On Sunday, November 15, 2026, Guyanese President Irfaan Ali formally inaugurated the long-awaited US$35 million Mackenzie-Wismar crossing spanning the Demerara River, officially renaming the 233-metre four-lane structure the Samuel Hinds River Bridge in tribute to the nation’s beloved former Prime Minister and President.
As part of a landmark dedication ceremony that brought together political leaders, family representatives, and local residents from the Linden riverbank communities, President Ali also unveiled plans to name the two access roads flanking the new bridge after two additional towering figures in Guyana’s modern political history. The approach route on the Mackenzie side will bear the name of the late Robert Corbin, long-serving former leader of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) and ex-Deputy Prime Minister, whose brother Charles Corbin attended the event to accept the honor on behalf of the Corbin family. Corbin, who first joined the PNCR’s youth wing in the 1970s before rising to the party’s central executive committee, served as the party’s General Secretary and led the PNCR from 2002 to 2012, succeeding the late Desmond Hoyte. The Wismar-end access road, meanwhile, will be named for current Prime Minister Retired Brigadier Mark Phillips, a former Chief of Staff of the Guyana Defence Force who joined the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPPC) as President Ali’s running mate for the 2020 and 2025 general elections.
The newly commissioned bridge replaces a cramped 60-year-old single-lane crossing first built in 1968 to transport bauxite ore out of the Wismar-Mackenzie mining hub, a structure that over decades evolved into a critical transport artery connecting coastal communities to Guyana’s remote interior regions, including Region 7 (Cuyuni-Mazaruni) and Region 9 (Upper Takatu-Upper Essequibo). Public Works Minister Juan Edghill emphasized at the ceremony that the new four-lane infrastructure would permanently eliminate decades of long, disruptive delays that had long stifled commerce, commuter travel, and emergency response across the Demerara River.
The namesake of the new bridge, Samuel Hinds, is a Canadian-trained chemical engineer who spent decades working in Guyana’s bauxite industry after relocating to Linden from Mahaicony. He first entered public life as a leading voice in the Guyana Action for Reform and Democracy (GUARD), a grassroots advocacy group campaigning for free and fair national elections, before being selected as the late PPCR leader Dr. Cheddi Jagan’s prime ministerial running mate. Following the PPPC’s historic 1992 election victory that ended decades of one-party rule, Hinds served as Prime Minister continuously until the party’s 2015 election defeat. He also ascended to the presidency in 2009 following the passing of President Janet Jagan, holding the office until the 2011 general election when he returned to the post of Prime Minister, and currently serves as Guyana’s Ambassador to the United States.
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New Linden bridge named after former President Samuel Hinds
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SVG Post to sign landmark MOU on digital innovation, economic growth
A landmark public-private partnership is poised to launch in St. Vincent and the Grenadines this week, as state-run SVG Postal Corporation (SVG Post) prepares to formalize a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with local technology enterprise Yassuh on Wednesday. The forward-thinking collaboration is engineered to accelerate nationwide digital innovation, unlock untapped commercial pathways, and catalyze inclusive economic expansion across the island nation.
According to an official public statement released by the parties, the upcoming accord marks a deliberate break from the traditional, service-limited mandate of national postal operators, opening a new chapter of cross-sector cooperation that leverages the postal service’s unparalleled on-the-ground national footprint to deliver far-reaching public benefits. Under the terms of the planned partnership, the two entities will jointly pilot and deploy three core technological pillars: standardized digital addressing systems, high-precision geospatial intelligence mapping, and optimized end-to-end logistics technology stacks. These tools will be deployed to streamline government public service distribution, strengthen operational resilience for local small and medium-sized enterprises, remove longstanding barriers to cross-border and domestic e-commerce participation, and extend access to critical essential services to remote, underserved communities across the archipelago.
