分类： world

Commission begins probe into deadly Anse Cochon boat collision

Nearly one and a half months after a deadly boat collision claimed four lives and left multiple people injured off the coast of Saint Lucia, a formal Commission of Inquiry has officially begun its work, following the swearing-in of four appointed commissioners at a ceremony held on Tuesday morning. The incident, which occurred on July 18 between two Castries-registered vessels — the Ocean Angel (official number SL077875) and the Cazorla Jr. (official number SL078180) — at Anse Cochon in Anse La Raye, shocked the small Caribbean nation and prompted authorities to launch a comprehensive public investigation to uncover the root causes of the tragedy.

Appointed by Acting Governor General Felix Finisterre on the advice of Saint Lucia’s Cabinet on September 4, the inquiry is led by retired Justice Mario Michel, a seasoned legal figure chosen to chair the independent commission. Joining Michel on the panel are Cuthbert Didier, an experienced maritime consultant, retired Police Superintendent Kentry Frederick, and current Assistant Police Commissioner Luke De Freitas. Shahida Charlemagne-Octave will serve as the commission’s legal counsel, with retired public servant Lenita Joseph taking on secretarial responsibilities to coordinate administrative and logistical work.

At the swearing-in ceremony hosted at the Governor General’s official residence in Morne Fortune, Finisterre extended his congratulations to the newly seated commissioners, expressing unwavering confidence in their ability to deliver a thorough, transparent investigation. “I wish to congratulate all of you, especially Chairman, Justice Mario Michel. I know we’ll get some good recommendations in terms of what really happened,” Finisterre told attendees, thanking the panel members for agreeing to take on this critical public assignment.

Michel accepted the weight of the mandate, acknowledging the profound significance of the commission’s work for the victims’ families and the broader maritime community in Saint Lucia. He pledged that the entire panel would work collaboratively to uphold the public trust placed in them. “I don’t think we’ll underestimate the severity of the responsibility, and the significance of it. But, we will certainly endeavour to the best of our collective abilities, live up to the confidence that you have reposed in us,” Michel said.

Beyond determining the exact sequence of events and contributing factors that led to the July 18 collision, the commission carries a broader policy-focused mandate. It is tasked with conducting a full review of Saint Lucia’s existing legislative and regulatory framework governing maritime activity, maritime safety, and accident investigation. This review will cover provisions in key pieces of national legislation including the Civil Code, the Shipping Act, the Police Act, the Saint Lucia Air and Sea Ports Authority Act, the Customs (Control and Management) Act, and the Carriage of Goods by Sea Act. The panel will also examine existing standard operating procedures and safety protocols for all maritime operations across the country.

The commission’s final recommendations are expected to guide the drafting of a fully updated, modern Maritime Act for Saint Lucia, with the overarching goal of closing regulatory gaps and preventing similar deadly tragedies from occurring in the future.

All inquiry proceedings will be held at the Parliament Chamber in Castries’ Parliament Building on Laborie Street, and are open to the general public, though the commission retains the authority to close sessions if necessary to maintain order or protect the integrity of the investigation. Members of the public with relevant information are actively encouraged to contribute by submitting written evidence or giving oral testimony directly to the commission. To participate, interested individuals can contact Secretary Lenita Joseph via phone at (758) 285-6273, or reach out via email at inquirymaritime@govt.lc or lenita.joseph758@gmail.com.

The commission is scheduled to conduct its work through March 8, 2027, with Chairman Michel required to submit the panel’s final public report by that deadline.

8 9 月, 2026
Trump’s Map Puts Belize Under U.S. Flag

In a provocative and unexplained social media post that has stirred diplomatic tension across the Western Hemisphere, former president and current U.S. President Donald Trump has shared an uncaptioned map on his Truth Social platform that reimagines nearly the entire region from North America down through Central America and the Caribbean as territory under the banner of the United States flag.

The map, shared September 8, 2026, labels the entire expanded territorial bloc as the ‘United States of America’. The U.S. flag graphic stretches across the continental U.S., Canada, Mexico, Greenland, Iceland, every Central American nation including Belize, Guatemala, and Honduras, and multiple island nations across the Caribbean. Notably, Belize — the small Central American nation bordered by Mexico and Guatemala — is explicitly included in the territory claimed by the map, alongside its immediate Central American neighbors.

