60-SECOND SCRIPT (~150 words)
[TITLE CARD: GUYANA DAILY BRIEF — FRIDAY FEBRUARY 13, 2026]
Guyana, it’s Friday the 13th and the news matches the energy.
Stabroek News — thirty-nine years of independent journalism — is shutting down. March 15th. Done. Not because of politics. Because Facebook killed the advertising model. Two thousand US newspapers already went the same way. Now it’s our turn.
Georgetown flooded again. Four inches of rain in four hours. Ministers rushed to the field. Pumps activated. But here’s the question: trillion-dollar budget, same flooding problems?
SOCU released more video of Mohamed’s enterprise allegedly running an illegal cambio. His defence? Political persecution. The evidence says otherwise.
And Mia Mottley was sworn in for her third term in Barbados. Thirty seats out of thirty. Again.
Full stories on guyanadailybrief.com. Share this. Talk about it. And read a Stabroek News article while you still can.
4-MINUTE SCRIPT (~650 words)
[TITLE CARD: GUYANA DAILY BRIEF — FRIDAY FEBRUARY 13, 2026]
Happy Friday the 13th, Guyana. And boy, is today living up to the superstition.
Let’s start with the story that has the entire country talking. Stabroek News — THE Stabroek News, founded in 1986 by David and Doreen de Caires — announced today that it will cease printing on March 15th. After thirty-nine years of independent journalism, Guyana’s most respected newspaper is closing.
Chairman Brendan de Caires explained that the global collapse of print advertising made it unsustainable. Print ad revenue worldwide dropped from 110 billion dollars in 2004 to just 26 billion in 2024. More than two thousand newspapers closed in the United States alone. And now Stabroek joins that list.
Whatever your politics — PPP, PNC, or you just want everybody to leave you alone — this is a loss. Stabroek held EVERY government accountable. Their letters page was where Guyanese democracy actually happened. And it’s going away.
Now, the flooding. Georgetown was swamped yesterday. Four inches of rain in less than four hours. South Ruimveldt recorded nearly 97 millimetres. Lodge, Queenstown, Sophia, Campbellville, Sussex Street — all underwater.
The government’s response? Three ministers deployed to the field. Agriculture Minister Mustapha said drainage infrastructure held firm. Pumps activated. Sluices opened. The Chronicle backed him up.
Stabroek News had a different take: “City flooded AGAIN.” A dentist on Charlotte Street had to close their office. Businesses losing money. Regular people wading through water.
Here’s the uncomfortable truth — both sides are right. Yes, the infrastructure response was faster than it used to be. And yes, a $1.558 trillion budget should be able to prevent the capital from flooding every time it rains hard. Both things are true at the same time.
The Mohamed saga continues. SOCU released a second video showing what they say is illegal cambio activity happening at the Lombard Street enterprise — just minutes before the raid. The Bank of Guyana revoked the licence. Operating without a licence is a criminal offence. And the first video from Wednesday already showed currency exchange activity.
Mohamed’s response was predictable — he linked it to his Parliament speech about bankrolling the PPP. The Chronicle editorial wasn’t having it, pointing out that the US indictment covers 2017 to 2024, years before Mohamed entered politics.
Over in Barbados, Mia Mottley was sworn in for her third consecutive term as Prime Minister. The BLP swept all thirty seats. Again. For the third time in a row. She’s now only the second Caribbean leader to achieve that particular hat trick.
In budget news, the Committee of Supply keeps rolling. Housing Minister Croal announced $150 billion for housing in 2026. Education Minister Parag said UG applications jumped to 16,000 since free education launched. The Haags Bosch landfill is being phased out by 2029. And $2 billion is earmarked for Stabroek Market and Bourda Green rehabilitation.
But Parag is also in hot water — she used biometric attendance data to publicly shame an opposition MP’s teaching record in Parliament. A Stabroek News letter writer called it “a calculated data dump designed to silence dissent.” Kaieteur’s editorial called it a “breach of trust.” That data privacy debate isn’t going away.
Here’s something cool though — the Ariane 64 heavy rocket launched from French Guiana carrying 32 Amazon satellites. First flight of the four-booster version. Eighteen more launches are contracted. Space rockets are literally launching from the Guiana coast while we argue about drainage pumps.
And Kaieteur News reports the oil boom is draining police ranks. Officers leaving for better-paying jobs in the oil sector. You can digitise the force all you want, but if nobody wants the job, the uniforms stay empty.
That’s your Friday Brief. Read Stabroek News while you still can. Share this with somebody who cares about Guyana. And have a good Valentine’s Day weekend.
Full coverage at guyanadailybrief.com.
[END CARD: GUYANA DAILY BRIEF | guyanadailybrief.com | Subscribe]