As Antigua and Barbuda moves forward with early-stage planning for its highly anticipated 2026 Carnival, the nation’s Minister of Sports and Creative Industries Dwayne George held a strategic planning meeting this week with key stakeholders from the Festival Team and national Festivals Commission. Against a backdrop of growing regional competition in cultural tourism, officials have announced ambitious goals to deliver a larger, more energetic celebration that elevates Antigua Carnival’s standing as one of the Caribbean’s premier cultural events.
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Trump’s Green Card Policy Forces Immigrants Back Home
In a major overhaul of the U.S. legal immigration system scheduled to take effect ahead of 2026, the Trump administration has announced a sweeping revision to the permanent residency application process that will upend decades of established policy. Under the new rule unveiled by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services on Friday, most applicants seeking green cards will no longer be permitted to complete their entire application process while residing in the United States. Instead, they will be required to return to their countries of origin to submit and finalize their applications from abroad.
This policy shift marks the end of a longstanding practice that has allowed would-be permanent residents to remain in the U.S. throughout the often lengthy application timeline. For thousands of affected immigrants, the new requirement means uprooting their lives: leaving stable U.S.-based employment, separating from family members who may remain in the country, and stepping away from established communities, all for a process that can stretch on for months or even years.
The change is projected to impact a substantial share of the U.S. legal immigration population. Data from fiscal year 2024 shows that roughly 1.4 million people obtained lawful permanent resident status in the U.S. that year alone, giving a clear indication of the scope of people who could be affected by the new rule going forward.
Administration officials have defended the policy, framing it as a targeted measure to cut down on the number of people who overstay their legal status in the U.S. Officials argue that requiring applicants to complete the process from their home countries “reduces the need to find and remove those who decide to slip into the shadows and remain in the U.S. illegally after being denied residency”. The administration notes that exemptions will be available for extraordinary circumstances, but has so far released no detailed guidance on what will qualify for an exemption.
Critics across the political and policy spectrum have pushed back sharply against the new rule. Democratic lawmakers have labeled the policy “cruel”, warning that it will cause irreversible harm to America’s global reputation as a destination for top global talent. One sitting congressman argued that the policy will directly benefit U.S. geopolitical competitors including China and Russia, by pushing skilled immigrant professionals to relocate their careers and expertise to other countries. Immigration policy analysts have additionally criticized the rule as logically flawed, arguing that it will erode the United States’ competitive position in the global business landscape by restricting access to skilled immigrant labor.
While cracking down on unauthorized immigration has remained a top policy priority for the Trump administration since it took office, legal experts widely expect the new green card requirement to face immediate and extensive legal challenges in federal courts over the coming weeks, as immigrant advocacy groups prepare to file lawsuits to block the policy from taking effect.
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Who cares for the carers? BCD wellness event may give answer
Caregiving for a dependent family member, loved one, or ward is far from a simple undertaking. The constant physical, emotional, and mental demands of the role often leave caregivers struggling under the weight of their responsibilities, even as public focus almost always remains on the people receiving care rather than the people providing it. On Friday, a small but impactful event at a Christ Church garden centre sought to change that narrative, carving out dedicated space to honor, listen to, and support caregivers whose tireless work often goes unrecognized.
Barbados TODAY reporters on site at Nature Care in Lowlands documented the event, a Mental Wellness Day hosted by staff from the Barbados Council for the Disabled (BCD) and led by counselling psychologist Janelle Skinner, who herself lives as a paraplegic. Drawing on both her professional expertise and personal experience as a disabled person relying on care from her mother, Skinner opened with a frank discussion of the little-discussed crisis of caregiver burnout.
“Caregiving drains you in every way – emotionally, physically, mentally – and burnout is a very real experience that far too many caregivers go through,” she explained. Skinner emphasized that caregivers cannot sustain their work without intentional breaks, even short ones, that let them step away from their role and recharge. “Too many caregivers operate in constant survival mode. They pour every bit of energy into the person they care for and completely ignore their own needs. They never stop to ask, ‘What will happen to the person I care for if something happens to me?’ That’s why creating spaces where caregivers can receive care themselves is so critical.”
