TTMA IN THE NEWS
TTMA launches trade mission to Guyana, Suriname
The Trinidad and Tobago Manufacturers’ Association (TTMA) yesterday officially launched its trade mission to Guyana and Suriname. Led by TTMA president Dale Parson, the mission includes a delegation of 32 companies and 50 participants representing a diverse range of sectors and interests. The mission is scheduled to conclude on Thursday. Read more here
NEWS
Golconda man tied, robbed as bandits come to kill son
A Golconda man was tied and robbed by two assailants who broke into his home to kill his son. The 77-year-old man told police he was downstairs around 2 pm on June 8 when two men entered the house enquiring about his son, saying they were there to kill him. The man told the invaders his son was not at home and he did not know where he was. The elderly man said the assailants then took him upstairs, tied his hands with a piece of cloth and robbed him of $1,200 before running away. Officers of the Ste Madeleine Police Station responded but could not find the suspects after searching the area. Read more here
Appeal Court clears way for $20M payout to 9 men in Naipaul-Coolman lawsuit
Unless the Attorney General takes the matter to the Privy Council, three Appeal Court judges yesterday cleared the way for nine men freed of the murder of businesswoman Vindra Naipaul-Coolman to collect a $20 million payout. Justices of Appeal Nolan Bereaux, Mark Mohammed and Ronnie Boodoosingh found that the nine men freed of murdering Naipaul-Coolman—Shervon and Devon Peters, Anthony Gloster, Joel Fraser, Ronald Armstrong, Keida and Jameel Garcia, Marlon Trimmingham and Antonio Charles - should be awarded the already agreed-upon sum, which would be the largest payout by the state in a lawsuit. On January 30, 2023, High Court Master Martha Alexander assessed the damages for the nine men and found that each should be given $2.1 million in a default judgment. The amount did not include legal costs. Read more here
POLITICS
Trinidad and Tobago, Venezuela agree to open diplomatic channels
Foreign and Caricom Affairs Minister Sean Sobers and Venezuelan Ambassador to TT Alvaro Sanchez Cordero, on June 9, held discussions on several bilateral matters, including one which has caused tension between both countries. Sobers and Cordero met at the Foreign and Caricom Affairs Ministry's headquarters at Tower C of the Port of Spain International Waterfront Centre on June 9. A statement issued by the ministry on that day said Sanchez Cordero paid a courtesy call on Sobers. Read more here
Govt rejects Amery’s offer to help in impasse with Maduro regime
Former Foreign and Caricom Affairs minister Amery Browne has reached out to the ministry to offer his help in settling the current diplomatic issue with Venezuela—but current Foreign and Caricom Affairs Minister Sean Sober says it is not Browne’s place. Sobers responded after Browne and Opposition Leader Pennelope Beckles spoke about the issue at a media conference at the Office of the Opposition Leader in Port-of-Spain. Their statements concerned Venezuela’s claims of a T&T national being among mercenaries caught entering that country from T&T and Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar’s subsequent warning to Venezuela that T&T is “off-limits” and that deadly force would be employed on unidentified vessels trying to enter our waters illegally. Read more here
BUSINESS
Lara’s name stays, but cricket legend does not endorse Medcorp IPO
Private sector healthcare provider, Medcorp, and legendary batsman Brian Lara yesterday said the name of The Brian Lara Cancer Treatment Centre has not changed. The statement came in a news release yesterday, one day after the Sunday Guardian published a photograph, taken on Saturday, which showed that Brian Lara’s name had been removed from the cancer treatment centre. The Sunday Guardian quoted Lara as saying his legal team had sent a letter to the Medcorp board of directors. Asked if he wished to have his name removed from the cancer treatment centre, Lara told the Sunday Guardian, “No, that is not the case. It’s a situation where we sent them a letter, and they have to respond. Until then, I prefer to have no comment. We wait for their response.” Read more here
Bidaisee new UDeCOTT chair
Attorney Shankar Bidaisee has been appointed chairman of the Urban Development Corporation of Trinidad and Tobago (UDeCOTT), the State agency responsible for overseeing major infrastructure projects in the country. Bidaisee previously served on UDeCOTT’s board from 2010 to 2015, during a period when the current Minister of Works and Infrastructure, Jearlean John, was the agency’s chair. “UDeCOTT is poised to play a pivotal role in the country’s infrastructural development and can be a powerful force for transformation as Trinidad and Tobago pivots toward economic diversification. I encourage the board to remain resolute and people-focused in the delivery of results that reflect UDeCOTT’s guiding principle: ‘Signed. Sealed. Delivered,” John stated during the official presentation of the instruments of appointment yesterday. Read more here
REGIONAL
‘Your gov’t has invested in you so you could enjoy a brighter future’
As the latest batch of Guyana Online Academy of Learning (GOAL) scholars were conferred with their degrees, President, Dr. Irfaan Ali affirmed that the government has made this investment so as to ensure that Guyanese will have a brighter future. The Head of State was, at the time, delivering the keynote address during GOAL’s third graduation ceremony, during which some 580 persons were conferred with Master’s Degrees from 10 universities.
“Your government has invested in you so that you will be successful. Your government has invested in you so that you will have a brighter future. Your government has invested in you so that you can have this proud moment today where you will all be earning master’s degrees in different fields, so that you can lift this country up and take this country forward,” President Ali declared. He said that it was a proud moment for the nation, as it was not only a celebration of personal achievements but also the strengthening of Guyana’s future as the graduates represent a new addition to Guyana’s growing pool of qualified, capable, skilled men and women. Read more here
INTERNATIONAL
Greta Thunberg deported, Israel says, after Gaza aid boat intercepted
Israel says it has deported Swedish campaigner Greta Thunberg, a day after the Gaza-bound aid boat she and 11 other people were on was intercepted by Israeli forces in the Mediterranean. Thunberg departed Tel Aviv on Tuesday morning on a flight to France after she agreed to be deported, the Israeli foreign ministry said. France said five of the six French citizens detained alongside her had refused to sign their deportation orders and would now be subject to judicial proceedings. Their yacht, the Madleen, was intercepted while they tried to deliver a "symbolic" amount of aid to Gaza in defiance of Israel's maritime blockade and highlight the humanitarian crisis there. Read more here
10th June 2025