NEWS
Alarm over PM's statement in response to protest
Opposition Leader Pennelope Beckles has condemned the arrest of protesters outside the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), warning that citizens’ voices must not be silenced by the State. In a statement issued overnight following Wednesday’s protest in Port of Spain, Beckles opened with the words shouted by protester Alyssa Phillip moments before she was detained by police. “‘The only weapon we have are our voices. And that is the weapon that they are afraid of the most.’ These were the words of Alyssa Phillip moments before she was arrested yesterday near the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions,” Beckles stated...read more
Kaia ‘willing to return’
Woman abroad for medical treatment
Attorney Fayola Sandy says her client, Kaia Sealy, is willing to return to Trinidad and Tobago from abroad to face any legal proceedings. Sandy said yesterday that Sealy informed the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) of her willingness to co-operate days after learning through media reports that arrest warrants for murder and shooting at police had been issued against her. Sealy provided a statement when she was told she was not under investigation, and later instructed attorneys to contact the TTPS’ Legal Department after learning of the warrants through the media, Sandy told the Express via WhatsApp. “Ms Sealy has always co-operated with the TTPS,” Sandy stated...read more
Protest over Samaroo case ends in arrests, stand-off with police
Tensions flared in Port-of-Spain yesterday as a protest demanding transparency in a controversial police-involved shooting ended with the arrest of the organiser and her mother following a confrontation with officers. The protest, which began shortly after 4 pm, was organised by Alyssa Phillip and other activists who attempted to stage the demonstration opposite the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) on Richmond Street, Port-of-Spain. Demonstrators said the protest sought to raise awareness about what they described as an “injustice” against Kaia Sealy, who was shot and wounded during a police-involved shooting on January 20. Her common-law husband, Joshua Samaroo, was killed during the incident. Last week, it was reported that Sealy would be charged with Samaroo’s murder, triggering protests and social media outrage...read more
POLITICS
Gonzales: Office holders must end cloak of secrecy
Opposition Chief Whip Marvin Gonzales says his concerns surrounding the Joshua Samaroo and Kaia Sealy matter are not about the independence of the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), but about what he described as a culture of secrecy surrounding public office. Gonzales’ comments came after Samaroo’s family’s attorney, Criston J Williams, moved yesterday to clarify remarks urging the public to “trust the process.” Responding to Guardian Media yesterday, Williams rejected claims that his comments were “reprehensible” and insisted his remarks had been misunderstood. Williams stressed that although he represents the family of the late Samaroo, his position remains that the force used by police during the January 2026 shooting “was unreasonable” and resulted in Samaroo’s death and injuries to Sealy. However, speaking yesterday, Gonzales said citizens now demand greater transparency and accountability from public officials...read more
Roberts remains defiant in the face of UNC protest
Despite protest action by United National Congress (UNC) members yesterday calling on alderman Victor Roberts to resign after crossing the floor to the People’s National Movement (PNM), Roberts stood firm, declaring that he has no intention of stepping down. Bearing placards, UNC supporters marched from Irwin Park along the SS Erin Road and entered the compound of the Siparia Borough Corporation chanting, “Roberts Must Go.” A petition calling for Roberts’ resignation was handed to Siparia Mayor Doodnath Mayrhoo after supporters accused the alderman of betraying the UNC by defecting to the PNM. Rejecting claims by Roberts that he was appointed by the Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC), Mayrhoo said Roberts’ appointment as a UNC alderman was based on the recommendation of then-Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar...read more
BUSINESS
Trade Minister: Govt looking beyond energy
Trade Minister Satyakama Maharaj says the Government is laying the foundation for a major transformation of Trinidad and Tobago’s non-energy economy through stronger public-private sector coordination, investment facilitation and tourism expansion initiatives. Speaking yesterday at the Trade Ministry Diversification in Action Year One Report, at the Hyatt Regency, Port of Spain, Maharaj said the ministry had repositioned itself into “a modern institution capable of supporting national economic advancement in a more strategic, coordinated and performance-driven manner”. “It is a report on the beginning of a new framework for economic transformation, institutional alignment and national development,” he said...read more
