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  • Belizean Girls Step Up to Lead in Tech

    Belizean Girls Step Up to Lead in Tech

    A groundbreaking initiative aimed at closing the gender gap in technology is making its fourth annual return to Belize, bringing together a record cohort of young women eager to carve out careers in the digital space. ‘Lead Like a Girl’, which launched as a small grassroots project years ago, has evolved into a nationally recognized movement that continues to expand its reach and impact, empowering growing numbers of teenage girls to explore opportunities in a field historically dominated by men.

    This year alone, 140 female students from 35 high schools across the country are participating in hands-on activities ranging from introductory coding workshops and interactive game development to team-based digital problem-solving challenges. What starts as casual curiosity for many participants is quickly transforming into concrete long-term career ambition, as the program creates a supportive, judgment-free space for young women to test their skills and build confidence in tech-focused work.

    Namrita Balani, Belize’s Director of Science and Technology, noted that the program’s rapid growth in participation over the past four years signals two key shifts: a sharp rise in young women’s inherent interest in technology, and the emergence of a far more robust support ecosystem to nurture that interest. Today, the initiative is backed by a range of stakeholders, from local community groups that provide mentorship to education institutions that offer dedicated scholarships for girls pursuing post-secondary tech degrees.

    Despite this progress, gender disparities persist in Belize’s tech sector. National data confirms that male participation and proficiency in digital skills still outpaces that of women, especially among the 15 to 24-year-old age bracket. This gap makes initiatives like ‘Lead Like a Girl’ all the more critical to encouraging more young women to enter the field, advocates say.

    Speaking to program participants, UNICEF Belize Representative Sajid Ali urged the young attendees to embrace their potential as future leaders in tech, emphasizing that the next great Belizean innovator could already be sitting among them. ‘Someone sitting in this room, she is the next innovator. She’s definitely from Belize. And she could be you,’ Ali told the gathered students.

    For audiences wanting to learn more about the personal experiences of program participants who are already building their tech careers, Belize’s News 5 will air a full feature on the initiative during its 6 PM broadcast this evening.

  • BCA president looking past Kensington Oval debacle

    BCA president looking past Kensington Oval debacle

    The long-running public disagreement between the Barbados Cricket Association (BCA) and Cricket West Indies (CWI) over the allocation of international matches to Kensington Oval has reached a formal standstill, after BCA President Calvin Hope announced he will no longer engage in further public debate on the issue. Hope made his position clear in an exclusive interview with Barbados TODAY, responding to recent public comments from CWI Vice-President Azim Bassarath, noting that the conflict has already been discussed extensively across public platforms and it is time to bring the conversation to a close. Hope added that he already laid out his full position during a recent appearance on the Mason and Guest Cricket Show, and has no new statements to add to the public record.

    “As far as I am concerned, Mr Bassarath knows very well what my concerns are and what I said. All others involved would have known what my concerns are as well, and these are not new things,” Hope told reporters. “I don’t have anything more to add at this time. I made my comment, that’s the end of that as far as I’m concerned. Cricket West Indies will do what they have to do, and I just hope that things would improve, that’s all I could say.”

    The core of the dispute stems from CWI’s 2025 decision to exclude Barbados and its iconic Kensington Oval from the year’s schedule of international cricket matches. Hope has long criticized the call as unreasonable, a position he says is shared by ordinary cricket fans across the country. “But I really don’t want to get into it because Barbados shouldn’t have to be trying to justify why cricket should be held in Barbados or anything like that. Reasonableness should always be obtained, and basically I would say that there was no reasonableness in this,” Hope explained. “Anybody looking on, the average man on the Black Rock bus would hold that view, given the number of international matches that are scheduled to be hosted across the Caribbean region this year. So I don’t want to get into anything more.”

    With the public dispute put aside, Hope is now turning his full attention to growing the domestic game, as the 2026 BCA season officially got underway on April 4. The association has launched a series of new initiatives aimed at strengthening grassroots cricket, which Hope calls the backbone of the Caribbean sport. Key priorities include upgrading club administration, boosting competitive standards across all levels of domestic play, and rolling out new incentive programs designed to keep emerging players motivated.

