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The House of Angostura, home of the world famous Angostura aromatic bitters and orange bitters, today launched its newest flavour - cocoa bitters.
The new bitters combines Angostura’s blend with the flavourful Trinitario cocoa created in Trinidad and Tobago, giving it top notes of rich, floral and nutty cocoa combined with an infusion of aromatic botanicals.
The cocoa bitters is said to be perfect for desserts and pairs perfectly with sweet vermouth or aged spirits such as whiskey, rum, cognac and tequila.
Speaking at the launch at the House of Angostura, Terrence Bharath, Chairman of Angostura Holdings Limited, said the new product will be shipped all over the world to the 150 countries where Angostura already has a presence. The new Cocoa Bitters will also be available at 1200 Walmart stores in the United States.
It will also be available on certain websites. Source: The Loop, July 2020

Trinidadian volunteer Giselle Mendez was given the Commonwealth Points of Light award from the Queen for her service during the COVID-19 pandemic, said the British High Commission.
Mendez represented Trinidad and Tobago as the 148th Commonwealth Point of Light in honour of her exceptional voluntary service encouraging community volunteering.
In a statement issued July 17, 2020, UK High Commissioner Tim Stew said Mendez' volunteer work during the challenging COVID-19 period is inspiring:
'Giselle Mendez has shown us the value of coming together to connect, even virtually, especially during the coronavirus pandemic.'
'I am inspired by her work to bring about meaningful change in various communities and to positively influence young people in this country. And, I’m delighted that Giselle will join three others from Trinidad and Tobago who have received this award from Her Majesty the Queen.
'This also makes Giselle the 148th person in the Commonwealth to receive this international award since 2018.'
'I wish her continued strength to carry on this good work. And I hope this award will further inspire young people to act, however they can, to drive positive change in their communities.'
Mendez, founder of the ‘Volunteer Centre of Trinidad and Tobago’ (VCTT) in 2012, has worked to connect people and encourage collaborations with volunteers for sustained and structured interventions in various sectors.
During the COVID-19 pandemic the VCTT team launched their ‘virtual volunteering’ initiative to promote mindfulness and safe volunteering opportunities such as telephone befriending, child tutoring, letter writing to isolated people or donating to an NGO.
Mendez also leads over 130 mentors that will provide guidance and support to young people beyond the pandemic through their e-mentoring programmes, ‘Me to We’ and ‘Grown in East Port of Spain’.
Mendez said the VCTT aims to help transform communities for the better.
'Volunteer Centre of Trinidad and Tobago’ (VCTT) is a volunteer matching platform which connects people to high impact custom built interventions which support the Sustainable Development Goals.'
'Our current interventions include the ‘Me to We E-Mentorship’ programme supported by Prince's Trust International, the ‘Grown in East Port of Spain home & community garden’ initiative supported by the Global Environment Facility Small Grants Programme and the development of a regional network for Volunteerism supported by ‘Ruach Tova’ - Good Deeds Day.'
'At VCTT we believe in the transformational power of people, and our family of volunteers is honoured for this recognition of our 8 years of service as we curate an all-inclusive space for citizens to be activated and meaningfully engaged in pioneering viable solutions, in support of our ‘Vision of A Volunteer In Every Home’.'
As part of the legacy of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in London 2018, Her Majesty The Queen - as Head of the Commonwealth - thanked inspirational volunteers across the 54 Commonwealth nations for the difference they have made in their communities and beyond, by recognising one volunteer from each Commonwealth country every week.
The High Commission said: 'By sharing these stories of service, the Commonwealth Points of Light awards celebrate inspirational acts of volunteering across the Commonwealth and help inspire others to make their own contribution to tackling some of the greatest social challenges of our time, including the current COVID-19 pandemic.'
The High Commission said voluntary service is high on the agenda for improving Commonwealth nations, which is why the Queen has chosen to recognise outstanding volunteers across the Commonwealth in this special way.  Source: The Loop, July 30, 2020

