NEWS
Double stress for covid victim's family: Wrong Body Cremated
Legal action is being contemplated against a prominent funeral home which is being blamed for a mix-up which led to a woman's body being sent to the wrong family for final rites which included her being cremated, following the funeral in which her casket was sealed because she had died from covid19. As a result, no funeral could be held for Diane Williams and instead, her relatives and friends held a memorial service on Tuesday at the Valley Kingdom Ministries in Morne Coco Road, Petit Valley. According to the memorial service pamphlet, Williams died on Christmas Day. Read more here
Vaccination numbers rising in some sectors of public service
There’s been an increase in the number of Fire Service officers taking the COVID-19 vaccines, but there’s still some resistance by prison officers who are now being offered free health checks on Monday. This was confirmed yesterday by the heads of the Fire and Prison Services. Yesterday was the deadline given by the Public Administration Ministry to Government divisions for the submission of the number of vaccinated and unvaccinated public sector workers and those who have medical/other exemptions from vaccinations. Read more here
POLITICS
THA chief sec: Tobago will provide alternative flour
The decision to raise flour prices should be seen as both a motivation and an opportunity, says Tobago House of Assembly (THA) Chief Secretary Farley Augustine. Last Wednesday, NFM announced that from January 3, the wholesale price of flour would increase between 15 and 22 per cent and suggested a 19 per cent increase in the retail price. Less than 24 hours later, Nutrimix – the country’s second-largest flour provider announced an increase of up to 20 per cent on its products. Read more here
PSA rejects ‘quasi safe zone’, wants dialogue with govt
The Public Services Association (PSA) has called on the Government to engage the trade union movement in a meaningful way to solve the nation’s problems with respect to the implementation of safe zones in its public workspaces. PSA president Leroy Baptiste during a media conference held at its PSA office on Tuesday afternoon questioned the “validity of a quasi safe zone.” Baptiste made it clear that the vaccine will not prevent workers or anyone else from contracting the virus and further asked of the Government, “what is a quasi safe zone.” Read more here
BUSINESS
Consumers to pay more for Carib beers
Consumers of Carib products will now be paying $1 more for their beverages. The price increase came into effective on Monday and will apply to bottled and canned products of Carib, Carib Pilsner, Stag, Carib Blue, Royal Extra Stout, Coors, Heineken, Guinness, Smirnoff Ice and Blue Moon. Caribe, Hurricane Reef and Mackeson prices remain the same and the cost of non-alcoholic beverages such as Shandy, Ginseng, Malta and Smalta also remains unchanged. Read more here
Legal fight over rights
The Lawsuit filed by Sagicor Investments Jamaica Ltd (SIJL) against Cornerstone Financial Holdings Ltd, is already being called the biggest corporate court battle in the Caribbean in years. The legal battle involves two companies called Cornerstone: • Cornerstone Financial Holdings Ltd, which was incorporated as an offshore company in St Lucia in 2018, but redomiciled to Barbados in February 2020. Cornerstone Financial is identified as the first defendant in the lawsuit brought by Sagicor Investments Jamaica Ltd. Read more here
REGIONAL
Coconut industry’s earnings climb to $2.5B in 2021
For the period January to November 2021, Guyana earned $2.5 billion from the exportation of coconuts and its byproducts, according to figures provided by the Ministry of Agriculture, on Tuesday. Data show that the exportation of dry coconuts alone raked in $1.8 billion, while $685 million was earned from the exportation of virgin coconut oil. Those earnings represent significant increases when compared to the previous year, which saw the industry exporting just about $1.9 billion in coconut and coconut by-products. Read more here
INTERNATIONAL
Covid: French uproar as Macron vows to 'piss off' unvaccinated
French President Emmanuel Macron has been accused of using divisive, vulgar language after he used a slang term to say he wanted to make life difficult for unvaccinated people. "I really want to piss them off, and we'll carry on doing this - to the end," he told Le Parisien newspaper. Three months ahead of a presidential election, opponents of Mr Macron said his words were unworthy of a president. MPs halted debate on a law barring the unvaccinated from much of public life. The session in the National Assembly was brought to a standstill for a second night running on Tuesday as opposition delegates complained about the president's language, with one leading figure describing it as "unworthy, irresponsible and premeditated". The legislation is expected to be approved in a vote this week, but it has angered vaccine opponents and several French MPs have said they have received death threats over the issue. Read more here
5th January 2022