Speaking from her own experience, Skinner noted that she has learned to spot early signs of burnout in her mother, Joan Skinner-Graham, who has served as her primary caregiver for 26 years. “I do everything I can do independently to reduce her load, but there are some things I cannot do on my own. The key is being attentive to those subtle signs that fatigue is building, both for the disabled person and the caregiver themselves.”
Skinner also pointed to the importance of professional support and strong personal networks, sharing that she sees a therapist herself to manage the emotional weight of her work and personal circumstances. “There is no shame in therapy – it helps. Having a support network means you always have people you can turn to, people who can step into the caregiving role temporarily so you can step back, reset, and refocus,” she said.
For Joan Skinner-Graham, the journey of caregiving began with a devastating phone call 26 years ago, when her daughter was on holiday in New York. “My niece called and said she had bad news. Janelle was in the hospital, paralyzed. I got on a flight the very next day and stayed with her until she could come home,” she recalled. Through decades of care, she has held fast to a core principle: never let the person you care for feel like a burden.
“When you care for a person with a disability, you must never let them see your frustration or anger,” she said. “They will internalize that, think they are a burden, and that sets back their own progress. If you feel overwhelmed, step away for a few minutes, take a breath, and come back when you are grounded. That small break makes all the difference.”
Now retired, Skinner-Graham admitted that the long-term weight of caregiving brings quiet worries, especially as she ages. “Many nights I pray for strength to be here for my daughter. What I’ve seen over the years is that unaddressed stress kills caregivers. Too many people bottle up their feelings instead of reaching out, and that stress makes them sick, and then there is no one left to care for them. That’s why we need more accessible counselling and support for caregivers – we need spaces to talk through what we’re feeling instead of holding it all in.”
When it comes to balancing daily care with other life responsibilities, Skinner-Graham relies on intentional planning and unapologetic self-care. “I plan out my days, and I stick to my plan. I get Janelle set up for her work day, handle household tasks, and when I need a break, I tell her straight: this is mommy’s time. I sit down, play my game, and recharge before I come back. There’s no shame in taking that time for yourself.”
BCD President Patricia Padmore-Blackman, who is blind and cares for a disabled son, echoed that call for intentional self-care for caregivers. “My son has been with me since birth, so it can feel like I never get a break. There are definitely days when I need to step away,” she said, crediting her own support network of family, friends, and professionals for helping her sustain her role over decades. “That support is non-negotiable. We can’t do this alone.”
BCD Operations Manager Roseanna Tudor explained that Friday’s gathering was designed specifically to prioritize the mental and emotional wellbeing of BCD’s own frontline staff, who navigate high-stress, emotionally demanding work supporting disabled people and their families every day. “This event was about reducing emotional fatigue, building stronger connections among staff, and creating a culture of psychological safety,” Tudor said. “When we invest in our staff’s wellbeing, that directly improves the quality of the services we deliver. We need workplaces that prioritize care for the people who care for others, and I encourage every organization to host similar events for their teams.”
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Portmore beat Cavalier to take JPL crown
In a dramatic, high-stakes Jamaica Premier League final that kept fans on the edge of their seats at Kingston’s National Stadium on Sunday, Portmore United claimed the top spot of Jamaican club football, edging out three-time defending champions Cavalier 5-3 in a penalty shootout after 120 minutes of pulsating end-to-end play ended in a 2-2 draw.
This historic victory marks Portmore United’s eighth domestic league title, a milestone that includes two championships the club claimed under its former name Hazard United back in the 1990s, and its first major top-flight trophy since lifting the crown back in 2019. For Cavalier, the devastating loss ends their quest for an unprecedented third consecutive league title, which would have marked their fifth overall championship in club history.
The decisive moment of the contest came in the fourth round of the penalty shootout, when Portmore goalkeeper Daniel Russell stretched to make a game-changing save on Cavalier’s Terence Williams, setting the stage for Portmore to convert their final spot kick and secure the crown. In a telling preview of the final’s outcome, Portmore had already defeated the previous title holders in this playoff run, ousting Mt Pleasant in the semi-final round to earn their spot in the championship match.