Approximately 165 Venezuelan nationals were repatriated to their home country this week, National Security Minister Stuart Young confirmed to Loop News.
The development comes after several illegal immigrants were recently detained by authorities - several Trinidadian nationals were also detained in connection with human trafficking.
In a video shared online, a man claimed in Spanish that a vessel was carrying repatriated Venezuelans. Other videos were recently shared online showing Venezuelan vessels in the Gulf of Paria near Chaguaramas.  
crackdownLOOP NEWS CREATED : 29 JULY 2020COVID-19
Share to FacebookShare to TwitterShare to LinkedInShare to WhatsAppShare to MessengerShare to EmailShare to TelegramShare to More186Approximately 165 Venezuelan nationals were repatriated to their home country this week, National Security Minister Stuart Young confirmed to Loop News.
The development comes after several illegal immigrants were recently detained by authorities - several Trinidadian nationals were also detained in connection with human trafficking.
In a video shared online, a man claimed in Spanish that a vessel was carrying repatriated Venezuelans. Other videos were recently shared online showing Venezuelan vessels in the Gulf of Paria near Chaguaramas.  
In a media briefing on Saturday (July 25), Young said that national security agencies would be ensuring that anyone found involved in human trafficking would be charged under the Trafficking in Persons Act.
Young added that Venezuelans with national registration cards, who were caught assisting or harbouring illegal immigrants, would have their registrations revoked and would be deported.
Trinidadians have raised concerns over the possible spread of COVID-19 due to the unregulated entry of illegal immigrants, following a recent spike in confirmed cases. 
Due to patient confidentiality, the Ministry has not confirmed whether any patients were illegal immigrants. The Ministry also warned the public not to 'jump to conclusions'.
The increase in cases has lead to a surge of xenophobic comments online. 
As of July 28, 2020, there were five more cases of the virus, raising the total number of confirmed cases to 153.
The Health Ministry said three of the cases were imported as a result of nationals who had returned from Antigua and Barbuda, Guyana, and Vietnam.
The Ministry said another recent case is a primaary contact of another recent positive case, while another is ending epidemiological investigations. 
Five (5) additional persons have tested positive for COVID-19.
-      Three (3) of the cases are imported. These are nationals who recently returned from the  following countries: Antigua, Guyana and Vietnam
-      One case is a primary contact of a recently positive COVID-19 case.
-      One case is pending epidemiological investigation. 
 

When Janelle “Penny” Commissiong became Miss Universe in 1977, the world sat up and took notice.
Commissiong, from the tiny island of Trinidad, was the first ever black Miss Universe — a hopeful sign and something to be celebrated far beyond pageant circles.
Toronto resident (and former Much/City entertainment reporter) Nadine Ramkisson — a fellow Trinidadian — put us in touch with Commissiong to hear her thoughts on the current racial divide in America.
Reached by phone on Friday, Commissiong said she’s surprised by what’s happening in the United States.
“The George Floyd incident was a perfect storm — for the world to see and understand that these changes have to be made,” she said.
“Without George Floyd we wouldn’t have seen all the rest that’s happened over the past few months, or understood what’s at the root of parts of America.
“It’s an issue that’s touched the whole world, with protests everywhere, wherever there are people of colour.”
The elegant Commissiong did not experience overt racism herself until she entered the beauty pageant circuit. That all began as a way to publicize the fashion business she was going to open in Trinidad, where she’d just returned after living in the U.S. and studying at Manhattan’s Fashion Institute of Technology.
“I had just moved back to Trinidad, so I did it for promotion. I hadn’t been there for some years and wanted people to know who I was. I went into a local pageant without any expectations.”
And she won. From there her journey to the Miss Universe contest, held that year in the Dominican Republic, was underway.
“Only when we got there did I realize that I was really in a competition,” she said, laughing. “I’d never even been on a stage before. Seeing the competitive spirit around beauty was very interesting.”
International media attended, and every day the newspapers had a front page featuring one contestant or another.
“Except we never saw a black contestant on the cover,” remembers Commissiong. “We weren’t seeing ourselves in the papers at all. We figured we were there just to make up the numbers.
“I had never before in my life felt second place or second class, so that was all new to me.”
The whole notion of a beauty “industry” was new to her, too. There were plenty of hurdles in her year as Miss Universe.
“A person of colour was not a typical beauty,” she said. The main chaperone for the pageant winners was very unhappy that a black woman had won over a white Miss USA.
“One day she said to me, ‘Janelle, don’t think you’re the most beautiful girl in the world.’ I was quick on my feet, and responded, ‘The organization you work for told me I was!’”
Ironically, Commissiong’s reign ended when she passed the crown to Miss South Africa — at the height of apartheid.
She eventually did open her clothing business, but after her husband died, Commissiong took over his boat-building business. That was a huge hurdle, as the business was 100% male — all the craftsmen and all the customers — and nobody thought a “beauty queen” could handle it.
She did, though.
“It was a hostile industry, but over the years I think I earned their respect.”
Being the beauty queen has been a bit of a double-edged sword, says Commissiong, but she has always been proud of representing Trinidad.
She is an icon in her country. Her pageant win put Trinidad and Tobago on the map, and she’s been honoured by having her image on the nation’s postage stamps.
Recently, a main street in Port of Spain was renamed for her; Trinidad and Tobago won independence from Britain in the 1960s, so naming a street after someone local, says the modest Commissiong, “may help young people coming up have a sense of our history.”
She never had political aspirations?
“Not at all!” She laughs again. “Thank God I was too smart for that.”
​Source: Toronto Sun, July 2020

