Carib Scope

标签： Trinidad and Tobago

特立尼达和多巴哥

  • Three new boroughs coming

    Three new boroughs coming

    Trinidad is poised to undergo the most significant restructuring of its local government system in decades, as the national government prepares to introduce legislation that will expand the number of municipal corporations from 14 to 17, Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar has confirmed. The proposed overhaul addresses long-standing inequities in resource allocation and political representation that have emerged as population patterns and regional development have shifted dramatically since the current boundaries were first established.

    In an interview with local outlet *Trinidad Express*, Persad-Bissessar emphasized that the decades-old status quo has become untenable. Boundaries for cities, boroughs, and regional corporations have remained largely unadjusted for generations, even as some regions have experienced explosive population growth while others have seen electorate numbers decline or stagnate. This imbalance has left growing communities under-resourced and underrepresented, creating gaps in service delivery that directly impact quality of life for residents.

    Under the terms of the draft legislation, three new boroughs will be created: Barataria, St. Augustine, and Couva. The proposal also includes upgrades to the status of two existing municipalities: the current Borough of Chaguanas will be elevated to the City of Chaguanas, while the Sangre Grande Regional Corporation will be reclassified as the Borough of Sangre Grande.

    Multiple existing regional corporations will see major boundary adjustments to accommodate these changes. The Tunapuna/Piarco Regional Corporation will be split to make way for the new Borough of St. Augustine, while also ceding additional territory to the Arima Borough Corporation. The remaining territory will be reorganized into the smaller Tunapuna Regional Corporation. The San Juan/Laventille Regional Corporation will also see its territory reduced, with a portion carved out to form the new Borough of Barataria. For the Couva/Tabaquite/Talparo Regional Corporation, the proposed changes would create the independent Borough of Couva, leaving the remaining area as the smaller Tabaquite/Talparo Regional Corporation.

    Geographic expansion is also on the table for several established municipalities. In southern Trinidad, both the City of San Fernando and the Borough of Point Fortin will gain additional territory, with Point Fortin absorbing one electoral district currently part of the Borough of Siparia. On the western side of the island, the Diego Martin Borough Corporation will cede territory to expand the geographic and population size of the City of Port of Spain.

    Persad-Bissessar noted that discussions around local government reform have stretched on for years, but growing disparities have made action unavoidable. She argued that municipal corporations are the level of government closest to communities and their daily needs, so a functional, equitable structure is critical to delivering responsive services that improve residents’ quality of life.

    The Prime Minister also pushed back against opposition claims that her government has unfairly allocated resources to opposition-controlled municipal corporations, asserting that it was the previous People’s National Movement administration that oversaw inequitable distribution. She added that the reforms are designed to eliminate disparities rooted in outdated boundary lines, ensuring all communities receive adequate resources regardless of their location.

    Full details of the restructuring plan will be included in the legislation, which will be debated in Parliament in the coming weeks. Passage only requires a simple majority, putting the reform on track to be approved if the government maintains party discipline. The overhaul comes on the heels of the 2023 local government election, which ended in a deadlock: the ruling United National Congress and opposition People’s National Movement each won seven of the 14 existing municipal corporations.

  • ‘He made us feel special’

    ‘He made us feel special’

    A memorial service held on Monday at the Linden Seventh Day Adventist Church in New York brought together family, dignitaries, and admirers to celebrate the life and legacy of Slinger Francisco, the iconic performer universally known as The Mighty Sparrow, who passed away on September 27 at the age of 91 after a short, undisclosed illness.

    Widely celebrated across the globe as the “Calypso King of the World”, the man behind the legendary stage persona was first and foremost a devoted, loving family man to his wife Margaret and his 13 children, according to his daughter Gina Francisco, who delivered a heartfelt, personal tribute during the service.

    Gina shared intimate childhood memories of growing up surrounded by the sounds of her father’s craft, recalling the constant hum of music taking shape in their home — a backdrop that sometimes felt like an annoyance to young children, but ultimately revealed the extraordinary work of one of the world’s greatest musical innovators. She praised the tight-knit community of artists that collaborated with her father, noting that his perfectionist approach to his craft was supported by an “amazing” music family that helped fuel his decades of success, and expressed deep gratitude for their role in his legacy.

    Beyond the spotlight and the crown, Gina emphasized, her father was a husband, grandfather, great-grandfather, relative, and friend who had a unique ability to make every person he met feel seen and special. “I don’t know how that man could love everybody and make them feel like they’re so special. I thought I was special and then I saw how he treated others. I’m like, they’re special too?” she joked, adding that watching his radical openness with everyone taught her to share his love and appreciate the joy he brought to every interaction. “He was just welcoming to everyone. He loved family, that’s one thing he loved.”