Portmore got off to a blistering start, opening the scoring just four minutes into the contest. Forward Ronaldo Robinson pounced on a rebound after Emelio Rouseau’s free kick deflected into the box, firing the loose ball into the back of the net to put his side ahead early. But Cavalier’s star striker Kimarly Scott responded with a stunning 16-minute first-half brace, capitalizing on two uncharacteristic defensive mistakes from Portmore to flip the scoreline and give Cavalier a 2-1 lead going into the halftime break.
Scott’s first equalizer came in the 26th minute, when Rouseau overhit a back pass intended for Russell. The speedy Cavalier forward beat the Portmore goalkeeper to the loose ball, coolly slotting it into the far left corner of the empty net to level the scores. Four minutes before halftime, in the 42nd minute, Scott struck again, once again taking advantage of a Portmore defensive error to put his side ahead going into the break. Scott had already proven his clutch scoring ability in the semi-finals, netting both goals in Cavalier’s 2-0 second-leg win over Montego Bay United that booked their place in the final.
Portmore found their equalizer early in the second half, courtesy of Tarick Ximines. In the 60th minute, Ximines found himself unmarked just inside the 18-yard box, and neatly guided a looping cross from Ramone Howell over Cavalier goalkeeper Taywane Lynch to draw the score level at 2-2. With neither side able to find a winning goal through the remainder of regulation time and the full 30 minutes of extra time, the championship was ultimately decided from the penalty spot, where Russell’s heroics gave Portmore the historic win.
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WATCH: Granville residents protest police killings
ST JAMES, Jamaica — Hundreds of residents of the Granville community heeded an official appeal from local law enforcement and gathered for a peaceful demonstration Sunday, amplifying long-simmering outrage over a string of controversial fatal police shootings that have left multiple community members dead. Clad entirely in black and carrying hand-painted placards outlining their demands, protesters chanted unified slogans calling for an immediate end to police brutality and formal justice for Latoya Bulgin, a woman locally known as Buju, who was killed by police last week during what officers described as an alleged confrontation. The gathering marked one of the most organized displays of public discontent over police violence the region has seen in recent months. What many attendees do not widely know is that Bulgin was on her way to join a separate protest for 17-year-old Tjey Edwards when she was shot. Edwards was killed under nearly identical circumstances just one week earlier, on May 10. The deaths of Bulgin and Edwards are not the only cases driving community anger; protesters also placed heavy focus on a New Year’s Day shooting that left four-year-old Romaine Bowman and two adult men dead, pushing the nation’s total tally of fatal police shootings to 130 for the current period. Independent Commission of Investigations (Indecom) has already issued a public appeal for witnesses to come forward with information on the Granville killings, but residents say little tangible progress has been made to hold officers accountable. In a break from past protests that resulted in road blockades and clashes with police, Sunday’s demonstration remained entirely peaceful, a change that came directly in response to an appeal from Parish Police Chief Senior Superintendent Eron Samuels. During a community meeting held last Thursday, Samuels made clear that any demonstration that included road blockages would be immediately shut down by law enforcement. Abiding by this request, protesters confined their main gathering to Granville Square, with plans to stage a peaceful march through residential neighborhoods later in the day. The call for peaceful action was echoed by Marlene Malahoo Forte, the Member of Parliament for St James West Central, who met directly with protesters Sunday to hear their concerns. “I am happy that in the search for answers, the peace is still being maintained though we know it is a fragile peace,” Forte told Jamaica’s Observer Online in an on-site interview. “I continue to say to everyone, stay on the right side of the law and I am really hoping that this incident is not treated as just another incident, let the steam blow off and blow and we continue as usual. There are genuine questions and genuine concerns and I am keeping faith that we are going to come out better for this and I really hope that we don’t have another incident,” she added. Despite commitments from local officials to move forward with investigations, protesters remain resolute in their demands, with many vowing to continue demonstrations until they see verifiable progress in the cases, particularly that of Bulgin. One of Bulgin’s sons, who joined Sunday’s protest, spoke publicly about his family’s grief and the widespread fear now gripping the community. “I need justice for me and my family and all of the residents in Granville and also all around Jamaica. It is unfair for us to lose her life no reason, my mother died for no reason and all of us fear for our lives right now,” he said. “We fear who should be protecting us from danger and this is not right. Justice for Latoya Bulgin, Justice for Tjey Edwards, Justice for everyone who died to police brutality,” he declared. The officer at the center of Bulgin’s killing has already been placed on interdiction pending the outcome of the investigation, but the victim’s son says that is not enough. He is adamant that the officer should face severe criminal consequences for the shooting. “I want justice, that police should be in prison right now,” he insisted.
