NEWS
Heritage resignation pushes State board departures to 24
In the wake of Heritage Petroleum Company Ltd chairman Kurt Ramlal’s resignation, one of the energy company’s dismissed directors, Romel Lalloo, says the Government is “imploding”, with several directors and senior officials departing State boards in recent months. “The Government doesn’t investigate itself. So there is a need for a whole change...a whole mindset as to the way things are happening. The Government is imploding in itself because it’s failing to do what is right,” Lalloo said. Lalloo said removing and replacing directors and chief executive officers had not solved the problems facing State enterprises. “They are hoping that things get better, but it’s not happening. It’s getting worse,” said Lalloo, whose stint at Heritage Petroleum ended after he was dismissed from the board.The former director called on Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar to “take the bull by its horns”. “She needs to put in place some legislative policies to manage State enterprises with a much more stringent measure,” he said...read more
Mother of 12, living in roadside stall, appeals for help
The 34-year-old single mother has turned a roadside vegetable stall along the Naparima-Mayaro Road in Princes Town into a home for herself and her children, making the most of the little space she has while working every day to keep her family going. Her two eldest children, aged 18 and 16, are boys, while the others, ranging from 13 to one, are girls. Since the children’s father was murdered exactly one year ago today, she has been providing for them on her own. The small plywood structure they call home is a single room, with the stall, kitchen and sleeping area all packed into one space. Battered by rain and time, the wood is decaying, and when it rains, the inside of the home sometimes gets wet. They sleep on three mattresses in the cramped space on the floor. There is no running water or electricity. When they need to use the bathroom, they have to go to their grandmother’s home a few houses away...read more
Father of four found dead at Pigeon Point beach
The body of a 45-year-old man was found floating at Pigeon Point beach around midday yesterday. The deceased has been identified as Ravi Seelochan, who lived with his former in-laws at Store Bay Local Road, Tobago. Videos posted on social media showed a lifeguard jumping from a jet ski to retrieve the body. According to reports, the father of four was last seen heavily intoxicated while liming at No Man’s Land on Saturday. His former mother-in-law, Pamela Kissoon, told Guardian Media that Seelochan was a very kind and loving person. However, she said he had a drinking problem, which contributed to his separation from her daughter. Despite the issue, she stressed that Seelochan was always respectful to the family...read more
POLITICS
Hazel wants chairman job...MP’s mom bids to restore peace in Sando East
Former government minister Hazel Manning is offering herself as a candidate for chairman of the People’s National Movement’s (PNM) San Fernando East constituency, hinting she wants to help restore peace amid growing internal tensions. In a statement on Saturday, which was shared on Facebook by her son, San Fernando East MP Brian Manning, she said, “Given the circumstances and following countless phone calls, in the interest of bringing peace to the constituency, tonight I formally agree to offer myself to serve in the position of chairman of the San Fernando East constituency.” Her decision comes amid an ongoing dispute within the constituency, which escalated after her son publicly raised concerns about its executive and chairman Patricia Alexis...read more
BUSINESS
Angostura battle over $984m CLF claim
Shareholders of Angostura Holdings Limited are being urged to vote against the re-election of a director, with a draft letter to shareholders putting the company’s nearly $1 billion claim against CL Financial Limited at the centre of a corporate governance battle ahead of Wednesday’s Annual General Meeting (AGM). The director, who is seeking re-election, declined to comment when contacted by Guardian Media, saying she was doing so on the advice of her legal counsel. Angostura shareholder and minority shareholder advocate Peter Permell is urging shareholders to reject her return to the board. Guardian Media obtained the draft letter, which is to be sent to shareholders today, ahead of the August 26 AGM. The letter recommends that shareholders vote against Resolution No. 4, which concerns the director’s re-election, citing her professional links to CL Financial and entities connected to the group as Angostura fights to recover approximately TT$984 million from CL Financial...read more
REGIONAL
Cayman Islands – US stakeholders advances insurance regulatory
EORGE TOWN, Cayman Islands – Cayman Islands premier and minister for financial services and commerce, André M. Ebanks MP, reinforced the Cayman Islands’ commitment to strong insurance supervision and international regulatory cooperation during recent engagements with insurance and reinsurance stakeholders in the United States. At the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) 2026 Summer National Meeting in Columbus, Ohio last week, the premier led a Cayman Islands delegation that met with state regulators and other international stakeholders. The meetings covered developments in the insurance and reinsurance sectors, cross-border regulatory cooperation and the Cayman Islands’ recently submitted application for Qualified Jurisdiction Status (QJS)...read more
St Lucia to host major regional meeting on energy efficiency in buildings
CASTRIES, St Lucia – Saint Lucia is set to host the CARICOM Regional Energy Efficiency Building Code (CREEBC) face-to-face meeting from 31 August – 3 September 2026, at the Harbor Club Conference Room. This important four-day event will bring together engineering and construction experts, energy efficiency consultants, and key stakeholders from across the CARICOM region. Participants will include representatives from the CARICOM Regional Organisation for Standards and Quality (CROSQ), Caribbean Centre of Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency (CCREEE), the Deloitte Team (India), World Bank, the Saint Lucia Bureau of Standards (SLBS) and national standards bodies from CARICOM member states...read more
INTERNATIONAL
Iran’s currency drops to record low against dollar as US set to unveil ‘economic D-Day’
• Economic pressure: Iran’s currency has dropped to a record low against the dollar, as the US moves to tighten the economic screws on Tehran. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is expected to reveal details of the administration’s sanctions plans later today on a country which has so far been numb to economic pain...read more
Russia likely to mobilize at least 300,000 more troops to Ukraine war, Zelensky warns
Russia is likely to mobilize another 300,000 troops later this year, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, as it tries to complete the capture of a long-coveted region of east Ukraine. In wide-ranging remarks released Sunday, Zelensky said he expected that the Russians would end the year occupying the same amount of Ukrainian territory as at the beginning of the year, despite enormous losses of manpower. “Russia has lost 267,000 personnel since the start of the year, including around 155,000 killed to date,” Zelensky claimed...read more
24th August 2026