NEWS
T&T delegation delays trip to Venezuela after earthquake tragedy, Moonilal says
A planned Government delegation to Venezuela for energy talks is expected to be delayed following the recent 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude earthquake tragedies in that country. Energy and Energy Industries Minister Dr Roodal Moonilal said preparations for the visit remain under review as the Government assesses developments in Venezuela following the earthquakes, which caused loss of life and widespread disruption to infrastructure and essential services. The disaster has triggered emergency response operations and renewed regional attention on the stability of ongoing diplomatic and technical engagements with Caracas. The timing of the proposed mission is also unfolding against the backdrop of earlier tensions in energy relations between T&T and Venezuela, which affected momentum on aspects of cross-border cooperation and upstream energy discussions in recent months. Despite this, both countries have maintained technical and diplomatic contact on energy-related matters. Read more here
POLITICS
PNM constituency elections start today, end on July 31
The PNM's General Council on Monday put systems in place for the party's constituency elections to begin today (Wednesday) and continue in the 41 constituencies until July 31. To vote in the party elections, the PNM's General Council has waived any outstanding membership fees from April 2024 to June 2025 and mandated that members pay dues for July 2025 to June 2026. This was confirmed at Monday's special General Council meeting at Balisier House. Motions were approved to put systems in place for holding the internal polls. Membership dues are $10 per month. One motion stated that the last party group elections were held from May to June 2024, when members were required to pay dues up to the end of the first quarter of 2024. It noted that membership dues remained outstanding from the second quarter of 2024 to the end of the second quarter of 2025. Read more here
BUSINESS
Chicken shortage exposes structural weaknesses in poultry industry
The chicken shortage affecting poultry depots across Trinidad and Tobago has exposed deeper structural weaknesses in the country’s poultry industry, with agricultural analyst Dr Donny Rogers blaming overreliance on imported broiler eggs and agriculture consultant Riyadh Mohammed warning of long-standing financial, regulatory and supply-chain vulnerabilities. In a post on Saturday, Rogers said, “We have and continue to be careless in our reliance on imports as base inputs in our agricultural sector, and by extension, local food production. The issue we are facing locally stems from large processors placing focus on profits rather than developmental spending, as all our broiler chicks come from imported eggs.” Read more here
REGIONAL
Gov’t plans full digitisation of Lands and Surveys Commission –President Ali announces
THE government will fully digitise the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission (GLSC) within the next four years, President Dr Irfaan Ali has announced, describing the agency as the “intersector” on which virtually every major development project in the country depends on. Speaking at the 25th Anniversary and Awards Ceremony of the GLSC on Tuesday, President Ali said the commission is being deliberately reshaped into a system-based, people-centred and service-led institution, with modern technology at the core of its operations. “The objective in the next four years is to deliver an agency that is fully digitised, and one in which we will fully implement the most advanced technology to help our work here in every department, in every aspect of our work, and that is critical as we advance the work of the commission,” he said. Read more here
INTERNATIONAL
Trump made more than $1bn from crypto in first year back in office
US President Donald Trump made more than $1bn (£750m) last year from business dealings in cryptocurrency, according to his mandatory financial report for 2025. In a 927-page disclosure, he reported $635m in royalties from an entity called Celebration Coins, thought to be behind the $TRUMP meme coin which has plunged in value since he launched it days before taking office. He also reported over $500m in income from World Liberty Financial, a cryptocurrency firm founded by his own sons and the children of his special envoy, Steve Witkoff. Read more here
1st July 2026