NEWS
$4.4m in Colombian 'creepy' ganja seized
Officers of the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) of the North Eastern Division arrested one man and seized a quantity of marijuana with a street value of over $4.4 million. The exercise was carried out under the supervision of Snr Supt Edwards, Supt Etienne and ASP Lynch, with support from the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) between 6 am and 11 am on Wednesday. Read more here
Angostura announces reduction in alcohol prices for Christmas season
Local rum producer Angostura is giving a Christmas gift to consumers and retailers this year, announcing price reductions on their rum products for the season. This comes after the Government’s earlier increase in excise duties on alcohol, which led to higher prices on alcohol products. In a release, the company said that beginning yesterday, prices for its rum products would be reduced. These special Christmas prices will remain in effect until December 31, 2025. With the festive season approaching, Angostura says it hopes the temporary adjustment will help ease some of the costs faced by consumers. Read more here
POLITICS
AG hits Opposition hypocrisy on Stand Your Ground– Gun-toting PNM MPs
ATTORNEY General John Jeremie dropped a major bombshell claim while piloting the Home Invasion (Self Defence and Defence of Property) Bill 2025, in the House of Representatives on November 26, when he declared "practically all" of the Opposition MPs had, "not one, not two, not three but sometimes four and five firearms." He did so as he accused the Opposition of hypocrisy in not wanting to support the bill, which if passed, makes it easier for people who so qualify, to access legal firearms in the defence of themselves, their families and their properties from the criminal element. Read more here
Mystery US military landing in Tobago raises questions
Three different explanations from Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, airport workers, and Chief Secretary Farley Augustine have raised questions about why a United States Air Force C-17A Globemaster III landed in Tobago early yesterday morning. The heavy-lift military aircraft, operating as RCH661, departed the ANR Robinson International Airport at 5.53 am and climbed to 32,000 feet before heading north. Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar told reporters before heading into Parliament that the aircraft was assisting with activity taking place at the airport. “They are helping us with something to do at the airport,” she said. She also confirmed that United States Marines were training locally and stressed that the visit was not tied to any regional escalation. “It’s not a military force as such; they are not here on the ground. We are not about to launch any campaign against Venezuela.” Read more here
BUSINESS
Could AI be Trinidad and Tobago’s new 'oil and gas' frontier?
Trinidad and Tobago has been steadily walking into the AI age. The Dominic Smith-led Ministry of Public Administration has taken steps to build TT’s AI infrastructure. That could be seen in its deployment of Anansi, TT’s AI-powered national digital assistant or TT becoming a member of 50 in 5 – a global initiative aimed at sharing “learnings, best practices, and technologies that can ultimately reduce costs, build local capacity, maximise impact, and help radically shorten the implementation journeys for digital public infrastructure,” its website said. Read more here
Moonilal: Assessment says refinery can open in 3 years
Minister of Energy Dr Roodal Moonilal says a basic assessment by people who have worked in the energy industry for years suggests that the Pointe-a-Pierre refinery could be fully operational in about 36 months. Moonilal said also that he expects to receive the report into the refinery from the committee appointed to look into it. A preliminary report was received last month from the committee’s chair, former minister of energy Kevin Ramnarine. Read more here
REGIONAL
‘Three-fold increase’ in trade between Guyana and UK
Guyana’s trade relationship with the United Kingdom has undergone a sweeping transformation over the past four years, recording a near threefold increase, President Dr Irfaan Ali announced on Wednesday evening. Speaking at a cocktail reception for the 5th UK-Guyana Trade Mission, President Ali said the jump in trade from 2020 to present reflects both the strengthening of bilateral ties and the emergence of new strategic opportunities. He recalled that in 2020, trade between the two countries was “modest by global standards yet already showing signs of growth.” However, he noted that the pace accelerated sharply thereafter as the partnership deepened. Read more here
INTERNATIONAL
US suspends immigration requests for Afghans after National Guard shooting
The US has suspended processing all immigration requests from Afghans, after an Afghan man was identified as the suspect in the shooting of two National Guard soldiers near the White House. The US Citizenship and Immigration Services said the decision was made pending a review of "security and vetting protocols". The suspect of Wednesday's shooting, which left two National Guard members critically injured, is said to have arrived in the US from Afghanistan in September 2021. Read more here
27th November 2025