Carib Scope

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  • China slaat terug met sancties en strengere exportregels in handelsconflict met VS

    China slaat terug met sancties en strengere exportregels in handelsconflict met VS

    Tensions in the long-running trade and technology standoff between the world’s two largest economies have flared once again, after China unveiled a coordinated package of countermeasures on Wednesday in response to new punitive trade actions imposed by the United States. Beijing’s response includes tightened export controls on drones and related dual-use technologies bound for the US market, alongside formal sanctions on several US entities and companies.

    According to China’s Ministry of Commerce, the new measures are a direct and proportionate response to a series of recent hostile trade moves from Washington. These include new restrictions targeting Chinese technology firms, updated stringent regulatory requirements issued by the US Federal Communications Commission, and the addition of dozens of Chinese companies to Washington’s economic blacklist over unsubstantiated allegations of human rights violations in Xinjiang.

    At the core of China’s countermeasures is a sweeping overhaul of export licensing rules for drones, drone components, and dual-use technologies that have both civilian and military applications. While exports to the United States will still be permitted, all new shipments will now undergo much stricter case-by-case reviews before approval is granted. In addition, Chinese firms are barred from conducting any new commercial activities with seven US organizations that Beijing says have actively participated in Washington’s anti-China sanctions regime.

    Beijing has also suspended all cooperation with US certification bodies that carried out mandatory quality inspections for Chinese goods exported to the United States. A formal security probe has additionally been launched into potential risks posed by certain imported US-made office equipment.

    Market and policy analysts broadly view the new set of measures as a clear escalation of the ongoing technology and trade rivalry between the two global economic powers. Unlike earlier phases of the standoff that centered heavily on broad-based import tariffs, both Washington and Beijing have increasingly shifted focus to targeting strategic sectors that hold both economic and national security importance. These cutting-edge sectors include semiconductors, unmanned aerial systems, robotics, telecommunications, and other advanced dual-use technologies.

    While China’s latest countermeasures are narrowly targeted and do not amount to a full blanket trade ban on US goods and services, observers note they underscore the continued deepening of economic competition between the two powers. At the same time, both sides have signaled a continued interest in keeping tensions contained ahead of planned diplomatic engagements scheduled for later this year.

    For the South American nation of Suriname, the new measures do not carry immediate direct impacts. However, a further deterioration of Sino-US trade relations could drag down overall global economic growth, analysts warn. Over the longer term, a broader slowdown would affect global demand for raw materials, and push up international prices for key export commodities that Suriname relies on for government revenue and foreign exchange, including crude oil and gold. Disruptions to global supply chains stemming from escalated tensions could also drive up costs for imported technology and industrial goods that Suriname depends on for domestic development.

  • Minister Evelyn thanks stakeholders for making Culturama 52 a resounding success

    Minister Evelyn thanks stakeholders for making Culturama 52 a resounding success

    After nearly two weeks of vibrant cultural celebration across the Caribbean island of Nevis, the 52nd edition of the annual Culturama festival has wrapped up to widespread acclaim, with top government officials and event organizers praising the event as the most successful in recent years.

    Held from July 23 to August 4 under the official theme “Our Heritage Proud and True: It’s Culturama 52”, the annual festival is Nevis’ flagship cultural event, designed to showcase and preserve local Caribbean heritage, music, performance, and artistic traditions. In an official statement released August 6 by the Nevis Island Administration (NIA), Deputy Premier and Minister of Culture Eric Evelyn extended deep gratitude to every person and group that contributed to the festival’s 2026 staging, calling the edition a resounding, transformative success.

    “From my perspective, Culturama 52 has truly been a tremendous success. Almost every event featured extraordinary production quality, and we saw strong, consistent attendance across all shows,” Evelyn said. “Over the past several years, we have worked to improve event timeliness, operational management, and attendee experience, and those efforts have clearly paid off this year. I am incredibly pleased with how everything came together, and I owe a huge thank you to every single person who helped turn C52 into the success it is today.”

    Evelyn went on to extend special congratulations to competitors who took home top honors across the festival’s dozens of competitions, pageants, and performance events, while also thanking every participant, regardless of outcome, for their contribution. “Without competitors willing to put themselves forward and share their talent, we could never have a successful Culturama. Every participant helped make these events what they are, and I am grateful to every single one.”

