NEWS
Vitas House to host annual cancer remembrance walk
Vitas House Hospice is inviting citizens to join its annual Cancer Remembrance 5K Walk as it honours lives lost to cancer on June 14. The event will help raise funds for free palliative care services provided by the hospice. “For the past 16 years, Vitas House Hospice has been a beacon of comfort and dignity for terminally ill cancer patients and their families, providing compassionate end-of-life care at no cost,” said chairman Lisa Hadad in a statement on May 2. Read more here
Air Canada returns to T&T
Air Canada is officially back in the T&T market, two years after suspending the Toronto-Port of Spain route indefinitely. AC984 touched down at Piarco International just after one am on Saturday with 156 passengers onboard. Despite some light showers, the Boeing 737 MAX 8 was still welcomed with the traditional water cannon salute. Air Canada will fly between Canada and T&T three times weekly – adding over 4,000 seats to the market monthly. Canada is this country’s second-largest source market, accounting for over 35,000 visitors annually (not including the pandemic years). Read more here
POLITICS
Kamla gives thanks to Trinidad and Tobago at victory motorcade
Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar was greeted with open arms during a victory motorcade on April 4 through her Siparia constituency despite a late arrival. The motorcade was intended to thank supporters for her 26-13-2 victory at last week's polls and was advertised to begin at 1 pm. However, it didn't kick off until Persad-Bissessar arrived around 3.30 pm. Newsday arrived at the Heritage Petroleum ground, Clarke Road, Penal around 12.30 where there were already about half a dozen vehicles waiting. Read more here
NTA, TPP happy with structure of new Cabinet
While the National Transformation Alliance (NTA) and Tobago People’s Party (TPP) are pleased with the structure of Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar’s Cabinet, one People’s National Movement (PNM) MP is pleading for youth development to be given more priority. There is no longer a Ministry of Youth Development and National Services (MYDNS), a brainchild of the then-PNM government in 2020. It has been reverted to the Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs. Laventille West MP Kareem Marcelle said he believes this is a regressive step. “Sports is a very big ministry, and of course caters to people in the sporting industry, not only young people, but people who are not youths and it just puts on the back burner the youth development and the progress that we were on,” he said. Marcelle said the MYDNS gave young people the priority they deserved. Read more here
BUSINESS
T&T's path to recovery will be slow, says Hosein
Professor of economics at the University of the West Indies (UWI), St. Augustine campus, Roger Hosein is predicting a long, hard road ahead and a “slow recovery” over the next few years as the new United National Congress (UNC) Government takes the reins of the economy. The UNC won the 2025 general election last Monday, taking 26 of the 41 constituencies, with the previous ruling party, the People’s National Movement winning 13 seats and the Tobago People’s Party led by Farley Augustine bagging Tobago East and Tobago West. The previous People’s National Movement (PNM) administration governed the country for the last ten years which saw a decline of not only some of the economic indices but there was also a negative impact on the country’s social fabric. Read more here
Govt will find the money
Labour Minister Senator Leroy Baptiste has assured public servants that the United National Congress (UNC) Government’s promise of a 10% increase will happen and the money to pay will be found. Baptiste said Saturday that Trinidad and Tobago spends a lot of money, including its annual budget of over $60 billion, and that a budget was also a statement of priority. “No one was making a priority of the workers,” he said. Read more here
REGIONAL
Inclusive development, shared prosperity remains top priority
As Guyana marked Arrival Day 2025, President Dr. Irfaan Ali issued a heartfelt call for national unity, cultural pride and the equitable sharing of the country’s prosperity, urging citizens to honour the legacy of their foreparents while building a more inclusive future. In his annual Arrival Day address, the Head of State urged citizens to honour the sacrifices of their foreparents while actively shaping a society where every Guyanese feels a sense of belonging and purpose. “Today, as we observe Arrival Day 2025, we pause to reflect on a defining aspect of our national journey—the invaluable contributions of those immigrants who came before us. They came with little but gave us so much,” President Ali stated. Read more here
INTERNATIONAL
Trump says non-US movies to be hit with 100% tariffs
US President Donald Trump says he will hit movies made in foreign countries with 100% tariffs, as he ramps up trade disputes with nations around the world. Trump said he was authorising the US Department of Commerce and Trade Representative to start the process to impose the levy because America's movie industry was dying "a very fast death". He blamed a "concerted effort" by other countries that offer incentives to attract filmmakers and studios, which he described as a "National Security threat". Read more here
5th May 2025