NEWS
‘Road March’ makes triumphant return to Independence celebrations
The weather put its best foot forward for Trinidad and Tobago’s 64th anniversary of independence, and the security forces did the same, as members of the public celebrated the return of the “Road March”—the parade of uniformed officers from the launch of the celebrations at the Queen’s Park Savannah through Woodbrook to the St James conclusion point. Read more here
Florida woman critically burned in Savannah fireworks accident
A FLORIDA woman remained in critical condition last night after suffering third-degree burns when several fireworks accidentally discharged at the Queen's Park Savannah, Port of Spain, yesterday. She has been identified as Jennifer Czerepka, 45, of Plant City, Florida, USA. Police said that around 10.45 a.m., Czerepka and her partner, Paul Rogers, 49, both employees of Firepower Fireworks, were preparing fireworks for last night's Independence Day celebrations near the Grand Stand, along with a local employee. Read more here
POLITICS
PM standing firm behind Guevarro; praises security forces for safe Independence Day celebrations
Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar has declared that she is standing firmly behind Commissioner of Police (CoP) Allister Guevarro, praising him and the national security agencies for keeping their promise to ensure yesterday’s Independence Day celebrations were “awesome.” “This Government and this Prime Minister stand firmly in your corner,” Persad-Bissessar assured Guevarro and his officers. Speaking at a toast to the nation hosted by Guevarro at the Police Administration Building, Port-of-Spain, yesterday, Persad-Bissessar said she was “very heartened” by the work done by the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service and the protective services, particularly as serious crime, including murders, had fallen. “The data is very clear. There has been a drastic drop in serious crimes, and we can only improve.” Read more here
BUSINESS
Permell: Agostini to offer cash to PHL’s dissenting shareholders
Minority shareholder advocate, Peter Permell, submitted a letter to the editor yesterday, relating to the bid by Agostini Ltd to acquire 100 per cent of the shares of Prestige Holdings Ltd (PHL). In a notice dated June 23, 2026, Agostini said its share swap of 4.8 PHL shares for 1.0 Agostini share, had “formally closed.” In that notice, Agostini said it received approximately 96.8 per cent of shares of the restaurant management company. As PHL has 62,513,002 shares in issue, 3.2 per cent of that is 2,096,416 shares. Following, in full, is Mr Permell’s letter: Reference is made to my earlier letter dated July 27, 2026 “Re: Concerns regarding the Failure and/or Refusal of Agostini Holdings (Agostini) as offeror to comply with bylaw 26 (2) of the Securities Industry (Takeover) Bylaws, 2005 in connection with its offer and takeover bid made to Prestige Holdings Ltd (PHL) Shareholders on June 17, 2025.” As you are aware, the letter was sent on August 3rd and published in the Business Guardian on August 6, under the headline “Permell raises concern about Agostini takeover of Prestige Holdings” Read more here
REGIONAL
Education Minister commits to ensuring students, teachers are comfortable as schools reopen
As a new academic year begins for children, teachers and parents across Guyana, Education Minister Sonia Parag and senior ministry officials visited several schools around Georgetown. The ministry, over the last month, worked assiduously to ensure that schools were ready for reopening on Monday, guaranteeing washroom facilities that are functional, clean water flowing through the taps, secure guttering, a clean school environment and furnished classrooms for students and teachers’ comfort. “We are looking at almost 1,200 schools across the country, so it’s not an easy task, and while the government has been investing in infrastructure as well as academic resources, we were able to have textbooks in schools, we were able to have dormitories filled with furniture, as well as classrooms. Those who would have needed repairs, those who would have needed additional furniture, those were made available; and we ensured that we constantly engaged with those officials and through the channels that would be able to have the information available to us,” Minister Parag said. Read more here
INTERNATIONAL
The final minutes before floodwater crashed through Nepal-China border
The video lasts only seconds. A dark wall appears from behind the buildings at Gyirong, on the Chinese side of the Nepal-Tibet border. At first, it looks almost like a black cloud. Then it gathers shape and speed: water, mud, boulders, ice and rock surging down the valley. The timestamp on the CCTV footage reads 10:59:53 local time. What happened in the minutes that followed is still difficult to reconstruct. But fragments of video and satellite imagery from before and after the disaster have begun to reveal the scale of the destruction. Much of the border complex appears to have been swept away, with buildings that once crowded the valley floor simply gone. Read more here
1st September 2026