NEWS
Venezuelan Ambassador reports decline in illegal migration
While declining to comment on the rescue of three Venezuelan women who were about to be illegally transported to Trinidad and Tobago this week, Venezuelan Ambassador to T&T, Álvaro Enrique Sánchez Cordero, says he believes there has been a decline in the number of Venezuelans arriving in the country illegally. On Tuesday, Venezuelan police reported that they had successfully rescued the three young women before they were taken to T&T by human traffickers. While Sánchez Cordero admitted that the migrant flow between the two countries is “difficult to tell,” he said, “Generally, since I’ve been here from 2022, I have seen those numbers decreasing, year after year, and that includes 2026. But that’s just my empirical interpretation, not scientific at all,” he told Guardian Media in a brief WhatsApp message yesterday. Read more here
Off-duty cop killed in Caroni attack
Police Constable Romell Kerry Douglas was shot dead during what investigators said was an attempted robbery in Caroni on Tuesday night. His licensed gun was also taken during the attack. Senior Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) officers yesterday observed a minute of silence during their news conference in honour of the murdered officer. Senior officers, including ASP Joel Forbes, ASP Ancil Corrie and TTPS Public Information Officer ASP Owie Russell, stood with their hands clasped in front of them as the tribute was held before the start of the news conference. Read more here
POLITICS
Sobers defends T&T’s UN vote; rejects claims of foreign policy shift
Foreign and Caricom Affairs Minister Sean Sobers has defended the Government’s decision to vote against extending the tenure of United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk, insisting the move was based on concerns about the appointment process, not the official’s performance or Trinidad and Tobago’s position on the Israel-Palestine conflict. Last week, Trinidad and Tobago stood alone among Caricom member states in opposing the extension of Türk’s mandate until 2030. The resolution nevertheless passed comfortably, with 144 countries voting in favour, ten against and 13 abstaining. The vote sparked criticism from former Foreign and Caricom Affairs Minister Dr Amery Browne, who accused the Government of abandoning Trinidad and Tobago’s independent foreign policy. Read more here
BUSINESS
Three seasons entrepreneur must embrace
Entrepreneurship is often presented as a race. Start the business, build the brand, attract customers, make money and scale, preferably before everyone on social media begins asking why you are not yet a millionaire. That image, however, bears little resemblance to how most sustainable businesses are actually built. A more useful way of understanding the entrepreneurial journey comes from American writer Christopher Morley. In his 1917 novel Parnassus on Wheels, Morley wrote that there are three ingredients in the good life: learning, earning and yearning. He explained that a person should continue learning as they go, earn enough to support themselves and others, and keep yearning to understand what is not yet known. Read more here
Kama: Steel mill restart to create US$1.5B industry
The West Indian Tobacco Company Ltd (WITCO) has recorded a profit after tax of $36.7 million for its six months ending June 30. This was an increase of $2.4 million over the same period in 2025. In its unaudited results for the period, the company stated that this was up 6.8% from $34.4 million in the corresponding period last year. Profit before tax increased 6.9% to $49 million, while revenue climbed 5% to $200.3 million from $190.7 million. Chairman Ingrid Lashley said the performance reflected steady progress during the first six months. Read more here
REGIONAL
CCJ dismisses Mohameds’ final appeal, clears way for extradition proceedings to resume
The Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) has cleared the way for extradition proceedings against Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed and his father, businessman Nazar Mohamed, to resume after all the presiding judges unanimously dismissed their appeal challenging the legality of the process initiated against them at the request of the United States. The ruling brings to an end the Mohameds’ legal challenge, following the full hearing of arguments on April 21, and clears the way for extradition proceedings to continue before Chief Magistrate Judy Latchman at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts. The two men are wanted in the United States to face an 11-count criminal indictment in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida. Read more here
INTERNATIONAL
US launches 'heavy' strikes on Iran after attempted attack on American troops
The US military says it has completed a "heavy wave" of strikes against Iran in retaliation for Tuesday's attempted ballistic missile attacks on American forces. Centcom said it hit "dozens" of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) targets in response to Iran's firing on US bases in Jordan and at ships in the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian state media said the latest strikes had killed three people, including a two-year-old child, on Qeshm island, while other locations were also hit in the south and west of the country. Read more here
30th July 2026