A central, priority-focused component of the collaboration will be co-designing innovative new commercial service lines and mutually beneficial revenue-sharing frameworks. These structures are projected to generate consistent, long-term independent revenue streams for SVG Post, while simultaneously acting as a catalyst for widespread digital transformation across both public sector agencies and private industry operators nationwide.
St. Clair Leacock, Deputy Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines and the sitting minister with direct oversight for postal services, framed the partnership as a historic milestone for national development. “This agreement gives us the rare chance to completely reimagine what our national Postal Corporation can contribute to building our country’s future,” Leacock stated. “By leaning into cutting-edge digital innovation and forging targeted, strategic partnerships like this one, we are not only opening up entirely new revenue streams for SVG Post, but we are also driving measurable improvements in public service delivery and giving local businesses the tools they need to thrive. Our end goal is to build a modern, financially self-sustaining postal entity that acts as a core, high-impact contributor to our national economic growth trajectory.”
Marlon Bute, Chairman of SVG Post’s Board of Directors, emphasized that the leadership team is prioritizing tangible, actionable outcomes rather than symbolic commitments. “Our core mandate is to overhaul SVG Post into a streamlined, customer-centric, and financially viable institution, and I am personally committed to holding every stakeholder accountable to that mission,” Bute confirmed. “This means setting concrete, measurable performance targets, establishing clear, non-negotiable implementation timelines, and maintaining full transparency around our progress. We will work hand in hand with our internal management teams and our partners at Yassuh to turn this written MOU into real, improved services for the Vincentian public and new, sustainable revenue opportunities for the Postal Corporation. I am fully dedicated to ensuring this initiative delivers on every one of its promised benefits.”
Andrew Walker, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Yassuh, noted that the partnership’s scope extends far beyond updating traditional postal operations. “This collaboration is not just about making mail delivery faster,” Walker explained. “It is about building a robust, nationwide digital infrastructure foundation that will help government agencies, local businesses, and residential communities operate far more efficiently and unlock economic opportunities that were previously out of reach. When we combine SVG Post’s decades of established, island-wide presence and deep community trust with Yassuh’s specialized technological expertise, we have the power to co-develop innovative new public and commercial services, unlock significant untapped economic value, and build long-term revenue streams that benefit not just the Postal Corporation, but every segment of the national economy.”
To kick off the week of partnership activities, a senior delegation from Yassuh will be on the ground in St. Vincent and the Grenadines from Monday through Saturday of this week to hold targeted consultations with key cross-sector stakeholders, deliver live demonstrations of the technology platforms being rolled out, and co-develop detailed roadmaps for collaborative implementation. All members of the general public are invited to attend an open stakeholder engagement session scheduled for Tuesday, running from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Kingstown Methodist Church Hall. The session will offer attendees first-hand insights into the full scope of the proposed initiative, as well as detailed briefings on its projected benefits for local businesses, neighborhood communities, and public service delivery across the entire nation. -
Bromfietser komt om bij ongeval op Bouterse Highway
Paramaribo, Suriname – A fatal road incident unfolded on Sunday evening along the Bouterse Highway, near the Afobakaweg intersection, claiming the life of a 40-year-old moped operator, local authorities confirmed on 15 November. The victim lost control of his two-wheeled vehicle and crashed at the scene, sustaining catastrophic injuries that resulted in immediate death, according to preliminary accounts from first responders. Officers attached to the Paranam Police Department were dispatched to the crash site promptly after emergency alerts came in, launching a full on-scene evidence collection and preliminary probe to piece together the sequence of events that led to the tragedy. As of the latest official update, no definitive cause for the moped losing stability and crashing has been publicly released. Investigators are currently reviewing physical evidence from the roadway, potential witness statements, and other relevant data to establish the exact circumstances behind the deadly collision, and have urged any members of the public who saw the incident to come forward with information to assist with their inquiry.
