NEWS
Paria stays in diver's workmen compensation claim
AN application by state-owned Paria Fuel Trading Co Ltd to be removed from a workmen’s compensation claim filed by the widow of one of the divers killed in the 2022 Paria tragedy was dismissed by the High Court on November 18. High Court Master Wrenerson Lochan ruled that a request by Land and Marine Contracting Services Ltd (LMCS) to add Paria as a party to the claim was proper. He held that serious issues remained to be tried between LMCS – the divers’ employer – and Paria, making Paria’s inclusion necessary. Lochan said he would next hear submissions on whether the proceedings should be stayed and whether LMCS’s insurer should be joined. Lochan also ordered Paria to pay LMCS’s legal costs for the application, which arose out of the claim filed by Celisha Kurban, widow of diver Fyzal Kurban. Read more here
Promoters Association to meet with Culture Minister tomorrow
The Trinidad and Tobago Promoters Association has secured a meeting with Minister of Culture and Community Development Michelle Benjamin tomorrow at a time and location that has not yet been disclosed. This meeting comes in the wake of Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar’s announcement that major sporting facilities—including the Brian Lara Cricket Academy (BLCA), the Hasely Crawford Stadium, and the Jean Pierre Complex—will no longer be available for fetes as part of a wider crackdown on noise pollution. Her announcement has landed just months before Carnival 2026 (February 16 and 17), with many promoters having already booked events at these venues. Promoters who spoke to Guardian Media expressed concern about the timing of the new policy. While they support efforts to reduce noise pollution, they say the restrictions could have been implemented for Carnival 2027, given the short timeline leading into the upcoming season. Read more here
POLITICS
Minister hails US ships for halting arms and drug traffickers
Homeland Security Minister Roger Alexander says the presence of US warships and marines in this country’s territorial waters and the wider region has stopped gun and illegal drug traffickers in their tracks — something he says he is grateful for. “The presence of the United States in international waters continues to benefit the people of Trinidad and Tobago, because now persons are hesitating. There is great hesitation in persons bringing in guns, illegal drugs and performing this act of human trafficking. That much I can tell you. I continue to shower praise on them. Our borders were very porous over the years, and we have some friends or partners with us, that is assisting with that,” he said yesterday outside the Immigration Detention Centre in Aripo. His praise for the US followed similar commendation from both the Prime Minister and the Commissioner of Police, who credited US military action against suspected narco-traffickers in the region with a decrease in the trafficking of illegal guns and drugs, as well as a reduction in serious crime in Trinidad and Tobago. Read more here
BUSINESS
Address Nutrien fallout more robustly
When NUTRIEN last month shut down its Trinidad operations, at least 600 workers were sent home. The company, a global chemicals producer, had been operating at the Point Lisas industrial estate for almost three decades. It had been a major foreign exchange generator. By any standard, the shuttering was dismaying. Yet, Gerald Ramdeen has found a silver lining. In an interview on November 17, the National Gas Company (NGC) chairman said other producers at the Point Lisas estate are reaping rewards. “The redistribution as a result of the decision made by Nutrien has augured to the great benefit of all,” he claimed. “Almost all of the plants on the Point Lisas Estate, as a result of the redistribution of gas, have been exceeding their daily contractual quantity. Every molecule that you can give to a plant on the Point Lisas Industrial Estate, they are delighted to accept it.” Read more here
Container homes, low-cost options gaining traction
While most new house listings have left many low- and middle-income earners despairing that their dream of home ownership may be a far-fetched reality, a niche market has emerged which may have given them new hope. In the face of consistent listings with price ranges starting from $1 million, several low-cost, nontraditional housing options have emerged in the past two years. This has given many the option to own a three-bedroom home for as little as 25 per cent of the cost of the average new home. Tiny Spaces TT, Chefpro Megastore, and Kence Containers are some of the names that emerged, advertising container and prefab homes for as little as $50,000. In the case of Tiny Spaces, the company was created in direct response to the situation in the housing market. Read more here
REGIONAL
President Ali slams Justice Persaud’s ruling in Mohamed’s tax case
President Irfaan Ali on Wednesday criticised Justice Gino Persaud’s recent ruling that barred the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) from imposing post-clearance taxes in the luxury-vehicle case involving United States (U.S) indicted Azruddin Mohamed, arguing that such audits are lawful, essential and long-established within the customs system. Weighing in on the recent ruling by Justice Persaud in the luxury vehicle tax case involving the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA), President Ali during a live broadcast said post-clearance audits and assessments are not novel processes but are crucial to the country’s customs architecture. In this context GRA’s active step to enhance its capacity to verify the accuracy of declaration after good surpass the port of entry, is an approach endorsed by the World Customs Organization. Read more here
INTERNATIONAL
US military officials in Kyiv as Europe warns against reported Russia peace plan
Senior Pentagon officials have arrived in Ukraine to "discuss efforts to end the war" with Russia, the US military has said. The team, led by US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, held talks with Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko on Thursday morning. They are expected to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky later in the day. Reports began surfacing on Wednesday that the US and Russia had prepared a new proposed framework to end the war, requiring major concessions from Ukraine including giving up territory and dramatically shrinking its military. It was reportedly drafted by President Donald Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff and Russian special envoy Kirill Dmitriev. Read more here
20th November 2025