The post comes at a time of fresh diplomatic personnel change between Washington and Belize City. Just four days before Trump’s map was shared, newly appointed U.S. Ambassador to Belize André Bauer arrived in the country on September 4. Bauer completed the formal diplomatic accreditation process just one day before the map was posted, presenting his credentials to Belize’s Governor General Froyla Tzalam on September 7.

While Trump offered no context or explanation for the map, the display of territorial expansionism has already drawn a firm rebuke from regional leaders. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum issued a public statement reaffirming her nation’s sovereignty, opting not to name Trump directly in her response. Posting on the social platform X, Sheinbaum emphasized that Mexico ‘is not and will not be a colony or protectorate of any foreign country,’ underscoring that Mexico remains a free, independent, and fully sovereign nation.

As of this reporting, no other leaders from the nations included on Trump’s map have issued public statements, and the White House has not offered additional clarification on the intent or meaning behind the president’s post.

8 9 月, 2026
U.S. Coast Guard repatriates 51 Dominican and Haitian migrants to Dominican Republic

In a routine interdiction operation targeting irregular maritime migration, the United States Coast Guard completed the repatriation of 51 migrants — 34 Dominican nationals and 17 Haitian nationals — to the Dominican Republic on Tuesday. The operation was launched after a U.S. Customs and Border Protection surveillance aircraft spotted an dangerously overloaded vessel drifting in waters off the coast of Aguadilla, a coastal city in northwestern Puerto Rico. Immediately following the detection alert, the Coast Guard dispatched a surface cutter and an air rescue helicopter to intercept the unseaworthy craft before it could reach Puerto Rican territory.

Once the vessel was intercepted, authorities conducted a full on-board accounting of all passengers. Of the 34 Dominican citizens on board, 30 were adult men, two were adult women, and two were unaccompanied minors. The 17 Haitian migrants included 15 adult men and two adult women. Following standard repatriation protocols, all adult migrants were transferred directly to personnel from the Dominican Republic Navy for processing. The two Dominican minors, meanwhile, were placed into the temporary care of the National Council for Children and Adolescents (CONANI), the Dominican government’s lead agency for child and adolescent welfare.

Matthew Pinhey, a commander with the U.S. Coast Guard, emphasized that the successful operation was only possible through close, coordinated collaboration between multiple stakeholders. These included U.S. federal law enforcement and border agencies, local Puerto Rican authorities, and the Dominican Republic Navy, all of which work together continuously to curb irregular migration flows through the Mona Passage. That narrow body of water, which separates the island of Hispaniola — home to the Dominican Republic and Haiti — from Puerto Rico, has long been the primary transit route for migrants attempting to reach Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory, from Hispaniola.

Pinhey also issued a stark public warning about the extreme risks of these unauthorized crossings. Migrants seeking to reach Puerto Rico almost always travel on overloaded, poorly maintained vessels that are not fit for open ocean travel, and rarely carry sufficient life-saving equipment for all passengers. Unpredictable currents and variable weather in the Mona Passage make the crossing even more dangerous, turning many attempted journeys into fatal tragedies for migrants and smugglers alike.

8 9 月, 2026
No Flying…

Tensions along the Israel-Gaza border have escalated in recent weeks over a surprising low-tech ‘aerial weapon’ that has captured the attention of Israeli intelligence and set off fresh threats of expanded military operations in the blockaded enclave. Palestinian activists in Gaza have been building and flying simple, handmade kites crafted entirely from non-metallic recycled materials, a design that renders them undetectable by standard military radar systems. Israeli officials, who refer to themselves as Zionists, have denounced the activity and framed these commonplace recreational objects as an unprecedented threatening new technology.

Israeli intelligence analysts have gone so far as to claim the kite design outperforms Iranian drone systems in key metrics: range, potential impact, and extremely low production cost. Constructed from scrap materials found in household waste and discarded personal items, each kite often costs nothing to build. Their non-metallic frames and fabric bodies avoid triggering radar alerts, and their variable sizes and shapes — many decorated to resemble the Palestinian flag or bear other national symbols — do nothing to hinder their flight capability. On even moderately windy days, the kites can climb hundreds of meters above the border, and if their tethers break, they can drift kilometers into Israeli-occupied territory before crashing on an unpredictable path. Bright, high-contrast color schemes make the kites visible from miles away, with no need for surveillance equipment to spot them.