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SLM-toestel breekt start drie keer af in Miami
On November 15, local aviation authorities and Surinam Airways (SLM) confirmed that flight PY422, a regularly scheduled passenger service operated by the Surinamese national carrier, was forced to abort three consecutive takeoff sequences at Miami International Airport after unexpected technical alerts triggered in the cockpit. The repeated interruptions unfolded as the flight crew initiated the standard pre-departure takeoff roll, with each warning prompting the pilots to immediately halt the procedure to conduct safety checks in line with the airline’s strict operational protocols. Ground-based technical teams carried out troubleshooting work after each aborted attempt, working to identify the source of the alert before granting approval for the flight to reinitiate its takeoff preparation. Additional maintenance operations were carried out through Saturday evening, during which SLM’s engineering team successfully isolated the root cause of the issue: a minor electronic system malfunction that had triggered the erroneous safety warning. The airline confirmed that technicians have fully resolved the fault, but the aircraft is required to complete a mandatory comprehensive functionality test to verify all systems operate within regulatory safety thresholds before it is cleared to resume its journey. As a direct result of the extended downtime for flight PY422, SLM has been forced to adjust the operational schedules of three additional services: flights PY9915, PY9916 and PY994. All passengers booked on these disrupted itineraries are being notified of the revised arrangements via official email communications. At the time of publication, the carrier has not released updated, exact departure times for the affected flights. In an official public statement, Surinam Airways expressed regret for the significant inconvenience caused to all impacted travelers, while emphasizing that the uncompromising safety of every passenger and crew member on board all its aircraft remains the airline’s absolute top priority. SLM noted that further real-time updates on revised departure timelines and post-incident handling arrangements will be distributed exclusively through its verified official communication channels to ensure passengers receive accurate, timely information.
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A devoted grandmother who ‘poured endless love and care into her family’: PM Skerrit remembers his mother-in-law
Roseau, Dominica – Over the weekend, Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit publicly shared a heartfelt tribute following the peaceful passing of his mother-in-law, Annette Poponne, who departed on a recent Friday, leaving the entire Skerrit-Poponne family in a period of deep mourning. In an official statement published to his verified Facebook profile, the Caribbean head of government remembered Poponne as an unwaveringly dedicated family matriarch who dedicated decades of her life to showering every member of her household, especially her grandchildren, with unquantifiable warmth, attentive care and unconditional love. The prime minister, who is married to Melissa Poponne-Skerrit, highlighted the particularly layered weight of the family’s current grief, noting that Annette Poponne’s arrival at the end of her earthly journey comes merely months after the family laid her beloved husband, Valentine Poponne, to rest earlier this year. Skerrit emphasized that the void created by Poponne’s absence will resonate across their extended family for a long time, before extending a sincere, public note of appreciation to all members of the Dominican public who have reached out with prayers, thoughtful gestures, compassionate messages and practical support to uplift the grieving household during this extraordinarily difficult period of loss.