    Gina also recalled a tender, formative moment when she told her father of her decision to get baptized decades ago. Though he initially expressed quiet displeasure with her choice, never forcing his opinion but making his feelings clear, she was shocked and overjoyed years later when he made the decision to be baptized himself. Fighting back tears, she described watching her ailing father, who could no longer walk on his own, carried into the baptismal pool without a single complaint. That quiet, uncomplaining grace marked his later years, she said, as the man who had once traveled the entire world found his world growing smaller with age, yet never expressed frustration or bitterness. “He taught me how to be just at peace with whatever God gives you, and he was praying regularly,” she said.

    Dignitaries in attendance also shared tributes honoring the far-reaching cultural impact of Sparrow’s life and work. U.S. Congresswoman Yvette Clarke noted that Sparrow’s talent could never be confined by national borders: born in Grenada, the self-described “spice island”, and raised in Trinidad and Tobago, his music spread across the Caribbean, through the global African diaspora, and to every corner of the world. “His music travelled across the Caribbean throughout the African diaspora around the world giving voice to our people, telling our stories, challenging conventions and bringing joy to generations,” Clarke said. She called Sparrow far more than an entertainer, framing him as a cultural institution, trailblazer, and innovator who lifted Caribbean culture and calypso music to the global stage. For New York’s large Caribbean diaspora community in Brooklyn and beyond, she added, his legacy is woven into the very identity of the community, connecting generations and affirming the power of their shared history and culture.

    Neil Parsan, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Trinidad and Tobago to the United Nations in New York, also spoke to Sparrow’s transformative impact. What began as a career performing in small calypso tents across Trinidad and Tobago grew to sell out global stages, Parsan noted, and Sparrow carried the distinctive wit, creativity, and spirit of Caribbean people everywhere he went. “That was one of his great gifts to make a nation feel seen. He could take the things that people were talking about in the streets and give them rhythm and a life of their own,” Parsan said. Beyond his own fame, Parsan added, Sparrow’s greatest achievement was opening doors for future generations of calypso artists, earning global respect for the art form and proving that Caribbean stories deserve a place on the world’s biggest stages. He truly earned his title as the “Calypso King of the World”, Parsan affirmed.

  • Hosein: Expanded role to tackle ‘burdensome’ land issues

    Hosein: Expanded role to tackle ‘burdensome’ land issues

    A recent cabinet reshuffle in Trinidad and Tobago has expanded the responsibilities of two senior government ministers, as the administration pushes for greater bureaucratic efficiency and targeted progress on key national priorities including land regularisation and youth workforce development.

    Saddam Hosein, Minister of Land and Legal Affairs, says the new land-related entities and programs transferred to his portfolio will cut through long-standing red tape that has slowed progress on state land development and formalisation. The Ministry of Land and Legal Affairs was created exactly one year ago by Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, and Hosein highlighted a string of tangible achievements from the ministry’s first 12 months in a recent interview with the *Sunday Express*.

    Over the past year, Hosein said his team prioritized land regularisation and secure land tenure, resolving hundreds of unresolved cases that had sat inactive for decades. Key deliverables include distributing more than 800 land leases to former Caroni workers, issuing over 250 Certificates of Comfort, appointing nearly 100 new marriage officers and justices of the peace, and rolling out bedside birth registration for new parents. The ministry also advanced major housing development projects, with 100 new residential units set to be completed and put up for sale in the near term.

    On the legislative front, the ministry passed updates to digitize Trinidad and Tobago’s official body of laws, and resolved long-outstanding land acquisition claims in both Tobago and the Caura area, clearing the way for the Housing Development Corporation to distribute new housing units.

    For Hosein, the transfer of additional responsibilities to his ministry is a logical step to consolidate fragmented land governance. “With these added portfolios it will further streamline many of the existing and burdensome land related matters to assist with the development and regularisation of these land,” he explained. Beyond just formalizing land ownership, he frames the government’s land distribution work as a tool for equitable economic empowerment. “At the Ministry of Land and Legal Affairs we look at the distribution of land as restoring dignity and giving citizens a future with an asset they can use as generational wealth,” Hosein said. He thanked Persad-Bissessar for the added trust and expressed full confidence his team would continue delivering results.

    The second minister to receive an expanded portfolio is Public Utilities Minister Barry Padarath, who has now taken on oversight of the national On-the-Job Training (OJT) Programme. Padarath said he embraced the new role with enthusiasm, noting it gives him greater opportunity to invest in the next generation of Trinidad and Tobago’s workforce. “I accept the added responsibility with a great degree of alacrity towards helping our nation’s youth. It is a great opportunity to contribute towards the professional development of our young people,” he told the *Sunday Express*.

