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  • Man met illegale revolver aangehouden in goudnederzetting 21 Pasi

    Man met illegale revolver aangehouden in goudnederzetting 21 Pasi

    On October 17 at 6:23 p.m., Suriname authorities announced the arrest of a male suspect at the 21 Pasi gold mining settlement located in Brokopondo District. The operation unfolded when a combined intelligence team from the Suriname Police Corps and personnel from the National Army were conducting routine patrol and security work within the mining camp, when the individual drew the attention of law enforcement.

    Officers conducted a routine check of the suspect, during which they discovered an unregistered revolver and an ammunition holder in his possession. Following the arrest, the suspect was immediately transported to the Bronsweg police outpost, where he was handed over to local investigators for additional processing of the case.

    Authorities confirmed that the investigation into the incident is still ongoing, with further details expected to be released as the probe progresses.

  • Een nieuw gebouw is nog geen betere zorg

    Een nieuw gebouw is nog geen betere zorg

    Even a beautifully renovated hospital ward fitted with cutting-edge new medical equipment cannot guarantee meaningful improvements to care, if patients still face hours-long waits, are forced to repeat their medical history repeatedly due to broken information sharing, receive delayed test results, and leave discharge unclear on their medication regimens. That is the core question raised in a new opinion piece by policy expert Rick Kromodihardjo, as Suriname’s government undertakes a major, multi-million dollar push to repair and upgrade the country’s struggling healthcare system.

    Right now, the government is directing substantial investment toward healthcare recovery, with 635 million Surinamese dollars allocated to the Academic Hospital Paramaribo (AZP) to upgrade key departments including the intensive care unit, operating rooms, emergency department, and cardiac care unit. Beyond infrastructure upgrades, the government is also working on strategies to retain skilled healthcare workers, and has launched a new 2026–2030 partnership with the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) focused explicitly on delivering measurable health outcomes.

    Kromodihardjo acknowledges that these investments are critical and deserving of recognition: without sustained capital injection, it is impossible to repair the country’s aging healthcare infrastructure or keep core care services operational. But investments alone are not enough, he argues. Once capital projects are complete, a far more important task remains: fixing the broken links in the entire care delivery chain to ensure every stage of a patient’s journey works as intended.

    “A building does not treat patients,” Kromodihardjo emphasizes, echoing a recent call by Frank Bueno de Mesquita to reframe healthcare policy around quality of care, health outcomes, and patient experience rather than just physical upgrades. To ground this conversation, Kromodihardjo opens with a fundamental question: what does “good care” actually mean for the people who use it?

    A high-end diagnostic scanner, for example, only delivers value to patients if it is consistently operational, staffed by trained personnel, has a steady supply of required parts and materials, allows patients to access scans in a timely manner, sends results directly to the treating clinician, and leads to a clear next step in care. Investments in new equipment and buildings are not the end goal of healthcare reform—they are a starting point. The patient, and their experience of care, should always be the final measure of success.

    For the general public, healthcare quality only becomes real when it is felt in daily interactions. Patients judge care by tangible, personal factors: Could I get an appointment when I needed it? Was my prescribed medication in stock? Did my next care provider already know why I was referred? Did I get my test results on time? Did clinicians listen to my concerns? Did I understand what my doctor told me? Did I know what steps to take after I went home?

    These are not minor, secondary details. They are the foundation of how patients experience the entire care continuum. The clinical skill of doctors and nurses is unquestionably essential, but even the most advanced medical knowledge falls short if patients do not understand their care instructions, test results are never acted on, or critical patient information is lost when moving between care providers. Good communication is not a “nice extra”—it is a core component of high-quality care.

    Kromodihardjo draws a key distinction between patient satisfaction and patient experience, arguing the latter is a far more useful measure of quality. A patient may leave satisfied because their clinician was friendly, even if their treatment was medically substandard. Conversely, a patient may be unhappy about a long wait time, even if they received clinically excellent care. To get an accurate picture of healthcare quality, policymakers need to measure both clinical outcomes and what patients actually experience throughout their care journey—and this gap represents a major untapped opportunity to improve policy.

