NEWS
Govt begins recruitment of medical professionals amid ongoing protest affecting patient care at Mt Hope
The management of the North Central Regional Health Authority (NCRHA), which is responsible for the administration of the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex (EWMSC) in Mt Hope, has begun hiring new nurses to help alleviate some of the staffing issues caused by sickout action from nurses currently in the system. Guardian Media spoke with some of the 50 new nurses who had orientation at the facility yesterday, but many of them said they did not want to speak much on the issue. They noted, however, that they were the second batch of nurses going through the orientation process this week. Other healthcare staff said while the situation at the hospital was better than it was on the weekend, when the sickout action was initiated, there still remains an issue with nurses not showing up for work. One medical staff said patients on wards where nurses did not show up for duty were being transferred to other wards with nurses to manage the situation. Read more here
Teen to be charged with murder of Golconda father
Homicide detectives have received instructions to charge a 17-year-old boy of Golconda, near San Fernando, with the offence of murder for the killing of Golconda father of two Rajkumar Pope. Detectives wrapped up the investigations and presented the case file to the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) on Wednesday. It is expected that the teenager will be taken before the court on Thursday. Pope died on March 26 - hours after he was beaten in a mini-mart where he went to purchase a loaf of bread. Read more here
POLITICS
PNM deputy leader Boodhu joins calls for campaign finance reform
Days after the Trinidad and Tobago Transparency Institute (TTTI) urged the Government to introduce campaign finance reform, People’s National Movement (PNM) deputy political leader Sanjiv Boodhu has added his voice, citing new allegations that Sangre Grande businessman Danny Guerra financed the United National Congress’s (UNC) 2025 campaign in the constituency. Guerra, previously detained under the last State of Emergency in connection with a plot to assassinate a government official, has also been linked to financing a gang. The allegations raise fresh questions about the sources of political funding and the need for transparency in campaign financing. Boodhu yesterday criticised Defence Minister Wayne Sturge for his lack of comment, describing the silence as “troubling.” Read more here
Offenders get a clean slate
Justice Minister Devesh Maharaj said the implementation of a probation system in Trinidad and Tobago will help ease overcrowding in the nation’s prisons and save millions. He said it also offers offenders the opportunity to have a clean slate and have their court records sealed, enabling them to apply for jobs and visas. He was speaking at yesterday’s Senate sitting during debate on a Bill entitled ‘An Act to amend the Probation of Offenders Act, Chap. 13:15 and for other related matters’. Read more here
BUSINESS
Lack of FTC continues to impact economy, says former chair
Calls are intensifying for the Ministry of Trade, Investment and Tourism to urgently restore the Fair Trading Commission, as economist and former chairman Dr Ronald Ramkissoon warns that continued delays are undermining the country’s business environment at a critical juncture. Ramkissoon, in an interview yesterday with Guardian Media, cautioned that the absence of a functioning commission risks eroding investor confidence and weakening the framework for fair competition, particularly at a time when T&T needs to strengthen its economic resilience. “One would have thought the incoming administration would have made it easier to do business when the regulatory environment is not being put in place. Read more here
Fair Trading Commission board soon
A threat of legal action over the absence of a functioning Fair Trading Commission has prompted Government to disclose that steps are already under way to appoint a new board, with completion expected by the end of this month. In a pre-action protocol letter issued on March 23, attorney Renuka Sagramsingh-Sooklal, acting on behalf of activist Wendell Eversley and led by Senior Counsel Stuart Young, warned the State it could face judicial review proceedings for what was described as a “continuing unlawful omission” in failing to appoint a board to the Commission. Read more here
REGIONAL
Guyana continuing advocacy for concessional financing as world bank partnership evolves
Guyana is intensifying its advocacy for continued access to concessional development financing, even as the country’s per capita income increases, Senior Minister in the Office of the President with responsibility for Finance, Dr Ashni Singh, has said. Speaking during a recent discussion on Guyana’s development partnership with the World Bank, on the National Communications Network, Dr Singh underscored that the country has long benefitted from high concessional financing through the International Development Association (IDA), the World Bank’s arm for vulnerable countries. He noted that IDA resources have played a “tremendously successful” role in financing critical social and economic investments over the years, including education, public health care, and transport infrastructural projects. Read more here
INTERNATIONAL
Trump leaves key questions unanswered as he seeks to calm nerves over Iran war
President Donald Trump's address from the White House on Wednesday evening was - despite some speculation beforehand - largely a rehash of what he has been saying for days about the Iran war. In a 20-minute primetime speech, he said the "core strategic objectives" of the US-Israeli military operation were "nearing completion" after a month of war and projected it would last another two to three weeks. There were the usual threats against Iran, too, including a repeated pledge to bomb the country "back to the stone age". If you were to copy and paste his posts on Truth Social over the last week or so, you would not be far off this address to the nation. Read more here
2nd April 2026