NEWS
37 families get new homes for Christmas
Thirty-seven families got keys to their new homes in time for Christmas during a key distribution ceremony under the Housing and Village Improvement Programme (HVIP). The ceremony was held at the Land Settlement Agency's (LSA) Orange Grove Road office and the keys were handed out by Housing and Urban Development Minister Camille Robinson-Regis. She said LSA has found its niche. She said LSA is also involved in other programmes, such as the Come Down By You programme and highlighted the 66 newly built and renovated houses delivered in November. Read more here
Barbados exploring initiatives to deal with sargassum
Barbados will become the first Caribbean country to benefit from deep sea research that could bring solutions to Sargassum inundation challenges by sinking the seaweed to the bottom of the ocean floor. The island is bracing for another influx of Sargassum from as early as January 1, next year and heavy influxes from February. Scientists from the United Kingdom’s National Oceanography Centre (NOC), in collaboration with Seafields Integrated Environment Solutions and the Cave Hill campus of the University of the West Indies (UWI), have embarked on a project to understand the potential effects of using seaweed to store carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Read more here
POLITICS
Gopee-Scoon: NiQuan accident report not for Parliament
Minister of Trade and Industry Paula Gopee-Scoon said on Tuesday that the report on the NiQuan accident will not be laid in Parliament, as the matter is sub-judice. She made this known while answering a question asked of Energy Minister Stuart Young by Opposition Senator Wade Mark on the June 15 fire at NiQuan's gas-to-liquids plant in Pointe-a-Pierre. Massy Energy employee Allanlane Ramkissoon died from burns sustained in that incident. Read more here
BUSINESS
Agostini's growing by acquisitions
Agostini’s Group strong financial 2023 was driven by strong operational performance across the group companies and by several strategic acquisitions. In group's annual report, which was posted on the website of T&T Stock Exchange yesterday, Agostini's chairman, Christian Mouttet, said the company continued to expand and strengthen across each of its three core areas of operations: pharmaceutical and healthcare, consumer products, and energy and industrial. Moutett said the regional go-to-market strategy was bolstered by a combination of internal transformation (across organisational and process levels) and strategic acquisitions. “In December 2022, we acquired Collins Ltd and Carlisle Laboratories Ltd, two Barbadian pharmaceutical distribution and manufacturing companies respectively. In May, our Caribbean Distribution Partners joint venture company acquired 80 per cent of Chinook Trading Canada Ltd, a Canadian-based trading company that distributes consumer products to the Caribbean. Finally, in August we acquired Health Brands Ltd, a Jamaican pharmaceutical distribution company. These acquisitions have extended our regional footprint and brand portfolio while providing greater access to customers and enhancing our logistics capabilities,” the chairman outlined. Read more here
REGIONAL
Guyana to reach new heights in 2024
President, Dr Irfaan Ali has said that 2024 will be a significant year for all, as more initiatives will be rolled out to better everyone’s lives.
He made this announcement during his address at the Private Sector Commission’s (PSC)’s 31st Anniversary Gala Dinner & Awards Ceremony. “Our development must leave no one behind,” he firmly remarked.
As he reflected on the important roles that Guyana will play in both the international and regional arena, the President highlighted that the nation is gearing up to assume its non-permanent seat at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on January 1, 2024. Additionally, Guyana will be assuming Chairmanship of CARICOM and will be hosting the Guyana Energy Conference and Supply Chain Expo, and the CARICOM Heads of Government meeting next year. Read more here
INTERNATIONAL
South Korea: Students sue after teacher ends exam 90 seconds early
A group of South Korean students are suing the government because their college admission examination ended 90 seconds earlier than scheduled. They are asking for 20 million won ($15,400; £12,000) each - the cost of a year's studying to retake the exam. The error affected the rest of the students' exams, their lawyer says. The country's infamous college admission test, known as Suneung, is an eight-hour marathon with back-to-back papers in multiple subjects. The Suneung is one of the hardest exams in the world and stakes are very high. It not only determines university placements and jobs but even future relationships. A number of measures to help students concentrate are taken during the annual event such as closing the country's airspace and delaying the opening of the stock market. Read more here
20th December 2023