Every political organization exists with one core goal: to win elections and seize power. But right now, Antigua and Barbuda’s United Progressive Party (UPP) is failing spectacularly at this fundamental mission, and it will never achieve victory as long as Jahmale Pringle retains the party leadership. That is the blunt assessment of an opinion commentator writing under the pen name Trident, who argues Pringle lacks the leadership qualities needed to unseat the entrenched incumbent government.
分类： politics
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Alarm over PM’s statement in response to protest
A wave of controversy has swept across Trinidad and Tobago following the arrest of three peaceful demonstrators outside the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) in Port of Spain on Wednesday, with Opposition Leader Pennelope Beckles decrying the actions as a direct threat to constitutional democratic freedoms.
The protest was organized by family members and supporters of Kaia Sealy, who faces charges connected to the January death of her common-law husband Joshua Samaroo during a police-involved shooting. Demonstrators were demanding greater transparency into the legal proceedings against Sealy, challenging the narrative that has led to her prosecution.
Among those taken into custody was Alyssa Phillip, a protester whose final words before detention opened Beckles’ official statement. Echoing Phillip’s own declaration, Beckles quoted: “‘The only weapon we have are our voices. And that is the weapon that they are afraid of the most.’ These were the words of Alyssa Phillip moments before she was arrested yesterday near the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions.”
Also arrested was prominent blogger and influencer Jason De Silva, who was detained after publicly questioning police conduct and accusing law enforcement of “weaponising the State against citizens.” Video footage of the incident captured De Silva dropping to his knees, raising his hands above his head and repeatedly chanting “hands up, don’t shoot!” before officers led him away. Camille Caresquero, Phillip’s mother, was also placed into a police vehicle alongside her daughter; authorities have yet to confirm whether she was formally detained or accompanied officers voluntarily.
As the crowd swelled to approximately 50 attendees, police deployed multiple units and additional vehicles to the site on Richmond Street, with Deputy Commissioner of Police Suzette Martin observed coordinating with senior officers on location. Beckles emphasized that even though the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) had issued a prior warning against demonstrations outside the DPP office, official TTPS guidance published as recently as May 24, 2026 explicitly states that protests are not outright banned under the ongoing State of Emergency (SOE), only requiring compliance with emergency regulations and mandating that police respond with “appropriate and proportionate action.”
In her full statement, Beckles warned that the arrests mark a dangerous turning point for democratic governance in the nation, arguing “Trinidad and Tobago should never, ever find itself on the brink of becoming a policing state.” She called on Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar to end what she describes as a failed SOE and restore unfettered democratic rights guaranteed by the national constitution, allowing citizens to exercise their right to peaceful protest.
Beckles also criticized the Prime Minister’s response to the incident, noting that Persad-Bissessar released a statement via WhatsApp condemning the protest as “publicity farming” designed to secure arrests and claim victim status, while failing to address the core concerns of demonstrators over Sealy’s case. She further accused the Prime Minister of double standards, pointing out that the government has remained silent on similar-sized protests held in Siparia against an Alderman who defected from the ruling People’s National Movement (UNC).
As a Senior Counsel, Persad-Bissessar’s public comments prejudging Sealy’s guilt are particularly problematic, Beckles argued, as they create harmful pre-trial publicity that can compromise the fairness of upcoming court proceedings. She also refuted the Prime Minister’s claim that there were no anti-murder protests during the previous 10-year administration, noting that public records show dozens of protests with active UNC participation.
The Opposition Leader went on to criticize broader government actions, highlighting reports that UNC-aligned influencers hired by the Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA) earn higher salaries than frontline healthcare workers, and that so-called “TikTok Junior Ministers” receive monthly stipends of $73,000 despite no visible public service contribution. She warned that the government’s push to establish Zones of Special Operations (ZOSO) would grant the Prime Minister unchecked power to suspend civil liberties, a risk that grows as the administration increasingly suppresses dissenting voices.