    Padarath pushed back against any suggestion that periodic cabinet reshuffles are abnormal, framing the adjustments as a deliberate strategy to match ministerial skills to policy needs and improve government performance. When the current administration took office, he claimed, most ministries were left in major disarray, requiring ongoing structural tweaks to boost efficiency. “All of the ministries were in shambles when we took over, therefore changes will be needed from time to time for greater efficiency,” Padarath said. He added that many long-standing government programs had become stagnant and failed to evolve with changing national needs, and Persad-Bissessar’s adjustments create space for ministers to drive much-needed reform.

    His comments align with the Prime Minister’s own stated approach to governance: Persad-Bissessar has confirmed that she will continue adjusting the administration’s structure as needed to boost efficiency and reduce government waste, noting that effective governance must evolve to match changing circumstances. Padarath welcomed the Prime Minister’s ongoing, proactive review of government structures and programs, saying her willingness to make bold, necessary changes is a key strength of the administration. “I am happy the PM is keeping a constant eye on portfolios and schedules, she is constantly evaluating where government policy is being adhered to and she is willing to take the bold decisions that are needed to bring about change,” he said. The latest reshuffle, he added, is part of a broader effort to repair and integrate the fragmented governmental system the current administration inherited from its predecessor.

  • …PM ‘very confident’ in minister as duties expand

    …PM ‘very confident’ in minister as duties expand

    In a recent press statement addressing the latest round of ministerial portfolio realignment across her administration, Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar has doubled down on her unwavering confidence in Minister of Land and Legal Affairs Saddam Hosein, who has taken on one of the most substantial expansions of responsibility in the restructuring.

    Hosein’s portfolio has grown dramatically, absorbing multiple new government programs and state-owned entities. When questioned by the Sunday Express on whether the minister was equipped to handle the increased workload, Persad-Bissessar offered a clear, unreserved response: “Very confident.” She added that the decision to consolidate all land-related governance under Hosein was a deliberate choice to streamline oversight of the sector.

    Beyond changes to Hosein’s brief, the reshuffle sees key function shifts across multiple departments. Management of immigrant populations and immigration detainees has been transferred to Minister of Homeland Security Roger Alexander, a change the Prime Minister framed as a logical next step following the completion of a national migrant registration initiative earlier in 2024. “This was done to easier facilitate the next phase following the end of the migrant registration process earlier this year. Immigration is under the purview of Homeland Security,” Persad-Bissessar explained, noting the shift aligns these management responsibilities with the ministry’s existing oversight of immigration and domestic security operations.

    Speculation that the removal of multiple responsibilities from Agriculture and Fisheries Minister Ravi Ratiram signaled performance dissatisfaction was firmly rejected by the Prime Minister. When asked directly if Ratiram had failed to meet performance expectations, Persad-Bissessar pointed to the core function of the agencies being reassigned rather than any shortcoming on the minister’s part.

    The Agricultural Development Bank (ADB), one of the entities moved out of Ratiram’s portfolio, has been reassigned to the Ministry of Finance under Minister Davendranath Tancoo. Persad-Bissessar argued the bank’s financial operations make the finance ministry a far more appropriate home for its governance: “ADB is a financial institution which should be under the purview of MOF (Ministry of Finance),” she said.

    A second entity, Palo Seco Agricultural Enterprises Limited (PSAEL), was transferred to Hosein’s land and legal affairs ministry. The Prime Minister explained this move was driven by PSAEL’s core mandate of managing large tracts of state land, making it a natural fit for the expanded land-focused portfolio.

    Persad-Bissessar made clear that this latest reshuffle is unlikely to be the final adjustment to her government’s structure. She confirmed that ongoing reviews of responsibility distribution across the administration will continue, with future adjustments planned as needed. “As we go along I will keep rearranging to increase efficiency and cut costs,” she said, adding that static government structures cannot adapt to evolving national circumstances and shifting policy priorities. “Governance evolves and changes need to be made to keep up,” she emphasized.

    Across all changes, the Prime Minister reiterated that the primary guiding principle for the reshuffle is not performance assessment of individual ministers, but optimizing government operations to deliver greater efficiency, reduced administrative bureaucracy, and lower public spending.