    Beyond competitors, the Minister thanked the Culturama Committee, volunteer teams, local vendors, event sponsors, street revellers, and attending patrons for their collective work. He specifically highlighted that the 2026 festival saw remarkably few incidents or accidents, crediting the good behavior of attendees for creating a safe, welcoming, and enjoyable environment for all participants and visitors.

    The Culturama Committee echoed Evelyn’s praise, releasing its own statement recognizing the hundreds of individuals and organizations that contributed to the festival’s success. The committee highlighted the energy and creativity of performance troupes, marching bands, and masqueraders who transformed the streets of downtown Charlestown into a vivid showcase of Nevisian cultural pride, adding that designers, volunteer workers, sponsors, artists, and local residents all played critical roles in making events like the Street Parade and Grand Parade unforgettable experiences.

    A wide range of competitors took home top honors across the festival’s core competitions. Mia Alexander, sponsored by the Caribbean Lottery, claimed the 2026 Bank of Nevis Miss Culture Queen title, while performer Kairo won the TDC Senior Kaiso Monarch crown. Adowah secured a back-to-back victory as National Bank Groovy Soca Monarch, and the team of Ras Brown and Rocco Dan took the title in the National Bank Power Soca Monarch competition. Additional major winners included Mighty Zen as Junior Kaiso Monarch, Oualie Rhythms Steel Orchestra for the National Bank Panorama competition, Kadijah Mulley as National Bank Miss Culture Swimwear 2026, and Devaughn Browne as National Bank Mr. Kool 2026. Porsha Precious Perkins and Keznambi Archibald of Charlestown Primary School won the Republic Bank Mr. & Miss Talented Youth Pageant, while Zaine Frederick of Antigua and Barbuda took home the crown of Bank of Nevis Miss Caribbean Culture Queen 2026.

    In the festival’s popular Street Parade competition, category honors went to David Dynasty in Folklore, Back in De Good Ole Days in Ole Mas, U 2 Young 2 Know Bout Dis in the Float category, and Four Seasons Whisper of Oualie in the Fantasy category. The festival officially came to a close when DVX Reloaded was named the 2026 Road March Champion for their hit track “Sugar Daddy”, closing out two weeks of celebration of Nevis’ rich cultural, musical, and traditional heritage.

  • Public ID law planned for over-16s

    Public ID law planned for over-16s

    Trinidad and Tobago’s Minister of Homeland Security Roger Alexander has publicly confirmed that the current national administration is moving forward with plans to introduce new legislation that would mandate every individual aged 16 and older, including both citizens and foreign visitors, to carry a valid form of government-issued photo identification at all times when in public spaces.

    The confirmation follows the leak of a confidential Cabinet Minute dated April 2, 2026, which circulated widely across social media platforms one day prior. The document outlined the proposed legislative amendments and has since been verified as authentic by Alexander during an exclusive telephone interview with local media outlet the Express. Following the Cabinet’s initial review, the proposal has been referred to the Finance and General Purposes Committee for further scrutiny and budgetary assessment.

    When pressed on whether failure to produce ID upon request from law enforcement officials would be classified as a criminal offense, Alexander noted that final details of the policy are still being finalized. He did, however, confirm that a grace period will be built into the framework to allow individuals to retrieve or present their documentation after a request, and expressed his personal support for financial fines or other administrative penalties for repeated non-compliance.

    Framing the policy as a critical tool to address longstanding challenges facing the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service, Alexander pointed to repeated difficulties officers face when serving arrest warrants. He shared a common scenario: police arrive at a location to arrest a suspect named John Brown, only for the individual to claim they are Harry James and have no connection to the warrant, with no easy way for officers to verify their identity on site. Beyond law enforcement, he added that mandatory ID will streamline legitimate business transactions and formal employment background checks, noting that similar requirements are already standard practice across most of the world. The policy, he argued, will also foster a stronger sense of national belonging among young people entering adulthood, and make it far easier for authorities to separate criminal actors from law-abiding residents.

