NEWS
NH gets new CEO
Kit Kennedy is the new CEO of construction company NH International. In a statement, NH said Kennedy’s appointment would be effective from January 6. He succeeds John Connon, who retired on December 31. Kennedy is a project management specialist with 30 years’ experience managing diverse construction and renovation projects across the Caribbean. He brings significant expertise in the planning, monitoring, execution and close-out of projects and in leading high performing teams, the statement said. Read more here
Batson: Bar closures, ticketing systems led to fewer road deaths
The prolonged closure of bars and the introduction of the UTurn System are just a few reasons why T&T recorded 96 road deaths in 2020, the lowest tally in 63 years. Coordinator of the Police Service (TTPS) Road Safety Project Brent Batson told Guardian Media that while there was a commendable change in motorists’ behaviour in 2020, they are looking forward further enforcement technology in 2020. It includes the rollout of the spot speed cameras, which are fixed installations to detect vehicles driving over the speed limit and red light enforcement camera for those traffic light breakers. Read more here
POLITICS
UNC hails Chang Kit a hero, wants procurement law withdrawn
Deputy chair of the Procurement Regulation Board James Chang Kit, who resigned on Monday, is being hailed as a patriot and a national hero by the United National Congress (UNC) which has called on citizens and civil society to protect him. UNC Senator Anil Roberts said there is no doubt Chang Kit, who resigned citing the “final emasculation” of the Public Procurement and Disposal of Private Property Act 2015, would come under attack. Read more here
Beckles gears up for 'absentee' Duke fight
The People's National Movement (PNM) candidate for Belle Garden East/Roxborough/Delaford Neil Beckles is ready to wrest the seat away from the Progressive Democratic Patriots (PDP) "absentee" leader Watson Duke on January 25, 2021, in the Tobago House of Assembly's (THA) elections. Beckles made his intentions clear at a PNM public meeting at the Roxborough Secondary School on Tuesday. Speaking to party members seated in the school's hall, Beckles said to rid Tobago of the PDP, the PNM must first rid the THA of Duke. Read more here
BUSINESS
Paula holding cement trump card...but will she use it
When the Ministry of Trade announced on December 7, 2020, that it was imposing new restrictions on the importation of cement into Trinidad and Tobago effective January 1, 2021, it reignited a legal dispute that has been rumbling through the region since January 2015. Read more here
REGIONAL
Robinson Wants NIDS Authority To Be A Parliamentary Commission
Julian Robinson, a member of the Joint Select Committee of Parliament examining the National Identification and Registration Act, 2020, has recommended that the proposed National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA) should be established as a commission of parliament. The NIRA will be a statutory body with responsibility for civil registration and the enrolment of persons under the proposed NIDS law, as well as the collection of data as prescribed by the statute. Read more here
Premier Insurance Company Inc enters market
Premier Insurance Company Inc. has positioned itself in the local market with the aim of providing comprehensive financial protection services to suit the needs of every individual and company, including those in Guyana’s nascent oil-and- gas sector. As Guyana’s fledging petroleum sector and its general economy continue to progress and grow, the need for financial protection will become even more critical, because companies and individuals will be looking to minimise financial risks and make accidental losses manageable. Read more here
INTERNATIONAL
National security law: Mass arrests among Hong Kong pro-democracy camp
Hong Kong has arrested dozens of pro-democracy activists and politicians, accusing them of trying to "overthrow" the city's government. The group, arrested under a controversial new security law, were involved in an unofficial "primary" vote to select opposition candidates ahead of postponed 2020 elections. Hong Kong's security secretary has said their actions were "subversive". Read more here
Warnock wins Georgia runoff, CNN projects, as control of Senate down to Perdue-Ossoff race
The Rev. Raphael Warnock, the senior pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, was elected on Tuesday to be the first Black senator from Georgia, CNN projected early Wednesday morning, a repudiation of Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler and her adherence to President Donald Trump. The control of the US Senate now comes down to Republican David Perdue, who is running to keep his seat against Democrat Jon Ossoff. Read more here
6th January 2021