    Thus far, the response to the new reforms has been encouraging, according to the BCA president. “Well it appears that there’s some enthusiasm with the new initiatives and things got off to a reasonable start. I think clubs are enthusiastic, certainly at the elite level,” Hope noted. “We will be working with the clubs going forward in an effort to have a successful season as usual. Our domestic cricket is usually very successful, with no major incidents and so forth.”

    For the BCA, sustaining the legacy of grassroots club and school cricket is a non-negotiable long-term priority, as these levels are the foundation for developing future elite international talent. “To sustain the legacy of our club cricket is very, very important, it is the mainstay of all cricket. And when I say club cricket, I include schools’ cricket [because] schools are the bedrock of the production line,” Hope said. “These are things for a number of years that the BCA has been cognizant of that need to be strengthened, and we just need to provide support where we can and encourage and support each other.”

    Hope also threw his full support behind a recent call from Cricket Legends of Barbados Chairman Joel Garner to increase television coverage of local domestic matches, a move designed to attract younger audiences and deepen public connection to the sport. Echoing Garner’s vision, Hope confirmed the BCA has long prioritized expanding media access to domestic cricket, and has already secured regular weekly radio commentary for match days. The association now aims to translate that success to television broadcast.

    “The plan is always to promote cricket, and we are engaging all the time with the media to broadcast cricket. For years now we have had the (radio) commentary going every Saturday. I want cricket shown on TV and I share The Most Honourable Joel Garner’s concern and my desire would be to have cricket on television too,” Hope said.

    While building a polished, viewer-friendly television broadcast requires significant investment in equipment and production infrastructure, Hope says the goal is well within the BCA’s long-term capabilities. “It’s all about building a media product. You need equipment and the various things of how you put that product together for people for it to be attractive to the viewer. It’s not a straightforward situation, but it is not outside of our capability,” Hope said. “I certainly will continue to work towards that and try to engage with the board and relevant authorities to see how we can pull off things like that in the future. It’s all about promotion of the game.”

  • PSU President Slams Immigration Officers’ Suspension as Breach of Procedure

    PSU President Slams Immigration Officers’ Suspension as Breach of Procedure

    A labor dispute over the administrative suspension of eight Western Border immigration officers has intensified, with the head of Belize’s largest public sector union accusing the national Ministry of Immigration of deliberate violations of long-standing administrative protocols. The conflict stems from an incident earlier this year when the eight officers called in sick, a move that prompted senior immigration officials to place all eight on paid administrative leave pending internal review. Now, Public Service Union (PSU) President Dean Flowers is speaking out against the government’s handling of the case, arguing that the process violated the basic due process rights owed to public employees.

    In an exclusive interview with local outlet News Five, Flowers explained that multiple procedural red flags appeared as soon as he reviewed the official documentation delivered to the affected officers. What makes the case particularly unusual, he emphasized, is the timing of the two separate notifications the officers received: within the same minute of getting their administrative leave letters, each officer was handed a second formal correspondence accusing them of coordinated work sabotage and formally recommending that they be terminated from their positions.

    Flowers described the simultaneous delivery of the two documents as an obvious cut to established public sector administrative process. “From straight administrative notification to, in the same minute and breath, I suspect you are sabotaging, and I will be recommending your dismissal,” he told reporters, reiterating that this sequence of actions constitutes a clear breach of administrative procedure.

    Beyond the procedural irregularity, Flowers highlighted severe damage the premature accusation has already done to the officers’ professional reputations. Under standard public sector disciplinary processes, formal charges of misconduct are not filed until a neutral investigation is completed to gather evidence and hear testimony from all involved parties. By leveling the grave charge of sabotage before any inquiry has concluded, the ministry has irreparably harmed the officers’ standing among colleagues and the public, Flowers argued. At least one of the affected officers has already retained legal counsel to challenge the suspensions, and the attorney representing that officer has already described the content of the accusatory letters as a deliberate misrepresentation of the officers’ actions.

    The controversy deepens further over a breach of confidentiality in the case. Despite public statements from Immigration Minister Kareem Musa claiming that the suspension notices did not name individual officers, Flowers confirmed that each letter explicitly identified the eight employees by name. The named documents were also widely circulated among administrative staff across multiple government departments, including the Public Service Ministry, before copies were leaked to local media outlets, bringing the conflict into public view.

