分类： politics

Belize, Guatemala Sign Joint Declaration Ahead of ICJ Ruling

As the international community awaits a final legal resolution to one of the Western Hemisphere’s longest-running territorial conflicts, Belize and Guatemala have taken a landmark step toward peaceful dispute settlement, signing a joint declaration that reaffirms their shared commitment to abiding by the upcoming ruling from the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

The agreement was reached on June 24, 2026, on the sidelines of the 56th Regular General Assembly Session of the Organization of American States (OAS), which was convened in Panama City. Signing the document on behalf of their respective nations were Oscar Arnold, Chief Executive Officer of Belize’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Carlos Ramiro Martínez, Guatemala’s Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Beyond restating long-held pledges, the joint declaration codifies both governments’ legal and political obligation to recognize the ICJ’s final judgment as binding under international law, and to carry out its terms in full good faith. This formal commitment comes months ahead of the ICJ’s highly anticipated ruling on Guatemala’s multi-faceted claim against Belize, which covers contested territorial, insular, and maritime boundaries.

In addition to committing to the ruling, the two nations issued a joint request for the OAS to sustain its existing diplomatic and operational support for ongoing confidence-building agreements between the two states. They specifically called for the OAS to maintain its long-standing presence in the contested Adjacency Zone, the buffer area between the two countries, until the ICJ delivers its official judgment.

The declaration also extends a broader appeal to the OAS and the wider global community. Belize and Guatemala are asking for targeted international assistance across several key priority areas once the ruling is issued: formal territorial demarcation, cross-border conflict prevention, resource mobilization to support implementation, and any additional measures that may be required to operationalize the court’s decision.

The pending ICJ judgment is poised to close a chapter of tensions that have stretched across generations. The dispute, which first emerged decades ago, has cast a shadow over bilateral relations and cross-border cooperation between the two Central American neighbors. With this latest declaration, both governments have signaled their willingness to set aside historical tensions and pursue a peaceful, rules-based resolution to their shared conflict.

25 6 月, 2026
Jamaica ziet kansen voor nauwere samenwerking met Suriname

During an official visit to Suriname to attend the 6th Suriname Energy, Oil & Gas Summit & Exhibition (SEOGS 2026), Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness has laid out a comprehensive vision for deepened bilateral collaboration between Jamaica and Suriname across four key sectors: energy, tourism, agriculture, and climate finance. In an exclusive interview with Suriname’s Communication Service (CDS) held Wednesday, Holness expressed deep honor for the invitation extended by Suriname’s President Jennifer Simons to address the regional conference, noting that SEOGS has grown into the Caribbean region’s premier gathering for oil and gas industry stakeholders.

Holness emphasized that the two Caribbean nations hold large amounts of untapped bilateral cooperation potential that has remained under-explored due to insufficient targeted investment in relationship-building to date, a gap he says is now set to be closed through renewed diplomatic and economic engagement.

At the top of the cooperation agenda is energy sector collaboration. Holness argued that regional energy security encompasses far more than just access to crude oil and natural gas reserves; sufficient refining capacity and streamlined systems to bring energy products to regional and global markets are equally critical components of a resilient energy system. While the foundational elements for a coordinated regional energy strategy already exist, he noted that fragmented policy and infrastructure across regional states require better alignment to unlock shared benefits.

Beyond energy, Holness highlighted untapped opportunities in the tourism sector. He pushed back against narrow framing of tourism as limited to coastal beach vacations, noting that every Caribbean nation holds unique tourism value rooted in its local population, natural landscapes, and one-of-a-kind cultural experiences. For Suriname specifically, Holness pointed to ecotourism as a clear differentiator that can set the country apart in a crowded regional tourism market. Combined with the rich cultural diversity both nations possess, Holness said the two sides can develop unique, high-demand tourism products that appeal to global travelers. To fully realize this potential, he noted, Suriname will need a robust legal and fiscal framework for tourism investment alongside a pipeline of skilled industry professionals, and Jamaica stands ready to share its decades of expertise and experience in the tourism sector with Suriname.

