NEWS
Security expert calls for empathy in leadership after protest arrests
Strategic security consultant Dr Garvin Heerah is urging national leaders to “empathise first, legislate second,” amid growing debate over the Government’s response to Wednesday’s protest linked to the police-issued warrants for the arrest of Kaia Sealy over the death of her common-law husband Joshua Samaroo. Speaking with Guardian Media yesterday, Heerah cautioned against dismissing public demonstrations as mere “publicity farming,” after Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar criticised those who gathered in Port- of-Spain on Wednesday in support of Sealy. The Prime Minister described the demonstrations as attempts to provoke the police and questioned why similar outrage had not been displayed over the more than 5,000 murders committed in T&T over the past decade. Read more here
Officer ‘inadvertently’ fired gun
POLICE says the officer who fired off one round during a confrontation over a traffic ticket in Arima with a Diego Martin couple last week Friday had done so inadvertently. In a statement yesterday, the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) said the couple—identified as Katrianna Rezende, 38, and Manuel Rezende, 39—have been charged and have appeared in court. Police said on the day of the incident, officers of the Arima Traffic Department were on patrol along Sorzano Street, Arima when they saw a heavily tinted Toyota Hilux parked in a “No Parking Zone”. Read more here
POLITICS
PM lauds TTPS for swift action to secure DPP
Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar has defended the actions of the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) in shutting down a protest outside the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions on Wednesday, warning that attempts to intimidate prosecutorial officials “will not be tolerated” during the ongoing State of Emergency (SoE). In a statement yesterday, Persad-Bissessar praised police for what she described as a quick response to secure the DPP’s office from possible threats. “I commend the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) for moving swiftly to secure the office of the DPP yesterday (Wednesday) and protecting them from intimidation, harassment and possible harm,” the Prime Minister stated. Read more here
CoP restricts protests near State institutions
No-protest zones have been established, effectively preventing public demonstrations within 500 metres of 15 key State institutions, including the Red House, the airports in Trinidad and Tobago, the Ministry of Finance, the Director of Public Prosecutions’ office, as well as all police stations across Trinidad and Tobago. The rules come under a new Emergency Powers Order signed by Police Commissioner Allister Guevarro on Wednesday, May 27. Read more here
BUSINESS
Govt issues ‘hold over’ letters to 25 mineral operators
The Ministry of Energy and Energy Industries (MEEI) has issued “hold over” letters to 25 operators in the minerals sector, allowing them to continue mining and processing activities while applications for renewed licences are being reviewed. The ministry said the letters were issued on May 22 to bona fide operators with active operations whose mining and processing licences had expired and were in the process of renewal. Under the arrangement, the operators will be allowed to continue operating under the same terms and conditions as their previous licences for a period of one year. In a release issued yesterday, the ministry said the move was aimed at ensuring there was an adequate supply of minerals at affordable prices to support the country’s infrastructure and industrial development programmes. Read more here
Arjoon: US$5b export target ‘economically necessary’
ECONOMIST Dr Vaalmikki Arjoon says the Government’s export drive targeting US$2 billion by 2027 and US$5 billion by 2030 is “economically necessary,” as foreign exchange shortages continue to constrain the private sector amid declining energy export earnings over the past decade. Arjoon made the comments yesterday in response to Minister of Trade, Investment and Tourism Satyakama Maharaj’s announcement on Wednesday that the Government intends to engage exporters directly to help double foreign exchange earnings. Read more here
REGIONAL
Teachers to be sent on administrative leave over abuse of special needs students
“I am deeply disturbed and hurt by the video currently being circulated publicly which appears to show acts of abuse being perpetrated against students of the David Rose Special Education Needs School in Georgetown. No child should ever be subjected to such treatment, particularly within a school environment entrusted with their care, development and protection. Our children with special educational needs, as all children do, deserve patience, compassion, dignity and love. They deserve to learn in spaces where they feel safe, supported and valued. Read more here
INTERNATIONAL
US and Iran 'very close' to deal but 'not there yet', Vance says
The US and Iran still need to work out several sticking points before an agreement on the war can be reached, Vice-President JD Vance has said. Asked by the BBC if President Donald Trump was close to signing a deal, Vance said it was too early to say "when or if" the two sides would finalise an agreement. Earlier on Thursday, US officials told the BBC the two countries had agreed a framework of a deal - known as a memorandum of understanding - pending the approval of Trump and Iran's leadership. It would reportedly extend the ceasefire for 60 days and launch talks on the future of Iran's nuclear programme. Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency reported it had not been finalised or confirmed. Read more here
29th May 2026