    The dispute is the latest high-profile clash between Belize’s public sector unions and the current government over labor rights and administrative process, with the PSU expected to escalate the matter through formal grievance channels if the ministry does not reverse the suspensions and revise its disciplinary process.

  • Nestor signs pro basketball contract

    Nestor signs pro basketball contract

    Megan Nestor, the most decorated women’s basketball player from the Caribbean island nation of Saint Lucia, has taken a monumental step toward turning her lifelong goal of playing professional basketball into reality. The 2021 WNBA champion Chicago Sky announced Thursday that the towering forward has signed a training camp contract with the franchise, ahead of the league’s upcoming 2026 season.

    Chicago’s preseason preparations are set to tip off this Sunday, April 19, at the University of Illinois Chicago’s Flames Athletic Center, kicking off what is expected to be a transformative year for the franchise after a disappointing 2025 campaign. The Sky finished last season with a dismal 10-34 win-loss record, prompting a massive roster overhaul this offseason that included trading fan-favorite Angel Reese and signing high-impact veteran and rising talents such as Skylar Diggins-Smith, DiJonai Carrington, Azurá Stevens and Rickea Jackson, who will join star center Kamilla Cardoso on the roster.

    Against this backdrop of roster turnover, Nestor finds herself well-positioned to compete for a permanent spot on the team’s final regular-season roster. The 6-foot-4 athlete’s journey to the WNBAs’ doorstep began in the small fishing village of Canaries, Saint Lucia, where she first cut her teeth in competitive sports as a netball player at Soufriere Comprehensive Secondary School. Nestor’s early talent for competition shone through at a young age: she earned her first national team selection at 11, representing Saint Lucia at the Under-16 level, and later went on to captain the country’s Under-23 national side before transitioning full-time to basketball and joining the program at Wayland Baptist University.

    Nestor’s breakout college season came last year as a redshirt senior at the University of North Texas, where she dominated the NCAA Division I boards to lead all collegiate players in rebounds per game. Over the course of the season, she averaged an impressive 12.8 points and 14.1 rebounds per outing, cementing her status as one of the most dominant rebounders in modern college basketball. Her historic 34-point, 31-rebound performance against Texas Southern stands as one of the most extraordinary stat lines in NCAA history — it was only the third 30-30 game recorded by any Division I women’s player since the 1981-82 season, the earliest year the NCAA began tracking the statistic consistently. The historic performance earned her American League Defensive Player of the Year honors.

    Though she went undrafted in this year’s WNBA Draft, Nestor says the setback has not dimmed her belief in her ability to make the league. In an interview with St Lucia Times, she framed the training camp opportunity as a valid path to the roster, noting “Not getting drafted is not always the end of the world. You got people who go to training camp and make the team.”

    For Nestor, the opportunity to compete with one of the league’s most storied franchises is the culmination of a years-long dream. “It’s kind of different from college,” she said. “The opportunity presented itself, and I took it because going to the WNBA became a dream of mine. And going to training camp is one way you can accomplish that.”

    The Chicago Sky’s 2026 regular season will open on May 9 against expansion side Portland Fire, and all 12 roster spots are currently up for grabs as the franchise rebuilds after a rough 2025 campaign.

  • Man Reported Missing Found Dead; Family Says They Can’t Claim Body

    Man Reported Missing Found Dead; Family Says They Can’t Claim Body

    A disturbing case out of Belize’s Dangriga District has left a local family trapped in limbo, nearly three weeks after 46-year-old Jericho Humes first vanished under suspicious circumstances from his Dangriga Town home. The father of three was last seen alive on April 1, when he was dropped off at his workplace, but what followed has unfolded into a nightmare of uncertainty, grief and bureaucratic barriers for his surviving relatives.

    Days after Humes’ disappearance, family members grew alarmed when he failed to return home and decided to check his residence. What they found only deepened their fears: the home had been ransacked, with windows shattered, a front door forced open, clothing strewn across the floors, and a pot of cooking rice left sitting out until it spoiled. One of Humes’ favorite caps was also found partially burned, a puzzling and ominous detail that offered no clear answers about what had happened to him.