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Opposition backs 2026 VAT Bill as businessmen debate retail impact
During a packed 2026 parliamentary session that also saw the formal passage of the Income Tax Amendment Act and Excise Tax Amendment Act, Opposition Leader Jesma Paul-Victor took the House of Assembly floor to publicly endorse the landmark Value Added Tax (VAT) Bill 2026, framing the proposed legislation as a rare, uncomplicated fiscal win for all Dominican residents. Paul-Victor emphasized that the bill delivers on a core promise laid out in the 2026–2027 National Budget: putting a permanent stop to the longstanding “tax on tax” practice levied on imported goods at port entry, a cascading fee structure that for years inflated costs at every stage of the supply chain. She argued that eliminating these compounded port charges would directly translate to lower shelf prices at local retail outlets, leaving more disposable income in the pockets of ordinary households. The VAT reform forms the centerpiece of a broader government fiscal relief package designed to mitigate strain from persistent global inflationary pressures that have pushed up the cost of food, fuel, and consumer goods across small island developing states. Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit noted that his administration had prioritized being “aware, conscious, sensitive, and responsive” to household economic stress, noting that the shift away from compounded import taxes was a top recommendation gathered during months of cross-sector stakeholder consultations held earlier this year. Skerrit also highlighted a suite of parallel existing support measures already in place to ease cost-of-living burdens: full VAT and import duty waivers for a curated list of essential food and household goods, ongoing petroleum subsidies for diesel, a 17-year uninterrupted exemption on excise taxes and customs service charges for cooking gas, and recent hikes to public sector salaries and the national minimum wage. Despite the cross-party parliamentary backing for the bill, the proposed reform has sparked a heated public debate among local business leaders over its real-world impact on consumer prices. Prominent Dominican businessman Ivor Nassief published an op-ed on Dominica News Online pushing back against earlier claims by fellow industry figure Kenny Green that the tax overhaul would trigger widespread, noticeable drops in the price of basic essential goods. Nassief argued that the elimination of cascading compound VAT calculations would have no tangible effect on the cost of the vast majority of core household items, dismissing the popular narrative of broad consumer savings as factually incorrect. In a measured response, Green conceded that regular shoppers at traditional mainstream retail stores would not see immediate, across-the-board price cuts from the policy change, but stressed that the reform still delivers meaningful economic benefits. He explained that larger formal private sector entities would see significant cash flow improvements from reduced upfront customs payments, as the new VAT calculation is applied only to the cost, insurance, and freight (CIF) value of imported goods rather than the previously inflated compound tax base, and that any policy that boosts disposable income for both households and local businesses deserves public support.
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Police Leaders Trained to Steer Young Offenders Toward Rehabilitation
On November 15, 2026, a cohort of Belize Police Department senior leadership, including Commissioner of Police Dr. Richard Rosado, completed a specialized hands-on workshop designed to standardize implementation of the country’s youth diversion initiative, a policy that routes eligible underage people in conflict with the law to structured rehabilitation programs rather than formal criminal prosecution. The training event was co-organized by the Ministry’s Community Rehabilitation Department in partnership with the Belize Police Department, with technical and financial backing from the United Nations Development Programme via the European Union-funded PACE Justice Project. The core parameters of the diversion framework apply exclusively to youth under the age of 18, who are referred directly to the Community Rehabilitation Department for customized support pathways that run between three and six months, depending on the nature of their offense and individual needs. These tailored programs can include one-on-one therapeutic counselling, practical life skills workshops, long-term mentorship pairing, and targeted referrals to local community support organizations that address underlying triggers for offending behavior. Leading the workshop sessions was legal expert Attorney Diana Shaw, who walked attendees through the full legal architecture governing youth diversion, clear delineations of cross-agency institutional responsibilities, and pending updates to standard operating procedures for police and court diversion workflows. The event forms a key component of the broader Police Diversion Training Campaign under the national National Diversion Program, and comes on the heels of recent public and stakeholder consultations for the 2026 Revised National Diversion Protocol. Organizers emphasized that the core objective of the training is to eliminate inconsistent application of diversion eligibility criteria across police units, ensuring every qualifying young person is offered access to rehabilitative support rather than automatic formal charges. Officials from the overseeing Ministry explicitly pushed back against common public misconceptions that the policy reduces accountability for underage offenders, clarifying that the framework is structured to balance appropriate accountability with targeted guidance, wrap-around support, and second chances that allow young people to learn from missteps and make positive, law-abiding choices moving forward.
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American Airlines Resumes Daily Flights to Haiti’s Cap-Haïtien Despite U.S. “Do Not Travel” Warning
On November 15, 2026, new regional aviation developments emerged as American Airlines officially resumed its daily non-stop commercial flight route connecting Miami International Airport to Cap-Haïtien, the second-largest city in northern Haiti, even as the U.S. State Department maintains its strict Level 4 “Do Not Travel” advisory for the entire Caribbean nation. The new service made its inaugural landing at Cap-Haïtien International Airport on November 1, 2026, marking the first major U.S. carrier to restore regular scheduled operations to Haiti since widespread gang violence disrupted all air access to the capital Port-au-Prince in late 2024.