  • Widow mourns husband killed in highway crash

    Widow mourns husband killed in highway crash

    It was a routine Sunday afternoon drive home from church that ended in unthinkable tragedy on March 29, 2026, along Trinidad’s Uriah Butler Highway. Forty-two-year-old Michael King and his 37-year-old wife Severina Francois, who had spent six years building a life and a business together, never made it back to their Five Rivers, Arima residence. What should have been a quiet post-service journey became the site of a fatal collision that wiped out the couple’s carefully laid plans for 2026 and beyond. For Francois, the crash left her with severe, life-altering physical injuries and the sudden, devastating loss of the partner she described as her closest friend.

    King and Francois first crossed paths in April 2016, tying the knot in January 2020. In the years that followed, they built their life around shared faith, work and family. As devout Jehovah’s Witnesses, serving God was the foundation of their daily routine, and they had attended a church service in Chaguanas just hours before the collision. Together, they grew King’s small business, Holistic Maintenance Services Limited—a company offering painting, landscaping and janitorial cleaning services—with Francois serving as the venture’s administrative director. The pair had recently outlined big goals for 2026: they planned to purchase their own home, and King wanted to take his four children from a previous marriage on a European summer vacation, a follow-up to a 2023 trip King and Francois had taken together. Those plans were cut short when a runaway 4X4 pickup crossed the highway median and collided head-on with King’s black Kia Cerato just after 4 p.m.

    Local police investigations outline the sequence of events that led to the crash. The out-of-control pickup was driven by a 22-year-old man from Bamboo No 3, Valsayn, who was traveling south near the Munroe Road Flyover with a 24-year-old female passenger. After losing control of the vehicle, the pickup crossed the central median and struck King’s northbound car directly on the driver’s side. King was trapped in the wreckage and died instantly from his injuries. Francois, though pulled alive from the crumpled vehicle, faced a long, agonizing road to recovery that she is still navigating months later.

    Francois, who spoke to the Sunday Express by phone from her recovery location, says she has no memory of the crash itself. She remained unconscious for two weeks after the incident, waking up in the intensive care unit of the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex with no idea what had happened. “I did not know anything until I awoke at the hospital after about two weeks,” she shared. When she first arrived unconscious at the Chaguanas District Health Facility, medical teams had to resuscitate her twice before transferring her to the larger Mt Hope facility. Doctors advised Francois’ family to withhold news of King’s death until her condition stabilized, fearful that the emotional shock would worsen her severe injuries.

    The list of injuries Francois sustained in the crash is extensive. The seat belt in King’s car sliced through her small intestine, requiring emergency bowel surgery. Her dominant right hand was fractured in two separate places, which also required surgical intervention. She also suffered a small spinal fracture that cannot be treated surgically, requiring time to heal on its own, and extensive soft tissue damage to both legs from the impact of the collision. Despite the severity of her injuries, Francois has made incremental progress: her cast has been removed, she is now undergoing physiotherapy for her hand, and with the help of her father, she has learned to walk again. Still, she says the recovery process remains painful and slow.

    Francois figured out King had died on her own, before her family could break the news. When she woke lucid on the Tuesday of her second week in the hospital, she realized King was not by her side—something that would have never happened if he had survived. “Michael and I were so close to each other and for the whole day I didn’t see him. So, when my sister came to visit me, I didn’t even bother asking her because I knew that if he was alive, he would have been there. He would have been the first person I would have awoken to see,” she recalled. Because of her ongoing medical treatment, Francois was unable to attend King’s memorial service on April 14 or his funeral two days later, a loss that has left her without a sense of closure. It was only a month after the crash, when her heavy pain medication wore off, that the full weight of her loss hit her, leading to an emotional breakdown. “It’s like I didn’t get closure. It was unavoidable because I was also going through my own injuries. So I wouldn’t blame anybody,” she said.

    Today, as Francois continues to work toward recovering enough to regain a semblance of her pre-accident life, her main priorities are healing and securing justice and compensation for King’s four minor children, who lost their primary provider in the crash. King was a dedicated father and husband, she says, and his death has left a gaping hole in the lives of everyone who knew him. His business has been at a standstill since the crash, and Francois says her daily life is permanently altered: for a decade, King was her constant confidant, partner and best friend, and their daily conversations—recorded across four years of WhatsApp messages—are a painful reminder of what she lost.

    When asked if she has faith that the legal system will deliver justice for King’s unnecessary death, Francois says she can only hope and pray for a fair outcome. “A life was taken, innocently, on his way from Assembly, heading home. It didn’t just affect me, it affected everyone who he touched with his life and his presence,” she said. Reflecting on how abruptly her life changed, she added: “One day you’re with me, the next day you’re not here. And, of course, feelings of wanting him to be here take place all the time, even now, still. But it can’t happen. So, as to not wanting to close the chapter, I wish it would not have been closed, but it is closed nonetheless.”

