NEWS
Scrap metal yards told to suspend operations
Scrap metal yards across Trinidad and Tobago are being told to suspend operations following the expiry of a legal order that extended the time for the industry to operate under its existing arrangements. In a public notice, the Ministry of Trade, Investment and Tourism said Legal Notice No. 381 of 2025, the Scrap Metal (Extension of Time) (No. 2) Order, 2025, expired on October 14. The ministry said the Scrap Metal Act, 2022, is now in effect and warned that the applicable regulations could result in statutory penalties and fines. It said it would work with the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) to monitor compliance and enforce the law. The ministry added that a further notice would be issued once a subsequent legal notice came into effect. The Trinidad and Tobago Scrap Iron Dealers Association had earlier advised operators to close their yards from September 15, pending the renewal or extension of the licences required to operate legally...read more
UP, UP AND AWAY...Air Guard to get $5 million for UAV Unit
THE Trinidad and Tobago Air Guard is expected to receive $5 million to establish a military Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Unit, as Government plans further investment in national security and forensic services. The figures were contained in the Public Sector Investment Programme (2027) that was published this week after the 2027 budget. The UAV Unit allocation forms part of $9.7 million earmarked for equipment and infrastructure development at the Ulric Cross Air Station in fiscal 2027. According to the report, the UAV unit is expected to enhance the Air Guard’s intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance capabilities...read more
Sparrow’s last show
Massive musical tribute, regional leaders for farewell today
A MEGA musical tribute featuring some of Trinidad and Tobago’s biggest entertainers will form the centrepiece of the farewell ceremony for legendary calypsonian The Mighty Sparrow (Slinger Francisco) today. Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar is expected to announce plans to further honour his extraordinary contribution to the nation and the Caribbean...read more
POLITICS
‘Yuk!’ Rowley fumes as Kamla, Farley claim airport credit
Former prime minister Dr Keith Rowley has accused Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar and Tobago House of Assembly Chief Secretary Farley Augustine of trying to claim credit for the new East Terminal at the ANR Robinson International Airport, despite what he described as their previous attempts to obstruct the project. In a Facebook post responding to Persad-Bissessar’s promotion of the terminal’s opening, Rowley insisted that the People’s National Movement (PNM) was responsible for building the facility. “That is why the PNM BUILT IT and you and Farley tried to obstruct it,” he wrote. “Now you trying to tief credit for it!!!!! YUK...read more
PM: Scrap iron has become organised crime
Industry closed again...
Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar has accused elements of the scrap iron industry of engaging in organised crime, declaring yesterday that operators must clean up their act and stop stealing from the State, businesses and ordinary citizens.Responding to complaints from scrap iron dealers that thousands of workers have been thrown on the breadline following another closure of the industry, Persad-Bissessar said scrap iron collectors had brought the situation upon themselves through their continued involvement in criminal activities...read more
BUSINESS
Sammy exits RFHL 3 months before new post
JUST under three months before he was scheduled to take over as president and chief executive officer of Republic Financial Holdings Ltd (RFHL), Richard Sammy has exited the financial group after 18 years. RFHL announced yesterday that Sammy had “exited” the group on Wednesday. The Express understands that Sammy neither resigned nor was terminated, but that his departure was the result of a mutual agreement between him and the organisation. On January 30, Sammy, one of three group vice-presidents appointed in 2022, had been selected to succeed Nigel Baptiste and was scheduled to take over the leadership of the organisation on January 1...read more
Howai cautious on foreign stablecoins
Central Bank Governor Larry Howai has called for a balanced and coordinated global approach to regulating crypto assets, warning that while digital assets present opportunities for greater financial inclusion, they also pose risks to financial stability, particularly for small open economies like T&T. Speaking at the 2026 World Bank Group and International Monetary Fund Annual Meetings in Bangkok, Thailand, Howai said crypto assets have rapidly moved from the fringes of finance into the mainstream, making effective regulation an urgent priority for policymakers worldwide. His remarks were delivered during a discussion on “Crypto Assets and the Global Regulatory Agenda: Balancing Inclusion, Integrity and Stability...read more
REGIONAL
UN Security Council renews Haiti sanctions amid worsening gang violence
The United Nations Security Council has renewed sanctions targeting individuals and groups threatening Haiti’s peace and security, as armed gangs continue to expand their control and illicit firearms fuel violence across the country. The council renewed the measures on Wednesday, extending the work of its Haiti sanctions committee by 13 months. The sanctions are intended to disrupt weapons supplies, restrict the movement of designated individuals and freeze assets linked to gang violence and other activities undermining Haiti’s stability...read more
Guyana ferry disaster inquiry hears emergency beacon was unregistered
Guyana’s Commission of Inquiry (COI) into the July 18 ferry disaster that left dozens dead has heard that the vessel’s emergency beacon was not registered, limiting authorities’ ability to identify it through registration records. Rickford Samaroo, director of the Air Navigation Services Department at the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), testified on Wednesday that the agency had no registration information for the beacon aboard the MV Barima...read more
INTERNATIONAL
Israeli settlers attack Palestinians in West Bank during olive harvest
The BBC has witnessed Israeli settlers attack Palestinians and set fire to olive trees in the occupied West Bank.About a dozen settlers dressed in black charged down a hill near an outpost – illegal under international law - to a field where Palestinians and activists were harvesting olives. They torched about a dozen trees and hurled stones from slingshots. Washington Post photographer Heidi Levine, who was at the scene, was taken to hospital where she told reporters she "got jumped" and described being kicked on the ground...read more
Teen shooter kills 3 children, teacher in Oregon elementary school before being shot by bystander
What we know
• The victims: Three children, aged 5, 8 and 11, and a teacher were killed in a shooting at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Oregon, on Thursday. Another child and teacher were rushed to the hospital with critical injuries...read more
16th October 2026