NEWS
Jamaicans brace for Hurricane Melissa
There is anxiety and worry on the ground as Jamaicans continue to brace and prepare for the onslaught of Hurricane Melissa, which is expected to make landfall on October 28 as a category three hurricane. St Thomas and Portland, two parishes located on the eastern side of the island, had already begun to feel the effects on October 26, including flooding, strong winds and storm surge. Newsday spoke to four residents about what they and those around them were doing to prepare for the hurricane, which has been sitting off the coast of Jamaica for several days. As of 5 pm on October 26, Melissa remained a dangerous category four hurricane with winds at 145 miles per hour, situated 115 miles south-south-west of the capital Kingston. It is also forecast to affect Cuba and Haiti. Read more here
Crowds gather as USS Gravely docks in PoS
The arrival of the USS Gravely in Port-of-Spain just after 9 am yesterday created a stir among curious onlookers who believed it was not too late for the Government to adopt a neutral position in the tensions between the United States and Venezuela. Expressing apprehension and concern as he watched the naval vessel being escorted into the harbour by two tug boats— one man who had been waiting from as early as 7 am—pointed to it and remarked, “That’s it? It not looking any bigger than our coastguard boat.” Despite this, those gathered along the Hyatt Waterfront, excitedly snapped pictures of the vessel as it was guided to its’ moorings in the vicinity of the Cruise Ship Complex at Dock Road, under the watchful eyes of the T&T Coast Guard (TTCG) —as well as a heightened security blanket which included plain clothes and uniformed officers. Read more here
POLITICS
Mottley: US military threatening regional peace
Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley has condemned deadly recent US military airstrikes in the southern Caribbean and the buildup of assets, saying the place to settle differences is before the United Nations. Her comments came during the Barbados Labour Party's annual conference on October 25. Former prime minister Dr Keith Rowley posted the four-minute snippet of her comments on his Facebook page on October 26. In her address, Mottley said peace was critical in the region and it was now under threat by the US military action. Read more here
Caribbean leaders offer mediation in US–Venezuela tensions
The wider Caribbean has offered to become intermediaries between the United States and Venezuela amid their current heightened tensions and the military build-up in the region, which has triggered deep concerns about the threat of war, and has now prompted moves to prevent it. Dominica’s Prime Minister, Roosevelt Skerrit, said yesterday that Dominica, Barbados, and the wider Caribbean are offering themselves as intermediaries to bring officials of the US and Venezuela together. Skerrit made the statement yesterday when he addressed the second day of the Barbados Labour Party’s two-day conference in Bridgetown. On the conference’s first day, Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley expressed deep concern about the security buildup in the region and the heightened US-Venezuelan tensions. She made a concerted call for the region to remain a Zone of Peace and strongly urged dialogue to prevent war. Mottley also noted Barbados’ location, where a pact had once been signed between the two countries. Read more here
BUSINESS
‘T&T’s reputation could suffer if Nutrien leaves’
One of T&T’s top private sector executives, two economists and and a local downstream expert have all expressed concern about the negative impact of the closure of the ammonia and urea operations on the Point Lisas Industrial Estate, owned by the Canadian fertiliser company Nutrien. On Tuesday morning, the company announced that it had commenced "a controlled shut down" of its Trinidad ammonia and urea operations, starting on Thursday. “This shutdown is in response to port access restrictions imposed by Trinidad and Tobago’s National Energy Corporation (NEC) and a lack of reliable and economic natural gas supply that has reduced the free cash flow contribution of the Trinidad nitrogen (ammonia and urea) operations over an extended period of time,” the Canadian company said. Read more here
REGIONAL
President Ali orders full scale investigation into deadly gas station explosion
While on official duty in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali has ordered a comprehensive investigation into the tragic explosion that occurred at the Mobil Gas Station located at the corner of Regent and King Streets, Georgetown. The blast claimed the life of young Soraya Bourne and left several others injured, including Rishad Lorde, Sedyia McClintoc, Jenica Hooper, and Yvonne Honas. In a statement issued early Monday morning, President Ali said he received detailed briefings late last night and again this morning on the unfolding situation and has since directed that “a full-scale investigation be launched immediately.” Read more here
INTERNATIONAL
International troops won't want to enforce Gaza peace, says King of Jordan
Countries would reject being asked to "enforce" peace in Gaza if deployed under the Trump ceasefire plan, King Abdullah of Jordan has told the BBC. "What is the mandate of security forces inside of Gaza? And we hope that it is peacekeeping, because if it's peace enforcing, nobody will want to touch that," said King Abdullah in an exclusive interview for BBC Panorama. "Peacekeeping is that you're sitting there supporting the local police force, the Palestinians, which Jordan and Egypt are willing to train in large numbers, but that takes time. If we're running around Gaza on patrol with weapons, that's not a situation that any country would like to get involved in." Read more here
27th October 2025