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From Deed to Key Investment and Housing Conference set for June 5 in South Florida
A landmark conference focused on unlocking the untapped economic potential of Jamaican real estate is set to bring hundreds of industry leaders, investors and community stakeholders together in South Florida next year. Scheduled for June 5, 2026, at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Sunrise – Sawgrass Mills, the From Deed to Key Investment and Housing Conference has been designed to tackle longstanding barriers to formal land ownership, generational wealth building and targeted investment across Jamaica’s property sector.
Organizers framed the event as a targeted solution to three of the sector’s most persistent challenges: untitled family land passed down through generations, undeveloped idle properties held by landowners without access to development capital, and outside investors seeking vetted, high-growth opportunities in Jamaica’s expanding real estate market. The initiative targets both Jamaican citizens living locally and the large Jamaican diaspora based across North America, many of whom hold inherited land interests but lack clear guidance to formalize and leverage those assets.
The conference draws direct endorsement from Jamaica’s senior diplomatic leadership in the United States. Oliver Mair, Jamaica’s Consul General to Miami, has backed the gathering as a critical venue to deepen engagement between the Caribbean nation and its overseas community, creating new pathways for cross-border investment that drive inclusive economic growth across Jamaica. A full roster of top sector specialists from Jamaica will travel to South Florida specifically to share on-the-ground expertise and actionable insights with attendees.
A diverse lineup of expert speakers will cover legal, technical, financial and strategic topics tailored to the needs of first-time asset holders and experienced investors alike. Leading real estate and estate attorney Makeda Bramwell, owner of Cedars Estate, will open the technical programming with a session focused on title securing and common fraud risks, delivering critical legal guidance for families seeking to formalize and protect inherited property assets. Commissioned land surveyor Al Taylor will follow with a step-by-step breakdown of the formalization process, outlining practical actions for communities and families with untitled land to gain full legal ownership of their properties.
Cordell Williams, a leading entrepreneurship and wealth strategist and CEO of Transformational, will expand the conversation beyond property ownership, sharing actionable strategies for attendees to build diversified long-term wealth and intergenerational legacy outside of land and housing alone. Jhanine Jackson of VM Group Property Services Limited will lead the core real estate investment track, breaking down the evolving dynamics of Jamaica’s property market and highlighting emerging opportunities for both new homebuyers and institutional investors.
Developer and seasoned real estate investor Kevin Frith will shine a spotlight on one of Jamaica’s most promising emerging growth regions, detailing the ongoing transformation of St Thomas as the nation’s next major frontier for large-scale development and high-yield investment. Technology and infrastructure will also feature prominently on the agenda: Richard May, CEO of ECHOS Consulting and Powersource Jamaica, will explore how modern digital and sustainable technology must be embedded into the design and construction of new Jamaican communities to meet 21st century needs.
To address growing concerns about climate risk, Dr. Leighton A Ellis, president-elect of the Jamaica Institution of Engineers (JIE), will deliver a keynote session on future-proof construction and climate-resilient infrastructure, equipping developers and landowners with knowledge to build assets that stand the test of a changing climate. Closing the full day of programming, David Cummings, vice president and head of real estate and project finance at Sygnus Capital, will unpack collaborative financing solutions for landowners stuck with undeveloped property due to capital constraints. His talk, titled “From Capital to Concrete,” will focus on structuring public-private partnerships to turn dormant, unused land assets into active wealth-generating ventures that create lasting family legacies.
Organizers recently announced an adjustment to the speaker lineup: entrepreneurs David Mullings and Gabrielle Gilpin-Hudson have withdrawn from the 2026 conference due to unresolvable prior professional commitments, a change organizers called regrettable but necessary.
Beyond expert-led sessions, the conference will host a dedicated exhibition hall featuring industry stakeholders from across Jamaica’s property ecosystem. As of the latest update, 15 exhibitors including major developers, licensed realtors and leading industry service providers have already confirmed their participation, with conference leadership projecting that number could double over the coming week as interest continues to surge. The exhibition will give attendees direct access to vetted investment opportunities, pre-vetted development projects and available property listings across every segment of Jamaica’s growing real estate market.