  • ‘Women need safe spaces’

    ‘Women need safe spaces’

    The grieving family of a 39-year-old Siparia woman, Cristeen Gopaul — whose skeletal remains are strongly believed to be hers after being recovered from a wooded area off Penal Rock Road on September 10 — is issuing a urgent public appeal to the national government to expand accessible, safe shelter facilities across the country for women escaping domestic abuse.

    Speaking on condition of anonymity in a phone interview with the *Sunday Express* this past Thursday, a close relative of Gopaul confirmed the woman had been a long-term victim of systematic domestic abuse, a struggle she hid entirely from her family for years. Over the two years before her disappearance, Gopaul survived multiple violent assaults that left her with broken bones, and she suffered a pregnancy loss in December 2024 linked to the abuse. Just one month after the miscarriage, Gopaul vanished without a clear trace.

    Though multiple family members reached out to Gopaul repeatedly, offering emotional support, practical guidance and a safe place to stay, the years of abuse had left her isolated and unwilling to open up to her loved ones. “She looked normal on the outside, but we could tell she was deeply troubled and struggling with severe depression,” the relative shared. “Even when we pressed her about what was going on, she would get angry and tell us to stay out of her life.”

    The relative is convinced that if accessible, professional safe spaces had been available to Gopaul when she needed help, the outcome could have been very different. “Women need places where they feel safe enough to speak honestly about what they’re going through,” the relative explained. “If she couldn’t turn to us, having a trained professional — especially another woman — she could reach out to would have made all the difference. We need the government to fund and establish these dedicated institutions across the country. Most of all, women need to know they have value, and they deserve better than someone who won’t respect them.”

    According to the timeline shared by the family, Gopaul was last spotted in public on February 17, at the Ice Breakers Bar And Lounge in Penal, in the company of a male acquaintance. Her last contact with her family came on March 15, when she reached out briefly to say she was in danger and needed help before cutting off communication. After that message, the family launched their own independent searches for Gopaul across the region, but came up empty-handed.

    It was not until early September, when growing fears that Gopaul had been killed solidified, that the family officially filed a missing person report with the Siparia Police Station on September 3. They then contacted the Hunters Search and Rescue Team (HSRT), a registered volunteer search group led by commander Shamsudeen Ayube, to assist in locating Gopaul.

    After eight consecutive days of searching the rugged, forested terrain off Penal Rock Road, the HSRT team recovered scattered human remains covering an area roughly 1.8 meters (six feet) across. Along with the bones — which include a complete skull, ribcage, and other large skeletal fragments — searchers found a black floral dress, undergarments, and a single pink slipper, items the family confirmed match clothing Gopaul owned when she disappeared.

    The district medical officer attended the recovery site immediately, and ordered the remains transferred to the mortuary at San Fernando General Hospital for a full post-mortem examination. While the family says it remains unclear whether the post-mortem has been completed, they have been informed that official DNA test results to confirm the identity of the remains will take six months to process.

    Despite the long wait for formal confirmation, the family has no doubt the remains belong to Gopaul. They are currently holding off on planning Gopaul’s funeral and final burial rites until they receive official identification. “All we want right now is to bring her home properly, and go from there,” the relative said.

  • Sobers: T&T to set up embassy in UAE

    Sobers: T&T to set up embassy in UAE

    Following Trinidad and Tobago’s participation in the 81st Regular Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) held in New York last month, Foreign and Caricom Affairs Minister Sean Sobers has announced a series of landmark diplomatic achievements during a parliamentary address, headlined by plans to open the Caribbean nation’s first ever embassy in the Middle East based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

    Sobers confirmed that the initiative has already secured formal approval from the national Cabinet and Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, marking the culmination of months of targeted engagement by the Persad-Bissessar administration to strengthen strategic ties with the Gulf state. Government Members of Parliament responded with immediate desk-thumping approval of the historic diplomatic expansion.

    The push for a permanent UAE mission dates back to November 2025, when the Trinidad and Tobago government first signaled its intent to open a diplomatic outpost in the country as a core strategy to attract foreign direct investment, secure critical financing, and expand bilateral trade volumes. The two countries further cemented this growing partnership in February 2025, when they signed a bilateral agreement focused on the promotion and reciprocal protection of cross-border investment.

    Beyond economic gains, the deepening relationship with the UAE has already delivered tangible social benefits for Trinidad and Tobago: Sobers confirmed the UAE government has committed to a substantial grant to fund life-saving critical medical equipment for the Couva Children’s Hospital, a win the minister directly attributed to Prime Minister Persad-Bissessar’s proactive regional and global diplomatic outreach. On the sidelines of UNGA 81, Sobers also held high-level talks with UAE Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, where discussions covered collaboration across a broad range of priority sectors including economic development, trade, investment, cultural exchange, tourism, energy transition, and artificial intelligence innovation.

