NEWS
Chinese restaurant owners assaulted in home invasion
The owners of a Chinese restaurant in Tobago were robbed and beaten during a home invasion early yesterday morning. According to police, the victims had just returned to their Lowlands home after closing their establishment, when they were accosted by four bandits. The suspects, armed with a gun and knives, assaulted the family before escaping with approximately $10,000. The victims were taken to the Scarborough General Hospital for treatment. Read more here
Judge slams NWRHA over newborn deaths
The North West Regional Health Authority (NWRHA) “cloaked itself in the doctrine of legal professional privilege” while disregarding its obligation to investigate the deaths of seven newborns at the Port of Spain General Hospital in 2024, a High Court judge has ruled. Justice Robin Mohammed said the authority’s failure to properly investigate the deaths, including its failure to obtain accounts from the bereaved mothers, amounted to a breach of its own Adverse Events Policy. Read more here
POLITICS
Tobago MPs to work with Govt despite budget concerns
Tobago's two Members of Parliament have pledged to work with the United National Congress (UNC) Government to advance the island's development agenda, despite concerns over a reduction in Tobago's direct allocation under the 2027 national budget. Speaking during Saturday night's budget debate, Tobago West MP Joel Sampson and Tobago East MP David Thomas, both of the Tobago People's Party (TPP), defended their decision to work closely with the Government, arguing that disagreements over funding should not stand in the way of securing results for Tobagonians. Sampson said supporting the Government did not mean accepting every decision unquestioningly, nor did raising concerns amount to disloyalty. Read more here
Help promised for teachers
Education Minister Dr Michael Dowlath has promised to restore the Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) for teachers. He made the promise so during his contribution to the budget debate on Saturday. Dowlath noted that $8.033 billion had been allocated to the wider education and training sector and stated that it was the ministry’s responsibility to ensure that this investment made a meaningful difference. He renewed his commitment to continue the EAP for teachers, a work-based intervention that offers confidential, short-term psychological, emotional, and social support. Read more here
BUSINESS
Moonilal, Perenco meet after crane collapse
Energy Minister Dr Roodal Moonilal met with Perenco officials on Saturday following a crane collapse at the company’s Samaan Alpha platform off Galeota earlier in the week that injured one worker. The company has since suspended crane operations across its Trinidad installations pending safety inspections. Perenco said on Wednesday that a crane became detached from its pedestal during routine lifting operations on the Samaan Alpha platform, injuring one worker. Read more here
REGIONAL
Guyana seeks global markets for growing honey industry
President Dr Irfaan Ali recently said Guyana is seeking international markets for its expanding honey production. Speaking at a recent farmer’s conference, President Ali said honey output had risen by “hundreds of percentage points” and that discussions were underway with global consumers about how Guyanese honey could enter their supply chains. “We have increased our honey production by hundreds of percentage points. We are now talking to global consumers of honey as to how we’re going to use that honey into their system,” he said. Read more here
INTERNATIONAL
Inside the shadowy world of anti-Putin sabotage from within Russia
Two Russian men secretly working for Ukraine's intelligence services have given rare accounts of operations they claim to have been involved with, that have targeted military assets and personnel inside Russia. One of the men, whom we are calling Ivan, claims to have played a role from Russia in Ukrainian drone attacks on strategic bombers and munitions factories on his home soil. He features in a BBC World Service documentary about the shadowy world of Russian saboteurs. Read more here
19th October 2026