    To address this gap, Kromodihardjo proposes a simple, actionable solution: a National Healthcare Quality Monitor, rather than a costly new large bureaucratic agency. The initiative would start small: select a limited set of key indicators, conduct an initial baseline assessment, then track the same metrics year over year to measure progress. Key indicators could include wait times, availability of essential medications, unplanned downtime for critical equipment, timeliness of diagnostic results, preventable hospital readmissions, successful handoff of patient information between providers, clear communication, and overall patient experience.

    The goal of this monitor is not to publicly shame hospitals or individual care providers. Instead, it is designed to identify exactly where improvements are needed, and to measure whether policy interventions actually deliver real results. After a year of reform, this would allow policymakers to report not just how much money was invested, but what tangible, verifiable improvements have actually been achieved for patients.

    Crucially, Kromodihardjo notes that many improvements to the care chain do not require billions in new funding. Simple, low-cost changes—clear referral protocols, a system that ensures lab results reach clinicians the same day they are processed, specialists sending timely follow-up reports to general practitioners, nurses checking that patients understand their medication instructions, clear assignment of responsibility for post-discharge care—can deliver major gains. More often than missing funding, these gaps exist because no clear agreements or processes have been put in place.

    Healthcare reform requires collaboration across every stakeholder: the government invests and sets policy, insurers purchase and pay for care, hospital leadership organizes internal processes, clinicians deliver skilled care and clear communication, and supporting services like laboratories and pharmacies deliver reliable, timely support. No single stakeholder can claim their work is done and walk away, because patients do not experience healthcare as a collection of separate institutions—they experience it as a single, continuous care journey. A single weak link can undo the good work of every other part of the system.

    The current wave of infrastructure investments creates a rare window of opportunity. Kromodihardjo argues that Suriname should seize this moment to not only repair buildings and buy new equipment, but to redesign how care is organized from the patient’s perspective. This would deliver tangible progress the public can actually feel: shorter waits, less time spent searching for medications and supplies, faster test results, smoother information sharing between providers, and clearer guidance for patients about their own care.

    That is the kind of progress that matters to patients. Better care sometimes requires more funding, but more often it requires better organization of the resources the system already has. Patients do not come to hospitals for new buildings, fancy equipment, or big budgets—they come for a care chain that actually works.

  • TIITII NBA: Guadeloupe’s new bouyon wave builds on Dominica’s musical legacy

    TIITII NBA: Guadeloupe’s new bouyon wave builds on Dominica’s musical legacy

    Against the backdrop of a rapidly evolving Caribbean music scene, a new generation of independent creators is reshaping the traditional genre of bouyon, and at the forefront of this movement is Guadeloupean artist TIITII NBA. Starting his career with nothing more than a smartphone, basic recording tools, and a relentless passion for the genre, he has built a thriving fanbase and millions of streams entirely without the support of major record labels, professional studio facilities, or paid promotional campaigns.

    Hailing from Morne-à-l’Eau, Guadeloupe, TIITII NBA’s stage name carries a deliberate mission that many listeners misinterpret: far from referencing the popular phrase “Never Broke Again,” NBA stands for “New Bouyon Age” — a title that encapsulates his goal of reimagining the genre for a modern era. His musical journey began modestly, using the free mobile recording app BandLab and wired earphones to lay down his first tracks. As his work gained traction, revenue from bouyon streams allowed him to upgrade his equipment and improve his quality of life, marking one of the first tangible wins of his independent career. Today, his streaming metrics speak for themselves: he boasts more than 68,000 monthly listeners on Spotify, his hit track “Kitty Kitty” has crossed 1.65 million streams, and he has put out over 30 original releases since 2021 — all achieved without spending a cent on targeted advertising.

    TIITII NBA’s connection to bouyon traces back to his childhood, when his parents first introduced him to the Dominican group WCK, where he knew the sound simply as “jump up” rather than the name bouyon. While he enjoyed the genre’s upbeat, infectious rhythms from an early age, his deep commitment to creating bouyon grew years later, as the sound gained a foothold in Guadeloupe through local artists and collectives including Suppa, Vador, and Yellow Gaza. His first experimental recording with friends was never officially released, stuck on a forgotten hard drive at a time when digital distribution was far less accessible to independent creators. A pivotal turning point came when Dominican artist Mr Ridge shared his innovative approach to blending cross-genre influences with classic bouyon percussion, opening TIITII NBA’s eyes to the genre’s untapped creative potential.