NGC completes 100% of downstream gas contract renewals
Bearing placards, UNC supporters marched from Irwin Park along the SS Erin Road and entered the compound of the Siparia Borough Corporation chanting, “Roberts Must Go.” A petition calling for Roberts’ resignation was handed to Siparia Mayor Doodnath Mayrhoo after supporters accused the alderman of betraying the UNC by defecting to the PNM. Rejecting claims by Roberts that he was appointed by the Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC), Mayrhoo said Roberts’ appointment as a UNC alderman was based on the recommendation of then-Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar...read more
Green Fund balance reaches $12.86B in 2025
Trinidad and Tobago’s Green Fund continued to grow in the financial year 2025, with the balance reaching TT$12.86 billion as of September 30, 2025, according to the Auditor General’s Report on the Public Accounts for 2025. In 2025, the Green Fund increased by $1.09 billion, or 9.2 per cent, over the previous year. The Auditor General’s Report shows that the Fund opened the financial year with a balance of $11.78 billion. It received $1.06 billion in Green Fund levy collections and $48.2 million in interest on the cash balance. After adjustments, dishonoured cheques, and payments of $21.8 million by the Ministry of Planning and Development, the closing balance stood at $12.86 billion. The Green Fund was established under the Finance Act, 2000. Other legislative provisions that apply to the Fund include the Miscellaneous Taxes Act; the Green Fund Regulations, 2007; and the Finance Act, 2010. Its objective is to fund environmental projects implemented by NGOs and similar community groups...read more
REGIONAL
COFCOR expresses profound concern regarding measures imposed upon Cuba
The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Council for Foreign and Community Relations (COFCOR) expresses its profound concern regarding the ongoing and intensifying economic, commercial, and financial measures imposed upon the Republic of Cuba.The COFCOR reminds that the mounting hardships facing the Cuban people also seriously impact CARICOM nationals studying and living in Cuba, whose well-being remains a priority for the Community. These measures compound the trade and economic embargo imposed on Cuba for over six decades, which has had a deleterious effect on the lives and livelihoods of the Cuban people...read more
Barbados can translate strong education access into skills for the future, World Bank Group review finds
Barbados has built a solid track record of investing in education, and it has a clear opportunity to ensure that investment translates into the skills students need in the world of work, according to a World Bank Education Public Expenditure Review released today during the launch of the Barbados Education Sector Transformation program.The review finds that Barbados allocates approximately 4.9 percent of GDP to education – broadly aligned with international benchmarks, and the education budget has remained relatively stable and protected during economic shocks. This has helped the country to achieve near-universal enrollment at the primary and secondary levels...read more
INTERNATIONAL
Iran says it targeted American base after fresh US strikes
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has said it targeted an American air base in the region, after fresh US strikes on southern Iran overnight. The IRGC did not say where the base was, but Kuwait, which hosts a US base, said it had intercepted "hostile missile and drone threats". The US military said Iran had launched a ballistic missile towards Kuwait that was successfully intercepted by Kuwaiti forces, without specifying whether it was aimed at its military base. The Iranian missile launch came after the US shot down Iranian drones over the Strait of Hormuz and struck a military site in Bandar Abbas, a strategic port city in southern Iran. The renewed hostilities threaten a fragile ceasefire between Washington and Tehran...read more
US justice department launches criminal investigation into Trump accuser E Jean Carroll, reports say
The US Department of Justice (DOJ) has opened a criminal investigation into writer E Jean Carroll, who accused President Donald Trump of sexual assault, CBS News, the BBC's US partner, has reported. The investigation is looking into whether Carroll committed perjury in connection with civil cases she brought against Trump, the news outlet quotes sources as saying. Carroll, a former magazine columnist, accused Trump of sexual assault and defamation, and successfully sued him in two cases. Both judgements were upheld on appeal, but Trump has since asked the Supreme Court to overturn the first of them...read more
28th May 2026