Agriculture represents another promising area for strategic partnership, Holness added, complementing planned collaboration in energy and tourism.

On the climate front, Holness sees significant room for joint action to secure international climate finance. He noted that access to global climate funds is becoming increasingly accessible for small island developing states like Suriname and Jamaica, though accessing these resources requires well-designed project proposals and strong administrative capacity to manage funded initiatives. With Jamaica building out robust expertise in climate finance access and Suriname expected to develop similar capacity in the coming years, the two nations can coordinate to pursue shared funding opportunities and strengthen their collective climate action.

Closing his remarks, Holness offered an optimistic outlook for Suriname’s economic trajectory: “Suriname stands on the cusp of accelerated economic growth. All the preconditions for broad-based development are already in place. Jamaica is positioned to be a strategic partner for Suriname across oil and gas, agriculture, and tourism, and we are ready to move forward together.”

25 6 月, 2026
DLP to launch Roseau North campaign this Sunday with new candidate Ashma McDougall

A new chapter of political competition is set to open in Dominica’s Roseau North constituency this weekend, as the ruling Dominica Labour Party prepares to officially launch its by-election campaign at Lindo Park on Sunday, June 28, kicking off at 6:00 PM. The launch event will be headlined by the party’s confirmed candidate Ashma McDougall, and will also be attended by Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit alongside multiple high-ranking members of the party.

Organizing the upcoming launch are co-chairs Hon. Darron Lloyd and Ms. Lynsia Frank, while a packed lineup of speakers has been announced, including senior party figures Hon. Denise Charles of Soufriere, Hon. Melissa Poponne-Skerrit of Roseau Central, Hon. Gretta Roberts of Morne Jaune/Riviere Cyrique, Cuban Ambassador H.E. Ian Douglas, and Hon. Roland Royer of Cottage.

McDougall’s path to the candidacy came after former Roseau North MP Miriam Blanchard stepped down from her position recently for pressing health reasons, prompting a by-election for the vacant seat. Following Blanchard’s resignation, the Dominica Labour Party formally ratified McDougall as their nominee to contest the upcoming vote.

A lifelong Dominican with roots in Bath Estate and current residence in Goodwill, McDougall brings a diverse professional background to her political run: she is a trained economist, successful entrepreneur, and experienced educator. Prior to entering electoral politics, she held leadership roles including President of the National Youth Council of Dominica and Executive Director of the Dominica Association of Industry and Commerce. Her platform centers on three core priorities: expanding youth empowerment, supporting small and local business owners through entrepreneurship promotion, and driving inclusive, sustainable economic development across the constituency. A key personal pledge from McDougall is that she will maintain consistent, open communication and active engagement with all constituents even after the by-election concludes, a break from the common practice of limited candidate contact outside of campaign seasons.

Top party leaders have framed McDougall’s nomination as a deliberate step toward refreshing the party’s ranks and investing in new leadership. Prime Minister Skerrit emphasized that her selection aligns with the Labour Party’s long-standing commitment to bringing capable, forward-looking new voices into governance. Roseau Central MP Melissa Poponne-Skerrit noted McDougall represents a rising generation of Dominican leadership ready to address the evolving needs of constituents. Deputy Party Leader Dr. Irving McIntyre added that her candidacy serves as clear proof of the party’s institutional ability to renew itself from within and nurture emerging political talent.

The upcoming Roseau North by-election has already emerged as a closely watched political contest, and the Labour Party has confirmed it enters the campaign period with strong grassroots momentum. Sunday’s official launch marks the public start of what is widely expected to be a competitive campaign season across the constituency. Political observers note that McDougall’s candidacy strikes a balance for the Labour Party: it maintains continuity with the party’s governing legacy while ushering in a younger, professionally diverse new leader for the constituency.