    “When he started dropping live freestyles, a new way of riding a beat, of singing, pulling sounds from other genres and dropping them into the drums, the percussion, the snare, that’s when I saw what this genre could become. That’s when I decided to go for it,” he recalled in an interview with Dominica News Online.

    He began scouring YouTube and SoundCloud for original bouyon instrumentals from creators across Dominica, Guadeloupe, and Saint Martin, honing his craft at a time when the genre had not yet reached its current mainstream popularity in the region. His first major validation came when his cousin, DJ Softee, incorporated lyrics from that long-forgotten unreleased track into the hit “Mouvman Chodong,” which became a viral local favorite in Guadeloupe. The positive audience response convinced TIITII NBA that his songwriting resonated with contemporary listeners, prompting him to record his breakout track “Brene Sa” — again, entirely on his iPhone using BandLab and wired earphones. Built around a popular instrumental from producer Pyroman, a beat that was considered a benchmark for emerging bouyon artists in Guadeloupe to prove their skill, “Brene Sa” gained traction at local parties and earned him his first widespread regional recognition, while also inspiring other up-and-coming creators including Aknose, Cocotteland, and MiiMii to pursue their own independent bouyon projects.

    He followed this success with his debut EP *New Bouyon Age*, another project recorded entirely on his mobile device. For TIITII NBA, the EP title represents a new era of opportunity, where aspiring artists can break into the industry without connections to major labels, expensive production teams, or industry managers. One track from the collection, “Kitty Kitty” produced by DJ Luchshiy, became his first release to cross one million streams — a feat he achieved without even a formal music video, relying only on a simple cover image and the strength of the track itself to draw listeners. In the years since, he has expanded his discography to explore a wide range of themes within the bouyon framework, from playful party anthems and romantic ballads to more provocative lyrical content.

    Despite his central role in growing bouyon’s popularity across Guadeloupe, TIITII NBA remains committed to honoring the genre’s Dominican origins. “Bouyon isn’t ours, it’s Dominica’s, and Guadeloupe is the second chapter,” he emphasized. He traces the genre’s introduction to Guadeloupe to the period between 2007 and 2015, when artists including Vador, DJ Joe, and Asa Banton brought the sound to wider audiences through the Yellow Gaza project. Dominican artist Suppa, based in Guadeloupe, further cemented the scene with the founding of Gaza Crew, laying the groundwork for the first generation of local Guadeloupean bouyon performers. During that early era, the genre evolved to feature faster tempos of around 160 beats per minute, giving rise to the hardcore bouyon subgenre. Today, TIITII NBA says the genre is entering a new evolutionary phase, driven by young creators who have access to low-cost digital recording tools and global online distribution platforms.

    Key milestones for the current new wave include the 2023 Keneth Riddim project, a one-riddim collection that featured four emerging artists, with TIITII NBA opening the release with his track “No Sex Over Money” — a release that generated major momentum for the young generation of creators. Later that year, the collaborative recording “New Bouyon Wave #1” brought eight rising artists together to unify the movement: TIITII NBA, 1T1, Softee, Aknose, Nils, Lucky Lukee, Le Juh, and Théomaa. What makes this movement unique is that all of these artists create and distribute their music from home using mobile devices, cutting out reliance on traditional music industry structures and allowing the genre to spread organically at an unprecedented pace. Even so, TIITII NBA is clear that the current generation’s work is not a reinvention of bouyon, but an extension of the foundation laid by earlier pioneering artists.

    For the independent creator, the greatest reward of his work has never been fame or large-scale festival performances — it comes from seeing audiences connect with his music. He describes the electric energy of a crowd when the first notes of a bouyon instrumental drop, as fans dance, sing along, and set aside the stresses of daily life to enjoy the moment. Messages from listeners, many of whom tell him he deserves wider international recognition and opportunities to perform across the Caribbean and beyond, keep him motivated to create. Even so, he says that mainstream stardom is not his primary goal: while he values connecting with international audiences, his greatest satisfaction comes from the act of creating music itself. His creative process typically starts with original ideas and samples, which he then develops collaboratively with producers to build finished instrumentals that complement his lyrics, a back-and-forth approach that keeps his work fresh and his passion for the genre alive.

