NEWS
PARADE GOES ON!
Minister Sturge says Independence Day event will be staged despite recent nationwide bomb threats
Defence Minister Wayne Sturge has confirmed that this year’s Independence Day Parade will proceed as planned despite a series of bomb threats that placed security agencies across Trinidad and Tobago on high alert on Wednesday. The Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) and Trinidad and Tobago Fire Service (TTFS) responded to 11 bomb threats across the country, including threats targeting eight magistrates’ courts from Sangre Grande to Point Fortin, Valpark Plaza, the Ministry of Rural Development and Local Government in Port-of-Spain, and the Judicial Complex in Bacolet, Tobago. The threats were received between 1 pm and 1.40 pm and triggered an immediate emergency response from both agencies. Asked yesterday whether the parade would still take place in light of the incidents and the ongoing State of Emergency, Sturge replied: “Yes.” The minister also dismissed concerns that the relocation of this year’s parade to the northern end of the Queen’s Park Savannah could damage the environmentally sensitive area...read more
Two autopsies done on dancer's body
The cause of death of 18-year-old dancer and student Jedda Beharry remains undetermined following a post-mortem examination on Wednesday. Blood and other samples were submitted to the Forensic Science Centre for further analysis, while toxicology results are still pending. A senior police officer told the Express on Thursday that foul play is not suspected at this stage of the investigation. Beharry’s body was released to her family, and according to a police source, they had a private post mortem done at a funeral home with the results pending in two weeks. Her funeral is scheduled to take place on Friday at the Pointe-a-Pierre Golf Club from 11 a.m., followed by a burial at the Lumsden Public Cemetery in Gasparillo...read more
Bassant, Kissoon win CBU awards
‘Express’ journalists recognised in region...
TWO veteran journalists with the Express were among the Caribbean journalists recognised at the 37th Caribbean Broadcasting Union (CBU) Media Awards in Georgetown, Guyana, on Wednesday night, with CCN journalists also receiving special mentions. Senior multimedia investigative journalist Mark Bassant won the award for Best Print Item for his investigative report “The $440 Million LifeSport Rip-Off”, published by the Express. Bassant, an award-winning investigative journalist with CCN TV6, is known for his reporting on corruption, crime and other issues of public interest...read more
POLITICS
Ministers, MPs named for failing to file integrity declarations
Dozens of current and former parliamentarians, including Cabinet ministers, Opposition MPs and independent senators, have been named by the Integrity Commission for failing to file declarations of their income, assets, liabilities and registrable interests.Among those listed are Defence Minister Wayne Sturge, Housing Minister David Lee, Rural Development and Local Government Minister Khadijah Ameen and Foreign and Caricom Affairs Minister Sean Sobers. The list also includes Opposition Chief Whip Marvin Gonzales and PNM MPs Keith Scotland, Symon de Nobriga, Brian Manning, senators Dr Amery Browne and Foster Cummings and former MP Shamfa Cudjoe-Lewis, along with several independent senators...read more
Marvin: Don’t go public
PNM chairman warns after Sando East MP raises issues...
PEOPLE’S National Movement (PNM) chairman Marvin Gonzales has warned that the party will not engage in public exchanges over internal disputes involving its members. That warning followed concerns raised publicly by PNM Member of Parliament Brian Manning on his Facebook page on Wednesday, which Manning said the party had failed to address. Gonzales said in a news release yesterday said that the party had taken note of Manning’s statement concerning matters within the San Fernando East constituency, for which he serves as MP, and executive...read more
BUSINESS
CBTT improves forex distribution
The Central Bank said it has implemented targeted initiatives aimed at improving the efficiency, transparency and distribution of foreign exchange in the local market over the past two months. The financial regulator and banker to the government made this statement on Wednesday, in response to questions from Guardian Media. The Central Bank said the initiatives also addressed the increased demand for US dollars associated with the July-August vacation period and overseas education-related payments. The Bank said from mid-June 2026, on a twice-monthly basis, it has made a cash injection of US$5 million, which has been allocated to the commercial banks...read more
Swaratsingh: Gov’t expects another difficult year
Government expects another difficult year ahead as it continues to assess the full extent of Trinidad and Tobago’s financial obligations while trying to create room for economic recovery. Minister in the Ministry of Finance Dr Kennedy Swaratsingh said the administration anticipated that its first two years in office would be the most challenging, with the economy expected to begin recovering after that period. But he said the Government is still working to determine the full extent of the country’s indebtedness, including outstanding bills dating from 2016 to 2024. Swaratsingh was speaking at a pre-budget consultation hosted by Caroni Central MP David Lee on Tuesday night at his political party office. Residents raised concerns ranging from the condition of roads and drains to the completion of primary schools, repairs to pavilions, support for farmers and social welfare...read more
REGIONAL
Caribbean MSMEs to benefit from new CDB supported digital transformation initiative
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados – The Caribbean Development Bank (CDB / the Bank) and the Small Business Association of Barbados have launched a regional initiative designed to help Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs) strengthen their digital capabilities, improve competitiveness, and expand their participation in regional and global markets. The project, titled “Reengineering MSMEs for Growth: Adoption and Application of Digital Solutions to Build Resilience and Global Competitiveness,” was officially launched on August 19, 2026, at the CDB Conference Centre in Wildey, Barbados. The initiative will support a minimum of 150 MSMEs across Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, with targeted assistance to help firms assess their digital maturity, adopt practical digital solutions, and implement transformation plans. The project also places inclusion at its centre, with specific attention to women-led enterprises and underserved businesses that often face additional barriers to growth...read more
US – Jamaica signs Status of Forces Agreement
WASHINGTON, USA – The governments of the United States and Jamaica have signed a Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA). This agreement builds on the already strong bilateral security partnership acknowledged and discussed by United States secretary of war Pete Hegseth and the Jamaica deputy prime minister and minister of national security Dr Horace Chang during their bilateral meeting in the margins of the Americas Counter Cartels Coalition Forum in Panama on August 12, 2026. Status of Forces Agreements are international instruments that establish and formalise the terms under which members of one country’s armed forces may be temporarily present in another country for mutually agreed activities, including training exercises and joint operations. Jamaica joins more than 120 partner nations that have similar agreements with the United States...read more
INTERNATIONAL
El Niño set to be 'strongest in living memory', says Met Office
The El Niño event that is developing over the Pacific Ocean is likely to be the strongest in living memory, the Met Office has warned. The powerful natural climate phenomenon pushes up global temperatures and can increase the risks of extreme weather. Added to the effects of human-induced climate change, the Met Office is warning that it is "very likely" to mean 2027 is the hottest year on record globally. There is growing evidence that weather patterns around the world are already being affected, with below-average monsoon rains in India and suppressed hurricane activity in the Atlantic Ocean...read more
North Korea boosts support for Russia to include drone operators, Ukraine says
21st August 2026