NEWS
CAL: Tickets can be bought in Trinidad and Tobago dollars
Caribbean Airlines (CAL) has said tickets can be bought at all its locations and online via its free mobile app using Trinidad and Tobago currency, as well as through its layaway plan. However, it said since it has to pay operational and other expenses in foreign currencies, it needed to balance its pricing strategies. In a release on May 13, the airline addressed conversations on social media following the publication on an article titled Time to let Trinbagonians book CAL flights in TT$, published in the Trinidad Express on May 11. It said it welcomed the opportunity to clarify the options available to customers for booking and payment in TT dollars (TTD). Read more here
TSTT blocked: Minister orders freeze on hirings amid board impasse
Minister of Public Utilities Barry Padarath has mandated the majority state-owned Telecommunications Services of T&T (TSTT) and its wholly owned subsidiary, Amplia, to put a hold on all human resource actions until further notice with immediate effect. This comes after the board of TSTT refused to resign, Padarath said in an interview with Guardian Media yesterday. An undated internal memo detailed that the directives applied across all categories of employment - permanent, temporary, part-time, contract, consultancy and contingent workers. The memo was issued by TSTT CEO Kent Western and was obtained by Guardian Media. Read more here
POLITICS
Government's cost-cutting extends to media advertising
Government appears to have expanded its cost-cutting policy to media advertising in the wake of Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar saying her administration had inherited a $4.42 billion financial "hole" from the previous government. On the UNC's Facebook page on May 13, a post attributed to the PM said money would no longer be "wasted" on advertising (in the media), rentals and perks. Instead it would be put to use for the people. Read more here
Housing Minister on HDC funding: We will get it done
In an effort to ramp up the construction of new houses, newly-minted Housing Minister David Lee has promised that the Government will make funds available to the Housing Development Corporation (HDC) to pay contractors. After touring HDC construction sites on Monday, Lee said HDC had been doing good work but projects had slowed down under the previous administration because contractors were not getting payments on time. Lee said, “I’ve seen good developments taking place and good work, but as I said, it could be ramped up if payments or the process of payment flow can be made much faster. I know the constraints of HDC. I know the constraints of the country. So, one of my biggest responsibilities would be to see how best HDC and the Ministry of Housing can get funded to ramp up the housing stock market for the Ministry of Housing and by extension, HDC, and by extension, the people of Trinidad and Tobago, because there’s a high demand for housing throughout Trinidad presently, that we really have to fast-track the construction of houses.” Read more here
BUSINESS
Contractor projects October start-up for Central solar farm
The Energy Chamber of T&T says the country is on the verge of a significant renewable energy achievement with the upcoming completion of the Brechin Castle solar farm, the largest solar project in the region expected to be in operation in five months time. In a post on its website yesterday, the chamber said with one-third of the project already completed and the remaining work on track for completion by the end of 2025, the solar farm is expected to contribute approximately eight per cent of this country’s total power-generation capacity. The installed capacity of 92MW, projected to be operational by October this year, would provide clean energy equivalent to the needs of 31,500 homes. The chamber said the project has prioritised local content, employing and training approximately 300 skilled and unskilled workers, many from nearby communities, adding that this focus on local engagement underscores the solar farm’s role in fostering economic growth alongside renewable energy development. Read more here
Refining the Plan
Congratulations to our new Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar and her new Government. Yours is a story of patience and purpose. The PM has signalled that the next chapter will be about dedication and delivery. Congratulations to our new Energy Minister, Dr Roodal Moonilal, onto whose shoulders now rests the nation’s immediate energy – and economic – future. At the first post-Cabinet news conference, the Prime Minister flagged natural gas supplies from Guyana, Suriname and Grenada to help make up the current shortfall and the programme for restarting of the former Petrotrin refinery at Pointe-a-Pierre. Read more here
REGIONAL
Climate action: President Ali warns of alarming backslide amid global crises
In a stark and timely address at the opening of the Forest and Climate Leaders’ Partnership (FCLP) on Tuesday, President, Dr Irfaan Ali delivered a sobering warning about the rapid deterioration of global commitment to climate and environmental action. As wars and geopolitical conflicts dominate international agendas, the Guyanese Head of State cautioned that hard-won gains in the fight against climate change are slipping away at an alarming pace.“Let’s take a moment and reflect on how much grounds we have lost in the last two years on climate, the environment and forests. “The world in which we’re living has changed so drastically over the last two years that the focus on these important matters is slowly shifting with rapid impact. If you look at the news cycle today, it is all about wars and conflicts and finding peace and sending peace ambassadors out and trying to avoid wars,” the Head of State said. Read more here
INTERNATIONAL
Scared and malnourished - footage from Gaza shows plight of children and aftermath of Israeli strike
The war's horrors multiply. The dead, the pieces of the dead. The dying. The starving. More and more of them now – all the weight of human suffering witnessed by my brave colleagues in Gaza. The urge to avert our gaze can be overpowering. But the cameramen who work for the BBC cannot turn away, and on Tuesday one of them became a casualty himself. For their safety we do not reveal the names of our colleagues in Gaza. Our cameraman was not seriously wounded, but that was a matter of luck. The Israeli bombs launched into the car park of the European Hospital in Khan Younis killed and wounded dozens. Read more here
14th May 2025