    Looking toward the future, TIITII NBA identifies deeper cross-border collaboration with Dominican musicians as a core part of his artistic path. He has already released collaborative tracks including “Full Speed” featuring Milly (produced by DJ Taffy for Big Bang Records 767) and “Shake It” with Trixz Migos, while his fellow New Bouyon Wave artist 1T1 has produced work for his early inspiration Mr Ridge. These collaborations, he says, are more than a way to reach new audiences — they represent the growing, mutually beneficial exchange of musical ideas and talent between the two islands, a connection that laid the groundwork for his own career.

    TIITII NBA’s rapid rise from a bedroom artist recording on an iPhone to a creator with millions of streams highlights how digital technology is opening new doors for independent Caribbean musicians. While young Guadeloupean artists are bringing fresh perspectives to production, songwriting, and distribution, he maintains that the genre’s Dominican roots remain central to its identity. “Direction-wise, it points straight back toward Dominica, and that’s not a line for your readers,” he said. “The circulation between our two islands is real and it’s getting denser.”

  • 27 Fire Officers Honoured for Long Service; Two Mark 30 Years

    27 Fire Officers Honoured for Long Service; Two Mark 30 Years

    In a formal recognition ceremony held in Belize City on October 17, 2026, 27 dedicated officers from Belize’s National Fire Service (NFS) received long service awards for their cumulative decades of commitment to protecting communities across the nation.

    The event highlighted two standout career milestones: Assistant Divisional Officer Kenneth Mortis and Station Officer Brenton Gentle both celebrated 30 years of frontline service with the NFS. Retired Station Officer Miguel Medina was also recognized for his 20 years of dedicated service to the force, joining the cohort of honored personnel for their sustained contributions.

    Addressing attendees and award recipients at the ceremony, Minister of the Public Service Henry Charles Usher emphasized the critical value of acknowledging the sacrifices and service of fire officers who have devoted their careers to keeping Belizeans safe. “Today, we honour not only the years these officers have given, but also the important contribution they have made to our nation,” Usher stated during his remarks.

    Beyond individual recognition, the Ministry of the Public Service underscored the broader institutional impact of retaining experienced fire personnel. Long-serving officers, the ministry noted, build institutional knowledge and strengthen the NFS’s overall operational capacity, ensuring the service can maintain rapid, effective response capabilities for emergencies ranging from structure fires to natural disasters across every region of Belize. The ministry extended formal congratulations to all 27 awardees, closing the event by reiterating gratitude for their decades of selfless public service.

  • SBV: Tien banken maken gezamenlijke afspraken over cyberbeveiliging; sectorbreed protocol

    SBV: Tien banken maken gezamenlijke afspraken over cyberbeveiliging; sectorbreed protocol

    In a landmark step to strengthen the Surinamese financial sector’s digital defenses, ten domestic banks have agreed to the first-ever set of collective minimum cyber security standards for the country’s banking industry. The signing of the groundbreaking Basic Cyber Security Protocol took place Saturday during the annual Suriname Banking & Finance Summit, marking a new era of collaborative threat mitigation for the nation’s financial institutions.

    Organized by the Suriname Bankers Association (SBV), the framework is designed to help participating institutions fend off growing digital attacks, speed up cross-institution information sharing about emerging cyber threats, and harden protections for sensitive customer data. It aims to lift the entire banking sector’s digital resilience while reinforcing consumer protections, addressing a global upward trend in cyber threats that demands constant vigilance, coordinated action, and targeted protective measures.

    Industry leaders emphasize that a proactive, collective approach to cyber security has become non-negotiable for modern financial systems. By aligning on shared core standards and pooling knowledge about active threats, banks can dramatically boost their ability to prevent and respond to cyber incidents that could disrupt services or expose customer information.

    The new protocol outlines 10 core principles, developed to align with globally recognized cyber security frameworks while being tailored to the unique operating context of Suriname’s banking sector. Key provisions cover critical areas including enterprise cyber risk management, multi-factor authentication for access control, timely patching of system vulnerabilities, secure and reliable data backup protocols, continuous system monitoring, third-party vendor risk management, and ongoing cyber security training for bank staff. The agreement also requires participating banks to share detailed information about significant cyber incidents and emerging threats with one another, so lessons learned from individual events can strengthen the entire sector’s defenses.