    Alongside the historic Middle East embassy announcement, Sobers highlighted the reset of bilateral relations with neighboring Venezuela as another defining outcome of the UNGA delegation’s work. A bilateral meeting between Prime Minister Persad-Bissessar and acting Venezuelan President Delcy Rodriguez produced a landmark agreement to launch a new bilateral strategic partnership between the two nations.

    This new framework will accelerate an ambitious shared work program covering eight key sectors: trade, energy, cross-border security, disaster risk management, environmental protection, agriculture, and cultural exchange. Sobers emphasized that this expanded, holistic approach to engaging the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela will unlock untapped potential for growth in both energy and non-energy trade for the first time, delivering mutual prosperity for both populations. For Trinidad and Tobago, he noted, the partnership will strengthen local manufacturing sectors and reduce the nation’s overall food import bill.

    Sobers also drew attention to Trinidad and Tobago’s June 3 election as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, for the 2027–2028 term. In her September 22 address to the full UNGA assembly, Prime Minister Persad-Bissessar centered the unique vulnerabilities that small island developing states (SIDS) face in the current global order, calling for enhanced coordinated international action to tackle transnational organized crime, illicit firearms trafficking, narcotics smuggling, and other threats to regional and global security. The prime minister made clear that Trinidad and Tobago will use its Security Council seat to push for practical, collaborative global responses to these challenges, while ensuring the specific concerns of small states are centered at the highest levels of global decision-making.

    On the security front, the UNGA gathering delivered additional progress for Trinidad and Tobago: during the Shield of the Americas summit chaired by U.S. President Donald Trump, the country was recognized by the Trump administration as the first participating nation to join the U.S. in formally designating 25 transnational criminal organizations as foreign terrorist organizations. Sobers confirmed this alignment will open access to ongoing technical and financial assistance from the U.S. to support domestic law enforcement efforts to combat organized criminal activity.

    Throughout the UNGA session, Prime Minister Persad-Bissessar led an intensive schedule of bilateral and multilateral engagements with heads of state, government leaders, senior diplomatic officials, and representatives of leading international organizations, a schedule that Sobers said reflected the government’s commitment to prioritizing tangible national gains over ceremonial presence at the global gathering. Beyond the Venezuela and UAE talks, the prime minister met with Ghana President John Dramani Mahama, Kyrgyzstan President Sadyr Japarov, Austria President Alexander Van der Bellen, India External Affairs Minister Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham, and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. Sobers and Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister Nicholas Morris also led a separate track of diplomatic talks, with the full Trinidad and Tobago delegation holding an additional 20 bilateral meetings with senior officials from Afghanistan, Aruba, Bangladesh, Benin, the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Dominican Republic, Gabon, Kenya, Mexico, the Netherlands, North Macedonia, Panama, Paraguay, the Philippines, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Sudan, the United Kingdom, and the UAE.

    These wide-ranging discussions produced multiple concrete diplomatic breakthroughs beyond the flagship announcements, including the formal establishment of full diplomatic relations with three nations: Gabon, North Macedonia, and San Marino. Trinidad and Tobago also signed new bilateral agreements with eight countries: three air transport agreements with Chile, Ghana, and Panama, alongside formal frameworks establishing regular political consultation mechanisms with Kenya, Romania, Paraguay, Bangladesh, and the Dominican Republic.

    Sobers emphasized that these new agreements create structured platforms to deepen cooperation across trade and investment, energy, security, development collaboration, climate finance, and other areas of shared mutual interest. The outcomes of the UNGA mission, he concluded, demonstrate the current administration’s commitment to pursuing a purpose-driven foreign policy firmly anchored in advancing the core national interests of Trinidad and Tobago.

  • Buckets of human body parts found at landfill

    Buckets of human body parts found at landfill

    On a routine day of scavenging for discarded valuables at Forres Park Landfill in Claxton Bay, a local man made a grisly discovery that launched a full law enforcement investigation Wednesday, when he uncovered multiple buckets holding what初步看起来像是 human remains.

    The incident unfolded just after 11 a.m., when the scavenger stumbled across the suspicious containers buried within a mound of garbage. After alerting other workers at the sprawling dumpsite, the pair contacted local law enforcement to report the find. First responders from the Couva Criminal Investigations Department and Couva Charge Room were the first law enforcement units to arrive at the scene to secure the area.