The main opposition United Workers Party has already named its own challenger for the seat: Danny Lugay, a former parliamentary representative for Roseau North, who has received the party’s official endorsement to contest the June by-election.

25 6 月, 2026
Asking Miller to Step Aside for Pollard?

Internal jockeying for the People’s United Party’s (PUP) mayoral nomination in Belize City has entered a new, covert phase, multiple insider sources confirm to News 5. After weeks of open party rhetoric touting a transparent, competitive convention to select the PUP’s candidate for the upcoming municipal election, well-placed sources say actors aligned with prospective candidate Allan Pollard Jr. are lobbying top party leadership — including Prime Minister John Briceño himself — to convince sitting Deputy Mayor Eluide Miller to withdraw his candidacy.

Deputy Prime Minister Cordel Hyde is reported to have already brought the request for Miller’s exit to the Prime Minister’s desk, according to the sources. Crucially, insiders clarify that Miller has not received a formal, binding order to step down; instead, senior allies of Pollard have only issued informal appeals for Miller to reconsider his campaign and clear a path for Pollard’s nomination.

But Miller has shown zero willingness to exit the race. Multiple contacts close to the deputy mayor confirm he remains fully committed to seeing his candidacy through to the scheduled convention, where registered PUP delegates will cast votes to select the party’s nominee.

The behind-the-scenes maneuvering has already sparked public pushback from a sitting PUP Belize City councillor. Kaya Cattouse recently took to Facebook to publicly endorse Miller and condemn the last-minute efforts to upend the party’s initial commitment to an open contest.

“A week ago, we were told that everyone had the right to run and that democracy should take its course. Today, because the numbers are not lining up the same way, there are now attempts to force a different outcome,” Cattouse wrote in her social media post. She doubled down on calls for the full convention process to proceed unimpeded, arguing that ordinary party delegates deserve the final say over who will lead the PUP into the next municipal election cycle.

As of Wednesday, neither Miller nor Pollard has issued any public statement addressing the latest developments in the nomination fight. The unfolding intra-party drama comes as the PUP prepares for upcoming municipal elections across Belize, with the Belize City mayoral post widely viewed as one of the most high-profile contests on the ballot.

25 6 月, 2026
US$9 Million Grant to Fund Dams and Water Catchment Projects Across Antigua and Barbuda

Antigua and Barbuda’s government has secured a $9 million international grant to build out critical water conservation infrastructure, a cornerstone policy initiative aimed at shoring up national food security and scaling up domestic agricultural output across the twin-island nation. The funding commitment was formally unveiled this Thursday at a post-Cabinet press briefing, following an update to the country’s Cabinet from Agriculture Minister Anthony Smith Jr. on the details of the financing package.

The grant is channeled through the Caribbean Development Bank, under the Food and Agriculture Organization’s dedicated Soil and Water Management Programme, a regional initiative focused on boosting climate-resilient agricultural practices across Caribbean small island developing states. Maurice Merchant, Director General of Communications for the government, outlined that the financing will go toward developing dams, water catchment ponds, and other high-priority soil and water management assets distributed across Antigua and Barbuda.

Merchant emphasized that this infrastructure project is a core plank of the administration’s broader national strategy to grow domestic food output, shore up water access for independent and smallholder farmers, and cut the agricultural sector’s heavy dependence on costly desalinated water for crop irrigation. “This initiative is set to meaningfully expand the country’s total irrigation capacity and deliver far more consistent, reliable water access to farming communities, especially when the nation faces drought conditions or extended dry seasons,” Merchant explained during the briefing.

To date, government planning teams have already finalized site selection for 10 new water storage facilities: eight locations earmarked for standard-sized dams, and two additional sites designated for large-scale “super dam” construction. Once completed, these interconnected facilities will form a unified national agricultural water storage network that captures and retains rainwater for use by the farming sector, drastically boosting the resilience of Antigua and Barbuda’s agricultural industry amid growing patterns of aridity linked to climate change.