    The framework acts as a shared foundation for ongoing improvements to cyber security across Suriname’s banking industry. The SBV has committed to annual reviews and iterative updates of the protocol to adapt to evolving threats, with ongoing coordination planned with key stakeholders including the Central Bank of Suriname.

    Cyber security is framed as a shared responsibility across the financial sector: a single successful cyber attack on one institution can have cascading impacts on the entire industry’s stability and reputation. By aligning on minimum security standards and enabling open information sharing, the agreement not only boosts each participating bank’s resilience but also reinforces public trust in Suriname’s financial system as a whole.

    Implementation of the protocol will be coordinated by the SBV’s dedicated Cyber Security Commission, which led the development of the framework. The commission brings together information security specialists from five major Surinamese institutions: Finabank, De Surinaamsche Bank, Hakrinbank, the Surinaamse Postspaarbank, and the Nationale Ontwikkelingsbank, with technical support provided by local firm Brightlyn B.V. The body will oversee rollout across participating banks and facilitate continued knowledge sharing across the sector.

    With the formal signing of the Basic Cyber Security Protocol, Suriname’s banks have underscored their collective commitment to building a secure, reliable, and future-ready financial sector that can meet the challenges of an increasingly digital global economy.

  • Over 1,000 Feet of Illegal Gillnet Pulled From Waters Near Temash-Sarstoon

    Over 1,000 Feet of Illegal Gillnet Pulled From Waters Near Temash-Sarstoon

    In a targeted enforcement action aimed at curbing destructive unauthorized fishing, Belize’s Fisheries Department has removed more than 1,000 feet of banned gillnet from open waters in the Temash-Sarstoon region of southern Belize, local broadcaster PGTV confirmed. The night operation was launched after authorities received credible tip-offs about unregulated fishing activity operating south of Punta Gorda, allowing enforcement officers to successfully locate and retrieve the large illegal net deployed in the area.

    Gillnets have been fully prohibited across all of Belize’s internal waters, territorial sea and Exclusive Economic Zone since November 2020, when the government enacted Statutory Instrument 158, formally the Fisheries Resources (Gill Net Prohibition) Regulations. Under the country’s strict regulations, anyone caught violating the ban faces maximum penalties of a $5,000 fine, six months of imprisonment, or both. The ban followed a two-year stakeholder process that included a structured transition program for licensed domestic gillnet fishers, who voluntarily surrendered their equipment in exchange for livelihood support.

    Marine conservation organizations have long sounded the alarm over the ecological harm of gillnets. Oceana Belize famously dubs the gear “walls of death,” as the indiscriminate nets trap and kill unintended marine species, including protected manatees, sea turtles and sharks, which suffocate after becoming entangled.

    The Temash-Sarstoon area is no stranger to this ongoing illegal activity, which has plagued southern Belize’s coastal ecosystems for years. Earlier in 2026, Coast Guard Commandant Rear Admiral Elton Bennett identified the southern Belize coastline as a persistent hotspot for unregulated gillnet deployment, with banned nets regularly recovered near Sarstoon, Barranco and Hunting Caye. While Bennett noted that authorities suspect the majority of these nets belong to fishermen from neighboring Guatemala, due to their proximity to the international border, no suspects have been apprehended during recent recovery operations to confirm this connection.

    This most recent seizure comes on the heels of a much larger recovery effort documented in 2025. That July, the Toledo Institute for Development and Environment (TIDE) reported that Guatemalan and Honduran fishermen were routinely using gillnets, long lines and illegal night fishing tactics within the protected Sapodilla Cayes Marine Reserve. By mid-2025, the Belize Coast Guard had already removed more than 15,000 feet of gillnet – equal to roughly 100 full illegal nets – from the reserve.

    Following the latest seizure, local community members and residents have publicly praised the Fisheries Department for its rapid response to reports of illegal activity and its ongoing work to safeguard Belize’s valuable marine ecosystems and wild fisheries. Authorities are now urging the general public to continue reporting any suspicious unauthorized fishing activity to help enforcement teams stem the ongoing damage to protected marine resources.

  • Human Rights Commissioner: Act on school safety research

    Human Rights Commissioner: Act on school safety research

    A collaborative capacity-building workshop hosted for the Barbados National Student Council is putting campus safety data directly into the hands of young people, equipping them to turn on-the-ground observations of school infrastructure issues and bullying into actionable policy changes for education authorities. Held Friday, the event brought together roughly 20 student representatives from 12 secondary and primary institutions across the island, marking the first in a new series of partnerships between the Barbados Human Rights Commission, the National Student Council, and the University of the West Indies (UWI) School for Graduate Studies.

