NEWS
Central man ‘arrests’ bandit after girlfriend’s jewellery snatched
Determined not to allow his girlfriend to be violated yesterday, a Central man chased a bandit and held on to him after he snatched a hand band from his lady love. While he did not want to be interviewed, Guardian Media was told that the hero, who identified himself only as Josiah, was walking with his girlfriend along the Brian Lara Promenade around 2 pm, when the bandit snatched the piece of jewellery off her hand and ran. Josiah chased the suspect along the sidewalk and caught up with him outside Nicholas Towers, where he tackled him and held him in a headlock until police arrived. While police were taking the suspect away, Josiah was heard telling the suspect that the hand band belonged to his girlfriend’s grandmother. Read more here
Don't you dare blame workers – SWWTU head responds to complaints about Port of Spain port
Seamen and Waterfront Workers Trade Union (SWWTU) President General Michael Annisette took Downtown Owners and Merchant’s Association (DOMA) president Gregory Aboud to task for what he described as an "disingenuous" attempt to throw port workers under the bus, after he complained of delays and inefficiencies at the port. Annisette, in defence of the port workers, said inefficiencies at the port were not related to the workers themselves, but to systematic issues, such as outdated equipment, archaic policies and a refusal to invest in the port and its workers. “When you look at our infrastructure, operational and otherwise, our outdated equipment – some of which has long gone past its life cycle, the non-implementation of the memorandum of agreement, the lack of investment in the port, how dare you now come to try to throw hot water on the port workers? Read more here
POLITICS
Silence as US military heads to southern Caribbean
Amid reports by Reuters of an anti-drug US military deployment into the South Caribbean, no comment was made by US government sources on this operation and no reaction was proffered by the Venezuelan government, some of whose members have US bounties on their heads for alleged narco-trafficking. The US State Department posted a tweet on X citing Secretary of State Marco Rubio outlining how the US was addressing drug trafficking in the Western Hemisphere. “There are designated narco terrorist groups operating in the region, some of them utilizing international airspace, international waters to transit poison into the United States, and those groups will be confronted. @POTUS (Donald Trump) has made that clear.” Earlier that day, the US State Department in a tweet offered a US$5 million reward for help to arrest the leader of Venezuela-based Tren de Aragua organisation which it accused of "a campaign of terror throughout our hemisphere." Read more here
Migrants safe: PM says Govt won’t engage in mass deportations of Venezuelans
Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar says her migrant policy, which is not yet completed, will not be one of mass deportations of migrants. Speaking with the media at bMobile’s Future Leaders Internship Engagement function at the Diplomatic Centre, St Ann’s, yesterday, Persad-Bissessar said details on the policy will be forthcoming. “Soon! Not mass deportation, but we are still working on that policy and you will hear about it, maybe by next week. I have people working on it, Homeland Security and others,” Persad-Bissessar said. In the lead-up to the April 28th General Election, Persad-Bissessar had promised mass deportations for those migrants involved in criminal activities. During her presentation at the United National Congress’ (UNC) Monday Night Report in Couva, the Prime Minister again raised the issue of migrants, accusing the past government of not properly assessing Venezuelan migrants who sought refugee status in T&T. She claimed billions were spent in the last 10 years, with criminals benefiting. Read more here
BUSINESS
Unicomer expands footprint in Tobago
In a significant development for the island’s business sector, Unicomer (Trinidad) Ltd has launched its Courts Business Solutions (CBS) showroom at the Gulf City Mall, Lowlands, Tobago. The showroom, which specialises in commercial-grade products and bespoke enterprise solutions, heralds a new era of business-to-business retail offerings on the island. Speaking at the launch on August 8, Unicomer Ltd’s managing director Shiva Mungal hailed the showroom as a milestone, saying it has extended Courts’ business-to-business services and commercial range of products in Tobago. Mungal said the island’s business sector has embraced the facility with tremendous enthusiasm and the feedback, thus far, has been positive. Read more here
REGIONAL
‘This is the era of converting dreams into reality’
President Ali forecasts construction of 30,000 new houses in next five years says greater incentives to support families directly imminent. Guyana’s housing sector is on the cusp of greater advancement with the government looking to construct 30,000 new homes within the next five years. This massive undertaking, according to President Dr. Irfaan Ali will build on the country’s already thriving momentum, creating some 150,000 jobs and pumping over $450 billion into the economy. Read more here
INTERNATIONAL
Bowen: Netanyahu is presiding over a divided Israel - the fault lines are now chasms
Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel's longest-serving prime minister and by far the dominant force in its politics, has not budged from what he believes is the essential truth about the war in Gaza. He has given Israel – and the outside world – a consistent message since Hamas attacked Israel almost two years ago. He stated it clearly when he ordered the first big ground offensive of the war into the Gaza Strip on 28 October 2023, three weeks after the attacks, and since then he has repeated the themes many times. "We will fight to defend our homeland. We will fight and not retreat. We will fight on land, at sea and in the air. We will destroy the enemy above ground and below ground. We will fight and we will win. Read more here
15th August 2025