NEWS
New CCJ president: Make court final appellate body
The Caribbean Court of Justice’s (CCJ) fourth president Justice Winston Anderson hopes more countries make it its final appellate court during his tenure. He spoke of the issue after being sworn in on July 6. The ceremony featured addresses from Jamaican Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness, Belizean Prime Minister Johnny Briceno, Jamaica’s governor-general Sir Patrick Allen, Caricom’s secretary-general Dr Carla Barnett and CCJ’s past president Justice Adrian Saunders. Many of the speakers told of Anderson’s stellar career and his work as a judge on the CCJ. Read more here
Curepe group goes from keeping residents safe to helping those in need
Unaware of the power she held as she formed an online group called the Curepe Admin Community back in 2020, Anushka Ramjohn initially used it as a tool to keep residents of Curepe informed and updated on neighbourhood activities and suspected criminal activity. As the group’s numbers swelled in the subsequent years, attracting over 265 members, including St Augustine MP and Local Government Minister, Khadijah Ameen, Ramjohn felt the overwhelming need to respond to the appeals for help from the less fortunate in the community. Leaning on her close relatives for support, Ramjohn, along with Geeshala Basdeo, wasted no time in organising a Christmas treat for children in the area in December 2023. In 2024, they successfully hosted a Back-To-School drive, providing stationery and school supplies to underprivileged children. Read more here
POLITICS
Government plans targeted support for low SEA scorers
Customised instructional strategies supported by curriculum officers are among ways the Education Ministry plans to address the 6,043 children scoring below 50 per cent in this year’s Secondary Entrance Assessment (SEA) exam. The SEA results were digitally shared on July 3. Education Minister Dr Michael Dowlath responded to Newsday’s questions about what plans were in place to address students scoring below 30 per cent. The former People’s National Movement (PNM) had implemented a remedial programme for students scoring less than 30 per cent in the exam and included remedial in-person instruction during the school year and which extended into the July-August vacation period. Read more here
Foreign Affairs Minister: National issues keeping PM out of Caricom meeting
Minister of Foreign and Caricom Affairs, Sean Sobers, says Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar is not attending the ongoing Caricom Heads of Government meeting in Jamaica due to “certain national issues” engaging her attention in Trinidad and Tobago. He said to Guardian Media that her absence, though it would have been her first Caricom meeting in her second term, is not a slight to the regional body. Instead, she appointed him to reaffirm T&T’s continued commitment to Caricom. Read more here
BUSINESS
Prestige declares 50¢ dividend ahead of Agostini acquisition offer
Prestige Holdings Ltd (PHL) has declared a dividend of 50 cents per share, payable on September 3 to shareholders of record as of the close of business on July 18. The payout is conditional on the successful completion of an acquisition offer by Agostini Ltd. Agostini Ltd has formally proposed to acquire 100 per cent of PHL’s issued and outstanding shares through a share-for-share exchange. Under the terms of the offer, shareholders of PHL will receive one Agostini share for every 4.8 Prestige shares held. Any fractional shares arising from the exchange will be settled in cash, based on Agostini’s market value at the time of closing. The proposed acquisition was announced in June in notices posted on the Trinidad and Tobago Stock Exchange (TTSE) website. Agostini, parent company of SuperPharm, Presto, and MPharmacy, is seeking full ownership of Prestige Holdings, which operates 136 restaurants under international brands including KFC, Subway, Pizza Hut, TGI Fridays, and Starbucks. The company employs more than 3,300 staff in Trinidad and Tobago. Read more here
T&T facing a structural economic retreat, says economist
Professor of Economics, Roger Hosein believes that the United National Congress (UNC) Government’s first Mid-Year Budget Review is an attempt to stabilise the economy. In an interview with the Business Guardian, Hosein said the economy faces very serious challenges and the Government is using, whatever tools it has at its disposal to meet the challenges. Finance Minister Davendranath Tancoo presented his maiden Mid-Year Budget Review on June 18. Read more here
REGIONAL
Guyana building the future of medicine, not waiting for it
President, Dr Irfaan Ali has noted that Guyana is set to redefine healthcare in the Caribbean with a focus on future-forward transformation and transformative projects to build the future of medicine. The Head of State made this known while speaking at the recent commissioning of the Enmore Regional Hospital. “Guyana is not waiting for the future of medicine. We are building it,” President Ali said, as he outlined Guyana’s entrance into the era of predictive, personalised and precision medicine. “This is not tinkering at the edges. This is a bold leap into tomorrow,” he added. Read more here
INTERNATIONAL
Netanyahu visits US as Trump puts pressure to agree Gaza ceasefire deal
After 21 months of war, there are growing hopes of a new Gaza ceasefire announcement as Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets US President Donald Trump in Washington. Trump previously told reporters he had been "very firm" with Netanyahu about ending the conflict and that he thought "we'll have a deal" this week. "We are working to achieve the deal that has been discussed, under the conditions we have agreed," the veteran Israeli PM said before boarding his plane. "I believe that the conversation with President Trump can definitely help advance this outcome, which we all hope for." Indirect talks between Israel and Hamas on a US-sponsored proposal for a 60-day ceasefire and hostage release deal resumed in Qatar on Sunday evening. However, it is unclear whether key differences that have consistently held up an agreement can be overcome. Read more here
7th July 2025