Maxine Miller, the conceptualizer behind the From Deed to Key initiative, noted that momentum around the event has grown far faster than initial projections. “There is tremendous unmet demand for trusted connections between the Jamaican diaspora and the professionals, partnerships and opportunities that turn land ownership into sustainable, long-term wealth creation,” Miller explained. “Our goal is to turn that interest into actionable progress that benefits both landholding families and the broader Jamaican economy.”
Ultimately, the conference is positioned as more than an industry gathering: organizers frame it as a catalyst for systemic change, working to expand education, foster new investment partnerships, and empower stakeholders to navigate the complexities of Jamaican land ownership, housing development and real estate investment with confidence.
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WATCH: Mayor urges calm after murder of beloved Papine Market supervisor
A brutal mid-afternoon shooting at Jamaica’s Papine Market has left a well-loved local staff member dead and sent shockwaves through the adjacent Mona Commons community, prompting Kingston’s top official to plead for restraint amid public grief and anger.
Colleen Bernard, a long-serving supervisor at the popular public market, was gunned down in a public attack this past Friday. Within hours of the shooting, law enforcement officers launched an urgent manhunt for the perpetrator. Pursuing the suspect across the area, police eventually intercepted the shooter, who was wounded in the confrontation and remains hospitalized for treatment as of the latest updates.
Two days after the killing, Kingston Mayor Andrew Swaby — who also serves as chair of the Kingston and St Andrew Municipal Corporation (KSAMC) — released a public video address directly to residents of the nearby Mona Commons neighborhood. In the message, Swaby urged community members not to resort to vigilante justice in response to Bernard’s death, emphasizing that official investigations remain in their early stages.
“In moments like this, it’s only natural for people to want to form their own conclusions about what happened, but right now, many critical details are still unconfirmed,” Swaby said in the address. He stressed that the responsible path forward is to let trained police investigators complete their work unimpeded by community unrest.
Swaby also shared that the entire KSAMC workforce is reeling from the unexpected loss of one of their own. “Colleen was an exceptional, dedicated worker,” he said, describing the attack as a pointless act of violence. “It’s senseless that someone would walk into a busy public market, take her life, and then try to run away.”
The mayor publicly praised responding police officers for their rapid work that led to the suspect’s apprehension. Looking ahead, Swaby confirmed that municipal leaders are already reviewing next steps to improve public safety at the market, and will arrange professional mental health counselling for both market staff and vendors who witnessed the traumatic incident.
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Unity Cup gets FIFA Tier 1 designation – report
LONDON — Just days ahead of its opening kickoff at Charlton Athletic’s London stadium, the four-nation Unity Cup has secured official confirmation as a FIFA Tier 1 international football competition, multiple football sources have confirmed. The designation grants every match in the tournament full international recognition under FIFA’s governing rules, though a key caveat means player appearances will not be added to their official national team cap counts. The unusual arrangement stems from the tournament’s scheduling outside of FIFA’s official international match window, which does not open until June 1 this year.
Four national men’s teams will compete for the title: Nigeria, Jamaica’s Reggae Boyz, India, and Zimbabwe. The tournament kicks off May 26 with the first of two semi-final matches, as Nigeria takes on Zimbabwe in the opening fixture. The second semi-final will follow a day later, on May 27, pitting hosts-region side Jamaica against India. Both the third-place playoff and the tournament final are scheduled to take place on May 30 at Charlton’s home ground.
For Jamaica, this tournament marks a return to the Unity Cup for the third consecutive iteration. The Reggae Boyz have advanced to the final in both of their prior appearances, but have fallen to Nigeria on both occasions. Most recently in 2025, Jamaica forced a 2-2 draw against Nigeria after full time, only to lose the title in a penalty shootout.
As of Sunday, England-based players called up to the Jamaican national squad have already begun arriving at the team’s pre-tournament training camp in London. Jamaican-based players are scheduled to complete their arrival by Monday, just one day ahead of the Reggae Boyz’s semi-final opener.