In an official statement shared with CBC News, American Airlines representatives noted the carrier’s enthusiasm to re-establish its footprint in Haiti after a two-year operational pause, following comprehensive reviews of on-ground security protocols, operational feasibility, and long-term commercial viability. The flight route is structured so that no cockpit or cabin crew members are required to stay overnight in Haiti, a safety measure that the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA confirmed it had been fully briefed on and coordinated with the airline prior to launch.
The U.S. State Department, which has banned all U.S. commercial aircraft from landing at Port-au-Prince’s Toussaint Louverture International Airport since November 2024 after armed gangs opened fire on multiple incoming passenger jets including an American Airlines flight, has extended that no-fly restriction for the capital through 2027. Rival U.S. carrier JetBlue permanently suspended all Haiti service in 2024 after one of its own aircraft sustained bullet damage on the tarmac, and reaffirmed in July 2026 that it has no timeline to re-enter the Haitian market.
Both the U.S. and Canadian federal governments continue to urge all their citizens to avoid any and all travel to Haiti, citing pervasive violent crime, a nationwide state of emergency, rampant kidnappings for ransom, and widespread civil unrest across large swathes of the country. Despite the resumption of the Cap-Haïtien route, the U.S. State Department explicitly clarified that its longstanding travel warning remains fully in effect, noting that the Trump administration’s top priority continues to be the safety and security of all U.S. nationals both at home and abroad.
Wolf Pamphile, founder of Washington D.C.-based Haiti policy think tank Haiti Policy House, explained that Cap-Haïtien has evolved into the de facto primary international aviation hub for Haiti in recent years, with a local security environment that is drastically more stable and distinct from the chaotic, gang-controlled conditions that have paralyzed Port-au-Prince. He added that the reintroduction of American Airlines’ reliable, full-service operations fills a critical gap in the current Haitian travel ecosystem, which has long suffered from a lack of consistent, high-quality commercial air connectivity for both Haitian diaspora travelers and essential aid delivery teams. -
Reyme wil onafhankelijk onderzoek naar aankopen politie en brandweer
Paramaribo, 15 November – A20 parliamentary faction leader and National Assembly (DNA) representative Steven Reyme has formally tabled a series of targeted inquiries during Friday’s dedicated security interpellation session, pushing the national government to commission a fully independent financial and technical audit of all police and fire service vehicle and equipment procurements carried out under the previous administration.
Reyme’s motion targets longstanding unaddressed concerns over potential procurement irregularities, inflated pricing that deviates from prevailing market rates, incomplete or substandard deliveries, and suspected undue financial harm to state coffers. He is pressing the executive branch to confirm whether any prior checks were conducted to verify that the sums paid for security sector assets aligned with fair market value, and that all contracted goods were fully delivered in line with agreed specifications. The lawmaker has also demanded full disclosure of all civil servants and political officials responsible for tender awarding, contract signing, pre-delivery technical inspection, and final payment processing for the flagged procurement deals.
In the event that the audit uncovers verifiable state financial losses, Reyme is calling for a clear public assessment of the total damage value, followed by a formal roadmap for recovering misallocated funds or pursuing legal claims for compensation. Any identified criminal offenses related to the deals, he added, must be immediately referred to the competent investigative bodies and the Public Prosecutor’s Office for formal prosecution. He has further requested that the government release the full independent audit report to the National Assembly, in full compliance with existing legal frameworks.
Beyond the historical procurement review, Reyme is seeking a complete, up-to-date inventory of the national police and fire department vehicle fleets, including exact counts of operational units, out-of-service vehicles, and the accumulated backlog of overdue maintenance work. He has also asked the government to outline urgent unmet equipment needs, confirm allocated budgets for new purchases, and detail any planned reallocations of existing public funds to cover critical gaps. To prevent repeat mismanagement in future procurements, Reyme is advocating for mandatory standardized protocols that include evidence-based needs assessments, cross-market price comparisons, third-party independent quality inspections, and ongoing oversight of maintenance schedules and warranty terms for all new assets.