    To ensure broad access to national identification cards, Alexander explained that the government will coordinate closely with the Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC) and multiple government ministries. For teenagers aged 16 and older still enrolled in school, the EBC will deploy mobile registration teams directly to campus, allowing students to complete the process and receive their ID before graduating, eliminating barriers for young people who may struggle to travel to official registration offices.

    The proposal has already drawn criticism from the opposition People’s National Movement (PNM), a reaction Alexander said he fully expected. He accused the PNM of a long-standing pattern of obstructing every government initiative designed to address the country’s ongoing crime crisis, calling their opposition hypocritical. “These same critics travel to other countries, follow local laws and readily present their passports or ID when requested by authorities, but here in Trinidad and Tobago, they seem content to allow lawlessness to continue and undermine the rule of law,” he said. “They are stuck in the 1970s, with their heads conveniently buried in the sand. The public has a right to ask why the PNM opposes every single policy this government introduces to make life harder for criminals.”

    Alexander also criticized the previous PNM administration for lax identification protocols, saying the former government allowed individuals to register residency in the country without requiring valid proof of identity from their country of birth. He gave an example of one individual who successfully registered twice under two different names — Josh Hernandez and an alternate alias — due to gaps in the old system. He emphasized that mandatory public ID aligns with long-held international standards, pointing out that Trinidad and Tobago citizens are required to present complete, verified documentation and valid visas when traveling abroad, and that photo ID is already required to open basic bank accounts in the country.

    When asked about a timeline for rolling out the new policy, Alexander said implementation will move forward as soon as the Prime Minister gives official approval. Beyond the ID mandate, he also shared updates on other core government public safety initiatives: 30 joint army-police security outposts are set to begin deployment across the country within the coming days, as part of ongoing efforts to clean up what he described as systemic mismanagement left by the previous PNM administration. He also confirmed that he has held talks with the Commissioner of Prisons about relocating the Port of Spain Prison out of the capital city, a long-term priority for the current administration to remove the correctional facility from the heart of the capital’s commercial and residential district. In additional policy news, Alexander added that the government will also introduce legislation to raise the legal age for alcohol and marijuana consumption, framing all of these new policies as interconnected measures to support young people and help them build healthy, law-abiding lives.

  • Republic Bank CPL launches Hall of Fame to honour the icons who built a cricketing phenomenon

    Republic Bank CPL launches Hall of Fame to honour the icons who built a cricketing phenomenon

    Thirteen years after it first brought high-octane T20 franchise cricket to the Caribbean, the Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League (CPL) is cementing its legacy by launching a dedicated Hall of Fame, an annual honor that will recognize the trailblazers who turned a regional cricket tournament into a global sporting phenomenon. The initiative will celebrate contributions from both on-field athletes and off-field builders of the competition, which has redefined modern Caribbean cricket since its debut in 2013.

    Over its 13-year history, CPL has cultivated some of the most iconic moments in global T20 cricket. It all began in 2013, when Chris Gayle’s explosive unbeaten 47 steered the Jamaica Tallawahs to lift the tournament’s very first championship trophy. In the years that followed, the league has delivered countless record-breaking performances: Trinbago Knight Riders set an unmatched tournament record with a mammoth total of 267/2, all-rounder Dwayne Bravo built a legacy of consistent wicket-taking and title wins across every era of the league, Tim Seifert and Andre Russell share the record for the fastest century, both reaching the milestone in just 33 balls, Shakib Al Hasan holds the competition’s best bowling figures with an incredible 6/6, and Trinbago Knight Riders made history when they completed an unbeaten 2020 season en route to becoming the first CPL side to claim three, and later five, tournament titles.

    Today, CPL stands as a cornerstone of Caribbean sport, drawing millions of global viewers while showcasing elite homegrown and international cricket talent across its six regional franchises. The new Hall of Fame is designed to give these iconic moments and the people who created them a permanent, lasting home in the tournament’s history. Under the program’s structure, two new inductees will be welcomed into the Hall of Fame each year: one current or former player who delivered extraordinary on-field performances, and one off-field individual whose behind-the-scenes impact has been instrumental to the league’s growth and success.

    “CPL has given us thirteen years of moments people still talk about – Gayle in 2013, Pollard’s record-breaking eighteenth title, Dwayne Bravo’s wickets and wins, and nights nobody who was there will forget,” said Pete Russell, CEO of CPL. “The Hall of Fame is how we make sure those moments, and the people who created them, are never lost. As we head into our second decade, it’s time to give this tournament’s history a permanent home.”