“Peaceful assembly is a fundamental freedom enshrined in our constitution, and today’s gathering was orderly and peaceful,” Beckles said. “No country can survive when peaceful citizens are treated like enemies of the State. After nearly a year under a failing SOE, the Trinidad and Tobago people deserve better than intimidation and forced silence.”
As of late Wednesday evening, police sources had not confirmed whether any formal charges had been filed against the detained protesters. The incident has already deepened existing public anxiety over trust in law enforcement and the national justice system, with opposition figures warning that the government’s heavy-handed response risks eroding democratic norms further.
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OPINION: Ceremony, Constitution and Controversy: The Oath Debate in Antigua and Barbuda’s Parliament
A recent high-stakes incident in the Parliament of Antigua and Barbuda has pulled a long-simmering question of Westminster constitutional convention into the national spotlight, sparking fierce debate over whether an unsworn Member of Parliament may attend a ceremonial sitting like the Governor General’s Throne Speech.
The controversy was triggered after the Senate President ordered the Opposition Leader to exit the parliamentary chamber, on the grounds that he had not completed the required oath of allegiance ahead of the ceremonial Throne Speech sitting. What began as a seemingly minor procedural incident quickly ballooned into a national conversation touching on constitutional norms, parliamentary procedure, and the limits of presiding officers’ authority during formal ceremonial sessions.
At the heart of the dispute lies a nuanced distinction that often goes unrecognized in Westminster-style democracies: the line between simply attending the ceremonial opening of Parliament and holding the constitutional right to sit and vote as an active, fully empowered parliamentarian. Under the Westminster system inherited from the United Kingdom, elected representatives are uniformly barred from engaging in substantive parliamentary business until they complete the mandatory oath of allegiance. This restriction covers core parliamentary functions, from speaking in plenary debate and voting on motions to tabling new legislation and exercising the formal powers of elected office.
Yet long-standing Westminster precedent also holds that ceremonial attendance at the State Opening of Parliament regularly takes place before new members complete the swearing-in process. In the UK itself, newly elected Members of Parliament conventionally attend the State Opening and hear the King’s Speech before the formal oath-taking process concludes. Swearing-in is typically staggered over the several days following the opening ceremony, after which regular legislative work gets underway.
This long-held practice embodies a core constitutional distinction deeply embedded in parliamentary convention. A person may be formally confirmed as elected or appointed to Parliament, but they do not gain full authority to exercise the functional powers of office until the oath is administered. The Antigua and Barbuda Constitution, like other Commonwealth constitutions modeled on the Westminster system, explicitly requires parliamentarians to take the oath before taking their seat and participating in full parliamentary proceedings. But constitutional scholars across the Commonwealth have long interpreted this requirement as applying exclusively to the exercise of formal parliamentary powers, not simple symbolic attendance at ceremonial events.
The core legal and conventional question at hand, therefore, is whether attending a Throne Speech counts as substantive participation in parliamentary business, or whether it remains a primarily ceremonial and symbolic act. Critics of the Senate President’s decision to remove the Opposition Leader argue the order represented an unnecessarily rigid reading of constitutional procedure that breaks from long-held broader Westminster custom. They emphasize that the Throne Speech is fundamentally a ceremonial state occasion that marks the formal opening of a new parliamentary term, rather than an ordinary legislative sitting that includes debate, voting or substantive lawmaking.
On the opposite side of the debate, supporters of the action insist that once Parliament is formally convened, only properly sworn members should be allowed to be present in the chamber in an official capacity. They argue that constitutional formalities and institutional order must be upheld from the very start of a new parliamentary term to maintain the integrity of the legislature.
Beyond the question of oaths and ceremonial attendance, the incident has also renewed long-running discussion about the scope of authority held by presiding officers in Westminster parliamentary chambers. In this system, Speakers and Senate Presidents hold broad procedural power to maintain order and interpret standing rules, but that authority is not unlimited. It is constrained by constitutional convention, historical precedent, and public political scrutiny.