Israeli authorities have leveraged the fact that children often build and fly the kites to justify their framing of the activity as a terrorist tactic, repeating their long-held claim that suspected terrorists can be as young as eight years old or younger. After Israeli forces recovered several kites that drifted across the border, military analysts conducted detailed examinations and confirmed the craft carry neither cameras for reconnaissance nor explosive payloads. Despite this finding, Israeli officials have threatened to ramp up large-scale military operations in Gaza if the kite-flying activity continues, arguing that the flights violate international and humanitarian law.

The repeated threats have had a chilling effect on the activity. Fearing Israeli retaliation will target their children, Gaza families have banned minors from flying kites along the border. While small-scale artisanal production of the kites is believed to continue, the risk of violence has put a sharp stop to regular flights. What began as a low-stakes expression of Palestinian identity has been reframed as a hostile security threat, highlighting the extreme escalation of tensions in the region. As the final line of the original reporting notes: Palestinian kites do not spy, do not explode, they simply fly. And in the context of Israeli occupation, the simple acts of imagining, creating, and continuing daily life are treated as suspect, even criminal, acts.

8 9 月, 2026
FM Greene Calls for Stronger Trade, Travel and Investment Ties Between Africa and CARICOM

As Antigua and Barbuda prepares to mark the 2026 observance of Africa-CARICOM Day, Foreign Affairs Minister E.P. Chet Greene is issuing a urgent call to turn decades of collaborative aspiration into tangible, mutually beneficial progress by expanding trade, investment, travel and cultural connections between the African continent and the Caribbean region.

In an official statement released Sunday, Greene emphasized that the long-standing relationship between the two regions must outgrow purely symbolic alignment and deliver measurable socioeconomic gains to the everyday people of both blocs. He highlighted under tapped economic potential that could transform regional economies, calling on stakeholders on both sides to unlock the roughly US$15 billion in untapped agricultural trade and work toward hitting a total two-way trade target of US$1.8 billion by 2028.

To reach these ambitious but achievable goals, Greene laid out a clear policy roadmap: governments across both regions must prioritize creating an enabling environment for private sector growth, overhaul outdated and inefficient trade logistics networks, and expand access to affordable financing and global market opportunities for small and medium-sized enterprises—with a particular focus on ventures led by young entrepreneurs, who represent the future of both regions.

Greene identified four high-impact sectors primed to deliver inclusive mutual growth: sustainable agriculture, utility-scale renewable energy development, the sustainable blue economy, and competitive cross-border financial services. Beyond economic cooperation, he pushed for tangible improvements to people-to-people connectivity, starting with the establishment of direct air routes between major African and Caribbean hubs. He noted that the recently implemented visa-waiver agreements between CARICOM states and Ghana, Kenya, and Benin mark an important first step toward easier travel, but much more remains to be done. “The visa waivers are a start, but we must now invest in direct air links to make travel seamless,” Greene said.

The minister also called for expanded people-to-people cooperation outside of economic and infrastructure spheres, advocating for increased cultural and educational exchange programs and a renewed focus on sports diplomacy through popular shared sports including cricket, track and field athletics, and football.

Reflecting on the origins and meaning of Africa-CARICOM Day, which is observed annually on September 7, Greene described the commemorative date as a lasting tribute to the shared ancestral roots, collective resilience, and shared commitment to regional unity that bind the two regions together. He credited Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne with first introducing the proposal for the official commemorative day back in 2021, crafted specifically as a framework to drive consistent, structured cooperation between Africa and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).

Greene emphasized that the connection between the two regions stretches far beyond formal diplomatic alignment, rooted in the shared trauma of the transatlantic slave trade and the generations-long determination of African and Caribbean peoples to overcome the persistent, systemic inequalities that are the legacy of that crime against humanity. In line with this shared history, the minister renewed longstanding calls for reparatory justice, urgent climate justice for small island developing states most vulnerable to climate change, multilateral debt relief for low- and middle-income nations across both regions, and the repatriation of stolen cultural heritage held by institutions in the Global North.

He pointed to the upcoming third Regional Conference on Reparations, organized by the CARICOM Reparations Commission and scheduled to take place September 17–19 in Barbados, as a critical upcoming opportunity to strengthen coordinated cross-regional advocacy for these shared priorities. Greene stressed that unified collective action in global multilateral forums gives African and Caribbean nations far greater negotiating leverage to push for systemic reform of global governance, building a more equitable and inclusive international system that centers the needs of Global South nations.