    Nearly a week after he went missing, the case took a terrifying turn when Humes’ niece received a series of disturbing calls from a phone number registered in Mexico. The caller claimed to be holding Humes hostage and demanded a ransom of $10,000 for his safe release. Along with the ransom demand, the caller sent a photograph showing a knife pressed to a man’s neck and shared audio recordings of what they claimed was Humes. The niece immediately turned all of this evidence over to local law enforcement. At the time, Assistant Superintendent of Police Stacy Smith told reporters that investigators had shared the photo with Humes’ brother, who insisted the man pictured was not Jericho. Law enforcement classified the incident as an ongoing missing person investigation, and downplayed the kidnapping claim at that stage.

    Now, more than two weeks later, the family has received the devastating confirmation they had long feared: Jericho Humes is dead. In an interview with local outlet News Five on Thursday, Humes’ sister Arseneia Humes shared that police contacted the family last week to ask them to identify a body that had been found in an advanced state of decomposition. With the body’s face unrecognizable, Arseneia confirmed it was her brother based on his distinctive tattoos, a harrowing experience she described in an interview.

    What has made this unbearable tragedy even worse, the family says, is the complete lack of transparency from law enforcement and a bureaucratic rule that is keeping them from laying their loved one to rest. Arseneia explained that police have refused to share any basic details about the recovery of Humes’ body: the family has not been told where the remains were found, when they were discovered, or under what circumstances. More crucially, authorities have refused to release Humes’ body to the family for burial unless they can provide a facial photo that matches the visible identifying markings on the remains – a requirement the family cannot fulfill, given the state of the body.

    Authorities have suggested DNA testing via a saliva sample as an alternative path to formal identification, but the family says they have been told results could take up to four months to process. The grieving relatives have also pressed police for information about the potential cause of death, asking whether Humes suffered gunshot or stab wounds, but law enforcement has not confirmed any details. For the family, the months-long wait for answers and the inability to bury their loved one has added immeasurable pain to their loss.

    Speaking to reporters, Arseneia called for accountability and answers, saying her brother was not a person who had conflicts with others. “The only thing that I’m asking is justice for my little brother, because he didn’t use to mess with anybody,” she said. As of Friday, the investigation into Humes’ death remains ongoing, with no updates from Belizean police on new leads or changes to the identification process.

  • Oproep tot Surinaamse Corporate Governance Code tijdens lezing juristen

    Oproep tot Surinaamse Corporate Governance Code tijdens lezing juristen

    On Thursday, April 17, the Suriname Bar Association (SJV) in partnership with the Suriname Law Journal hosted a public expert lecture focused on answering a critical policy question: Does Suriname need its own stand-alone national Corporate Governance Code? The event centered discussion on three core pillars of effective institutional management: strong governance, full operational transparency, and unwavering institutional integrity.

    The event’s lead presenters, legal experts Mirto Murray and Karan Doekhi, opened the discussion by breaking down Curaçao’s existing national Corporate Governance Code, drawing key parallels between Curaçao’s regulatory framework and the current institutional landscape in Suriname. Throughout the lecture, the concept of integrity — defined by speakers as “upholding ethical standards even when no one is watching” — served as the throughline for all conversation.

    The legal experts emphasized that robust corporate governance standards are particularly critical for state-owned enterprises, public utility providers, national port authorities, and financial institutions including the Central Bank of Suriname. These organizations, they noted, manage public financial resources and hold foundational roles in national economic activity, making it non-negotiable for them to adhere to strict requirements for transparency and public accountability.

    Following the presentation, a open discussion was held with attendees, who included senior policymakers, practicing legal professionals, law students, and representatives from both public and private sector institutions. Participants focused particular attention on the division of responsibilities between key institutional bodies: the state as primary shareholder, institutional executive leadership, and boards of commissioners. Attendees stressed that every governing body must operate within clear, legally defined boundaries to mitigate a range of risks, including legal liability for mismanagement.