    A district medical officer was called to examine the recovered remains on site. Once the initial examination was complete, undertakers from a local funeral home, escorted by uniformed police, transported the remains to the mortuary at San Fernando General Hospital for formal identification and further analysis.

    Hours after the initial report, specialized investigative teams including homicide detectives, forensic evidence experts and officers from the police Central Division remained on site, methodically sifting through tons of accumulated waste and discarded material. Their goal was to locate additional partial remains and gather any forensic evidence that could help trace the origin of the remains and clarify how they ended up at the public landfill. When local newspaper Trinidad Express reporters visited the investigation scene, multiple officers were observed documenting the buckets holding the suspected remains, with many wearing protective face coverings to block the strong odors coming from the decomposing material. Just a short distance from the active crime scene, other local scavengers continued their daily work moving refuse, unfazed by the ongoing investigation.

    A senior investigating detective from the Region Three Homicide Bureau of Investigations, speaking on condition of anonymity, told reporters that authorities do not currently believe the discovery is linked to an active homicide case. Instead, investigators are working under the working theory that an individual or unlicensed disposal company improperly dumped human remains at the unregulated dumpsite, rather than arranging for legal, authorized disposal.

    This discovery echoes a similar high-profile improper disposal case from earlier this year, when authorities launched a major investigation after 56 unclaimed bodies were found dumped at an unsecured cemetery in Cumuto. Preliminary findings from the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) in that case confirmed the remains were the result of unlawful disposal of unclaimed corpses, rather than criminal homicides.

    Shortly after Wednesday’s discovery, the South-West Regional Health Authority (SWRHA) issued an official public statement addressing the find, acknowledging that they had been notified of the alleged discovery of human remains at the Claxton Bay site.

    “The Authority has commenced an internal investigation to verify the accuracy of the reports and establish the veracity of the information,” the release read. “Preliminary checks, however, indicate that the reported discovery is not associated with the San Fernando General Hospital or any of its facilities.”

    The SWRHA further added that their contracted third-party medical waste disposal provider has reaffirmed that all collection, handling, transportation and disposal of medical waste from SWRHA facilities follows all established national protocols and aligns with international industry best practices. The authority also emphasized its ongoing commitment to ensuring all medical waste and human remains from its facilities are managed, transported and disposed of safely, responsibly and in full compliance with all required national and international standards.

  • BETTING ON GAMBLING

    BETTING ON GAMBLING

    In a landmark legislative vote held yesterday morning, Trinidad and Tobago’s Senate has unanimously passed the Gambling (Gaming and Betting) (Remote Gambling) Order 2026, voting to amend the 2021 Gambling (Gaming and Betting) Act and establish a formal legal regime for regulated remote gambling operations nationwide.

    First introduced by Minister of Finance Davendranath Tancoo, the regulatory order cleared the House of Representatives earlier this week, and secured cross-party backing from both opposition and independent legislators ahead of the Senate vote. The core change introduced by the order amends Section 76(1) of the existing act, which currently criminalizes the use of remote gambling infrastructure within Trinidad and Tobago for the purpose of soliciting or facilitating remote gambling participation from users in prohibited territories.

    Speaking in robust support of the legislative change, Minister of Planning, Economic Affairs and Development Kennedy Swaratsingh framed the order as a critical step to unlock new economic opportunities and drive national growth, noting that decades of prohibition failed to eliminate unregulated, underground remote gambling activity in the country. According to Swaratsingh, the updated regulatory framework will generate new state revenue, create local job opportunities, nurture a domestic remote gambling sector, and boost the country’s foreign exchange reserves. He added that legalization will also allow Trinidad and Tobago to tap into a fast-expanding global industry projected to hit $700 billion in total annual revenue by 2028.

    To back his argument, Swaratsingh referenced recent growth data from North America’s regulated gambling markets, where gross sports betting revenue ranged between $963 million and $1.3 billion from July 2025 to July 2026, with same-store sports betting revenue growing 31% over the same 12-month period. “These numbers confirm the massive scale and consistent growth of remote gambling revenue; while they do not offer a direct forecast for Trinidad and Tobago, they make one point impossible to ignore: it is no longer reasonable for our legislation to pretend this market does not exist,” he emphasized. “Overall, global data shows consistent expansion across the sector. Against the government’s goal of formalizing remote gambling to unlock economic opportunity, these figures create a positive outlook for Trinidad and Tobago’s gambling sector,” he added.

    Swaratsingh explained that the update is a long-overdue modernization of Trinidad and Tobago’s gambling regulation, which was originally built on frameworks enacted as early as 1963 – a time before the internet, smartphones, and digital connectivity revolutionized global commerce. “Our outdated legal system was not designed for the current landscape of the global gambling industry, and that is why we are updating it to meet modern realities,” he said.