“The bonds between Antigua and Barbuda and the continent of Africa are unbreakable,” Greene said. “Let us ensure that this partnership moves from aspiration to measurable action, transforming our shared history into a prosperous and connected future.”

8 9 月, 2026
NRCS pleit voor vervangen koloniale namen

Fifty-one years after gaining formal independence from Dutch colonial rule, Suriname’s official National Reparation Commission (NRCS) is advancing a sweeping agenda to complete the nation’s decolonization process, calling for structural changes that stretch far beyond financial compensation for historical slavery. The commission outlined its full vision Friday during an official working visit to the Directorate of Culture under Suriname’s Ministry of Education, Science and Culture, where the delegation was welcomed by Director Xiomara Simons and her leadership team.

7 9 月, 2026
Laatste aftelling voor Irak: soeverein of slagveld?

After more than two decades of foreign military engagement that began with the 2003 U.S.-led invasion, Iraq is preparing to mark a historic turning point. On September 30, the U.S.-led international military coalition will formally conclude its mission in the country, transferring full security responsibility to the Iraqi government — a symbolic milestone that Baghdad has framed as the start of a fully sovereign, foreign troop-free era opening October 1.

In recent weeks, as the deadline has drawn near, speculation around the withdrawal has grown steadily. Iraqi military leadership has now confirmed the timeline officially. Lieutenant General Abdul Amir al-Shammari, head of the Iraqi Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief’s office, confirmed September 30 as the coalition’s final end date in a statement to Iraq’s state news agency INA, matching long-held expectations across political and military circles.

For Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, the withdrawal delivers on a core campaign promise made earlier this year. “This step is an essential prerequisite to guide Iraq into a new phase of development and prosperity,” a statement from the prime minister’s office read, framing the post-withdrawal period as a “new era” free of any foreign military presence on Iraqi soil.

Yet analysts caution that the withdrawal is far more symbolic than transformative for Iraq’s on-the-ground security landscape. Iyad al-Anbar, a political science professor at the University of Baghdad, told Al Jazeera that the bulk of the adjustment has already taken place. Most U.S. troops have long vacated traditional Iraqi military bases across central and southern Iraq, he noted, and are already concentrated solely at the Harir base in Erbil, the capital of Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan Region.

“Ultimately, this move will be largely symbolic,” al-Anbar explained. “The U.S. has already ended its active military presence at most major headquarters, including Camp Victory near Baghdad International Airport and even the Green Zone, located just meters from the U.S. embassy in Baghdad.”

While the coalition’s exit closes a 23-year chapter of foreign military involvement, it opens a critical domestic test for al-Zaidi’s government: consolidating control over all armed factions and centralizing weapons under exclusive state authority — one of the biggest internal challenges Iraq has faced since the 2003 fall of Saddam Hussein.

Al-Zaidi has reissued a firm ultimatum this week to non-state armed groups: disarm voluntarily, or face prosecution on terrorism charges. The prime minister has stood firm on tying progress on disarmament to the September 30 withdrawal deadline, but al-Anbar points to a major gap in credibility: despite the broad rhetoric, the government has released no concrete details on how the disarmament process will work.

“Now we are only talking about ‘regulating’ weapons. What is the actual enforcement mechanism? No one is talking about the details,” al-Anbar said.

Complicating the security landscape further, pro-Iranian armed factions including Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada, Harakat al-Nujaba, and Kataib Hezbollah have ramped up anti-government and anti-coalition rhetoric in recent weeks. Key leadership positions at Iraq’s Defense and Interior ministries — the two core institutions tasked with implementing the disarmament plan — also remain unfilled, leaving the government without a clear operational backbone for its security push.

For the United States, the withdrawal aligns with a broader strategic reorientation of foreign policy under the second Trump administration, but it does not signal a full retreat from Iraqi or regional affairs, according to former U.S. diplomat Marlin Hardinger.

“I think we can say that large-scale conventional military deployment has come to an end in the medium term, but remaining counterterrorism and intelligence operations will continue, particularly focused on protecting the U.S. embassy and consulate,” Hardinger explained. He added that the Trump administration plans to shift its focus to expanding economic and development cooperation with Baghdad, a move designed to boost immediate and medium-term economic outcomes for Iraqi citizens and strengthen al-Zaidi’s domestic standing.