A defining feature of Westminster governance that this controversy has underscored is the central role of unwritten constitutional convention. Unlike systems where all governing rules are strictly codified in a written constitution, many core parliamentary practices in Westminster democracies rely not just on written law, but on inherited tradition, widely accepted convention, and historical precedent.
It is this feature that has allowed the controversy to gain such traction across Antigua and Barbuda and the wider Caribbean. This is not simply a disagreement over seating arrangements or procedural niceties; it raises fundamental broader questions about constitutional interpretation, democratic legitimacy, and the balance between explicit written rules and long-established unwritten practice.
Across the Commonwealth Caribbean, nations including Jamaica, Barbados, and Trinidad and Tobago operate under near-identical constitutional frameworks. In most of these jurisdictions, parliamentary ceremonial openings have historically allowed unsworn members to attend ahead of formal swearing-in, so long as they do not participate in any substantive legislative business.
It remains unclear whether this incident in Antigua and Barbuda will set a precedent for stricter interpretations of parliamentary procedure going forward. What is unambiguous, however, is that the episode has opened a vital national conversation about the constitutional norms that underpin Antigua and Barbuda’s democratic system.
In Westminster democracies, major constitutional disputes rarely emerge purely from disagreements over what is written in law. Far more often, they arise from conflicting interpretations of convention, precedent, and unwritten practice. Antigua and Barbuda’s latest parliamentary controversy fits squarely within this tradition, offering a defining test of how the nation’s constitutional order balances written rules and long-held custom.
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PM: Soaring insurance rates could choke economies ‘within decade’
Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley issued a stark warning Wednesday that a growing “mentality disconnect” between global political leaders and the governing boards of multilateral development banks is severely hampering emergency response efforts for climate-vulnerable small island nations. Speaking during a high-level fireside chat at the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) Sustainable Week conference held in Barbados, Mottley delivered a typically unfiltered assessment of flaws in the existing global financial architecture, alongside IDB Invest CEO James Scriven.
Mottley highlighted a stark gap between rhetorical commitments from world leaders and on-the-ground bureaucratic gridlock that has delayed critical funding for Caribbean nations already grappling with escalating climate disasters and economic instability. She pointed to persistent institutional inertia at the IDB, where outdated regulatory frameworks adopted a decade ago block much-needed policy-based lending, even though the bank’s own balance sheet has more than enough capacity to support these critical investments. “When I meet the political class, it’s all ‘yes, yes, yes,’” Mottley explained. “And when we get to the board, all of a sudden, you can’t even do proper policy-based lending at the IDB because of a foolishness that seeks to rely on artificial rules that were set ten years ago.” For small island states with limited economic buffers, Mottley emphasized, there is no time to wait for bureaucratic systems to adapt to the growing climate crisis. “I can’t sustain the mentality disconnect between capitals and the boards,” she told the audience of investors and policymakers. “And that’s what’s killing us… It’s not right, it’s not fair, and what is happening because we’re in a bloody crisis moment. We do not have the buffer. We do not have the time that people think that we have.”
The discussion also shone a spotlight on the transformative impact of the Bridgetown Initiative, the Barbados-led plan to overhaul global financial systems to better support climate-vulnerable developing nations. Scriven acknowledged that the proposal has fundamentally reshaped the global development finance landscape, noting that many of the most significant recent shifts in international development have grown out of the initiative. Mottley detailed how the initiative’s once-radical ideas have now moved into the global financial mainstream, crediting it with推动 the launch of the International Monetary Fund’s Resilience and Sustainability Fund, as well as popularizing groundbreaking debt-for-nature and debt-for-climate swap agreements. She also revealed that Barbados is now pushing forward a new innovative proposal: a scaled “debt-for-social swap” developed in collaboration with the World Bank, Caribbean Development Bank and Latin American Development Bank.
