for a treasury solicitor who has to approve agreements with the commercial banks.
The Judiciary said the approvals took some time, as it was the first agency to seek to deal with revenue in the way it has proposed.
It also said a small lacuna in the law, which appeared to prohibit the deduction of credit card and bank fees at the source and, instead, include them in the revenue of the State, was addressed, “so that the legitimacy of this activity was put beyond doubt.”
It added that the passage of the recently passed law has allowed the finalisation of the agreements for online credit card and debit card payments to be used for receiving revenue and deducting fees at source, with only revenue being remitted to the treasury. The Judiciary said these agreements are being finalised and the relevant custodial revenue accounts are being opened.
It also said it was seeking approval for point-of-sale Linx and credit-card receipts and for the voucher system known as CourtPay to be used for revenue.
It said its call last week for expressions of interest (EOI) was a call for additional vendors to offer to sell Judiciary electronic vouchers or to offer electronic wallets to accept funds on its behalf and to remit funds to its custodial revenue accounts using various technologies seen on the local market in the last couple of years.
“The purpose of the EOI is to explore additional solutions in an effort to bring convenience to the public.
‘In this regard, the Judiciary is thinking ahead wi
Lawmakers on Capitol Hill have avoided a government shutdown – for now, at least.
The post Congress Avoids Government Shutdown — Temporarily appeared first on The Washington Informer.
Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Floyd Green, says he will be exploring the possibility of designating bamboo as an agricultural crop in keeping with the Ministry’s objective of building a robust bamboo industry and getting more farmers...
Activists want Democrats to overrule the Senate parliamentarian and include a pathway to citizenship for undocumented people in the spending bill.
By Solomon Crenshaw Jr. For the Birmingham Times Little catches the eye during the drive west on Lakeshore Parkway from the Wildwood Shopping Center that straddles Homewood and Birmingham. The smooth thoroughfare is largely flat as it curves spans into the Oxmoor Valley. The north side of the divided road is lined with trees after […]
A number of teachers have been finding it taxing to deliver online lessons while fulfilling other duties and manage their personal lives as they find themselves, like parents and students, wishing for a return to the classroom. It has been tough...
Dear Editor,
In response to two articles that have appeared recently in the daily newspapers, the Guyana Legal Aid Clinic writes to clarify the scope and locations of legal aid services provided by it.
The article Contacting the Guyana Legal Aid Clinic appeared first on Stabroek News.
It's Winds-DAY, but heavy winds are exactly what we won't be getting as Hurricane Same continues on her Northbound Track! But, there are still a few other systems out there and some other pertinent to travel and tourism information that you might want to check in on in this little St. John update. Last week, ... Read moreIsland Update: Weather, Ports, Restaurant Closures and National Park Updates