    The first cohort of inductees will be celebrated at a star-studded gala dinner hosted in Barbados on September 15, 2026, which will bring together current stars, West Indian cricket legends, and members of the regional cricket community for a night of celebration. All proceeds from the inaugural event will go to The Sir Clive Lloyd Healthcare Foundation, supporting the organization’s critical work advancing prostate cancer awareness and accessible testing across the Caribbean. Prostate cancer is the leading cause of cancer death for men in the region, and the foundation’s Great Catch initiative works to expand early detection services to underserved communities across the Caribbean.

    Moving forward, the Hall of Fame induction will become an annual highlight of the CPL calendar, with new inductees announced in the weeks leading up to each year’s gala. The identities of the first two inductees will be revealed to the public in the coming weeks, as the league prepares to open a new chapter of honoring its past while supporting causes that matter deeply to the Caribbean community it serves.

  • Residents facing weeks of dry taps

    Residents facing weeks of dry taps

    Communities across multiple districts of Arima, Trinidad and Tobago have been grappling with crippling water shortages for more than two weeks, sparking heated political backlash as opposition leaders and local officials accuse the national government of neglect and possible targeted retaliation.

    Pennelope Beckles, Opposition Leader and Arima’s sitting Member of Parliament, made the allegations public in a Facebook statement posted on Tuesday. She emphasized that the crisis has hit hardest in Valencia West, where locals have gone without reliable running water for nearly three full weeks. Beckles noted that many residents have shared with her office growing speculation that the ongoing scarcity may stem from political victimization, pointing to a stark shift in service delivery following the April 28 general election.

    “Many neighborhoods that once received consistent water access, including Pinto Road, Calvary, Santa Rosa and central Arima, now face severe, ongoing cuts,” Beckles wrote. “Even when water does reach these homes, the line pressure is so low that it is barely usable for daily needs.” She added that with the island’s water distribution network relying heavily on manual operational adjustments, residents have reported that contract “turnkey” workers have openly stated they are following directives from senior government officials to restrict service. These claims, Beckles argued, raise alarming questions about the politicization of critical public infrastructure.

    Beckles also doubled down on criticism of the government’s broader management of the national water supply, questioning whether the Arima shortage is a sign of a far deeper, nationwide crisis. “Why are Arima residents facing problems they never encountered before this administration took office?” she asked. “We are tired of the government endlessly repeating talking points about past failures. It received $315 million in allocated funding specifically to upgrade the country’s water infrastructure. Where are the tangible improvements for everyday people?” She highlighted that major infrastructure overhauls were completed at the Guanapo Water Treatment Plant, but residents in Arima and East Trinidad have yet to see any noticeable boost in service reliability.

    Arima Mayor Balliram Maharaj echoed Beckles’ frustrations in an interview with the Express, noting that water scarcity has been a persistent blight on the borough for decades, and reiterated his longstanding call for the construction of low-cost emergency water retention ponds to stabilize local supplies.

    “Arima literally translates to ‘place of water’ in the local language, yet for years we have had the worst water access in all of Trinidad and Tobago,” Maharaj said. “Even government offices and local police stations reach out to me constantly to complain about the lack of running water.” Since taking office as mayor, Maharaj explained, he has repeatedly requested approval to develop at least five emergency retention sites, a small-scale project that he estimates would cost between $3 million and $4 million – a sum he calls fully affordable for the national government. “I am now seriously considering moving forward with building one retention pond on my own, just to prove the concept, and hoping the government will take over the broader project from there,” he added.

    Maharaj also recalled multiple major fire emergencies across Arima in recent years where first responders were left without enough water to extinguish blazes, putting lives and property at extreme risk. He confirmed that according to internal plans from the State-owned Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA), the agency has proposed building 32 new retention ponds across Arima, but no progress has been made on the project to date. While Maharaj acknowledged that climate change and an unusually dry wet season have exacerbated current conditions, he called the ongoing crisis “a very sad thing” for a region whose identity is tied to water abundance.