Administration officials project that this targeted infrastructure investment will strengthen the country’s long-term food security framework by guaranteeing farmers a consistent, dependable supply of irrigation water, while simultaneously cutting operational production costs that come from purchasing expensive desalinated water for agricultural use. The $9 million grant stands as one of the largest recent investments in Antigua and Barbuda’s agricultural water infrastructure, aligning with the government’s ongoing policy priorities of expanding domestic food production and building national climate resilience across key economic sectors.

25 6 月, 2026
Defense uses Golding’s warning to Bahamas on campaign finance reform

During recent legal proceedings connected to Jonathan Gardiner, attorney Susie Ribero-Ayala has brought forward new evidence that spotlights a long-running democratic gap in the Bahamas’ political system. To support her argument that the Caribbean nation lacks a rigorous, comprehensive campaign finance regulatory framework matching the standards of the United States, Ribero-Ayala submitted a 2024 report from The Tribune as court evidence, labeled Exhibit D. The report centers on critical commentary from Bruce Golding, former Jamaican Prime Minister and current chair of the Commonwealth Observer Group.

Golding’s remarks pull back the curtain on years of unfulfilled political promises and inaction on campaign finance regulation in the Bahamas. He explained that successive Bahamian governments have consistently failed to enact meaningful reform, despite repeated calls and formal recommendations from multiple international observer missions. In a sharp, candid rebuke of ongoing political intransigence, Golding joked that international organizations could send monitoring delegations to the Bahamas for another hundred years, and their repeated calls for change would still be ignored by national policymakers.

The former prime minister emphasized that democratic accountability on this issue ultimately rests with the Bahamian public. “It is their democracy. It is their future,” Golding stated, noting that while politicians can easily brush aside recommendations from the Commonwealth Secretariat and other international bodies, they cannot ignore the demands of their own electorate. Meaningful progress, he argued, depends largely on the level of public activism Bahamian citizens mobilize around the issue of campaign finance reform.

Compounding the urgency of Golding’s critique is the revelation that current Bahamian Prime Minister Philip ‘Brave’ Davis has explicitly deprioritized campaign finance reform proposals in 2024, breaking earlier campaign pledges to advance the legislation. Golding warned that the Bahamas’ lack of regulation creates uniquely high risks for democratic integrity, specifically because the country’s small size means individual electoral districts have relatively small voter pools. This dynamic makes the political system especially vulnerable to unregulated private money influence and outright vote buying. Wealthy candidates or well-funded political parties can easily calculate the exact number of votes needed to win an election, then deploy their financial resources to purchase the required support, effectively undermining free and fair democratic processes, Golding explained. “This is something that worries us,” he concluded.

25 6 月, 2026
Gibson and co-accused’s constitutional motion to halt ongoing trial rejected

A high-stakes procedural battle in the Bahamian judicial system has concluded with the Court of Appeal upholding a lower court’s decision, rejecting an eleventh-hour attempt by five defendants — Adrian Gibson, Joan Knowles, Jerome Missick, Peaches Farquharson, and Elwood Donaldson — to bring their ongoing criminal trial to an early end. The appeal stemmed from the trial judge’s earlier refusal to grant the group’s requests for a mistrial, the dismissal of the seated jury, and the judge’s own recusal from the case, a ruling the five defendants argued had violated their constitutionally protected right to a fair trial.

The defendants put forward a series of grievances to back their challenge: they claimed procedural irregularities during the jury selection and empanelment process, that the official 2023 approved jury list had never been disclosed to the defense, that one juror held an undisclosed connection to the prosecutor’s office that created implicit bias, and that the trial judge herself had demonstrated apparent bias against their side.

In a unanimous ruling, a three-justice panel comprising Justices Evans, Charles, and Kokaram found that none of these claims rose to the level required to justify constitutional court intervention while the criminal trial was still in progress. The panel characterized the defendants’ constitutional motion as an impermissible collateral attack on active ongoing criminal proceedings, noting that all the issues raised could be addressed through standard trial procedures or, if the defendants are ultimately convicted, through a formal appeal after a verdict is reached.

