NEWS
Judge urges Nike, Puma to donate, not destroy bootleg footwear
A High Court judge has suggested that US sportswear companies Nike Innovate CV and Puma SE consider donating thousands of seized counterfeit sneakers and slippers to charity instead of destroying them. Justice Frank Seepersad made the proposal during a hearing on October 1 on the fate of 7,300 pairs of fake Nike, Air Jordan and Jordan-branded slippers, along with 660 counterfeit Puma slippers, that were seized by Customs in December 2023 from Penal-based DB Funstyles Clothing Ltd. Attorneys Miguel Vásquez and Fanta Punch represented Nike and Puma, while Rajiv Sochan appeared for DB Funstyles, which previously accepted liability for trademark infringement. Seepersad ruled in favour of the companies on September 8 and ordered the destruction of the counterfeit stock. Read more here
President Kangaloo: Work of women must not be taken for granted
President Christine Kangaloo says celebrating the work done by women should not be taken for granted, and that women over the years have not gotten their due acknowledgement. Delivering the keynote address at the International Women’s Forum Trinidad and Tobago’s (IWFTT) Fourth Inspirational Women Awards Gala at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Port-of-Spain on Tuesday, Kangaloo said shining the light on the achievements of women would help break the traditional views of gender roles. “Celebrating accomplished women, in the way that this awards ceremony does, also provides role models for younger generations,” she said. “Seeing women succeed in diverse fields broadens the sense of what’s possible, helping girls and young women aspire to leadership and innovation. Highlighting women’s achievements also actively dismantles gender stereotypes, showing that women can and do excel in traditionally male-dominated fields and at all levels of decision-making.” Read more here
POLITICS
Alexander, AG to visit military detention centres
Minister of Homeland Security Roger Alexander and Attorney General John Jeremie will be visiting Defence Force bases in Chaguaramas on October 2 following a report by the Prison Officers' Association of TT (POATT) that one or more high-risk inmates recently threw faeces on a prison officer. Under the Detention of Persons (Discipline and Place of Detention) (No 2) Directions in the current state of emergency (SoE), detainees are housed at either Teteron Barracks or Staubles Bay in Chaguaramas. In a Facebook post on October 1, the union said inmates assaulted a prison officer by throwing faeces at him and that the officer was made to remain on duty in the soiled clothing. In a telephone interview with Newsday on October 1, Alexander said he will be visiting the military sites "to see what is happening." Read more here
Moonilal ready for Dragon gas talks with Maduro regime
Energy Minister Dr Roodal Moonilal has refused to say who will lead negotiations with Venezuela over the stalled Dragon gas project, insisting only that “the Government of Trinidad and Tobago is one Government.” Pressed on whether he personally would meet with Venezuelan officials yesterday, Moonilal deflected: “All I can tell you is that the Government of Trinidad and Tobago will have discussions with all stakeholders involved, whether it’s the Venezuelan authorities, the multinationals involved, the United States administration … We are very confident that the Dragon has been resurrected.” His remarks came just a day after Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar met US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington on Monday, where the US signalled support for restarting the cross-border venture. The development is widely viewed as a breakthrough, following Washington’s decision in April to revoke a key OFAC licence—a move that stalled the project weeks before the General Election. Former energy minister Stuart Young, who managed the deal under the previous government, yesterday accused the United National Congress of shifting its stance and warned that “the Government cannot avoid direct talks” with Venezuela Vice President Delcy Rodriguez, who is also its energy minister. Read more here
BUSINESS
Stage set for Tancoo’s first budget
The downgrade of this country’s economic outlook from stable to negative on September 26 by ratings agency Standard and Poor’s (S&P) and the Central Bank’s announcement on the same day of a 2.1 per cent contraction of the economy in the first quarter crystallise what’s at stake in Davendranath Tancoo’s upcoming budget. Combined with notable cuts to make-work programmes, NIS worries and depressed oil and gas prices, the stage has been grimly set. The S&P reassessment and the Central Bank’s confirmation of a drop in output came separately. Yet, they are connected. S&P’s darkened outlook is premised almost entirely on the erosion of fiscal and external buffers over many years, "reflecting the limited effectiveness of long-standing efforts to boost GDP growth and strengthen fiscal management." Read more here
Govt scrapped revenue earners
It was this Government’s decision to increase the deficit to $9 billion, to scrap the property tax and the Trinidad and Tobago Revenue Authority that would have led rating agency S&P amending Trinidad and Tobago’s credit rating from stable to negative. This is the view of former finance minister Colm Imbert. Speaking at a news conference at the Opposition Leader’s office in Port of Spain yesterday, Imbert said: “The (S&P) Outlook has changed to negative for two reasons. In the mid-year review, the new Government decided to increase the budgeted expenditure for fiscal 2025 by $3.143 billion, thereby increasing the deficit to over $9 billion...You have to borrow for the deficit. Read more here
REGIONAL
Guyana showcases bold agricultural vision as Agri-Month 2025 launches
OUTLINING Guyana’s ambitious strides and its rising influence in regional and global agri-food systems, Agriculture Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha, on Wednesday, highlighted the country’s expansive agriculture sector. Speaking at the launch of this year’s agriculture month celebrations and calendar of events, held under the theme “Transforming Livelihoods through Agri-Food Systems,” Mustapha stated that agriculture month is not merely a ceremonial observance but a moment of national recognition. “It’s time for all of us to celebrate the people whose works sustain our nation,” he said, addressing farmers and other stakeholders present at the ministry’s Regent Street office. Reflecting on the sector’s broader role, he emphasised agriculture’s social and economic importance. Read more here
INTERNATIONAL
Israel intercepts Gaza flotilla and detains activists including Greta Thunberg
Hundreds of activists, including Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg, have been detained by Israeli forces after a flotilla carrying aid bound for Gaza was intercepted. Israel's Foreign Ministry said it intercepted all but one of the boats from the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) and those aboard were being transferred to an Israeli port to be deported. The boats were intercepted in international waters, with the first stopped about 70 nautical miles off the Gaza coast and others closer. Israel has been policing this area but does not have jurisdiction there. Israel said its navy had told the boats to change course as they were "approaching an active combat zone and violating a lawful naval blockade". Read more here
2nd October 2025