Mottley also pushed back against early skepticism from Wall Street over the inclusion of natural disaster and pandemic clauses in sovereign bonds, which temporarily pause debt repayments when a catastrophic event strikes. Critics had claimed global markets would never accept these clauses, but Mottley pointed to Barbados’ own successful $500 million bond issuance on U.S. markets in June last year, which saw overwhelming demand of $2.7 billion, with no pushback on the disaster and pandemic protections. She explained that these clauses deliver critical fiscal certainty, unlocking the equivalent of 17 to 18% of Barbados’ GDP over two years if a disaster strikes, benefiting both borrowing nations and lenders by creating clear predictability.
One underaddressed threat Mottley flagged that could destabilize Caribbean economies within a decade is a rapidly unfolding climate-driven commercial insurance crisis. As climate risks intensify, premiums have skyrocketed and coverage has become increasingly inaccessible, putting local businesses — particularly major tourism operators, the backbone of many Caribbean economies — at risk. Without insurance, many businesses cannot meet the requirements to secure commercial loans, threatening their ability to operate and compete globally. “The big elephant in the room as well for the Bridgetown Initiative, which we’ve not seen sufficient progress on, and I don’t think the world is taking it seriously enough, is the issue of insurance,” Mottley said. “If the cost of insurance becomes prohibitive or, worse than that, inaccessible… we then have problems because these hotels that are depending on access to that funding will not now be able to compete.” To avoid the impending “collision” she projects will arrive in 5 to 10 years, Mottley called for a regional structural overhaul: rather than local carriers acting only as brokers for international reinsurance markets, she urged the sector to aggregate climate risk across small island nations in the Caribbean, Indian Ocean and Pacific Ocean to create enough market scale to make coverage affordable.
Turning to broader global climate action, Mottley made a passionate case for urgent, targeted cuts to methane emissions, noting that methane is 80 times more harmful than carbon dioxide in the near term. She pushed back against framing the oil and gas sector as the inherent enemy, arguing that the core target should be harmful emissions, rather than the industry itself. Cutting methane, she explained, can buy the critical time the planet needs to scale up long-term decarbonization technologies. “If you can control the emissions, whether from methane or from carbon, then we begin to win the battle,” she said.
Mottley closed the talk by highlighting a promising local scientific innovation tied to one of the Caribbean’s most persistent environmental nuisances: invasive sargassum seaweed that plagues tourist beaches across the region. She shared that Indian-born Barbadian scientist Dr. Bidyut Mohapatra has discovered three new microbes living in sargassum that could unlock breakthrough applications ranging from new antibiotics to plastic degradation, nitrogen fixation and oil spill cleanup. Despite widespread global interest in the discovery, Dr. Mohapatra has committed to keeping all economic benefits of the innovation within the Caribbean, and Mottley noted that the nation is now seeking international partnership to scale the research. “Everything about Sargassum, it is a nuisance,” Mottley concluded, “but it may well have some serious benefits to the global community.”
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Tuition-Free Tertiary Education Central to Government’s “Renaissance” Agenda
In a landmark address marking the ceremonial opening of Antigua and Barbuda’s Parliament Tuesday, Governor-General Sir Rodney Williams used the 2026 Throne Speech to outline a bold, education-centered national transformation strategy, anchored by tuition-free tertiary education for all citizens and a EC$300 million expansion of the University of the West Indies Five Islands Campus.
When the current administration first pushed to establish a permanent UWI campus in the small island nation, Sir Rodney noted the initiative faced widespread skepticism from critics who questioned whether a tiny country like Antigua and Barbuda could sustain a full-fledged university. Doubts were particularly raised about whether existing facilities, originally built to house a secondary school, could be adapted to meet the needs of a tertiary institution. Four years on, however, the campus has defied all negative predictions, emerging as a fast-growing center of higher learning that has become the centerpiece of the government’s national “renaissance” agenda.
Enrollment at the Five Islands Campus has surged more than fivefold since its launch, climbing from fewer than 350 inaugural students to nearly 2,000 today. What began as an undergraduate-focused institution has already expanded its academic offerings to include master’s degree programs, with plans to roll out PhD programming in the coming years, marking a major milestone for higher education access in the country.
