NEWS
Reason for SORT disbanding – Death of murder suspects in custody was final straw
The Special Operations Response Team (SORT) – the brainchild of ex-police commissioner Gary Griffith which was led by Supt Roger Alexander – was disbanded after the police executive reviewed two files regarding SORT officers' role in the deaths of two men who were detained in relation to the murder of court clerk Andrea Bharatt. This was confirmed by Acting Commissioner of Police (CoP) Mc Donald Jacob when contacted on Sunday on a newspaper report into the the disbanding of SORT which has been replaced by an entity to be known as the National Operational Task Force (NOTF). Read more here
Chinese national shot dead in Barataria
A Chinese national was killed after being shot multiple times at Seventh Avenue, Barataria, at around 9 am yesterday. According to police reports, officers received a report of a shooting at Seventh Avenue at around 9.48 am. When they responded, they found a male Chinese national on the ground near a vehicle, outside of Decoded Carnival Lounge. He was bleeding from gunshot wounds to his torso. Read more here
POLTICS
MP Lee: UNC did not mislead TT on 'fake oil'
The United National Congress (UNC) has denied that it misled the public when it revealed the so-called "fake oil" scandal. At a press conference on Sunday. UNC Pointe-a-Pierre MP David Lee said the laying of the 76-page report on the arbitration ruling between Petrotrin and AV Oil Co, in the House of Representatives last Friday, did not put the facts on the public record as promised by the government. Instead, Lee said, the report raised more questions. Read more here
No legislation ready for new date of Public Service furlough plan
Legislation for the projected February 17 start of the public sector safe zone plan isn’t on tomorrow’s Senate agenda and Government members are mum on if the plan—which requires the passage of legislation—will actually begin on February 17. In December Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley first said the plan would have begun on January 17. It involves having the entire public sector operated by vaccinated employees or those who have documents on exemptions. Read more here
BUSINESS
Cooking oil prices set to increase
Just when you thought inflationary pressure brought on by rising food prices could not get any worse, comes news that the cost of cooking oil has increased globally and is likely to impact the pockets of local consumers. The higher prices are likely to have a domino effect with struggling households likely to pay more for the commodity and some businesses being forced to absorb part of the higher costs. Two weeks ago, the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) reported that the gauge for world food prices went up in January, largely caused by supply-side constraints for vegetable oils. Read more here
T&T to co-chair climate finance goal
Trinidad and Tobago has been appointed to co-chair the ad hoc work programme on the new climate finance goal by president of the 26th Conference of the Parties on Climate Change (COP 26), Alok Sharma, the Ministry of Planning and Development announced yesterday. In a letter dated February 10 to Parties and Observers to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) as well as UN organisations, UNFCCC Secretariat informed of the appointment of co-chairs for the work programme on the new collective finance goal for 2022, and noted that “the appointed co-chairs are well versed in the UNFCCC process, having been actively engaged in addressing matters under and outside the Convention and the Paris Agreement.” Read more here
REGIONAL
Budget 2022 Review & Analysis, and Review of 2021 Economic Performance
Budget 2022 is the largest in Guyana’s history and the first to unlock the resources from the Natural Resource Fund (NRF). The massive $553B budget represents 30.1 per cent of 2021 real GDP, 62 per cent of Guyana’s pre-oil GDP (2018), and a 37 per cent increase over the previous fiscal year of 2021. The budget was presented under the theme “steadfast against all challenges, resolute in building our one Guyana”. Read more here
INTERNATIONAL
Canada protests: After police cleared bridge, is this the end?
A police raid has finally put an end to the costly bridge blockade at Windsor, Ontario, with the crossing reopening for traffic on Sunday night after a six-day protest. And with a tentative deal struck to relocate the protest in Ottawa, is the end in sight for the anti-mandate movement? This was the moment the protesters had dreaded. "I was hoping it wasn't going to end like this, I was hoping the police would allow us to continue to peacefully protest," Tyler Kok told the BBC as he left the site. The officers arrived by the bus load on Sunday morning - in balaclavas and carrying long guns, ready to oust the last few protesters blocking the roads leading to the Ambassador Bridge. A week-long stalemate was about to come to an end. Read more here
14th February 2022