SOCA songstress Nailah Blackman is now eligible to win a Grammy. The 22-year-old performer announced on her Instagram on Saturday she was invited to join the Recording Academy.
The Recording Academy is responsible for the Grammys Awards. A person cannot win or vote for the Grammys unless they are a part of the academy. This year, more than 2,300 music professionals were invited into the coveted membership.
“This is the next step, the whole process I set off on three years ago. It has always been our goal to win a Grammy. This is just one step towards that goal…. I am now eligible to be nominated for a Grammy and I am now eligible to vote to get someone nominated for a Grammy,” Blackman told Newsday on Monday.
In 2018 she was flown out by record executives from Def Jam Recording to meet with them.
She was nominated by label reps from Universal Republic Records for membership in the Recording Academy.
“I’ve been working on music for the sole purpose to make music for life, make music for Trinidad, make music for Carnival, make music for the entire world. Where we see our music going is the international realm.”
This membership, Blackman said, was the third phase of her three-year plan to get international recognition. She’s been working on music not just for Carnival, but for the people who’ve never heard of Carnival, never heard of TT and never heard of soca music.
“We’ve been creating this music to get into those new markets.”
She’s been playing around with her sounds and apart from her soca songs she’s been creating a hybrid of soca with Afrobeats, reggaeton and pop music.


“We have been sparing on when and how we release things. When I start back to release music, we are not going to stop. It is just going to be song after song. To keep the momentum going into 2021. When and how everything will be released is still in motion, but we are well prepared in terms of music.”
She and her team are not sure if they are going to release a new album or singles.
She’s also been quietly working on collaborations with international artists. She was hesitant to name drop many people except for Adekunle Gold, a prominent Nigerian singer.
“We did a video together during this whole lockdown, in separate locations, so that video should be coming out this month. That’s the next big international project you all can look forward to.”
She had another collab with a US artist she is keeping under wraps.
“They are also quite popular as well, and they would bring a whole new market to me. We are throwing in everything I’m doing in an international direction, but still staying true to soca music.
With the borders closed and physical distancing ensuring interactive performances for musicians being placed on hold, Blackman got a chance to rest, recuperate and also used the time to work on her music.
In the past three years, Blackman has been super busy pumping out music and performing across the globe. She’s flown to more than 46 places including Jamaica, Guyana, St Lucia, New York City, Miami, Boston, Vancouver, Canada, Suriname, Belize, Paris, London and Australia.
“I felt like I needed time to recuperate. I’ve been going like a machine for the last three years. I’ve spent more time on a plane than anywhere else. It was important to regroup, find myself and have a direction because I know the next time I connect with my fans, it would not be at the same level that I did before.”
Though she’s had to physically distance herself from her fans, she’s kept in close communication with
them through Instagram. She posts frequently to the platform for her 368,000 followers.
“People feel as if they always want to see an artist perform, but they only get to know the artists as artists but not when they are home, what are they doing and their family.
“Over lockdown, I’ve connected a lot more with my fans on the internet a lot more than when I was just performing all the time. I think they are seeing a different side of me. It has brought us a lot closer.” Source: Newsday, July 14, 2020