    In an official response to inquiries from the Express, WASA offered its own explanation for the shortages, pointing to record-low rainfall across the recent dry season as the primary culprit. The authority noted that the entire North East Distribution System, which serves most of Arima, relies almost exclusively on surface water sources, making it extremely vulnerable to shifts in rainfall patterns.

    “Valencia West and large portions of Arima draw most of their supply from the Hollis water system,” WASA explained. “Following months of below-average rainfall, raw water reserves at the source dropped sharply, forcing us to cut production from roughly 8.5 million imperial gallons per day (IMGD) to 4.5 IMGD to stretch supplies through the dry period. This required mandatory adjustments to distribution schedules across all affected communities.”

    For neighborhoods supplied by the Guanapo and Aripo water treatment plants – including Pinto Road, Santa Rosa and Calvary – WASA confirmed that service was interrupted on roughly 10 non-consecutive days in July, when heavy rainfall muddied raw water sources and clogged intake screens, disrupting treatment operations. “Both plants have now been fully restored to normal operation, and these areas are now receiving water according to our standard distribution schedules,” the agency said. “We will continue to monitor source water levels and adjust schedules as reserves improve in the coming months.”

  • Palestinian envoy ‘alarmed’ at growing T&T-Israel ties

    Palestinian envoy ‘alarmed’ at growing T&T-Israel ties

    In a virtual Zoom press conference held this week, Dr. Linda Sobeh Ali, Palestinian Ambassador to the Caribbean Community (Caricom) and Trinidad and Tobago, has opened up about her dual perspective on shifting diplomatic dynamics in the Caribbean: growing alarm over Israel’s deepening engagement with Trinidad and Tobago, paired with unshakable confidence that the local government will uphold its longstanding support for Palestinian statehood.

    Sobeh Ali’s comments came in direct response to press questions about recent high-level interactions between Israeli officials and Trinidad and Tobago’s government, including a formal courtesy call on Foreign and Caricom Affairs Minister Sean Sobers by Israeli representatives last month. When pressed on whether Palestine views the warming of ties between the two countries as a threat, the ambassador did not mince words, describing the situation in stark terms: “We are concerned, and I have the faith that the Trinidad and Tobago government knows and understands that it’s not a conflict, it’s an ongoing occupation, it’s ongoing genocide, it’s ongoing humiliation, it’s ongoing land grab, it’s ongoing annexation, it’s ongoing illegal settlement, it’s ongoing burning people alive.”

    The ambassador emphasized that Palestine fully respects Trinidad and Tobago’s sovereign right to shape its own independent foreign policy, regardless of regional diplomatic shifts. That commitment to respect, however, has not stopped Palestinian authorities from closely tracking Israel’s deliberate push to expand its diplomatic footprint across the Caribbean region.

    Sobeh Ali noted that Palestine has already built strong working relations with Trinidad and Tobago’s current administration. She made history as the first fully accredited Palestinian ambassador to present her credentials under the current government, after the previous Trinidad and Tobago administration formally recognized the State of Palestine in 2024. To date, she has held official meetings with President Christine Kangaloo, Minister Sobers, and multiple other cabinet ministers, and has continued active outreach to regional leaders during recent Caricom summits held in St. Lucia.

    Even with these established diplomatic channels, Sobeh Ali confirmed that growing Israeli influence in the Caribbean remains a major source of concern. “Are we alarmed to see Israel in the Caribbean? Yes, we are,” she stated. She shared a personal anecdote to illustrate the discomfort the trend brings: a recent encounter with Hebrew-language signs marking “private property” immediately brought back traumatic memories of similar signs being posted on seized Palestinian land and homes back in her homeland.

    In response to these latest diplomatic developments, the ambassador announced plans to travel to Trinidad and Tobago in the near future to hold in-person, face-to-face talks with top government officials. She reiterated that Palestine trusts the Trinidad and Tobago government will continue to uphold its commitments to international law, and does not expect the administration to take controversial steps such as opening an Israeli embassy in Jerusalem — a city Palestine universally recognizes as occupied territory.

