NEWS
Days after major flooding, clean-up efforts going well
Cleanup efforts at many of the municipal corporations are ongoing and going well, with disaster management units conducting assessments of damage. This follows days of heavy rain on June 10-12, causing flooding of various levels throughout Trinidad and Tobago. Aranguez/Warner Village councillor Amit Sooknanan said his district was not affected, in stark contrast to the damage to the area in May where farmers’ fields were flooded. “Normally we’re in a very flood-prone area, but we had a very successful cleanup, with the Ministry of Rural Development and Local Government’s flood mitigation programme in conjunction with the San Juan/Laventille Regional Corporation’s annual drainage programme. Read more here
Support group calls for more help for women
Widow Support TT is calling for an increase in the widow’s grant and stronger support for women who, after losing their husbands, are forced to fight costly property battles—with some even facing gun violence in their struggle to keep their family homes. President Soraya Nanan and vice president Annmarie Hassanali were speaking with reporters yesterday at the Oropouche Community Centre, after delivering two food hampers for Geneive Pierre, a widow who has been living temporarily at the centre. Nanan explained that those were the first of several hampers and other items they would be distributing to widows and needy families for this month, in commemoration of International Widow’s Day on June 23. This year’s theme is Orphans in Need. Formed since 2014, Nanan said they assist with various items, depending on the need, such as electronic devices and schoolbooks during COVID-19. Read more here
POLITICS
Rowley: Anger in society being fuelled by entitlement
THE former prime minister believes the anger that is pervading the society is fuelled by a sense of entitlement. Dr Rowley made the statement on June 14 while speaking at a Men In Leadership Forum at Bishop’s High School, Mt Marie, Scarborough, Tobago. The forum was one of the signature events commemorating the school’s 100th anniversary. It included three other distinguished Bishop’s High School alumni: Chief Justice Ivor Archie; THA Chief Secretary Farley Augustine and Anglican Bishop Rev Claude Berkley. Journalist Ira Mathur, who also attended the school, moderated the event. Read more here
AG’s Office gets $89.5M for rising costs
Mounting legal bills and a spike in white-collar criminal litigation have prompted the Government to request an additional $89,492,221 for the Ministry of the Attorney General and Legal Affairs. Minister of Justice and Minister in the Ministry of the Attorney General, Devesh Maharaj, said the funding is urgently needed to manage a significant increase in legal activity. “The Honourable Attorney General has advised me that there are now increased demands on the criminal justice system on the issue of white-collar crimes. He told me he’s particularly swamped in this area at this point in time,” Maharaj said. Read more here
BUSINESS
Agostini to acquire Prestige in share swap
Agostini Ltd yesterday announced that it proposes to acquire shares in Prestige Holdings Ltd through a share swap offer, under which Prestige shareholders will receive one Agostini share for every 4.8 PHL shares held. In a news release yesterday, Agostini said the offer represented a premium of approximately 31 per cent over PHL’s 30-day average price, and about 27 per cent over the Prestige Holdings closing price of $10.95. The offer will close at 4 pm on July 21, 2025. The news release said Victor E Mouttet Ltd (VEML) is the majority shareholder of both Agostini Ltd, with 48.5 per cent or 33,525,538 shares, and Prestige Holdings with 52.9 per cent or 33,085,422 shares. VEML is 100 per cent owned by the Mouttet family. Read more here
T&T, St Kitts and Nevis Chambers sign alliance agreement
The Trinidad and Tobago Chamber of Industry and Commerce (T&T Chamber) and the St Kitts and Nevis Chamber of Industry and Commerce signed a Trade and Business Development Alliance Agreement yesterday, aimed at strengthening regional economic ties. The signing, which was conducted virtually, was led by T&T Chamber president Sonji Pierre-Chase, and president of the St Kitts and Nevis Chamber Trevor Blake. Also present were Vashti Guyadeen, the chief executive officer of the T&T Chamber, and Sanya Alleyne, the executive director of the St Kitts and Nevis Chamber,. Read more here
REGIONAL
‘Let us not take the wins of the last four years for granted’
STANDING before a mammoth gathering to mark the 77th anniversary of the Enmore Martyrs,’ President, Dr Irfaan Ali delivered a call for national conscience on Monday, urging Guyanese not to forget the cost of poor leadership under the APNU+AFC and the hard-fought gains made under the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) in recent years. With emotion and intensity, President Ali reminded the nation that the struggles of the past were not confined to history books or the martyrdom of sugar workers in 1948, but also lived experiences endured by thousands of Guyanese just a few years ago. “We don’t need to go back to 77 years to remember. We just need to go back to 2015, to 2020, and that is why tens of thousands of persons are embracing the philosophy of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic, who were once rivals against us, who were once the greatest critics, they have seen the light and they have seen the truth, they have felt the progress,” President Ali told the gathering. Read more here
INTERNATIONAL
Israeli forces kill 51 Palestinians waiting for flour at Gaza aid site, witnesses and rescuers say
Israeli forces have killed more than 51 Palestinians and wounded many more after opening fire near an aid distribution site in southern Gaza, witnesses and rescuers say. The Hamas-run civil defence agency said Israeli troops fired on crowds near the aid site in Khan Younis. More than 200 people were reportedly injured. The Israeli military has told the BBC it is looking into the reports. It is the latest, and potentially the deadliest, of the almost daily shootings that have been taking place recently near aid distribution sites in Gaza. Read more here
17th June 2025