Under the government’s upcoming investment plan, EC$300 million will be allocated to expand the UWI campus and build supporting educational infrastructure in the surrounding Five Islands community, including new primary and secondary schools to serve local residents. This expansion is not an isolated investment, but a core pillar of the administration’s broader goal to reimagine Antigua and Barbuda’s economy and workforce, with education and human capital development framed as the key drivers of long-term growth. The ultimate vision, outlined repeatedly in the Throne Speech, is to position the country as both a regional “economic powerhouse” and a “lifestyle superpower.”
At the heart of this vision is a commitment to universal tuition-free tertiary education for all Antigua and Barbuda citizens, designed to remove financial barriers to upskilling and ensure the local workforce can meet the demands of a evolving modern economy. The address also highlighted the leadership of Education Minister Daryll Matthew, who was commended for his unwavering commitment, strong principles, and steady guidance in advancing the government’s transformative education agenda, turning the once-mocked UWI campus project into a resounding national success.
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Suriname kijkt naar Braziliaans Bolsa Família-model voor hervorming sociaal systeem
Against the backdrop of a state visit by Suriname’s President Jennifer Simons to Brazil, high-level bilateral talks between the two South American nations have centered on strengthening social protection cooperation, with Suriname actively exploring the adoption of key components of Brazil’s globally recognized Bolsa Família anti-poverty initiative. The discussions were held Tuesday between Suriname’s Minister of Social Affairs and Housing Diana Pokie and her Brazilian counterpart Wellington Dias, marking a key milestone in cross-border knowledge sharing for poverty alleviation.
Bolsa Família, first launched during the current administration of Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s earlier term, is widely regarded as one of the most successful conditional cash transfer programs in Latin America. The initiative combines direct financial aid to low-income households with mandatory requirements for children’s school attendance and family access to basic healthcare, a model that has lifted millions out of extreme poverty across Brazil.
During the bilateral meeting, officials focused on unpacking Brazil’s decades of expertise in three core areas of social policy: national social registration systems, conditional cash transfer frameworks, and integrated social assistance delivery mechanisms. Ahead of the presidential visit, working groups and designated focal points from both governments have already completed preliminary work on a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to formalize bilateral cooperation around the Bolsa Família adaptation project, according to Suriname’s Ministry of Social Affairs and Housing.
In remarks following the closed-door talks, Minister Pokie emphasized that the meeting represented a critical opportunity to exchange on-the-ground lessons and address shared social development challenges faced by both nations. “As governments, we share a collective responsibility to improve the quality of life for our populations, especially the most vulnerable groups within our societies,” Pokie said. She outlined the core priorities of Suriname’s ongoing social policy reform: expanding and strengthening national social protection systems, enhancing support services for at-risk low-income families, advancing social inclusion for people living with disabilities, and shoring up national food security and social safety net mechanisms.
Minister Dias characterized the talks as constructive, confirmed Brazil’s full commitment to deepening bilateral social policy cooperation, and extended an open acceptance of a future reciprocal visit to Suriname to advance joint work. Pokie expressed profound gratitude for Brazil’s willingness to share its decades of implementation expertise with Suriname, noting that the partnership builds on longstanding ties between the two nations. “We look forward to productive next steps and to further strengthening the bonds of friendship, solidarity, and cooperation between our two countries,” Pokie added.
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Kaia ‘willing to return’
A Trinidadian woman facing severe criminal charges including murder and the attempted shooting of police officers has publicly affirmed her willingness to return to her home country to face legal action, though her long-term recovery from a devastating police shooting injury will delay any travel plans, her legal representation has confirmed.
Attorney Fayola Sandy shared details of her client Kaia Sealy’s stance in a correspondence with local outlet Trinidad Express, outlining that Sealy first learned of the active arrest warrants issued against her not through official law enforcement notification, but through public media reports.