    Sobeh Ali used the platform of the press conference to renew global calls for expanded support for the Palestinian people, urging Caribbean governments across the region to keep pushing for unimpeded humanitarian access to Gaza, enhanced protections for civilian populations, and a lasting negotiated two-state solution to the decades-long conflict. In a direct, emotional appeal, she called on Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar to continue championing the Palestinian cause, framing the request as a shared appeal across identities: “Madam Prime Minister, with all due respect, I come to you and I ask you as a mother, as a woman to woman, as a diplomat to diplomat, as a human to human, to continue to advocate for the liberation of Palestine, for the creation of two-state solution and for a just cause of international law for all the Palestinians.”

  • T&T athlete dies in Jamaica crash

    T&T athlete dies in Jamaica crash

    The regional athletics community is reeling from the sudden, tragic passing of 31-year-old Shirnell Ettienne, a decorated Trinidad and Tobago national track and field athlete, who died Monday after the vehicle she was riding in veered off a Jamaican roadway and crashed into the Wag Water River.

    Ettienne, a native of Point Fortin who represented her home country at dozens of national and regional competitions over her career, was a passenger in a westbound Toyota Corolla Altis traveling along St Mary’s Agualta Vale main road near Wag Water Bridge when the driver lost control navigating a left-hand curve, according to a public statement from local sports outlet TTgameplan. The car careened off the pavement and plunged into the rushing river below.

    Initial rescue accounts confirm that all four people inside the vehicle were able to escape the sinking car before it was fully submerged. But as Ettienne attempted to climb to the riverbank to safety, she slipped on wet terrain and was swept away by the river’s strong, fast-moving current. A local resident later recovered her body, which was transported to Annotto Bay Hospital, where she was officially pronounced dead. The three other passengers in the car sustained only minor injuries, received on-site medical care, and have since been released from treatment.

    A decorated middle-distance and relay athlete, Ettienne got her start in track with the Point Fortin New Jets youth club before going on to compete for UTT Fast Track at the collegiate and senior levels. She earned her place in Trinidad and Tobago athletics history at the 2014 CARIFTA Games hosted in Martinique, where she claimed a silver medal as part of the Girls Under-20 4x400m relay team. Running alongside teammates Ayoka Cummings, Tsai-Anne Joseph and Zakiya Denoon, the team posted a finishing time of 3:46.11 to take second place. Ettienne also competed individually at the same games, placing seventh in the 400m with a time of 58.10.

    Her domestic career was marked by consistent success as well: in 2012, she took home bronze in the Girls’ Under-18 400m at the NAAA Junior Championships with a time of 58.21, and also competed in the senior women’s 200m event that same year. Over the course of her career, she competed in competitions ranging from the Southern Games to the NAAA Cross Country Championships, demonstrating impressive versatility across sprint, middle-distance, and cross country events.

    News of Ettienne’s unexpected death sent immediate shockwaves through Trinidad and Tobago’s tight-knit sporting community, with fellow athletes, governing bodies, fans, and residents of her hometown flooding social media with tributes and messages of condolence. Countless commentators remembered Ettienne for her relentless dedication to the sport, her landmark achievements, and the unwavering pride she brought to representing Trinidad and Tobago on every stage she competed.

    “To know Shirnell Ettienne was to know laughter,” a close friend shared in a public tribute. “Her presence could light up a room, and her laughter was something you could never forget. She had a way of making people smile and creating memories that will forever live on in the hearts of those who knew and loved her. It hurts knowing we have to say goodbye, but we will forever cherish the beautiful memories she left behind. Rest peacefully, beautiful soul. You will truly be missed.”

    Ettienne is survived by her young daughter, who close family sources say has already expressed a desire to follow in her mother’s footsteps and pursue a career in athletics.

  • Brazil’s Landless Workers’ Movement donates medicines to Cuban hospitals

    Brazil’s Landless Workers’ Movement donates medicines to Cuban hospitals

    HAVANA – In a striking demonstration of cross-border solidarity, Brazil’s Landless Workers’ Movement (MST) has delivered 7.6 tons of life-saving pharmaceuticals to Cuba’s national public health system, arriving at a moment of profound economic and medical strain for the Caribbean nation.

    The donation, which arrives Wednesday, builds on a long-running partnership rooted in the historic fraternal bonds between the Cuban and Brazilian people. The bulk of the shipment is made up of high-risk antibiotics that are core to medical and surgical procedures at Cuba’s top-tier tertiary care facilities. It also includes other high-demand medications, most notably omeprazole, a widely used drug that currently faces severe supply shortages across the country.

