NEWS
Hundreds crowd NAPA for treatment from US Comfort medical team
Hundreds of people hoping to access free medical services at NAPA were left frustrated, as the large crowd and slow-moving lines left people who arrived as early as 5.30 am, without medical treatment, as noon approached on August 7. The medical site was set up after the arrival of the USNS Comfort medical ship on August 6 and will remain at NAPA till August 9. But many gathered outside the site found the experience less than comforting. Pamela John-Knight, 73, who suffers from cataract, was one of the few who were able to enter the site, but she described her experiences as tortuous. Read more here
Vehicle stolen from Arima Police Station compound
Deputy Commissioner of Police Suzette Martin says the T&T Police Service has launched a probe into how a vehicle was stolen from the Arima Police Station. Speaking briefly with Guardian Media last night, Martin said the matter will be looked into and depending on the initial outcome, she is also prepared to ask the Professional Standards Bureau PSB to get involved. Martin was commenting on the fact that a Toyota Raize was stolen from the station last week and was subsequently used by criminals who were involved in a shootout with police in Tacarigua. The SUV was initially found abandoned along Antigua Road, Wallerfield, on August 1 and was impounded and taken to the police station, only to be stolen. The vehicle was then spotted along the Churchill Roosevelt Highway, Arouca, on Wednesday afternoon. Police reported that officers pursued the vehicle and the driver eventually drove onto Golden Grove Road, Tacarigua. Read more here
POLITICS
Padarath: Payment plan for T&TEC's $7b debt to NGC
Barry Padarath, Minister of Public Utilities, says the government will put in place a payment plan for T&TEC to address its $7 billion debt to the National Gas Company (NGC) as its gas-supplier, replying to questions at the post-Cabinet briefing at the Diplomatic Centre, St Ann's, on August 7. In his initial presentation, he said cabinet was now reaffirming the UNC's campaign promise to reject the recommendations of the Regulated Industries Commission (RIC) for a hike in tariffs for the supply of electricity and water to consumers. Newsday then asked about former minister Marvin Gonzales' call for the government to say what it would put in place of a tariff hike in order to funds the ever-rising cost of operations at T&TEC and to address its $7 billion debt to the NGC. Read more here
Hosein: Legisation not an excuse to commit unlawful acts
The Government will not permit individuals to misuse stand-your-ground legislation to commit unlawful acts, says Minister of Legal Affairs Saddam Hosein. Speaking at the United National Congress’ consultation on the proposed legislation at the Caldrac Recreation Club, Dow Village, California, on Wednesday, Hosein stressed that the law must be balanced to ensure exceptions are in place so that in all cases where deadly force is used, individuals cannot escape justice without scrutiny. He explained that force cannot be used against someone who has a legitimate right to be on the property. Read more here
BUSINESS
JMMB reports over $150m in profit
Jamaica Money Market Brokers (JMMB) has reported a net profit of around $159 million (J$3.74 billion) for the financial year 2024-2025. JMMB’s operating revenue stood at over $1 billion (J$25 billion) alongside an earnings per share of .07cent (J$1.80). JMMB’s 2025 Annual Report said the TT market, which operates JMMB’s Bank, Investment Express Finance and Securities portfolios, contributed 16 per cent to its operating revenue, the third largest contributor following Jamaica’s 56 per cent and the Dominican Republic’s 20 per cent. Barbados’ contribution stood at eight per cent. Read more here
PM outlines options to US tariffs
Trinidad and Tobago was among dozens of countries hit yesterday with higher tariffs on imports to the United States, as sweeping new measures by US President Donald Trump took effect. The order, signed on July 31, raised reciprocal tariffs from this country from 10% to 15% on a wide range of imports from this country. Speaking to reporters during her visit to the US Navy’s Mercy-class hospital ship USNS Comfort at the cruise ship complex in Port of Spain, Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar said there were several options for addressing the 15% reciprocal tariff imposed by Washington. Read more here
REGIONAL
‘We are building stronger families’ – President Ali says
Guyana’s first Day and Night Care and Early Childhood Development Centre was commissioned on Thursday, with President Dr. Irfaan Ali hailing the $93.8 million facility as a model for holistic child and family development that will be replicated nationwide. “If you look at the facility itself, it’s about an environment that is conducive for the development of the children. It’s about their mental development. It’s about their skills development. It’s about their educational development,” President Ali told parents, educators and other stakeholders during the opening ceremony. Read more here
INTERNATIONAL
US shrugs off Gaza escalation - drifting further away from allies
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's declaration that Israel intends to take control of all of the Gaza Strip signals an escalation that flies in the face of some emphatic international warnings. But it is one that, at least so far, the US government has greeted with a telling and collective shrug. On Tuesday, President Donald Trump said it was "pretty much up to Israel" whether to fully occupy Gaza. And when asked the following day whether he was giving Israel a "green light", he instead spoke about the US strikes on Iran earlier this year. Washington's Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee was even more direct - and his answer was that Netanyahu's Gaza plan is not America's concern. Read more here
8th August 2025