    While Suriname currently does not have a dedicated national Corporate Governance Code, speakers highlighted that the country’s recently updated Civil Code already enshrines key core standards for careful, responsible institutional management, and these standards already apply to all organizations carrying out public tasks.

    The event concluded with a formal call to action for the development of a Suriname-specific Corporate Governance Code through a broad, inclusive consultation process that includes representation from the national government, national parliament, regulatory oversight bodies, the national business community, civil society organizations, and academic institutions.

    The SJV has publicly confirmed that it stands ready to serve a facilitating and advisory role throughout the process of developing the code. In a statement following the event, the association stressed that strong corporate governance is not an unnecessary luxury for Suriname, but a core requirement for protecting citizen and stakeholder rights, reducing the national risk of corruption, and unlocking sustainable long-term economic growth opportunities for the country.

  • Antiguan Kelton Mich Dalso Called to Bar in St. Lucia

    Antiguan Kelton Mich Dalso Called to Bar in St. Lucia

    A rising legal professional from Antigua and Barbuda, Kelton Mich Dalso, is set to reach a landmark career milestone in April 2026 when he is formally called to the Bar of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court’s St. Lucia Circuit, based in the country’s capital city of Castries.

    Dalso’s qualification to practice across the Caribbean regional court system comes through the framework of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), anchored in the revised Treaty of Chaguaramas. This foundational treaty established the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME), an integration agreement that Antigua and Barbuda has officially signed onto, allowing eligible legal practitioners from member states to practice across participating jurisdictions.

    This upcoming call to the regional Eastern Caribbean bar follows Dalso’s recent admission to practice in the United Kingdom. As first reported by The Times of London on 28 November 2025, Dalso was among the new practitioners admitted to the Bar of England and Wales during the traditional Michaelmas Call ceremony and reception held at London’s prestigious Gray’s Inn, one of the four historic Inns of Court that regulate bar entry in the UK.

    Dalso’s path to dual admission has been marked by consistent academic and professional achievement. He earned his Bachelor of Laws with Honours (LLB Hons) in August 2020, before going on to complete the required Bar Training Course at the University of the West of England (UWE), where he graduated with a merit classification, a mark of strong academic performance in the rigorous vocational program for barristers.

    Beyond his core qualifications as a barrister, Dalso has built out additional expertise in alternative dispute resolution: he holds professional certifications as a mediator, arbitrator, and advanced negotiator, expanding his capacity to handle a broad range of legal matters both in and out of the courtroom.

    Witnessing the upcoming 2026 call ceremony, a momentous and historic occasion for Dalso’s legal career, will be his wife and two of his sons, who will share in the celebration of his years of preparation and achievement.

  • Vote for Dominica’s Leanne Morancie as she climbs top 10 of Entrepreneur of Impact Competition with Daymond John

    Vote for Dominica’s Leanne Morancie as she climbs top 10 of Entrepreneur of Impact Competition with Daymond John

    From a field of millions of global applicants, Dominican small business founder Leanne Morancie has claimed one of the coveted 10 remaining spots in Colossal’s 2026 Entrepreneur of Impact competition, advancing through a series of rigorous preliminary selection rounds to reach the public voting phase.

    Hosted by Daymond John—celebrated business magnate, founder of iconic streetwear brand FUBU, and star investor on ABC’s long-running entrepreneurial reality show *Shark Tank*—the competition has now entered a critical stage: public support will decide which 10 competitors move forward into the final Top 5. Public voting is currently open, and supporters can cast one complimentary vote per day, with additional paid votes available through donations. All proceeds from paid votes go directly to GENYOUth, a non-profit organization dedicated to expanding access to nutritious school meals and inclusive physical activity programs for K-12 students across North America.

    A native of Grand Bay and a graduate of Dominica’s Convent High School, Morancie first developed the concept for her clean skincare brand, Leanne Lutterness™, during her time competing in beauty pageantry. Like many people with sensitive, reactive skin, Morancie spent years cycling through commercial skincare products that failed to address her specific needs, leaving her frustrated and searching for an alternative. Drawing on her lifelong familiarity with the therapeutic properties of crystals, and building on formal education she received at the University of the Virgin Islands, Morancie began formulating her own transdermal skincare solutions. What started as a personal project soon grew into a full brand, when she discovered her formulations worked not just for her, but for a large community of people living with persistent skin conditions and underlying inflammatory ailments who also struggled to find effective, gentle products. Today, Leanne Lutterness™ stands as a successful woman-owned, ethically produced crystalline skincare brand with a loyal global customer base.

