NEWS
Bands heat up the Savannah at 2026 Panorama Single Pan finals
It was an electrifying night at the Queen’s Park Savannah, Port of Spain, as steelbands competed in the 2026 Panorama single pan finals on November 29. Defending champions San Juan East Side Symphony took the title once again with their arrangement of Machel Montano’s Jumbie. La Creole Pan Groove and San Juan Chord Masters Steel Orchestra placed second and third respectively. Newsday photographer Lincoln Holder captured these highlights from the competition. Read more here
WIGUT: UWI staff back pay finally near approval
WIGUT president Dr Indira Rampersad has assured staff that the long-awaited back pay owed to UWI St Augustine employees is now in its final stages of approval, telling members, “It had to come. It was a legal agreement.” Speaking at WIGUT’s Homage to Heroism: Decades of Dedication ceremony on Friday, Rampersad said the union had repeatedly urged members to remain patient despite years of delay. “I know the back pay took some time in coming, but I kept saying keep calm, keep focused, keep positive,” she said. “Sometimes there’s bureaucracy in government … things have to get approved, and it has to go through various stages.” She explained that prolonged correspondence among the union, the campus principal and government ministries contributed to the drawn-out process. Read more here
POLITICS
Moonilal: No money from Venezuela to Trinidad and Tobago
ENERGY Minister Dr Roodal Moonilal says Trinidad and Tobago currently does not earn any energy revenue with Venezuela. He made this comment during his contribution to debate on a private motion in the House of Representatives filed by Opposition Leader Pennelope Beckles. In her motion, Beckles called on the House to condemn inflammatory statements made by Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar in relation to ongoing US-Venezuela tensions in the southern Caribbean. She also expressed concern the actions of Persad-Bissessar and the government in this matter could impact TT's economy, trade and national security negatively. Read more here
Government, business urged to partner for economic growth
Economic progress cannot be achieved without the active partnership of the private sector, said Ava Mahabir-Dass, Deputy Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Trade, Investment and Tourism. She was addressing the Couva Chamber of Industry and Commerce (CCIC) during the Chamber’s annual Christmas function on Friday at its administrative complex in Couva. Mahabir-Dass said the Ministry has set bold yet achievable national targets, including: Export revenue growth of US$2 billion within two years, and US$5 billion over five years. New investments totalling US$3 billion in the next two years, and US$9 billion over five years. The creation of thousands of new jobs to provide opportunities for citizens and support community prosperity. Read more here
BUSINESS
Rajiv Coosal takes TT Contractors Association helm unopposed
Rajiv Coosal, operations director at Coosal’s Group of Companies, has been given a two-year mandate as president of the Trinidad and Tobago Contractors Association (TTCA), and has immediately promised to champion their interests. He took the reins during the association’s annual general meeting on November 27, where a decision was made to increase terms from one to two years. Coosal and an uncontested slate were confirmed. Coosal is the son of Coosal’s founder and CEO Sieunarine Coosal, who is also a former TTCA president. Read more here
ITU chief urges Caribbean to close digital gaps
Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), Doreen Bogdan-Martin, has called on Caribbean policymakers, regulators, and industry leaders to intensify collaboration to close digital gaps, strengthen cyber resilience, and build networks capable of withstanding intensifying climate threats. Bogdan-Martin made the comments at CANTO’s 40th Annual Conference held in Nassau, The Bahamas. “The extraordinary pace of digital transformation brings enormous opportunity, but also new divides,” said Bogdan-Martin. Read more here
REGIONAL
Guyana’s transformation ‘now getting fired up’ – President Ali
ENVISIONING a nation rising with purpose, clarity and unstoppable momentum, President, Dr Irfaan Ali has announced the government’s plans to unveil a comprehensive economic expansion, infrastructural integration and social development plan for the next five years. Speaking at the Guyana Oil and Gas Energy Chamber’s Annual Awards Presentation Dinner at the Georgetown Marriott Hotel last Friday, the President said the plan will define the government’s vision for the next half-decade. “In the coming days, I will open with great clarity, the economic expansion, infrastructure integration and development trajectory for our country over the next five years.” Read more here
INTERNATIONAL
WW1 toxic compound sprayed on Georgian protesters, BBC evidence suggests
Georgia's authorities used a World War One-era chemical weapon to quell anti-government protesters last year, evidence gathered by the BBC suggests. "You could feel [the water] burning," one of the protesters said of water cannon turned on him and others on the streets of the capital Tbilisi. A sensation, he said, which could not immediately be washed off. Demonstrators against the Georgian government's suspension of its European Union accession bid have complained of other symptoms too - shortness of breath, coughing, and vomiting that lasted for weeks. Read more here
1st December 2025