TTMA IN THE NEWS
Dale Parson: Building export capacity leads to independence
At 19, when most people are just beginning to chart their path in life, Dale Parson, who is now the president of the Trinidad and Tobago Manufacturers Association, was handed the reins of the local paint manufacturing company, Kaleidoscope, after the passing of his father, Stephen, who built it from the ground up in 1970. The weight of leadership fell on his shoulders, along with the quiet burden of keeping his family united through uncertain times. With unwavering resolve and a maturity beyond his years, Parson stepped into the role with grit and determination, transforming challenges into opportunity as he continues to honour and build on the foundation the vision his father began decades earlier. Today, the Kaleidoscope name is a key player in T&T’s economic landscape. As the nation marks its 63rd year of Independence, Parson gave the Sunday Business Guardian an intimate look at the first 100 per cent locally-owned paint manufacturing company in the country, chronicling the difficulties as well as navigating a family enterprise and charting a course for what lies ahead. Read more here
NEWS
Slow back-to-school sales
With less than a week to go before the start of the new school term on September 8, the back-to-school shopping season is usually in full swing. But when Newsday visited book and school supply stores in Port of Spain on September 1, there was a notable lack of shoppers. Despite the excitement over the Independence weekend, the streets were scant and the stores almost empty. The manager of Mohammed's Book Store said the slow pace wasn’t just because of the public holiday and had been the trend over the past few weeks, even as the new term draws near. She said she hoped the flow of customers would increase in the coming days as the return to school gets closer. Read more here
Afternoon football turns deadly in Malabar
What began as an afternoon of community football ended in tragedy when 32-year-old Devanand Dwarika was shot and killed on Sunday night after allegedly threatening spectators with a gun. Police reported that Dwarika was seen flaunting a revolver and threatening residents at a small goal football game near the corner of Gardenia and Croton Streets, Malabar, shortly before 10 pm. Residents said Dwarika left the area but returned shortly after, last seen liming with two others. oments later, two gunshots rang out. Locals discovered Dwarika bleeding on a nearby recreation ground. Northern Division police found him with a revolver containing three live rounds of ammunition, along with three spent shell casings. A district medical officer declared him dead at the scene. Read more here
POLITICS
PM sends best wishes as Guyana votes
Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar has extended her best wishes to the people of Guyana as they headed to the polls on September 1. In a WhatsApp comment, Persad-Bissessar said, "I simply wish the best for the Guyanese people and hope that peace and prosperity reign in their country." She made no comments about the political parties contesting Guyana's general election or matters related to that election. Read more here
Venezuela Defence Minister slams T&T over US comments
Venezuela’s Defence Minister, General Vladimir Padrino López, has strongly condemned the Government of Trinidad and Tobago over recent statements by Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, who said her administration would allow the United States to use T&T as a base if Venezuela attacked Guyana. Speaking at a media briefing in Caracas yesterday, Padrino López accused T&T of aligning itself with Washington’s agenda against Venezuela. His remarks followed comments made on Sunday, when he claimed that “Trinidadian mafias” were destabilising Venezuela through human trafficking and other illegal activities. “The T&T Government has said it would lend its territory to the US empire to attack what they call the Cartel of the Suns,” Padrino López said. He went on to reference colonial history, citing British and Napoleonic-era views of T&T as a strategic military outpost against Venezuela. Read more here
BUSINESS
Biggest problem-export delays
Several issues continue to plague the local scrap iron industry, particularly within the export process, says president of the Trinidad and Tobago Scrap Iron Dealers Association (TTSIDA) Allan Ferguson. Speaking to Express via WhatsApp, Ferguson described a series of delays exporters face, noting that every step comes with a lengthy waiting period resulting in serious bottlenecks for operators. “Our biggest challenge right now is exporting. When we purchase material, we have to wait 14 days before we can apply for an export licence, then another 14 days before we acquire the licence. After we receive the licence, we have to then apply for an ‘intention to load’ that takes seven days, but it’s mainly based on the availability of an inspector, and that could run in a three-week waiting period before we get an inspector to oversee our loading. This loading procedure is repeated every time that we have to load containers, and bear in mind that within all this, we still have our workers to pay,” he stressed. Read more here
REGIONAL
Jagdeo urges peace, patience as GECOM tabulates votes
People’s Progressive Party (PPP) General Secretary Bharrat Jagdeo has urged citizens to remain calm and patient as the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) continues the formal process of tabulation. Jagdeo maintained his party is well positioned after a peaceful day of voting, predicting that the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) faces “a very difficult night” as results begin to emerge. The General Secretary made these remarks on Monday evening after polls closed, while speaking to reporters at Freedom House, Georgetown. He said: “From the party’s perspective, we had a good day, and I think the country had a good day. The formal process of voting went smoothly.” Read more here
INTERNATIONAL
Hundreds killed in Sudan landslide, UN says
A landslide has killed at least 370 people in the remote Marra Mountains in western Sudan, a UN official has told the BBC. Antoine Gérard, the UN's deputy humanitarian co-ordinator for Sudan, said that it was hard to assess the scale of the incident or the exact death toll as the area was very hard to reach. Sudan Liberation Movement/Army (SLM/A), the armed group in control of the affected area, had earlier said as many as 1,000 people could have died. Days of heavy rain triggered the landslide on Sunday, which left just one survivor and "levelled" much of the village of Tarseen, the group said in a statement. Read more here
2nd September 2025