Sandy explained that even before the warrants were made public, Sealy had already demonstrated a commitment to transparency with the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS). When contacted at a time when investigators told her she was not a target of the probe, Sealy voluntarily submitted a formal written statement to assist with the case. Days after discovering the outstanding warrants through news coverage, Sealy immediately directed her legal team to reach out directly to the TTPS Legal Department to open lines of communication.
Per Sandy’s account, Sealy’s willingness to return to Trinidad and Tobago to cooperate with all legal proceedings was formally communicated to law enforcement as early as May 22, 2026. “Ms Sealy has always cooperated with the TTPS,” the attorney emphasized in her statement. “Yes, Ms Sealy is willing to return to Trinidad and same was communicated to the TTPS by her attorneys as early as 22nd May 2026 after learning of the charges and warrants through the press.”
Despite this open commitment to cooperation, Sandy stressed that Sealy’s ongoing urgent health requirements must be fully accommodated before any travel arrangements can be finalized. The paralyzing injury that currently dictates Sealy’s treatment regime stems from the same January 20, 2026 police-involved shooting that resulted in the death of Sealy’s common-law husband, Joshua Samaroo. Sealy has since traveled abroad to access ongoing specialized medical care and rehabilitative support for her injuries, which have left her permanently paralyzed.
“Her urgent medical and rehabilitative needs will necessarily have to be considered in relation to any travel arrangements,” Sandy said. “Of course, her medical condition will inform the dynamics of any such decision. However, she continues to express her willingness to cooperate in all legal proceedings.”
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Raúl Castro Ruz: Coherence made words
As Cuban Army General Raúl Castro approaches his 95th birthday, a new edited collection of his public remarks brings his decades of revolutionary commitment, unwavering loyalty to Fidel Castro, and steadfast resistance to the U.S. trade blockade into sharp focus. Titled *Revolución, la obra más hermosa* (Revolution, the Most Beautiful Work) and published by Ediciones Celia, the two-volume anthology compiles 138 of Raúl’s speeches, interviews, and official statements spanning the last 10 years of Cuba’s revolutionary journey. Any reader hoping to understand the core of Raúl Castro’s lifelong ideology must start with four non-negotiable pillars of his public life: unshakable faith in the Cuban Revolution, unwavering loyalty to Fidel Castro, relentless opposition to the long-standing U.S. blockade, and a consistent commitment to self-critical reflection, all of which permeate every page of the new collection.
To know Raúl Castro through his own words is to encounter a leader both sensitive to the human cost of revolution and unyieldingly tenacious in pursuit of the movement’s goals. He consistently urges Cubans to deepen their understanding of the nation’s history, embrace constant renewal, reject political complacency, hold firm to their stated values, and maintain clear focus on long-term objectives rather than being swayed by fleeting overenthusiasm. As he often emphasizes, honesty and intentional reflection must guide all revolutionary action.
Belkis Duménigo García, editorial director of the Office of Historical Affairs, notes that the collection offers readers a chance to revisit the most pivotal moments of the Cuban Revolution over the past decade, covering topics ranging from domestic policy to global affairs. The texts highlight Raúl’s longstanding advocacy for regional integration across Latin America and the Caribbean, his commitment to the core foreign policy principles of sovereignty, national dignity, and non-interference in the internal affairs of other nations, and his work shaping Cuba’s contemporary political and economic governing model. He also uses the collected remarks to reinforce his unwavering campaign against national indiscipline and illegal activity, while openly offering self-critical assessments of the Cuban Revolution’s ongoing challenges.
The book also includes Raúl’s sharp critiques of U.S. foreign policy and its decades-long interventionist approach toward Cuba, while making clear that the Cuban government supports the reestablishment of mutually respectful bilateral relations. He repeatedly underscores the devastating human and economic harm caused by the U.S. trade blockade, a policy he has consistently opposed throughout his career. In a memorable September 27, 2006 address included in the collection, he reminded audiences that Cuba cannot afford to overlook the threat posed by a powerful adversary dedicated to eliminating the Cuban Revolution entirely. He pointed to the long history of U.S. intervention on the island, dating back to the 1898 thwarting of Cuban independence that imposed American overseers on the nation, noting little has changed in the power dynamic that continues to shape U.S.-Cuba relations today.