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JIBA hails Lalor as visionary, transformational leader
The passing of legendary Jamaican business leader Dennis Lalor, founder of the regional insurance giant ICWI Group Limited, has drawn widespread tributes from the nation’s business community, with the Jamaica Insurance Brokers Association (JIBA) hailing him as a transformative figure whose influence reached far beyond the boundaries of corporate Jamaica. Lalor died on May 14 at the age of 91, leaving behind a decades-long legacy of innovation, institution-building, and mentorship that reshaped Jamaica’s insurance landscape and strengthened the country’s homegrown private sector.
In an official press statement released Friday, JIBA President Levar Smith reflected on Lalor’s extraordinary contributions to Jamaica’s financial ecosystem, noting that the late titan was far more than a decorated leader in the insurance space—he was a visionary who laid the foundational framework for the modern, professional industry that exists today. “Through his unwavering commitment to operational excellence, ongoing professional development, and intentional mentorship, Lalor nurtured a culture of continuous learning that has empowered generations of insurance practitioners and elevated the entire field,” Smith explained. “His legacy endures not only in the robust institutions and industry he helped build, but also in the thousands of professionals whose careers and personal lives were shaped by his guidance and moral example.”
JIBA’s statement emphasized Lalor’s unique role in Jamaica’s post-independence economic development, at a time when nearly the entire Caribbean insurance sector was controlled by foreign-owned firms. Lalor emerged as part of a groundbreaking cohort of local business leaders who proved that Jamaican-led financial institutions could not only compete with international players, but also grow to command widespread respect across the region. His founding and steady expansion of ICWI Group is now widely regarded as one of the most landmark achievements of indigenous Caribbean enterprise, growing from a local startup into one of the most recognized and respected insurance and financial services groups across the Caribbean.
Over his decades-long career, Lalor cemented his status as one of the most trusted and respected voices in Jamaican business, building a reputation for rigorous, disciplined leadership, unwavering professional standards, and a long-term commitment to building enduring institutions that served the Jamaican people. Beyond his transformative work in insurance, Lalor played a key role in shaping an entire generation of Jamaican business leaders and strengthening core national private sector institutions.
Smith closed the tribute by reaffirming JIBA’s respect for Lalor’s decades of service, saying: “On behalf of the entire Jamaica Insurance Brokers Association, we pay tribute to a true pioneer, dedicated mentor, and business statesman whose impact on the insurance industry will be felt for many generations to come.”
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Allied Protection Foundation lends helping hand at hurricane-hit St James basic school
On a dedicated Saturday mission, a volunteer team from the Allied Protection Foundation set out for western Jamaica to kick off critical restoration work at DRB Grant Demonstration Basic School, located in Montego Bay’s Catherine Hall neighborhood. This hands-on community improvement project forms a core part of the foundation’s official programming for Jamaica’s 2026 Labour Day, a national observance centered on voluntary public service.
In an official media statement released two days ahead of the mission, the foundation detailed the urgent need for the work: more than six months after Category 5 Hurricane Melissa swept through the island on October 28 of the previous year, the rural basic school continues to grapple with lingering storm damage that has disrupted learning for its young students.
The initiative is not a solo effort, the foundation noted. It has partnered with three local Jamaican organizations—JN Foundation, Rainbow Appliances, and Maa Sai Enterprise Limited—to pool resources and labor for the project. When completed, the team will have refreshed the school’s campus with new coats of paint and vibrant, student-centered murals designed to brighten the learning environment. Beyond structural improvements, the collaborative group also donated two critical assets to the school: a 1,000-gallon water storage tank to address ongoing water access challenges left by the hurricane, and a 32-inch smart television to support digital learning for the student body.
This project marks a key milestone for the newly launched Allied Protection Foundation, which recently consolidated all of the parent organization’s major charitable programming under one centralized umbrella to streamline impact. Beyond the Montego Bay hurricane recovery work, the foundation manages two other long-standing education-focused initiatives: a daily school breakfast program serving students at Clan Carthy Primary School in St Andrew, and the Donald Williams Scholarship, which provides financial support to eligible Jamaican students pursuing further education.
In closing, the foundation emphasized that all of its programming, from disaster recovery to ongoing education support, grows out of the parent company’s deep, long-standing commitment to advancing education, driving inclusive community development, and upholding meaningful corporate social responsibility across Jamaica.