Even so, the withdrawal faces pushback from multiple quarters. Pro-Israel factions in the U.S. that favor continued direct American military engagement in the Middle East have already voiced opposition, while Gulf Arab states warn that a power vacuum could allow extremist and Iranian-aligned groups to regain territory and influence.

“The core problem is that the region is far more unstable and volatile today than it was when negotiations over the withdrawal first began,” Hardinger warned.

One of the most immediate and pressing security consequences of the withdrawal is the removal of U.S. Patriot air defense systems, which have long been deployed in Erbil to serve as the primary shield against Iranian ballistic missiles and drone attacks. Hassan al-Barari, an international relations professor at the University of Jordan, argues that Iraq is not currently prepared to fill that security gap on its own.

“It is unlikely that the Iraqi state is currently capable of defending its airspace against Iranian missiles and drones if Iran were to launch an attack on Erbil, for example,” al-Barari said. “If Iran continues to send drones and missiles into Iraqi territory, who will intercept them now that the American Patriot systems are leaving? Without a direct security agreement with Tehran, who can stop this Iranian threat?”
For Iraq, al-Barari argues, the true test of Iraqi sovereignty does not end with the departure of foreign troops — it begins the day after. For al-Zaidi’s government, the ability to secure Iraq’s borders, unify control over weapons, and maintain national independence will define whether the milestone of troop withdrawal delivers on its promise of sovereignty.

“The ability of the Baghdad government to maintain or fully restore Iraq’s sovereignty is not only linked to the withdrawal of U.S. troops, but also to al-Zaidi’s ability to bring all weapons under state control,” al-Barari said. His outlook for the coming period is cautious: “In my view, events are moving into uncharted territory. If al-Zaidi fails to deliver, Iraq could fall fully under exclusive Iranian influence, creating a dangerous security vacuum. That is exactly the scenario Washington has long warned about and sought to avoid.”

As the world watches, Iraq prepares for what is being called the greatest test of its modern history. The coalition’s flag will be lowered, but critical questions remain unanswered: who will protect the Kurdistan Region from cross-border rocket attacks? Who will force unregulated militias to disarm? Who will guarantee that Iraq does not slide back into widespread chaos?

September 30 is not an endpoint. It is a beginning: a period where Iraq will have to prove it can survive and govern without external leadership. Whether it succeeds depends on one prime minister, one fractured government, and a divided nation. The coming weeks will reveal the answer.

7 9 月, 2026
Same Earth, Different Map: UN Backs More Accurate World Map

For hundreds of years, the Mercator projection has shaped how billions of people around the world visualize the continents and countries of our planet. But that long-standing visual narrative is poised for a shift, after the United Nations General Assembly took a historic step last week to back a far more geographically accurate alternative: the Equal Earth projection.

The resolution, which earned approval from 164 UN member states, marks a landmark push to correct long-held geographic misconceptions rooted in the design flaws of the Mercator map. The United States was the only nation to vote against the measure, while six additional countries chose to abstain from the vote.

First developed by a team of cartographers in 2018, the Equal Earth projection was engineered specifically to address one of the Mercator’s most significant distortions: its systematic misrepresentation of landmass size relative to actual geographic area. Unlike the new projection, the Mercator, originally created in the 16th century to assist maritime navigators, stretches land masses at higher latitudes, making regions far from the equator appear far larger than they actually are, while shrinking equatorial nations and continents.

The most striking example of this distortion can be seen when comparing Africa and Greenland. On a standard Mercator map, the two landmasses appear to be roughly comparable in size. In reality, Africa is approximately 14 times larger than Greenland — a difference that becomes immediately clear when viewed through the Equal Earth projection. This distortion has contributed to widespread underappreciation of Africa’s geographic scale, global significance, and demographic weight for generations.

Critically, the UN resolution does not mandate immediate adoption of the Equal Earth projection by national governments or private institutions. Instead, it issues a broad call to action, encouraging educational systems, governments, international bodies, media outlets, and global technology companies to voluntarily shift toward more accurate representations of the world’s land masses in their materials and products.

While the transition will be gradual, the impact of this decision is expected to ripple across multiple sectors over time. From classroom textbooks used by primary and secondary students to digital mapping platforms operated by major tech companies, the new projection could eventually reshape how current and future generations understand global geography. West African nation Togo, which spearheaded advocacy for the resolution, has already announced plans to hold follow-up discussions with the African Union, UNESCO, and major technology firms to outline a roadmap for regional implementation of the new map standard.