Writing for the panel, Justice Kokaram clarified that the defendants’ complaints were not disputes over the existence of constitutional rights, but rather disagreements over the conduct of the trial — and that no extraordinary circumstances existed that warranted immediate constitutional review. The court specifically addressed the defendants’ key claim that seven of the nine seated jurors were not drawn from the official 2023 approved jury list, confirming that the assertion of fact was accurate but that the irregularity did not justify halting the trial. Justices emphasized the trial judge acted well within her authority to reject the request to dismiss the entire jury, and any challenge to the jury’s composition can be raised in a standard post-conviction appeal. The court also noted that no argument had been made that any individual juror selected was unqualified to serve.

The panel similarly dismissed the bias claim tied to the juror’s alleged connection to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) office, pointing out that the defense never filed a formal application on this issue with the trial judge before launching their appeal. Claims that the trial judge had already formed a closed mind on the case and should have stepped down were also rejected, with the court finding the allegation had not been sufficiently proven, and could also be raised in a post-trial appeal if needed.

The defense’s complaint that the DPP had failed to disclose the approved jury list was dismissed outright as a non-starter. The court noted the full jury list is a matter of public record, and the defense never submitted a formal request to the DPP for a copy. Justices added that in constitutional claims challenging alleged state conduct, the Attorney General, not the DPP, is the proper responding party.

In its closing remarks, the court issued sharp criticism of the repeated procedural delays that have slowed the case, noting the trial has been pending since 2023 and this appeal has only added more unnecessary hold-up. The ruling reaffirmed a core principle of judicial procedure: constitutional motions cannot be used to interrupt ongoing criminal trials unless truly exceptional circumstances are present. “There has been no alleged constitutional breach that is so significant that will justify a departure from the well-worn investigation by an appellate court of any alleged miscarriage of justice,” the panel concluded.

25 6 月, 2026
Interior and Police coordinate actions to strengthen citizen security in Verón

VERÓN-PUNTA CANA — As the Dominican Republic’s most high-profile tourist destination, Verón-Punta Cana is moving forward with a coordinated, multi-agency push to elevate public safety and reinforce peaceful community coexistence, led by the nation’s Minister of Interior and Police Faride Raful. Raful recently chaired the regional Security, Citizenship and Gender Roundtable, a convening designed to align cross-institutional strategies that address the unique security needs of the area, which draws millions of international visitors each year.

The roundtable brought together key stakeholders from across national and local government, including senior representatives from the National Police, the General Directorate of Migration, the National Drug Control Directorate (DNCD), Digesett, the national road safety authority, COBA, and local municipal leadership. Over the course of discussions, participating agencies finalized a detailed actionable roadmap to tackle the region’s most pressing public safety challenges. Key priority areas outlined in the plan include intensified counter-narcotics operations to disrupt drug trafficking networks, enhanced border and internal migration control protocols, targeted measures to secure school environments and protect student populations, regulation to reduce excessive noise pollution that disrupts local communities, and expanded initiatives to cut traffic accidents and improve overall road safety.

Beyond this specific regional meeting, the Security, Citizenship and Gender Roundtable framework was designed as a sustained collaborative platform. It bridges institutional gaps between national government bodies, local authorities, and community groups, creating a structured space to surface emerging public safety concerns, track progress on existing initiatives, and roll out coordinated prevention-focused interventions that reduce crime and strengthen the visible, trusted presence of state institutions across the region. The coordinated approach reflects the government’s priority of protecting both local residents and the critical tourism sector that underpins Verón-Punta Cana’s economy.

25 6 月, 2026
China condemns US escalation against Cuba

In a formal statement delivered at a regular press briefing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun has issued a clear rebuke of unlawful unilateral sanctions, reinforcing Beijing’s long-standing position that such coercive measures lack any grounding in international legal frameworks.

