NEWS
TTUTA plans mass rally if salaries not updated
TT Unified Teachers Association (TTUTA) president Crystal Ashe said a mass rally is being planned as the union has received no update from the Chief Personnel Officer or anyone from the Finance Ministry about the status of revised salaries for teachers. On January 8, Ashe claimed no instructions have been given to the Education Ministry's Finance Department to calculate and implement these new salaries, and the Cabinet Note that would ultimately approve the payment was not accepted. TTUTA, under former president Martin Lum Kin, accepted a five per cent salary increase for 2020-2023, ten days before the April 28 general election. Read more here
Family, TTITOA call for stricter hiking safety after Jordan’s death
Forty-year-old Jessica Jordan loved hiking, but her uncle believes she may not have been aware of the difficulty of the hike to Madamas River on Saturday, which ended in her death. While he accepts that the incident was a tragic accident, Lennox, who did not want to give his full name, believes it could have been avoided. “It was something ridiculous. It should have never happened. They should have called off that hike, but accidents do happen, and things happen,” he said. Read more here
POLITICS
Ramsamooj: Farley gets 'strongest hand' to push autonomy
Political analyst Derek Ramsamooj says the Tobago People's Party's (TPP) resounding 15-0 victory in the January 12 Tobago House of Assembly (THA) election has provided its political leader and THA Chief Secretary Farley Augustine a strong hand to demand greater autonomy for the island and advance its interests. Ramsamooj said the THA elections result make for an interesting political dynamic between Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar and Augustine. He also said the results have diminished the PNM's political stocks nationally and its leadership must do some serious introspection with respect to charting the way forward for the party. Ramsamooj said the result has placed Augustine "in the strongest position within recent times of having a clear mandate to develop Tobago's agenda." Read more here
PNM seeks recounts in two seats as EBC confirms TPP clean sweep
Recounts requested by the People’s National Movement (PNM) began yesterday in the Darrel Spring/Whim and Scarborough/Mt Grace electoral districts following Monday’s Tobago House of Assembly (THA) elections, which the Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC) says was won by the Tobago People’s Party (TPP). According to preliminary results released by the EBC yesterday, the TPP won all 15 THA seats with 16,240 votes, while the PNM secured 10,456 votes. Read more here
BUSINESS
Angostura resumes shipments to India
Angostura has officially marked its re-entry into the Indian market with a shipment valued at US $80,000, signalling what the company envisions as a major expansion into one of the world’s fastest-growing consumer markets. Speaking at the event which took place at the company’s warehouse in Laventille yesterday, chairman of Angostura Holdings Ltd, Gary Hunt, described the move as “the start of big things.” Hunt emphasised that this initial shipment is symbolic, representing Angostura’s commitment to building a strong presence in India. “We are extremely delighted to announce Angostura’s re-entry into the Indian market with our very iconic Angostura Aromatic Bitters and Orange Bitters, alongside Angostura’s five-year old rum. This return follows an absence of nearly 11 years. Our presence here today signals not only resilience, but a very strategic global intent,” he explained. Read more here
T&T’s business exodus continues
Within months of each other, several businesses, including two media houses, have closed, citing economic decline. Economists believe that Trinidad and Tobago’s current economic pressures are the result of long-standing structural weaknesses rather than recent policy actions. Economist Dr Vaalmikki Arjoon said the difficulties businesses face today stem from years of accumulated policy and management decisions. Read more here
REGIONAL
Buzz Bee Dam Highway to unlock massive network links
What were once swamp lands are now being transformed into a modern four-lane highway, as construction of the Buzz Bee Dam to Land of Canaan Road reaches advanced stages, President Dr. Irfaan Ali has said. During a site visit with engineers and technical personnel on Tuesday, President Ali reminded that the project forms part of a broader East Bank Demerara (EBD) to East Coast Demerara (ECD) Road network, and is expected to serve as a crucial interconnecting link for national transportation and development. Read more here
INTERNATIONAL
Trump vows 'very strong action' if Iran executes protesters
President Donald Trump has said the US will take "very strong action" against Iran if it executes protesters, as rights groups say more than 2,400 anti-government demonstrators have been killed in a violent crackdown by Iranian authorities. Relatives of 26-year-old Erfan Soltani, who was detained last week, have told BBC Persian that he is due to be executed on Wednesday. A representative from the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights also told the BBC that they had "never witnessed a case move so quickly". Read more here
14th January 2026