    Speaking to reporters on site, Human Rights Commissioner Kerry-Ann Ifill explained that the workshop’s core mission is to bridge the gap between raw student-collected data and institutional decision-making. Long before the workshop, hundreds of students across 15 Barbadian schools participated in a nationwide school mapping exercise, where they walked their campuses to identify safe and unsafe spaces, and document the challenges they face daily. Friday’s training walked participating students through the process of cleaning, organizing, and structuring that field data into formal findings that can be shared with school leadership and national education officials.

    “Today we are focusing on how data drives decisions,” Ifill said. “These young people already put in the work to conduct on-the-ground research. Now we are showing them how to leverage that information to create the tangible change they want to see in their schools.”

    Per early analysis of the student mapping data, the most prevalent concerns raised center on inadequate infrastructure and maintenance issues across campuses. Students reported widespread unsanitary conditions in school bathrooms, marked by heavy graffiti and poor cleaning, as well as a widespread shortage of trash receptacles that contributes to pervasive litter on school grounds. Many classroom desks have also sustained significant damage from termite infestations, leaving learning spaces in disrepair. Beyond infrastructure, students also documented limited food variety in school canteens, and flagged a notable recent rise in bullying incidents that has eroded many students’ sense of personal safety on campus.

    National Student Council President Shakir Daisley noted that the mapping exercise was completed several months ago, but student leaders have been working through the raw data to prepare it for distribution. Friday’s workshop is a key step in that finalization process. Once compiled, the full findings will first be shared with local school student councils, then submitted to the Ministry of Education Transformation for review, before being released to the broader public. Daisley emphasized that the project gives students a rare, direct voice in shaping school policy that impacts their daily lives. “I just hope that we all can take the information and then take it back to our schools and then see what we can use to benefit ourselves,” he said.

    Leading the workshop’s research training session was Professor Dwayne Devonish, director of the UWI School for Graduate Studies, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary of coordinating graduate-level research and studies across the region this year. Devonish argued that teaching research and data literacy to young people long before they reach tertiary education builds critical thinking skills that benefit communities long into adulthood.

    “I have this belief that research should not begin at a university. It should begin as young as the primary and secondary school student populations,” Devonish said. “Because when we can teach our young people to be scientific in their endeavours, to be research-oriented, we can actually develop adults who are critical, who are careful in their assessments, and who are able to create their own knowledge.”

    Beyond campus safety, Devonish added that the workshop is intended to build a culture of youth-led research across the Caribbean that can be used to tackle a wide range of pressing regional challenges, from climate change to violent crime. “If we can use research as a tool, we can make a difference. We don’t have to put it on the face of an older person. Research can actually be executed by very young people that we have here,” he said.

    Ifill echoed that the project aligns with the Human Rights Commission’s core strategic priorities, which place a heavy focus on education and youth engagement. By embedding data literacy and youth advocacy early, the commission hopes to cultivate a lifelong habit of civic engagement among young Barbadians. “Coming out of this workshop, we hope that they can transform what they took and make it into a report, into data that can help the schools to rearrange how they approach safety in schools,” Ifill said.

  • OECS ministers face pressure to deliver on food security plans

    OECS ministers face pressure to deliver on food security plans

    At a critical high-level gathering held alongside the 2026 Caribbean Week of Agriculture in Jamaica, top agricultural officials from the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) have been called to shift from endless discussion to tangible, time-bound action on long-debated regional food security and food sovereignty goals. The Third Special Meeting of the OECS Council of Ministers for Agriculture, convened on September 30, wrapped with a clear consensus: the bloc’s biggest barrier to feeding its populations more reliably from regional farms is not a lack of planning, but a persistent failure to turn existing frameworks into results. Details of the meeting’s outcomes were formally shared in an OECS public statement released October 16.