    Beyond building her skincare business, Morancie is deeply committed to expanding access to financial literacy for working families, a mission aligned with her work with World System Builder. This initiative, which counts Morancie among its core advocates, has set an ambitious goal to deliver evidence-based financial education to 30 million families worldwide by 2030. For Morancie, the dual focus of building a responsible consumer brand and advancing economic empowerment is exactly what the Entrepreneur of Impact competition was designed to celebrate.

    If Morancie takes home the competition’s top prize of $25,000, she plans to invest the full amount into expanding her brand’s marketing strategy and distribution networks, allowing Leanne Lutterness™ to reach more customers in need of gentle, effective skincare while growing her capacity to advance youth empowerment and community development work in her home country of Dominica.

    “I am always grateful for the opportunity to make meaningful impact,” Morancie said in a statement. “Thank you for the encouragement I have received so far. I am immensely grateful to my supporters, our loyal clients, for recognizing me as an Entrepreneur of Impact. This experience has been especially meaningful given my ongoing commitment to youth empowerment and community-focused initiatives.”

    She ended with a direct appeal to voters: “Vote me Entrepreneur of Impact 2026.” Voting is open to the public worldwide, and daily votes are free. The voting window will close at 1 PM local time on Thursday, April 23.

  • Government enforces Crown Lands eviction

    Government enforces Crown Lands eviction

    A growing conflict over public land governance has emerged in Grenada after national authorities issued urgent 7-day eviction notices to dozens of residents living illegally on unapproved Crown land in the Gwankai district of South St George. The enforcement action, which marks a sharp shift in the government’s approach to longstanding squatter issues, has upended the lives of long-term occupants, many of whom have built homes and put down roots on the land over the course of years or even decades.

    Many affected residents say they believed they were following proper legal protocols to secure formal ownership of their properties, leaving them blindsided by the sudden eviction orders. One long-term occupant, who has resided on his plot for nearly 10 years and constructed a permanent concrete home there, told reporters he submitted a formal ownership application in 2022 but never received any feedback on his request prior to the April 7 eviction notice granting just one week to leave. Another resident echoed that frustration, noting that repeated trips to the national Ministry of Agriculture and Lands yielded no clear updates on the status of her land application before enforcement began.

    The dispute has pulled back the curtain on a long-simmering tension between widespread informal land occupation across the country and the state’s formal legal authority over public Crown lands. It has also prompted fresh scrutiny of the government’s backlog of unprocessed land applications and the lack of transparent communication with applicants before punitive action is taken.

    In an official public address on land policy released Thursday, Javan Williams, Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Agriculture and Lands, made clear that the government is pursuing a new, stricter course of enforcement aligned with existing legal frameworks. Williams warned residents to adjust their expectations around access to Crown land, emphasizing that the ministry is committed to managing all public property in strict adherence to national law. He noted that while many people submit legitimate applications for Crown land allotment, a growing number of individuals have simply moved onto and occupied government property without any formal approval, reminding the public that squatting remains a criminal offense under Grenadian law.

    Williams referenced the Prevention of Squatting on Crown Lands Rules, Statutory Rule and Order (SRO) 5 of 2007, which lays out the official protocols for serving eviction notices to illegal occupants. Per the regulations, eviction notices must be delivered to squatters in person whenever possible; if occupants cannot be located or served within 48 hours of the notice being issued, authorities are permitted to post the notice in a clearly visible location on the occupied land or any structure built on the site.

    Williams confirmed that enforcement teams conduct formal investigations into suspected squatting cases before any notices are issued, but acknowledged that noncompliance with eviction orders has become an increasingly challenging issue. He added that some occupants have gone so far as to remove posted eviction notices to avoid compliance, and issued a formal warning against both the removal of official notices and the construction of unapproved structures on public Crown land.

