NEWS
Appeal Court: Covid border closure draconian, illegal
Two women stranded in the US after TT closed its borders during the covid19 pandemic in March 2020, and appealed the dismissal of their constitutional challenge, will be compensated for their losses. Justices of Appeal Nolan Bereaux, Mark Mohammed and Ronnie Boodoosingh delivered the landmark ruling on September 29. They described the State's actions as "draconian" and a breach of a citizen's right to "come home." Raehana Lorick and Joanne Pantin sued after then-national security minister Stuart Young failed to disclose the policy governing exemptions under the public health regulations. Lorick left for Canada in February 2020 for medical treatment, while Pantin travelled to Miami in March 2020 to help her daughter. The borders were closed on March 22, 2020, and the women applied in June for exemptions to return. Read more here
Missing schoolteacher found safe in St Helena hotel
Chaguanas schoolteacher and financial consultant Komal Maharaj, 41, who was reported missing on Friday, was found alive and unharmed yesterday evening at a hotel in St Helena. Police officers went to the Piarco Touch Down Hotel after receiving information from nearby residents and discovered Maharaj alone in a room. A senior officer told Guardian Media that there were no signs he had been held against his will or had suffered any injuries, leading investigators to believe he may have been there voluntarily. Maharaj was taken to a nearby health facility for medical attention before being placed in police custody for questioning last night. A close female relative told Guardian Media the family had been at prayers when they received news that he had been found, but she declined to provide further details. Earlier in the day, family members, overwhelmed by fear and uncertainty, had asked both the public and the media for space to cope with the trauma. Read more here
POLITICS
PM to discuss security, energy with Rubio
PRIME Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar will meet US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on September 30 in Washington DC for high-level discussions on security, energy and other matters. In a video release on September 29, Persad-Bissessar said she had left New York on a train and was leading a TT delegation to the US capital. Among those accompanying her are Minister of Foreign Affairs Sean Sobers, Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister Barry Padarath and Minister of Legal Affairs Saddam Hosein. "I think it's a very important invitation to be invited to Washington," Persad-Bissessar said. "When we get there, several areas of mutual interests to be discussed, chief of among those has to do with national security and safety. That is priority number one on our discussion list. Read more here
PM: No tension between T&T, Caricom after UN speech
Despite expressing diverging views from some of her Caricom colleagues on the world stage on the presence of the United States military in Caribbean waters, Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar says to her knowledge, this has not led to any tension between Trinidad and Tobago and the rest of the regional body. And while the Prime Minister did not hold bilateral talks with Caribbean Community leaders during the high-level week of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), Foreign and Caricom Affairs Minister Sean Sobers has attributed that to scheduling constraints rather than diplomatic tensions. Today, Persad-Bissessar is in Washington, DC, for a meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, after leaving New York, where she engaged in discussions with Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, and the UN Secretary General. However, she did not convene any formal meetings with her Caricom counterparts, despite their presence in New York for the Assembly. Guardian Media understands that a meeting with Jamaica’s Prime Minister, Andrew Holness, was planned for last Friday but did not materialise. Sobers confirmed this was due to time limitations and dismissed suggestions of strained relations within the regional bloc following Persad-Bissessar’s UN address. Read more here
BUSINESS
Ramps’ MAWI platform eyed for Breakbulk awards
Ramps Logistics has been shortlisted for the 2025 Breakbulk Awards for its logistics machine learning platform called MAWI. The announcement was made in a media release from the Energy Chamber of TT on September 26. MAWI was named a finalist in the category: Best Logistics Strategy for an Energy Project. The release said the shortlisting underscores Ramps’ shift from a traditional logistics company to a technology-driven solution. Read more here
Manning: Downgrade and devaluation almost inevitable
A downgrade and a devaluation are almost inevitable, former minister in the Ministry of Finance Brian Manning said yesterday. Commenting on Standard & Poor’s recent revision of the country’s credit rating outlook from stable to negative, Manning said the United National Congress (UNC) Government is “now reaping the whirlwind that they have created”. “They have spent the last decade and a half either destroying or undermining every single revenue- and employment-generating initiative by the PNM,” Manning said. Read more here
REGIONAL
Demerara River Bridge to be commissioned on Sunday
President Dr Irfaan Ali will on Sunday commission Guyana’s new US$260 million Demerara River Bridge, a major infrastructure project built by China Railway Construction Corporation Limited. The 2.6-kilometre, four-lane, cable-stayed bridge, linking Region Three to Region Four, represents a major leap forward in Guyana’s transport network. Designed to last 100 years, the toll-free structure will allow vehicles of all sizes to travel at up to 80 kilometres per hour, serving more than 50,000 commuters daily. This is projected to generate annual savings of approximately $3.5 billion. In a nod to national identity, the bridge’s twin towers (P-34, south) have been crowned with a design inspired by the Cacique Crown of Honour (C.C.H.), Guyana’s second-highest national award. Read more here
INTERNATIONAL
Trump's Gaza plan is a significant step - but faces fundamental obstacles
US President Donald Trump said his plan for ending the war in Gaza was potentially one of the greatest days in the history of civilisation, and one that could bring "eternal peace in the Middle East". The hyperbole was characteristic. However, his 20-point proposal, announced at the White House on Monday as Trump met the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, is still a significant diplomatic step - if not quite matching his exotic overstatement. The plan amounts to a shift in the Trump administration's position on a post-war future for Gaza, and adds more pressure than Washington has applied this year on Netanyahu to accept a deal. Whether it can become a reality in the coming weeks will depend heavily on the same issues that have always been fundamental: whether both Netanyahu and the leadership of Hamas now see greater gains in ending the war than in continuing it. Read more here
30th September 2025