7 9 月, 2026
Amazon cargo plane crashes at Miami Airport, five killed

On a Sunday afternoon at one of the United States’ busiest transportation hubs, a devastating aviation incident has shaken the global logistics industry: an Amazon Air cargo flight crashed after overrunning the runway at Miami International Airport, leaving at least five people dead and multiple others with injuries ranging from minor to critical.

The aircraft involved in the accident is a 32-year-old Boeing 767-300, which was originally manufactured to carry commercial passengers before undergoing a conversion to cargo configuration in 2015. Operated by cargo service provider 21 Air under the Amazon Air brand as Flight 7598, the plane had just completed an inbound trip from San Juan, Puerto Rico when the emergency unfolded. Around 2 p.m. local time, the jet failed to stop before reaching the end of the runway, exited the airfield, and crashed into multiple vehicles traveling on a public road that serves adjacent warehouse facilities and local businesses.

Footage captured from the crash site shows thick plumes of black smoke billowing into the sky above the area. The scale of the emergency prompted an immediate large-scale response, with more than 60 Miami-Dade Fire Rescue units deployed to the scene to conduct search, rescue, and fire suppression operations. Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Chief Ray Jadallah confirmed that first responders faced complex challenges: the plane’s pilot and co-pilot were trapped inside the damaged cockpit, multiple other people were trapped inside crushed vehicles, and one person had to be extricated after being pinned underneath a vehicle. As of the initial reporting, it remained unconfirmed whether the flight’s two pilots are among the fatalities.

Official casualty reports from AP News confirm five fatalities, three people with critical injuries requiring urgent hospitalization, and two additional patients with less severe injuries who are also receiving medical care.

Early investigative leads point to one key area of focus: whether the aircraft touched down too far along the runway to allow enough distance for a safe stop. Preliminary analysis of amateur video from the area suggests the plane remained airborne far past the standard touchdown zone for arriving flights at the airport. The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), led by Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy, has taken charge of the official probe. Investigators will examine a full range of potential contributing factors, including the jet’s landing speed, performance of its braking systems, local weather and wind conditions at the time of landing, any potential mechanical failures, and the aircraft’s full maintenance history. Public records also show that prior to its current cargo operation, the plane was once owned by a Russian company, a detail that has been noted in initial reporting but has not been linked to the crash to date.

In the immediate aftermath of the crash, Miami International Airport implemented a full ground stop that disrupted flight operations across the facility for the majority of Sunday afternoon, impacting thousands of passengers traveling through the major hub. In an official statement following the incident, Amazon confirmed that it is cooperating fully with local investigating authorities and is prioritizing safety and support for all individuals impacted by the tragedy.

7 9 月, 2026
Antigua and Barbuda passport ranks 49th globally with mobility score of 143

The latest 2026 global passport index report from Passport Reports has released its updated mobility rankings, placing the passport of Antigua and Barbuda at the 49th position worldwide. The small Caribbean nation earned an overall mobility score of 143, which translates to visa-free or simplified entry access to 72.2% of all global destinations measured in the annual assessment.

Breaking down the mobility score, the report categorizes access for Antigua and Barbuda passport holders as follows: 99 destinations grant full visa-free entry, 38 offer visa-on-arrival or other streamlined facilitated entry processes, and 6 additional destinations require an electronic travel authorization before arrival. These three categories of simplified entry add up to the total mobility score of 143, leaving 55 destinations worldwide that still require a full traditional visa for entry.

Beyond the global ranking, Antigua and Barbuda holds strong positions in regional and group rankings. It ranks 8th out of 23 North American countries and 5th among the 16 Caribbean nations included in the report. Year-over-year historical data shows a minor shift in the country’s standing: its mobility score dropped one point from 144 in 2025 to 143 in 2026, pushing its global ranking down three spots from 46th to 49th.

Regional access for Antigua and Barbuda passport holders is particularly strong in the Caribbean. The report confirms that the country enjoys 100% visa-free access to all 15 Caribbean destinations included in the index. Allowed stays vary across the region, with Antigua and Barbuda citizens permitted to stay up to 240 days in the Bahamas, 180 days in both Guyana and Suriname, 90 days in Haiti, and 30 days in Cuba. The Dominican Republic also offers visa-free entry with a required e-ticket pre-arrival procedure for 30-day stays.