    One of the primary institutions set to benefit from the donation is the Hermanos Ameijeiras Clinical Surgical Hospital, a national referral center that treats the most complex patient cases from every region of Cuba. Dr. Reynaldo Denis de Armas, the hospital’s deputy director, expressed the Ministry of Public Health’s deep gratitude for the contribution, noting that the aid will be critical to upholding care standards for the facility’s patient population.

    “This is a very significant help at this time,” Dr. Denis de Armas said. He emphasized that the donation will directly support the ongoing continuity of essential healthcare services for Cubans across the island.

    This shipment is the latest in a series of solidarity efforts organized by the MST. In past campaigns, the movement sent 4.6 tons of medications and medical supplies to Cuba to support recovery work after Hurricane Melissa hit the country’s eastern region, with resources allocated to the Institute of Endocrinology and the Frank País Orthopedic Hospital. Beyond large organized shipments, MST members who travel to Cuba also regularly contribute personal shipments of medication as part of the ongoing initiative, in coordination with Cuban public health authorities.

    Marcelo Durão Fernández de Oliveira, a leader of the Brazilian Landless Workers’ Movement, stressed that standing in solidarity with the Cuban people is a point of honor for the organization. He also called out the damaging public health impacts of the decades-long economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed on Cuba by the United States, a policy that has drastically restricted the country’s access to medical supplies and pharmaceuticals.

    “Cuba is a humanitarian, humanist, and internationalist example for the world,” Durão Fernández said. He reaffirmed that the MST’s campaign of support will continue far beyond this latest delivery, noting “This is not the last donation; the next one won’t be the last either.” He added that the movement remains committed to upholding the bonds of brotherhood and cooperation between the two peoples.

    Against a backdrop of global geopolitical tension and prolonged economic hardship for Cuba, the MST’s latest contribution reinforces a core truth: even in the most adverse circumstances, cross-people solidarity remains a powerful force that advances efforts to protect public health and individual well-being.

  • “Granma always put Fidel in front of me”

    “Granma always put Fidel in front of me”

    In the quiet coastal community of Perseverance in Guantánamo, Cuba, 71-year-old Roberto Estrada Pereira — known locally by his nickname El Guajiro — still holds tight to a collection of yellowed, time-worn newspapers that have shaped his entire worldview. For six decades, Granma, the official publication of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba, has been more than just a source of news for him: it is his compass, his bible, and a living archive of the Cuban revolution that he has guarded and cherished since he was a 10-year-old boy.

    Estrada’s first encounter with Granma dates back to October 1965, when rumors of a reshuffling of the Party’s Central Committee, the launch of a new official newspaper, and the unexplained absence of revolutionary icon Che Guevara spread through his small, remote neighborhood. Back then, access to information across much of rural Cuba was extremely limited. As Estrada recalls, no household in his neighborhood owned a television, and most relied on a single clunky analog radio that could barely pick up consistent signals. When rumors emerged, residents waited days for regional newspapers to be delivered by traveling vendors, and clarifications of big news often took far too long to reach isolated communities.

    On the night of October 3, 1965, the 10-year-old Estrada tossed and turned turning over the questions he had heard from neighbors and his parents: What changes were coming to the Party Central Committee? What was this new Granma everyone was talking about? Where had Che Guevara gone? Like most Cubans of that era, one unshakable belief anchored his uncertainty: if the official word came from Fidel Castro, it was the truth.

    Determined to get answers first thing the next morning, Estrada set out two kilometers early to intercept the newspaper vendor before he reached the town. Newspapers were in such high demand that anyone at the back of the line usually left empty-handed, so the young boy offered the vendor 20 cents to secure the first copy of the new paper. When the vendor asked why a 10-year-old was so eager for the publication, Estrada replied that he wanted answers to his questions about the Party, Che Guevara, and most importantly, to read Fidel Castro’s official words.

    The vendor handed over the paper, a historic copy: the very first issue of Granma, dated October 1965. Estrada ran home, and spent the entire day poring over the pages, reading aloud and rereading every line, even when he did not understand the meaning of many of the political terms. That moment began a lifelong relationship with the publication that continues to this day.

