NEWS
Funeral plan for slain mother, daughter set for Tuesday in Diego Martin
A private cremation is planned for Tuesday for the mother and daughter who were shot dead at the family’s home at Point Cumana a week ago. Newsday learnt that a joint funeral for Carmelita De Leon, 66, and her daughter Calida Schamber, 43, an employee with ANSA motors, is expected to take place at the Church of the Nativity, Crystal Stream in Diego Martin. It is set to take place at 10 am, and afterwards, the cremation would take place. Read more here
Tears of joy, praises as Hillview honours its scholars
Hillview students Ryker Harricharan and Nishka Maharaj were both awarded the President’s Gold Medals for scoring top marks in the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examinations (CAPE) last year. In recognition of their accomplishments, and that of their fellow peers, which catapulted Hillview College into record-breaking status with 13 Government scholarships, the college honoured their open and additional scholarship winners during an awards ceremony yesterday. Shreya Rampersad, an additional scholarship winner in Creative and Performing Studies, became emotional in her speech, as she thanked her teachers for guiding her since Form Three. She also praised her family for giving her strength along the way. Read more here
POLITICS
Prime Minister: I will defend myself against disinformation
The Prime Minister said he would defend himself against any disinformation used to tarnish his reputation. Dr Rowley made this statement in response to a daily newspaper editorial which claimed that he never declared the purchase of a townhouse in Tobago to the Integrity Commission. In a statement issued by the Office of the Prime Minister on Monday, Rowley condemned the editorial in which the allegation was made. “Today, January 7, 2024, in its editorial, the Sunday Guardian had this to say, ‘It was regrettable that Dr Rowley has so many assets that he forgot to include a recently purchased townhouse in his declaration.’” Read more here
BUSINESS
NGC reports $2.38B in 2022 profits
The wholly state-owned National Gas Company Group (NGC) yesterday announced an after-tax profit of $2.38 billion for the year ended December 31, 2022. In the company's 2022 summary consolidated financial statements, which was released yesterday, NGC disclosed that its 2022 profit return was 5.2 per cent lower than the $2.51 billion after-tax profit recorded in 2021. The natural gas distribution and sale company's revenue rose by 41.46 per cent to $33.39 billion in 2022, compared to the $23.60 billion NGC generated in 2021. NGC's profit before tax increased by 6 per cent to $5.07 billion in 2022, from $4.78 billion in 2021. Read more here
Farmers brace for harsh dry season
Farmers countrywide are calling on the Government to prioritise agriculture during what is expected to be a harsh 2024 dry season. Shiraz Khan, head of the Sheep and Goat Farmers Association, was among those expressing concern that crops and livestock could be impacted again this year by lack of access to sufficient water. In a telephone interview at the weekend, Khan recalled that agriculture was hit hard between April and August 2023 when intermittent dry spells and heat waves caused crop and animal losses. Read more here
REGIONAL
State-of-the-art assets being acquired to transform police force
With the aim of integrating the country’s security institutions, the Government of Guyana, for the first time, will be establishing a marine and aviation division within the Guyana Police Force (GPF). This was according to President, Dr. Irfaan Ali, during a sod-turning event for the modern US$28 million Brickdam Police Station, on Monday. The Head of State, while addressing members of the Joint Services and other stakeholders, said the government is now in the process of obtaining state-of-the art assets to facilitate the integration of the Guyana Police Force with other security institutions. Read more here
INTERNATIONAL
2023 confirmed as world's hottest year on record
The year 2023 has been confirmed as the warmest on record, driven by human-caused climate change and boosted by the natural El Niño weather event. Last year was about 1.48C warmer than the long-term average before humans started burning large amounts of fossil fuels, the EU's climate service says. Almost every day since July has seen a new global air temperature high for the time of year, BBC analysis shows. Sea surface temperatures have also smashed previous highs. The Met Office reported last week that the UK experienced its second warmest year on record in 2023. These global records are bringing the world closer to breaching key international climate targets. Read more here
9th January 2024