    OECS Director General Dr. Didacus Jules delivered a blunt, urgent wake-up call to assembled ministers, emphasizing that food security cannot be delayed the way other policy priorities can. “A nation can defer a constitutional reform or postpone a highway. It cannot postpone dinner,” Jules said. He pushed back against vague rhetoric around food sovereignty, framing it as a non-negotiable fundamental right rather than an abstract ideal: “Food sovereignty is not romance; it is the right and the ability to decide what we grow, what we eat, and on what terms we trade. The world has accelerated faster than our implementation, and our greatest vulnerability remains the implementation deficit.”

    Jules stressed that the bloc’s existing OECS Food and Agriculture Systems Transformation Strategy now requires concrete deadlines and actionable milestones, rather than incremental adjustments. He outlined core priority areas for immediate action: leveraging the region’s collective purchasing power to reduce input costs, establishing dedicated maritime shipping corridors exclusively for regional agricultural trade, harmonizing inconsistent food safety and production standards across member states, and protecting critical natural agricultural resources including native seed stocks, soil, water supplies, and pollinator populations.

    The meeting also marked a formal transition in leadership: Saint Kitts and Nevis Agriculture Minister Samal Duggins took over the rotating chairmanship of the OECS Agriculture Council from outgoing chair John P. Osbourne of Montserrat. Duggins echoed Jules’ frustration with the status quo, highlighting a paradox that has stymied regional integration for decades: it is often simpler for OECS member states to import fresh produce from outside the Caribbean than to move agricultural goods between neighboring island nations. Even when local farmers produce surplus harvests, cross-island trade is blocked by a web of interconnected hurdles, including inadequate transport infrastructure, conflicting regulatory requirements, and restricted market access that keep regional produce out of neighboring markets.

    Duggins laid out his clear agenda for his tenure, centering on removing these long-standing barriers while pursuing two additional strategic goals: expanding agricultural trade partnerships with African and South American nations, and creating more inclusive opportunities for young people and women to participate and lead in the regional agricultural sector. Echoing the call for implementation over discussion, Duggins said: “A strategy is only as powerful as our collective commitment to that fundamental word: ‘implement it’. Let this chairmanship be defined not by the number of meetings that we hold, but by the barriers that we remove, the markets that we open, and the opportunities that we create.”

    Outgoing chair Osbourne also emphasized the need for greater urgency, highlighting progress during his tenure on core priorities including water resilience, climate-smart agricultural infrastructure, protected indoor farming systems, and improvements to inter-island transport for both passengers and agricultural goods. He aligned with the incoming leadership’s focus on accelerating delivery of existing plans.

    Ministers also received updates and strategic input from two key regional partner institutions: the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) and the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB). IICA Director General Dr. Muhammad Ibrahim aligned with the OECS’ priorities, highlighting the need to expand intra-regional trade, boost inclusion of youth and women in agriculture, and advance the creation of a regional shared seed bank to preserve native crop diversity. The CDB, meanwhile, outlined its ongoing investment work across OECS member states and identified new opportunities for deeper financial and technical partnership to support regional agricultural transformation.

    By the end of the meeting, the council took two concrete first steps to turn discussion into action. Members agreed to establish a dedicated OECS Agriculture Task Force, tasked with developing bankable agricultural projects that can secure international and regional financing to move forward. An immediate 30-day deadline was also set: all member states must finalize and submit their feedback on a draft OECS Apiculture Policy, a measure designed to protect threatened bee populations and the critical ecosystems that depend on pollinators for survival. The full official statement from the meeting is available on the OECS press room website.

  • St. John’s Taxi Association Conducts Clean-up and Beautification Exercise at Ffryes Beach

    St. John’s Taxi Association Conducts Clean-up and Beautification Exercise at Ffryes Beach

    On Saturday, October 17, 2026, the Antigua and Barbuda St. John’s Taxi Association Inc. (ABSJTA) organized a large-scale volunteer clean-up and beautification campaign spanning Big Ffryes Beach, Little Ffryes Beach, and their adjacent coastal zones. The event was specifically timed to get the island nation’s iconic shorelines ready for the 2026/2027 cruise tourism season, bringing together association members and community volunteers to upgrade the coastal environment for both local residents and the thousands of incoming tourists expected over the coming months.

    By the end of the day, participants had filled 40 full-size 48-gallon biodegradable garbage bags with a wide range of discarded waste, including single-use plastic bottles, aluminum cans, paper products, and assorted plastic debris. Beyond small litter, crews also cleared accumulated fallen leaves and oversized natural and man-made debris from the beach sands and surrounding green spaces, leaving the shoreline far cleaner and more welcoming than before the initiative began.