    The permanent secretary also outlined the legal penalties residents face if they ignore eviction orders. Under the current law, any squatter who fails to comply with a properly served eviction notice commits a criminal offense, punishable by a fine of up to 1,000 Eastern Caribbean dollars (EC$) or a jail sentence of up to three months upon summary conviction.

    According to Williams, this expanded enforcement push is part of a broader government policy shift aimed at addressing a decades-long, complex problem of widespread illegal squatting. For years, he explained, many people have deliberately occupied public or privately held land, operating under the assumption that they will eventually be granted amnesty or formal approval. “We want to advise persons, let us all follow the law because we now are seriously invoking the eviction section of the SRO 5, 2007,” Williams stated.

    Williams acknowledged that some Gwankai residents have submitted formal applications for land allotment, but stressed that submitting an application does not grant automatic right to occupy the land. Under Grenadian law, after an application is received, a formal land survey must be completed and the request must be reviewed and approved by the national Cabinet. Only after a written authorization is issued following Cabinet approval does an individual gain legal right to use the Crown land. Any occupation prior to that formal approval, Williams emphasized, is considered illegal squatting.

    “Under the law, the Cabinet is the sole authority to direct an allotment. So, if you are not allotted a piece of Crown land, then you are deemed a squatter,” Williams added.

    The unfolding situation in Gwankai is already emerging as a critical early test of the Grenadian government’s commitment to bringing formal order to Crown land management across the country, and of how communities with longstanding informal settlements will respond to the new stricter enforcement regime. For the residents facing eviction, the conflict is far more than a policy debate: it is a fight to keep their homes, their livelihoods, and the years of financial and personal investment they have put into their properties. For the government, by contrast, the priority is upholding the rule of law and reasserting formal control over public land, amid longstanding public concerns about unregulated squatting and inefficiencies in the formal land allocation process.

    The outcome of the Gwankai dispute is expected to set a major precedent for how similar informal occupation cases will be handled across Grenada in the coming years, particularly in communities where informal settlement has outpaced formal land approval for decades.

  • Jamaican Reggae Legend Ernie Smith Dies at 80

    Jamaican Reggae Legend Ernie Smith Dies at 80

    The global reggae community is mourning the loss of one of its pioneering figures, legendary Jamaican musician Ernie Smith, who passed away on the evening of April 16, 2026 at a medical facility in Florida. He was 80 years old, just two weeks shy of his 81st birthday scheduled for May 1.

    His passing was confirmed by his wife Claudette Bailey-Smith in an interview with Jamaica’s leading national newspaper The Jamaica Gleaner. Bailey-Smith shared that Smith had already completed one surgical procedure at the Florida hospital and was preparing for a second operation when he succumbed.

    Smith’s decades-long career in music helped shape the sound of modern Jamaican reggae and cement the genre’s reputation around the world. He launched his professional journey in the late 1960s, and his infectious, distinctive sound quickly made him a household name across the entire Caribbean region. By 1971, he had already notched two major chart hits with *Bend Down* and *Ride on Sammy*, establishing him as one of the most promising new talents in Jamaican music. Over the following decades, he went on to record a catalog of tracks that remain among the most recognizable and beloved in reggae history, including signature classics *Pitta Patta* and *Duppy Gunman* that still receive regular airplay across Caribbean radio stations today.

    Smith’s breakthrough onto the international stage came in 1972, when he competed and took home the top prize at the prestigious annual Yamaha Music Festival held in Japan. His winning entry, *Life is Just for Living*, had an unexpected origin: it was originally composed as a jingle for a Red Stripe beer commercial before being expanded into a full song that captured global acclaim.

    Recognizing his immense contribution to the nation’s cultural identity, the government of Jamaica honored Smith the very next year. In 1973, he received the Badge of Honour for Meritorious Service in the Field of Music, awarded for his enduring impact on growing Jamaica’s cultural heritage both at home and abroad. Beyond his home country, Smith built strong connections across Central America, and made multiple performance and personal visits to Belize throughout his career.

    As news of his death spread, tributes have begun pouring in from reggae fans, fellow musicians, and cultural institutions around the world, celebrating Smith’s legacy as a trailblazer who brought Jamaican reggae to a global audience.