NEWS
Health scare in Central as roadside vendor nabbed selling potatoes salvaged from dump
A roadside vendor operating at Endeavour, Chaguanas, has been arrested and charged, after admitting to selling sacks of potatoes he retrieved from the Claxton Bay landfill. The arrest took place on Wednesday along Narsaloo Ramaya Road, near Price Plaza, where officers from the Chaguanas Municipal Police detained the 35-year-old vendor. During questioning, he reportedly confessed that the potatoes had been salvaged directly from the dump. Authorities confirmed that the man has since been charged and is expected to appear before the Chaguanas Magistrate’s Court today. He has been charged with littering and illegal pitching of a tent. However, more charges are expected pending the results of tests conducted by public health officials. Chaguanas Mayor Faaiq Mohammed yesterday expressed grave concern over the discovery, warning residents to immediately discard any potatoes purchased from the vendor. Read more here
Teen rises above tragedy
Nine years after losing her father at the hands of armed criminals, 13-year-old Lauralee Basdeo has refused to let the trials of life define her. Basdeo was only four years old when her father was murdered in a shooting in central Trinidad. She spent most of her life being cared for by a family who took her in after his death. Within the last few years, she has lost most of them to illness. Now living with her mother again, one of only two surviving relatives, Basdeo has since faced an uphill battle, pushing against the odds to make something of herself. Read more here
POLITICS
Sobers: T&T’s UN Security Council seat a sign of Caricom’s strong ties
Foreign and Caricom Affairs Minister Sean Sobers says Trinidad and Tobago’s successful election to a non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council demonstrates the strength of the country’s relationship with Caricom, despite recent diplomatic disagreements over its governance and the reappointment of Secretary General Dr Carla Barnett. Speaking with Guardian Media following Wednesday’s election at the United Nations General Assembly, Sobers said the overwhelming support received from Caricom member states underscored the Government’s continued commitment to the regional integration movement. Trinidad and Tobago secured 181 votes, comfortably surpassing the required two-thirds majority of UN member states. Having run unopposed for the sole seat allocated to the Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC), the country will begin its term on January 1, 2027. Read more here
Gonzales: PNM ready to fight SoE in court
The Opposition PNM is preparing to challenge any further extension of the state of emergency (SoE) in the courts, former minister of national security and Member of Parliament for Arouca/Lopinot Marvin Gonzales has said. Speaking at a PNM public meeting at the Croisée in San Juan on Wednesday evening, he said the Opposition intended to file a constitutional motion if the UNC Government proceeds with plans to seek another extension of the emergency measures. According to Gonzales, the Government has already signalled its intention to return to Parliament to extend the SoE, and the Opposition was prepared to respond through legal action. Read more here
BUSINESS
Massy names Hylton chairman-designate
PATRICK HYLTON has been appointed chairman-designate of Massy Holdings Ltd, effective June 1. Massy said its current chairman, Robert Riley, will continue to lead the board, exercising all the powers, duties and responsibilities of the office. Riley was elected chairman of Massy Holdings on May 12, 2023. Massy said Hylton’s appointment forms part of the board’s succession-planning process and reflects its commitment to “strong governance, leadership continuity, and the orderly transition of board leadership over the long term”. Read more here
REGIONAL
‘Our oil wealth is a down payment on our children’s future’
PRESIDENT Dr. Irfaan Ali has said that Guyana is deliberately using its growing oil revenues to secure long-term national transformation, insisting that the country is proving that petroleum wealth can be a catalyst for sustainable development rather than a source of economic instability. In an interview with the Dominican Republic’s energy-focused publication Energía e Hidrocarburos Plus (EH+), President Ali described the country’s oil revenues as “national seed capital” that is being invested to create opportunities for future generations. “We are defying the so-called “oil curse” by ensuring that our oil wealth is a down payment on our children’s future, not a lottery ticket for today,” he said, adding: “The Natural Resource Fund is our fortress of fiscal responsibility, ensuring that this fund finances and secures the permanent transformation of our nation. We are also modernising and diversifying our economy to guard against dependence on any one or small band of sectors.” Read more here
INTERNATIONAL
Zelensky proposes face-to-face talks in open letter to Putin
Volodymyr Zelensky has called for a face-to-face meeting between himself and Vladimir Putin in a renewed bid to end the war. In an open letter to the Russian president, the Ukrainian leader said it would be "wrong to simply wait" until the war in Europe becomes the focus of the US's attention once more, adding peace could only come "through direct engagement between" Ukraine and Russia. He also called for a full ceasefire for the duration of proposed negotiations - something Putin ruled out earlier on Thursday. US President Donald Trump said on Thursday he thought "it would be great" if the two leaders met. Read more here
5th June 2026