    For the ABSJTA, the clean-up effort is far more than a one-off community project: it reflects the association’s deep understanding that Antigua and Barbuda’s postcard-perfect beaches are not only beloved public gathering spaces for local communities, but also the core attraction that draws millions of tourists to the nation each year. Maintaining these natural assets directly supports public recreation and quality of life for residents, while also boosting the overall visitor experience that underpins the livelihoods of thousands of people employed across the country’s tourism sector.

    Association leadership went on to express sincere gratitude to every member, volunteer, and community partner that contributed to the event’s success. In addition to on-the-ground labor from participants, the initiative benefited from donated supplies and refreshments, as well as the free provision of a dump truck to haul away collected waste for proper disposal, resources that were critical to pulling off the large-scale operation smoothly.

    Following productive conversations between ABSJTA representatives and local business leadership, the management of Dennis Beach Bar has already pledged long-term support for future clean-up events. The popular beachside business has committed to donating rakes and other essential clean-up equipment to volunteer crews, a contribution that will allow future clean-up teams to work more efficiently while supporting safe, hygienic handling and disposal of collected waste.

    Looking ahead, the ABSJTA has made a formal commitment to host these coastal clean-up and beautification exercises twice every year: one round held before the official start of the annual cruise season, and a second round held once the season draws to a close. The association is also actively calling on other local tourism businesses and service providers to join coordinated, sector-wide preservation initiatives to protect the nation’s natural assets.

    “Through sustained, collaborative action across the entire tourism sector, we can protect our incredible beaches, enhance the beauty of our coastal areas, and keep Antigua and Barbuda one of the most attractive and sought-after tourism destinations in the Caribbean,” said ABSJTA’s President in a statement following the event.

  • Educator and Garifuna Cultural Leader Sebastian Cayetano Dies

    Educator and Garifuna Cultural Leader Sebastian Cayetano Dies

    Belize has lost a towering figure in cultural preservation and education with the passing of Sebastian Cayetano, a veteran educator and one of the most prominent advocates for Garifuna culture and heritage. Cayetano is survived by his son, Isani Cayetano, who serves as News 5 Director.

    Cayetano had battled chronic health conditions for half a decade. Five years before his death, he received a diagnosis of an enlarged heart, and his condition worsened when doctors later identified kidney failure. Just last Friday, his family made a public appeal for assistance with mounting medical costs as his health declined.

    Tributes have poured in from across Belize’s cultural and political sectors, starting with the National Garifuna Council (NGC) Belize City Branch, where Cayetano once served as president. The organization remembered him as a beloved former leader, a veteran educator, a respected historian, and a cultural giant whose decades of work left an indelible mark on the Garifuna community.

    Throughout his long tenure as an educator, his leadership at the NGC, and his relentless dedication to the Luba Garifuna Museum, Cayetano made it his life’s mission to guarantee that Garifuna history, language, and traditions would be preserved for future generations, the NGC said. Describing him as a true pillar of strength, knowledge, and national pride for the entire Garifuna nation, the council extended its deepest condolences to Cayetano’s family, close friends, and the wider Garifuna community both at home and abroad.

    In a call to action to honor Cayetano’s legacy, the NGC urged Garinagu (the plural term for Garifuna people) across Belize and in the global diaspora to carry forward his work. “Teach the children our language. Share our history. Protect our culture. Stand proud in our identity,” the council stated.

    Belize’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Science and Technology also released a statement honoring Cayetano’s decades of service. Minister Francis Fonseca, alongside the ministry’s senior management and all staff, recognized Cayetano as a distinguished educator and a passionate, unwavering advocate for Garifuna culture and heritage.

    Cayetano’s career in education spanned nearly four decades, from 1965 to 2004, where he taught at both the primary and secondary school levels. In that time, he shaped the lives and worldviews of generations of Belizeans, the ministry noted. Beyond his work in the classroom, he was a proud and uncompromising defender of Garifuna identity, language, and traditions, dedicating his entire life to preserving and elevating Belize’s rich cultural heritage.

    “His legacy will continue to inspire future generations to embrace, protect and celebrate our diverse cultural identities,” the ministry said, as it extended its condolences to Cayetano’s family, friends, and loved ones.