What sets this collection apart, however, is its ability to reveal the human side of Raúl Castro beyond his public roles as a military leader and former head of state. Readers will encounter a man moved to emotion when speaking of Fidel Castro, who honors every fallen revolutionary by name, calls former Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez “My Brother,” and holds the young revolutionaries who participated in the 1953 Moncada Barracks attack as the forever youth of the Cuban movement. It is this intimate, unfiltered voice that makes *Revolución, la obra más hermosa* a unique addition to the historical record of modern Cuba.
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Amidst the storms, the UCI brings good news
On a Wednesday morning in late May 2026, Cuba’s top leader — Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba and President of the Republic — traveled to the University of Computer Sciences (UCI), an institution that has embodied founding revolutionary leader Fidel Castro Ruz’s vision of linking academic innovation to the long-term success of the Cuban Revolution for nearly 25 years.
Accompanied by senior government officials including Deputy Prime Minister Eduardo Martínez Díaz, Education Minister Naima Ariatne Trujillo Barreto, Higher Education Minister Walter Baluja García, and UCI Rector Raydel Montesino Perurena, Díaz-Canel held wide-ranging dialogues with students and faculty, toured campus laboratories and the university’s pioneering K-9 program for children of staff, and observed the institution’s growing software export operations.
Rector Montesino walked the delegation through UCI’s decades-long evolution, from its launch in 2002 with just a single degree program to its current portfolio of four undergraduate credentials: three bachelor’s degrees in Computer Science Engineering, Bioinformatics Engineering, and Cybersecurity Engineering, plus one associate degree in high-demand Network Administration. To date, more than 18,000 students have graduated from the institution, which now counts six faculties, seven development centers, and 2,552 enrolled undergraduates — a figure campus leadership says it is positioned to expand. Even amid the ongoing national energy crisis and persistent U.S. economic pressure, Montesino emphasized UCI’s core commitment to leaving no student behind, adjusting curricula and prioritizing in-person learning where possible. This year alone, 554 students will complete their degrees, 100 more than the 2025 graduating class. While transportation challenges remain the institution’s most pressing operational hurdle, Montesino noted that campus leaders have leaned into adaptive, flexible strategies to keep operations running smoothly, staying true to Fidel’s founding vision of UCI as an experimental teaching-production hub that blends innovation and public service.
One of the most notable adaptive initiatives on display during the tour was UCI’s on-campus primary and secondary school, the Pioneers Project.uci.cu, launched in response to barriers created by the intensified U.S. blockade. When children of UCI faculty and staff who live on campus were cut off from their zoned schools in the La Lisa district due to transport and resource constraints, campus and education leaders repurposed existing university space and teaching talent to launch a full-scale program serving learners from preschool through 9th grade. Education Minister Naima shared that the program, which draws students from multiple local school zones and leverages existing university faculty expertise, has filled a critical gap while creating a replicable model of adaptive education. “There’s a lot of heart behind this experience,” Naima told reporters, noting that while the exact model may not work at every Cuban university, its core approach of leveraging existing institutional potential can be scaled across the country. Even amid the prolonged hardship imposed by the blockade, Naima emphasized, all participating students are on track to complete their grade levels on schedule — a victory for creative resilience in the face of external pressure. During a warm interaction with young students, a second-grade pioneer expressed affection for the Cuban leader, to which Díaz-Canel responded with a call for the next generation to prepare diligently to serve their country.
