NEWS
Education Minister: No mask mandate in schools...yet
Education Minister Dr Nyan Gadsby-Dolly said the health protocols guided by the Ministry of Health (MoH) will remain in effect at schools, given the increase in hospitalisation and covid19 deaths since December. This, however, will not translate to mask-wearing. In a WhatsApp message response to the protocols instituted by Tobago to prevent any future outbreak at schools on the island, Gadsby-Dolly said, “The MoE has consistently promoted health protocols in schools, in line with the guidance of the MoH. That never stopped.” She said no significant increases have been reported. Read more here
International arrest warrant for fugitive Suriname ex-president
The Public Prosecution Service in Suriname says it is in the process of issuing an international arrest warrant for former president, Desi Bouterse, after he failed for a second time to report to a local prison to begin serving his 20-year jail sentence for murder. The whereabouts of Bouterse, 78, remains a mystery after he first failed to keep his scheduled appointment last Friday to report to the prison in Santo Boma just south of the capital Paramaribo. Another of the convicted men, Iwan Dijksteel, 68, has also failed to report to prison. “Following a written request dated January 16, 2024, from Mr (Irvin) Kanhai, a lawyer for the convicted Bouterse and Dijksteel, the Public Prosecution Service had a conversation with him. The content of the conversation gave reason to agree to the request that the convicted Bouterse could register at the Zorghotel for health reasons. The Public Prosecution Service set a deadline for registration of January 16, 2024, at 6.00 p.m.,” the authorities said. Read more here
POLITICS
Advisory committee to tackle constitutional reform
Forty- Eight years after the last significant change in the country’s Constitution, the Government is seriously looking into constitutional reform. At a post-Cabinet press conference at Whitehall on Thursday, the Prime Minister announced the Cabinet’s approval of the appointment of an advisory committee to formulate terms of reference for a national consultation on constitutional reform. Dr Rowley believed it was an appropriate time to evaluate, amend and generally upgrade the Constitution, as many people had called for it. Read more here
Hinds to Kamla: SoEs don’t get to root of crime
National Security Minister Fitzgerald Hinds has fired back at the Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar’s calls for a state of emergency (SoE) to tackle crime, arguing that such responses do not produce meaningful long-term changes. During her tenure as prime minister under the then People’s Partnership administration in 2011, Persad-Bissessar introduced a state of emergency in several designated ‘hotspot’ areas across T&T. The SoE, which was implemented in response to a series of murders, lasted from August to December of 2011 and resulted in several suspected criminals being arrested, only to be eventually released owing to a lack of evidence. Several of those detained during the SoE eventually sued the State for wrongful imprisonment. Read more here
BUSINESS
5 keys to decision-making for impact
Companies frequently proclaim their commitment to providing cost-effective products and services that not only benefit customers but also positively impact employees, communities and supply chain members. They declare adherence to ethical values and responsible behaviour. Is this problematic? Not at first sight. We desire companies that are conscious and responsible, and many are reporting their engagement in environmental, social and governance (ESG) initiatives and alignment with the UN's sustainable development goals (SDGs). Despite these commitments and increasing investments in sustainability, actual progress remains painfully slow. Read more here
Loquan steps down in August
After serving as the president of the National Gas Company of Trinidad and Tobago (NGC) for the past eight years, Mark Loquan has announced that he will not be renewing his contract for the position, which concludes in August. Additionally, Loquan’s appointment as a director on the NGC board and its affiliates will also come to an end, a release from the wholly State-owned company stated yesterday. And with the impending vacancy, NGC has stated that it will initiate the executive search for Loquan’s successor over the next few months. Read more here
REGIONAL
Guyanese could pay US$1B less in electricity bills over 10 years
Guyanese stand to save over US$100 million per annum as a result of the reduction in electricity prices after the Gas-to-Energy Project comes on stream, according to Vice-President Bharrat Jagdeo during a press conference at Office of the President, on Thursday. “Over a 10-year period, Guyanese would pay US$1 billion less in electricity bills,” the Vice-President emphasised during his response to efforts by a group of Guyanese trying to stop the project. International Lawyer Melinda Janki wrote to the United States Export Import (US-EXIM) Bank to withhold funding for the project. Janki on behalf of public-interest litigants, Elizabeth Deane-Hughes and Vanda Radzik, wrote to the Bank on January 12, 2024. Read more here
INTERNATIONAL
Gaza destruction risks lost generation of children, says UN official
This week Al Israa University became the latest major public building in Gaza to disappear from the map, blown up and destroyed by Israeli forces who had reportedly used it as a military base for several weeks. The war in Gaza has already let to an unprecedented loss of life, but there's also growing concern about the destruction of public and private buildings. Now a senior UN official has told BBC News of his fears that the widespread damage will lead to a "lost generation" of young people. Israel declared war on Hamas after the group led a massive attack on communities inside Israel, killing about 1,200 people - mostly civilians - and taking some 240 others back to Gaza as hostages. Read more here
19th January 2024