NEWS
Another covid19 death
The number of people who have died from covid19 is now 129. There were also 19 new covid19 cases reported between January 10 and 12, bringing active cases to 285, up from 275 on Tuesday. This information was contained in the Health Ministry's covid19 update at 4 pm on Wednesday. In its 4 pm update on Tuesday, the number of covid19 deaths was reported as 128. Read more here
Hitman killed by off-duty cop
A suspected hitman was shot and killed by an off-duty police officer along the Lady Chancellor Hill in St Ann’s on Wednesday night. Police said the man, identified as Franklyn De Freitas, was shot dead after he and two of his accomplices attempted to shoot the officer as he was jogging. Read more here
POLITICS
Gadsby-Dolly: No changes to CXC SBAs
Minister of Education Dr Nyan Gadsby-Dolly said on Wednesday that the Caribbean Examination Council (CXC) has not made a final decision on changes to the number of practical school-based assessment (SBA) assignments for the 2021 CXC exams. Newsday received reports that CXC had amended the SBAs for science subjects, so that the number for each subject had been reduced by more than half. CXC updated its Handbook for Students on the treatment of syllabuses and the SBA for administration of 2021 examinations in December. Read more here
Ministry officials reviewing parallel healthcare system
The Ministry of Health is currently reviewing the parallel healthcare system set up to deal with the COVId-19 pandemic, Minister Terrence Deyalsingh said yesterday. Speaking during a virtual press conference, Deyalsingh said he was scheduled to have a meeting with ministry officials later in the day, among them Principal Medical Officer Institutions Dr Maryam Abdool-Richards, to discuss the matter, noting that one of the major goals of the review of the system would be whether one of the facilities currently being used for COVID treatment needed to be removed. Read more here
BUSINESS
TT must order 2.4 million vaccines now or 2020 will never end
The Government must act now to buy two million doses of covid19 vaccine to distribute to the population. The State has so far ordered 400,000 vaccine doses. This represents under 15 per cent of the population, compared to the up to 90 per cent that experts estimate will be required for herd immunity. This is more than two million doses short of what we need, assuming we use a two-dose vaccine. Read more here
Reopen T&T to yachts
Two foreign yacht owners are appealing to the Government to relax its border restrictions and allow the entry of international yachts, as the economy is losing out on thousands of foreign exchange. Read more here
REGIONAL
Agency Pays Out $8m Excess In Termination Benefits In Breach Of Guidelines
The Auditor General’s Department has warned the management of the Firearm Licensing Authority (FLA) that action may be taken against responsible officers for paying out more than $8 million in termination benefits, in excess of the amount due, to five former employees in contravention of the Ministry of Finance guidelines. Pamela Monroe Ellis, the auditor general, said in her annual report tabled in Parliament on Tuesday that the FLA paid the former workers an additional amount of $8.4 million in termination benefits in breach of the finance ministry’s fixed-term contract officers’ policy guidelines. Read more here
US$25M Mandela hotel, mall eyeing 2022 opening
Work on the US$25 million (Over G$5B) “Royal Orchid” Hotel and Mall at Mandela Avenue is progressing well, Investor, Jason Wang has said, noting that if all goes well, the mega facility will be opened officially in 2022. Interest in the local economy is at an all-time high, with investors, both foreign and local, looking to channel their resources into mega projects across the various economic sectors. Read more here
INTERNATIONAL
Past Covid-19 infection may provide 'months of immunity'
Most people who have had Covid-19 are protected from catching it again for at least five months, a study led by Public Health England shows. Past infection was linked to around a 83% lower risk of getting the virus, compared with those who had never had Covid-19, scientists found. But experts warn some people do catch Covid-19 again - and can infect others. And officials stress people should follow the stay-at-home rules - whether or not they have had the virus. Read more here
Trump's historic 2nd impeachment trial hangs over Biden and Republicans
Donald Trump's unique second impeachment sealed history's verdict on a corrupt and disgraced presidency. But the political endgame of this tragic saga is only now beginning and will decide the extent of America's recovery from his malevolent term. The soon-to-be ex-President's Senate impeachment trial will mean his toxic presence will pollute the opening of Joe Biden's presidency. It will also seriously complicate his successor's quest to leverage the apex of his power in his early days in office to get a grip on a murderous panic that's never been worse. Read more here
14th January 2021