    Today, the former farmer and part-time poet keeps a carefully preserved collection of decades of Granma editions in a drawer at his home. The irregular edges, yellowed paper, and tiny perforations on each page bear the traces of more than half a century. The collection holds every major moment of modern Cuban history: Che Guevara’s farewell letter, the cover of the First Congress of the Communist Party of Cuba, photographs of Fidel Castro at international summits, domestic meetings, and global solidarity trips, as well as reporting on national moments of grief. For Estrada, these are not just old newspapers — they are a national treasure, a tangible link to the revolution he grew up believing in.

    In his own poetic verse, Estrada sums up the deep bond between Cubans of his generation, Granma, and the legacy of Fidel Castro: “Granma and Fidel go together,/ weapon and guide,/ pages of dignity,/ defeating falsehoods/ symbol and helmsman.”

  • Puerto Ricaanse steden voeren waterbeperkingen in tijdens recorddroogte

    Puerto Ricaanse steden voeren waterbeperkingen in tijdens recorddroogte

    Puerto Rico is grappling with one of its worst droughts in more than a century, forcing authorities to implement strict rolling water restrictions across San Juan and multiple other major urban centers as the deepening water crisis leaves hundreds of thousands of residents without access to piped water for 48-hour rotating periods.

    The drought, amplified by the ongoing El Niño climate pattern that has supercharged extreme weather events across the globe, has created an unprecedented emergency for the U.S. territory. Governor Jenniffer Gonzalez announced the new measures during a press address Tuesday evening, warning that the situation is currently beyond officials’ full control and could worsen in the coming weeks. She added that there is no clear timeline for lifting the restrictions, as meteorologists project dry conditions will persist through at least September.

    Climate data confirms the severity of the event: July 2026 marked the driest July recorded in San Juan in 120 years, and also ranked as the territory’s second-hottest July on record. According to the latest update from the U.S. Drought Monitor, nearly 25% of Puerto Rico is currently experiencing extreme drought, while an additional 36% of the island is facing moderate drought conditions.

    Maria Novoa Garcia, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s San Juan office, confirmed that rainfall over the next several weeks is expected to be at least 50% below the historical average for this time of year. She noted that El Niño, a natural climate fluctuation that shifts global weather patterns, has amplified ongoing drought and heat trends driven by long-term human-caused climate change, worsening extreme events including droughts, heatwaves, and floods across the world.

    The water crisis is not a sudden development: many residential neighborhoods across the island have already endured months of severe water shortages. Marcia Soler Paris, a 61-year-old community leader in San Juan’s Villa Kennedy public housing complex, described the daily reality for residents as total chaos. She highlighted particular risks for vulnerable groups, including elderly residents who cannot carry heavy containers of water to their homes, a scene captured in associated AP photojournalism showing resident Bryan Perez hauling a 20-liter can of water to his apartment.

    In response to the crisis, Luis Gonzalez Delgado, president of the Puerto Rico Water and Sewerage Authority (PRWSA), announced that the government will deploy trucked drinking water to affected communities, prioritizing access for hospitals and nursing homes that care for the most at-risk populations. Beyond San Juan, the new rolling water restrictions are also in effect for municipalities including Carolina, Juncos, Gurabo, Trujillo Alto, Canovanas, and Loiza.

    Long-standing structural failures have deepened the current emergency. San Juan’s mayor has already filed a lawsuit against the PRWSA over years of unaddressed water infrastructure issues. Governor Gonzalez echoed that criticism, noting that the island’s water network has suffered from decades of underfunding and inadequate maintenance that left it ill-equipped to withstand a major drought event. This is not the first time Puerto Rico has been forced to implement broad water restrictions: similar measures were rolled out in 2015 and 2020, when hundreds of thousands of residents only received piped water once every three days.

    The drought gripping Puerto Rico is part of a larger global pattern of intensifying extreme weather tied to climate change and the 2023-2024 El Niño event. While the U.S. territory faces crippling dry conditions, other regions across the globe are grappling with opposite extremes: parts of Africa and Southern Europe are battling devastating widespread wildfires, while intense monsoon rainfall across South Asia has triggered catastrophic flooding and deadly landslides that have displaced millions.