Reyme’s inquiries also extend to the much-publicized joint security deployment launched on 9 November, which pairs local law enforcement with the National Army to curb rising insecurity. He has demanded a full breakdown of all concrete operations carried out under the partnership to date, alongside an honest assessment of implementation shortfalls. Specific areas of scrutiny include targeted safety measures for students and teaching staff on and around school premises, the deployment of dedicated motorcycle patrol officers, and the active geographic coverage of neighborhood safety managers. The lawmaker is also pushing for clarity on cross-agency coordination protocols between the police, Public Prosecutor’s Office, customs, and border control services, with explicit guarantees that victim support services, witness protection schemes, and fundamental civilian rights will be fully upheld during all enhanced security operations.
To embed long-term accountability, Reyme is calling on the government to submit quarterly public reports to the National Assembly, disaggregated by crime statistics, completed security operations, public expenditure on safety initiatives, and progress on broader security sector reforms. He has formally requested the executive branch to commit to specific, verifiable security improvements to be delivered within 90 days, alongside clear designation of the responsible overseeing minister and the exact budget earmarked for these targets. The A20 faction leader emphasized that the national crime fighting strategy cannot rely solely on public announcements of proposed measures, but must be rooted in tangible, measurable results and full transparent accounting of every dollar of public spending allocated to the security portfolio. -
No Free Lunch: Prime Minister Responds to Posters Calling for Free Housing at Booby Alley Development
In a forceful public statement, Prime Minister Gaston Browne of Antigua and Barbuda has categorically refuted widespread misinformation claiming all residents of the transformative Booby Alley redevelopment scheme will receive brand new homes at no cost, while rolling out a structured, tiered payment system tailored to three distinct groups of beneficiaries for the now-named Pelican Court 150-unit housing development. The EC$50 million project, funded via a grant from the People’s Republic of China and targeted for full resident occupancy by January 2027, has been the subject of misleading circulated posters that argued the grant’s non-repayable status entitled all Point area residents to move into the new units without any financial contribution. Browne pushed back sharply against that narrative, stating bluntly that “there is no free lunch” in public housing policy, and calling the individuals behind the misleading posters “rotten, lazy, entitled bastards” for spreading false information that distorted the government’s carefully structured housing assistance model. Under the outlined framework, longstanding homeowners who held legal title to properties within the original Booby Alley redevelopment zone will receive a brand new replacement unit through a 100% cost-free swap, with no extra charges applied regardless of how dilapidated or small their former structure was. For tenants who were renting residential properties in the area prior to the redevelopment launch, the new Pelican Court units will be offered at subsidized, income-aligned rental rates set explicitly to be affordable for their household budgets, rather than free occupancy. A third cohort of eligible beneficiaries, who do not fall into either the former homeowner or pre-existing tenant categories, will access their new homes via low-interest, subsidized mortgages with repayments calculated against the below-market government-subsidized valuation of their assigned unit. Browne emphasized that all revenue generated from the ongoing rent and mortgage repayment streams will be cycled directly back into a dedicated affordable housing fund, to finance the construction of additional purpose-built residential units for other low-income and vulnerable households across the island that are currently in need of secure accommodation. The prime minister anchored the policy in a core principle of personal responsibility, noting that all able-bodied residents have an obligation to contribute to their own household upkeep rather than relying entirely on public handouts, to ensure limited public resources can stretch to support as many vulnerable families as possible. At the time of the announcement, Browne did not release granular public details on exact monthly rental rates, full mortgage repayment terms, or the exact number of Pelican Court units allocated to each of the three distinct beneficiary categories, with government officials noting that individualized payment plans will be shared directly with registered beneficiaries in the coming months.