NEWS
Chinese celebrate New Year Community wants greater national recognition
One Chinese community is calling for greater national recognition of its contribution to T&T. The appeal came from the Sun Wai Association as it marked the New Year at a cultural celebration in Point-a-Pierre yesterday. The association hosted its annual Chinese New Year and Spring Festival event at St Peter’s Private Primary School, where members said the country’s Chinese heritage deserved wider visibility and official acknowledgement. Association committee member Candice Lee-Ha said the group was working to broaden public understanding of Chinese culture beyond food and commercial stereotypes. “We are trying to see if we can get some lantern festivals and integrate other Chinese events, and we have had some conversations about that,” Lee-Ha told Guardian Media. Read more here
POLITICS
Farley apologises to Tobagonians over ferry crisis; weighs compensation to business owners
Chief Secretary Farley Augustine says Tobagonians’ patience is “rightfully running out” as the crisis on the ferry service deepens and is now a matter of serious concern. He made the comment yesterday, as he referred to an appeal he had made on February 2 for the public to have “grace and patience” amid the transition from the Cabo Star to the MV Blue Wave Harmony. “I asked for patience because the Blue Wave Harmony came and there were some accidents and incidents with the ramp, accidents along the jetty, and rightfully, Tobago, your patience is running out. It is understandable people’s patience and anxiety is being worked up,” Augustine said during a virtual media conference. Read more here
PM heads to Caricom meeting in St Kitts
Prime Minsiter Kamla Persad-Bissessar will be attending the 50th Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of Caricom this week in St Kitts and Nevis, where she will engage with regional counterparts, and also meet senior officials from the United States administration. The meeting runs from February 24–27 under the theme “Beyond Words: Action Today for a Thriving, Sustainable Caricom”. It will be chaired by Caricom chairman Dr Terrance Drew, Prime Minister of Saint Kitts and Nevis. Read more here
BUSINESS
Inflation at 0.7% in January
The rate of inflation for January 2026 was 0.7%. The inflation rate measures the percentage change in the All Items Index for the month of January 2026 over January 2025, The 0.7% recorded represents an increase from 0.4% for the previous period (December 2025/December 2024), the Central Statistical Office (CSO) said in a release on Friday. The inflation rate for the comparative period (January 2025/January 2024) was 0.7%. Read more here
REGIONAL
‘Our republic is strong, prosperous, respected’
ON the eve of Guyana’s 56th Republic Anniversary, the nation stood poised between reflection and celebration, as President, Dr Irfaan Ali declared that the country is now “strong, secure, prosperous and respected,” no longer a quiet footnote in international affairs but a recognised leader in climate action and sustainable development. On the lawns of the Public Buildings, military bands delivered stirring renditions of patriotic tunes, their brass and melodies echoing through the night air as ranks of uniformed officers moved in disciplined synchrony. Precision drills and ceremonial marches underscored the strength and security President Ali spoke of in his national address, offering a visual testament to the country’s resilience and sovereignty. Read more here
INTERNATIONAL
Zelensky tells BBC Putin has started WW3 and must be stopped
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky continues to send out a firm message of defiance. When we met this weekend in the government headquarters in Kyiv, he said that far from losing, Ukraine would end the war victorious. He was firmly against paying the price for a ceasefire deal demanded by President Vladimir Putin, which is withdrawing from strategic ground that Russia has failed to capture despite sacrificing tens of thousands of soldiers. Putin, Zelensky told me, has already started World War Three, and the only answer was intense military and economic pressure to force him to step back. "I believe that Putin has already started it. The question is how much territory he will be able to seize and how to stop him... Russia wants to impose on the world a different way of life and change the lives people have chosen for themselves." Read more here
23rd February 2026