Guo’s comments came in direct response to new restrictive measures unveiled by the U.S. State Department on June 23, which targeted five Cuban entities and one individual over unsubstantiated claims that they generate illicit revenue for the Cuban government.

Against this backdrop, the spokesman urged Washington to take immediate action to terminate its decades-long economic blockade of Cuba, as well as halt all other forms of coercive pressure targeting the island nation. He emphasized that the long-running U.S. embargo has systematically undermined the fundamental rights of the Cuban people to access basic resources, sustain livelihoods, and pursue long-term development, calling on U.S. authorities to end these violations immediately.

Beyond addressing the latest sanctions, Guo reaffirmed China’s unwavering support for Cuba’s sovereign right to chart its own developmental path. Specifically, Beijing backs Cuba’s efforts to pursue a socialist development model tailored to its unique national circumstances, and stands firmly with the island in defending its territorial integrity, national sovereignty, and domestic security. The spokesman also reiterated China’s consistent opposition to any form of external interference in Cuba’s internal affairs.

This latest statement from Beijing aligns with China’s long-held public stance on the U.S. embargo. For decades, China has repeatedly condemned Washington’s more than 60-year economic blockade of Cuba— which has been accompanied by growing coercive measures and heightened military threats in recent years—across multiple international forums and in official government communications.

25 6 月, 2026
Tsang wil 170 zandwegen verharden bij 170-jarig bestaan van OWRO

During budget deliberations held in Suriname’s National Assembly, Minister Stephen Tsang of the country’s Ministry of Public Works and Spatial Planning (OWRO) has announced a landmark, symbolically charged infrastructure target: by the 170th anniversary of the founding of Suriname’s public works service, the department will complete paving work for a minimum of 170 unpaved sand roads across the nation.

Tsang emphasized that targeted upgrades to national infrastructure sit at the core of his ministry’s current policy agenda, with particular focus placed on residential communities where residents regularly face impassable sand roads, widespread flooding, and limited access to essential services during rainy seasons. “As a symbolic milestone tied to our department’s legacy, we have set the goal of paving at least 170 roads in time for our 170th anniversary,” the minister told the assembly.

The anniversary target forms one key component of a broader long-term strategy to overhaul and expand Suriname’s national road network. Currently, the country counts roughly 5,000 kilometers of public roads, combining both paved and unpaved routes, with a large share of that network classified as being in fair to poor condition, according to ministry data. Beyond the immediate 170-road target, Tsang outlined the government’s broader ambition to systematically reduce the number of unpaved sand roads across the country. “Our end goal is to see every sand road in Suriname paved,” he stated.

At the same time, Minister Tsang openly acknowledged the enormous scale of the challenge ahead. The ministry estimates that the total backlog of required road maintenance and rehabilitation work amounts to tens of billions of Surinamese dollars, and current available public funding is only sufficient to address a small fraction of this unmet need. Regardless of the funding constraints, the department has committed to continuing targeted investments in both major arterial highways and local residential streets in the coming years, pursuing a mixed approach that combines rehabilitation of existing paved roads with new paving projects in areas still only accessible via unpaved routes.

OWRO officials note that road upgrades deliver far more benefits than improved transportation alone. Paved roads directly boost quality of life for local communities, improve access to schools, healthcare facilities and commercial hubs, and catalyze inclusive economic development in underserved residential areas. Additionally, the ministry projects that upgraded infrastructure will cut vehicle maintenance costs for ordinary residents, while also allowing emergency response services to reach remote, outlying neighborhoods faster and more safely.

As one of Suriname’s oldest continuously operating government institutions, the approaching 170th anniversary of the public works service represents a natural moment to deliver tangible, visible improvements to the Surinamese public, Tsang explained. Whether the 170-road target will be met on schedule will depend in large part on the fiscal space the ministry is allocated in coming national budgets, but the minister reaffirmed that the broader ambition remains unchanged: to steadily increase the share of paved roads and systematically reduce the number of unpaved sand routes across Suriname.

25 6 月, 2026