The final stop on the tour was UCI’s Software Export Laboratories, where more than 600 specialists including students, faculty, and dedicated industry professionals develop digital products for international markets. Dr. Reynaldo Rosado Roselló, who leads the program, explained that the initiative operates on a shared benefit model that generates revenue for the national government, the university, and the participating specialists, all of whom are paid in foreign currency for their work. Over recent years, the program has ramped up its export operations to increase foreign currency earnings for Cuba, with one three-year-old spinout company already generating more than 150 million pesos in domestic revenue and over half a million pesos in foreign currency in 2025. Rosado noted that expanding software exports remains UCI’s top strategic priority, aligned with Fidel’s original vision for the institution: to train top digital talent, drive national digital transformation, and generate critical foreign currency for the Cuban people. Díaz-Canel challenged the UCI community to expand their work further, emphasizing the university’s central role in advancing Cuba’s national artificial intelligence strategy and integrating AI across all sectors of Cuban life. He shared his vision for UCI to become Cuba’s first “Smart University”, calling for accelerated progress toward that goal.
At the close of the tour, Díaz-Canel visited a commemorative plaque marking Fidel Castro’s first visit to UCI on December 12, 2002 — the date now recognized as the institution’s official founding. On that historic day, Fidel called UCI students “the troops of the future”, a phrase that grew into the university’s enduring motto: “Connected to the future, connected to the Revolution.” Speaking to young innovators on campus, Díaz-Canel struck a hopeful tone amid ongoing economic pressure from the United States. “Waking up here today at UCI — with the little school, with the new school model, and now with this development you (the young people) are experiencing — fills one with happiness and, above all, with confidence that, even in the most complex situation, we will overcome it,” he said, framing the campus’s progress as a powerful example of creative resistance: resistance that is not merely about enduring hardship, but about growing and advancing even in the most challenging circumstances. The work underway at UCI, he emphasized, proves that Cuba can continue to build and thrive despite external pressure, laying a strong foundation for future progress across every sector of the nation.
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Belize Freezes Construction of Tall Buildings Amid Environmental Concerns
In a decisive move to safeguard Belize’s ecologically vulnerable and culturally iconic coastal regions, the national government has enacted a six-month moratorium halting all construction of buildings over three stories in high-priority tourist and residential destinations including Caye Caulker, Hopkins, Placencia, and the Sittee River area. The policy shift comes in response to mounting public and scientific alarm over unregulated rapid development that has threatened delicate coastal ecosystems and eroded the unique low-rise charm that draws millions of visitors to Belize each year.
Andre Perez, Area Representative for Belize Rural South, explained that the temporary pause is intended to give government agencies time to conduct comprehensive environmental risk assessments, engage in structured community consultations, and revise development frameworks to align with long-term conservation and public interest goals. The moratorium, which was formally approved by the country’s cabinet, targets overdevelopment that has increasingly altered the character of popular coastal communities, most notably the small island of Caye Caulker.
“Caye Caulker holds a very special, quaint character that we are committed to preserving,” Perez emphasized in remarks following the cabinet decision. “We refuse to let overdevelopment and sprawling high-rise construction take over the island and destroy the charm that makes it one of Belize’s most beloved destinations. That is why the moratorium is now in effect.”
The crackdown on unregulated development extends beyond high-rise construction to address unpermitted infrastructure in popular coastal spots like San Pedro’s Secret Beach. Perez noted that starting in June, authorities will convene collaborative meetings with local business owners to address longstanding concerns about illegal waterfront construction including unauthorized docks, floating platforms, water-side bars and commercial kitchens. Rather than imposing immediate punitive measures, the government is prioritizing cooperative solutions to bring existing unregulated structures into compliance with environmental and land-use rules.
When questioned about whether limited government staffing would hamper enforcement of the new moratorium – a challenge that has undermined past regulatory efforts in Belize – Perez acknowledged the resource constraints. To address this gap, the government has coordinated a joint task force bringing together staff from all relevant regulatory departments including the public health agency, mining authority, and Department of the Environment. By consolidating inspections and enforcement efforts across agencies, the task force will maximize limited human resources to review construction sites and ensure compliance across all targeted coastal regions, from San Pedro to Caye Caulker.
This regulatory action marks one of the most significant steps Belize has taken in recent years to balance its growing tourism economy with the protection of the coastal ecosystems that underpin that sector’s long-term viability.