Europe follows as another region with exceptionally broad access. Of the 47 European destinations measured, 45 grant full visa-free entry to Antigua and Barbuda passport holders, representing a 95.7% access rate for the region. Only one European destination offers visa-on-arrival entry, and one requires an electronic travel authorization, with no European destinations mandating a full pre-arrival visa. The United Kingdom falls into the electronic travel authorization category, with a maximum allowed stay of 180 days, while most other European destinations cap stays at 90 days within a specified rolling period.

In South America, 75% of destinations (nine out of 12) offer visa-free entry. Countries including Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador, Colombia, Chile and Venezuela allow 90-day visa-free stays, while Guyana, Peru and Suriname extend stays to up to 180 days. Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay are the only three South American nations that require a full visa from Antigua and Barbuda passport holders.

Access becomes far more variable across Asia, Africa and the Gulf Cooperation Council region. In Asia, out of 50 total destinations, just eight offer visa-free entry, 14 allow visa-on-arrival or facilitated entry, two require electronic travel authorization, and 26 mandate a full pre-arrival visa. Notable visa-free destinations include China (30-day stay), Hong Kong SAR (90 days), the Philippines (30 days), Georgia (360 days), Malaysia (30 days with an on-arrival card), Uzbekistan (30 days) and Singapore (30 days with an arrival card). South Korea and Sri Lanka are the two Asian destinations that require an electronic travel authorization.

Across the African continent, 15 of 54 destinations grant visa-free entry, 19 offer visa-on-arrival or facilitated entry, three require electronic travel authorization, and 17 require a full visa. Many facilitated entry destinations have special pre-arrival procedures, such as mandatory pre-registration for Côte d’Ivoire, tourist registration for Seychelles, and the EASE online system for Cabo Verde. Multiple countries in the facilitated entry category also offer the option of securing an eVisa before departure.

For the six Gulf Cooperation Council countries, only Qatar offers facilitated visa-on-arrival entry (with an eVisa option available for a 30-day stay), while Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Oman all require full pre-arrival visas. In the broader Middle East region, just two of 17 destinations offer visa-free entry, five provide facilitated entry, and 10 require a visa.

The report also includes comparative rankings across political and economic blocs, providing additional context for Antigua and Barbuda’s global standing. The nation ranks 5th out of 14 CARICOM countries, 11th out of 33 CELAC countries, 15th out of 56 Commonwealth countries, and 15th out of 132 G77 member states. Among 159 World Trade Organization members, it holds the 53rd position. It also ranks 15th out of 60 countries with English as an official language, 12th out of 25 parliamentary constitutional monarchies, and 3rd out of six countries that use the Eastern Caribbean dollar as their national currency.

Separately from the outward mobility ranking, the report also includes a ‘welcoming ranking’ that measures how easily foreign passport holders can enter Antigua and Barbuda, rather than the travel access of Antigua and Barbuda citizens abroad. In this ranking, the country places 69th out of 199 nations, a measure that is not connected to the outward passport mobility ranking and should not be interpreted as a reflection of Antigua and Barbudan citizens’ travel privileges.

The report also includes a reciprocity analysis that highlights mismatched entry requirements between Antigua and Barbuda and other nations. It identifies 17 countries that allow their own passport holders to enter Antigua and Barbuda via visa-free, electronic authorization, or visa-on-arrival arrangements, but require a full visa from Antigua and Barbuda passport holders travelling in the opposite direction. This list includes major economies such as the United States, Canada, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and the United Arab Emirates. Conversely, 47 countries require a full visa for foreign travellers entering Antigua and Barbuda, but grant simplified entry to Antigua and Barbuda passport holders; examples of this dynamic include India, Qatar, Jordan, Vietnam, the Philippines, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe.

The report emphasizes the importance of distinguishing between the two core metrics included in the analysis: Antigua and Barbuda’s visa requirements govern the entry rules for foreign passport holders entering the country, while the global passport ranking measures the entry access granted to Antigua and Barbuda passport holders when travelling internationally. Overall, the 2026 data confirms that Antigua and Barbuda’s passport delivers solid global mobility, with near-universal access across the Caribbean and Europe, and more variable access across other world regions, with a range of procedural requirements even among destinations that offer simplified entry.

7 9 月, 2026