    A key policy objective of the new order is to bring the economic value of online gambling into Trinidad and Tobago’s formal economy, tying the new regulatory regime to the already existing Gambling Control Commission to avoid institutional overlap. Swaratsingh stressed that legalization does not mean unregulated access: only operators that obtain a valid remote gambling license from the Commission and adhere to strict regulatory rules will be permitted to operate, and the government remains committed to tight oversight rather than open, unrestricted access.

    Formalizing remote gambling, he noted, is a core component of the government’s broader national economic transformation agenda, which aims to encourage the development of non-traditional income sources and nurture a locally rooted digital gambling sector. Regulation also ensures that all licensed operators are subject to corporate income tax and business levies, guaranteeing the public shares in the sector’s profits. Swaratsingh added that the government’s shift away from prohibition is supported by existing preparatory work: the Central Bank of Trinidad and Tobago has already finalized work on licensing electronic money issuers, and completed public consultations on updated payment systems legislation.

    “We are not pursuing open, unregulated gambling; we are building a properly supervised framework. Through this order, the government is seizing the chance to build a regulated industry that creates new economic activity, while strengthening the state’s ability to monitor and oversee all participating operators,” Swaratsingh said.

    Despite the unanimous final vote, Opposition Senator Faris Al-Rawi raised critical questions about the timing and implementation of the order, saying he remained skeptical and that the move “does not make sense.” “Put plainly, this move is premature. It is not ready for approval, and it does not add up,” Al-Rawi said. He challenged the government’s plan for regulating license issuance, noting that while Section 20 of the 2021 Act grants the Gaming Commission licensing authority, the commission was appointed by the Cabinet in 2022 – and four years on, key implementation structures remain unbuilt. Al-Rawi also raised concerns about potential unregulated foreign exchange outflows that could accompany the launch of cross-border remote gambling operations.

    Responding to the opposition’s concerns briefly, Attorney General John Jeremie confirmed that all the outstanding issues raised by Al-Rawi had already been discussed with technical advisors in his ministry and other relevant stakeholders. Jeremie committed that all open questions will be addressed on or before January of next year, ahead of the new regulatory framework entering into force.

  • Jade Monkey withdraws from Tobago Jouvert

    Jade Monkey withdraws from Tobago Jouvert

    One of Tobago Carnival’s well-known participating bands, Jade Monkey Carnival, has announced a major change to its 2026 event plans, confirming it will step back from organizing the beloved Jouvert segment of the island’s iconic festival. The band’s leader, Seon Anthony, shared the official announcement in a public post to the band’s Facebook followers on Tuesday, opening the statement by addressing the group’s core community of masqueraders, event partners, long-time supporters, and the general Tobagonian public.

    After months of careful deliberation and internal assessment, band leadership finalized the difficult call to cancel its planned 2026 Jouvert presentation, which was billed under the theme “Rise of the Empire”. In the post, the leadership emphasized that the decision was far from a casual one. A full organizational review was conducted to evaluate the current broader economic climate, as well as a range of day-to-day operational factors that would affect the band’s ability to put on the event. Ultimately, the team concluded that moving forward with the Jouvert presentation in 2026 would not let them meet the high bar of quality that their masqueraders have come to expect from the band year after year.

    For the Jade Monkey team, Carnival is far more than just marching a collective of performers along the parade route. It is a cultural practice rooted in creating experiences that capture the vibrant energy, innovative creativity, and one-of-a-kind community spirit that defines the Jade Monkey brand. Any project that carries the band’s name is expected to deliver the exceptional, immersive experiences that the group has built its reputation on, the statement noted.

    While the “Rise of the Empire” Jouvert presentation will not move forward as planned for the 2026 Tobago Carnival, the band remains committed to its role in the annual festival season. The group will still host its beloved signature Carnival event F.A.W.W, continuing its contribution to Tobago’s iconic cultural celebration.

    Jade Monkey Carnival closed its statement by extending heartfelt gratitude to all masqueraders, corporate partners, official sponsors, and community supporters for their understanding, patience, and ongoing trust in the band’s leadership. The organization was quick to clarify that this exit is not a permanent end to the band’s Jouvert participation. “This is not goodbye, it is simply a moment to pause, regroup and look ahead,” the announcement read.

    All masqueraders who have already completed their registration for the 2026 presentation will be contacted directly by the Jade Monkey team in the coming days to discuss their registration status and next steps. The band asked all affected participants to monitor their messages for the official communication, which will be sent to the contact information each registrant provided during the sign-up process.