NEWS
Police increase manpower, patrols as SoE ends
With the state of emergency (SoE) at an end and Christmas approaching, the police has called out its troops to address an expected crime increase and covid19 cases. Speaking at the media conference on Thursday, ACP Erla Christopher, police operations manager, said officers on vacation would be called out for at least one month. She added that officers from administrative positions will also be called out to augment those on patrol. Read more here
New Public Health Regulations in effect
Trinidad and Tobago continues to register record-breaking numbers of new COVID-19 infections—with 531 news cases registered Thursday, bringing the total active positive cases to 7,950. Similarly, 17 additional deaths were recorded during the 24-hour reporting period, bringing the total number of deaths to 1,908.The deceased included seven elderly males; five elderly females; four middle-aged males and one young adult male. Read more here
POLITICS
PNM candidate apologises for lewd video, attack on colleague
"The person I was before, is no more.” This is how People's National Movement candidate for Parlatuvier/L'Anse Fourmi/Speyside in the December 6 Tobago House of Assembly elections, Franka Cordner, last night addressed widely circulated videos allegedly showing her dancing lewdly and a short audio clip in which she denigrates fellow party member and Tobago East MP Ayanna Webster-Roy. Read more here
BUSINESS
Tobago tourism: Much Potential/Little performance
The economic viability of Tobago’s tourism product cannot be accomplished by empty promises but on sound implementation of strategies. This is especially so in a postCOVID world said tour operator and tourism expert Ted Greig. Greig, owner of Ted’s Sunshine Tours told the Business Guardian that Tobago’s tourism offering “could have been and should have been” more advanced than it is at present. Read more here
REGIONAL
Seven per cent retroactive pay hike for 20,000+ public servants
To further improve the living standards of Guyanese, the government has announced a seven per cent increase in wages and salaries for all categories of public servants. The increase, which is expected by the end of December, will be paid to public servants, including teachers, members of the Disciplined Services, constitutional officeholders, and government pensioners, Senior Minister in the Office of the President with responsibility for Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh said in a special announcement on Thursday. Read more here
INTERNATIONAL
Liverpool bomb: Homemade device used ball bearings as shrapnel, police say
he bomb which exploded near Liverpool Women's Hospital contained homemade explosives and ball bearings and could have caused "significant injury or death", police have revealed. Emad Al Swealmeen's device exploded shortly before 11:00 GMT on Remembrance Sunday in a taxi outside the hospital. Assistant Chief Constable Russ Jackson said a "completely unintentional" detonation had not been ruled out. He added that police had found no links to the Manchester Arena attack in 2017. Christian convert Al Swealmeen, 32, was a passenger in the taxi when his device exploded. Driver David Perry escaped seconds before the vehicle was engulfed in flames. Read more here
Austria announces Europe's first nationwide vaccine mandate and reimposes lockdown as Covid-19 soars
Austria is going back into a national lockdown and plans to become the first country in Europe to make Covid-19 vaccinations mandatory for all eligible people as the nation's coronavirus crisis deepens, Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg announced Friday. Schallenberg said his government would look to impose the national vaccine requirement from February 1. Around 65% of Austria's population is fully vaccinated against Covid-19, one of the lower rates in the European Union, where cases are surging. Read more here
19th November 2021