NEWS
TTPS sources, Opposition caught off guard by AG’s revelation of national security incident
Security personnel assigned to the Parliament, as well as intelligence officers within the T&T Police Service, say they are in the dark concerning any threats against Government MPs or ministers. Speaking under the condition of anonymity yesterday, security officials who deal with the protection of the Parliament said they were only made aware of supposed threats after the disclosure was made by Attorney General John Jeremie and was subsequently aired and published by the media. During the debate on a bill to provide for a parole system on Wednesday, Jeremie revealed that a national security incident sparked by a Belmont gang member last Friday, had triggered a higher degree of protection of MPs in Parliament and certain Government officials had to be given additional protection. Read more here
Search intensifies for missing Angelo
Members of the Hunters Search and Rescue Team (HSRT) have joined the search in Tobago for missing toddler Angelo Tobias Plaza. The group arrived in Tobago on Wednesday night and met with the Tobago Emergency Management Agency (TEMA) prior to conducting searches. HSRT leader Vallence Rambharat told the Express yesterday that their aim is to get closure for the family. Read more here
POLITICS
PNM takes issue with composition of LandmarkTT board
State entity LandmarkTT Properties Limited is facing fresh controversy, this time not over the awarding of contracts but growing scrutiny surrounding the composition of its board. The company, which is under investigation by the Office of Procurement Regulation (OPR) over the procurement process used for a $100 million contract tied to the Allamby Residential Development project in Corinth, San Fernando, is headed by CEO Nischall Poona. Several social media posts have alleged that Poona and his wife, Samantha Singh Poona, who serves as deputy chair of the North Central Regional Health Authority (NCRHA), are close friends of Minister of Land and Legal Affairs Saddam Hosein. Additional claims have also surfaced alleging that another member of the LandmarkTT board is related to a member of Hosein’s staff. Read more here
‘Lies and deception to extend SoE’
The gang threat against members of Parliament last Friday was nothing more than a “grand deception” by the Government aimed at paving the way for another state of emergency (SoE). So said Opposition Chief Whip Marvin Gonzales yesterday, during a news conference at the Office of the Leader of the Opposition, Charles Street, Port of Spain. The Opposition Member of Parliament for Arouca/Lopinot was commenting on a statement made by Attorney General John Jeremie during Wednesday’s sitting of the House of Representatives, in which he referred to a “national security incident” last Friday. Read more here
BUSINESS
With rainy reason here, engineers say: Save us from floods, traffic
As the country enters into what is forecast to be a heavy rainy season, experts warn that commuters and businesses may once again shoulder the consequences of unresolved transport and drainage failures—conditions that routinely give rise to flooding, crippling traffic congestion and millions of dollars in economic losses. Sustainable transport advocate Dr Trevor Townsend and civil engineer Fazir Khan who spoke to the Business Guardian at a conference on Tuesday hosted by the Association of Professional Engineers of T&T (APETT) under the theme “Engineering Our Future: Sustainable, Smart, Resilient,” said the heavy price for poor planning, weak institutional oversight and inconsistent maintenance have become most visible when the rains begin. Read more here
Brown appointed CEO of Atlantic LNG
ATLANTIC LNG Company of Trinidad and Tobago has appointed former bp executive Donnie Brown as its new chief executive officer. He replaces Jean Andre Celestain, who was appointed Atlantic’s CEO on October 1, 2024. Brown joins Atlantic from bp, where he most recently served as senior vice-president for Safety and Operational Risk Assurance. “He brings over three decades of experience across both upstream and downstream oil and gas operations, with a strong track record in operational excellence and leadership in complex industrial environments,” a release from Atlantic has stated. Read more here
REGIONAL
All set for three-day Guyana Festival
THE curtain is set to rise at the highly anticipated Guyana Festival later today, at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence. This publication visited the location on Thursday and observed that the final preparations were underway for the premier Independence celebration that is set to showcase Guyana’s ethnic and cultural history, telling the story of the nation’s unprecedented transformation. Read more here
INTERNATIONAL
Trump and Xi conclude 'very successful' talks but no deals announced
US President Donald Trump left Beijing after a two-day summit saying he had struck "fantastic trade deals, great for both countries", but few details have emerged on what the two superpowers agreed. Trump arrived for a high-stakes summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Wednesday, accompanied by several CEOs: a high-profile business delegation spanning agriculture, aviation, electric vehicles and artificial intelligence (AI) chips. Trade was near the top of the agenda despite recent tensions over the Iran war, and businesses hoped for key deals as well as an extension of the tariff truce that is due to expire in November. Read more here
15th May 2026