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  • Ministry Urges Public to Wear Pink and Prioritise Breast Health This October

    Ministry Urges Public to Wear Pink and Prioritise Breast Health This October

    October marks Breast Cancer Awareness Month across Antigua and Barbuda, and the nation’s Ministry of Health has launched a targeted public campaign positioning proactive breast health as a top priority for all residents, with early detection and rapid medical intervention as its core guiding messages.

    Beyond educational outreach, the campaign includes a collective solidarity initiative: the ministry is urging all members of the public to wear pink each Friday throughout October to stand in unity with individuals and families impacted by breast cancer. Health Minister Michael Joseph emphasized that this annual observance is far more than a symbolic gesture, stressing that it should prompt lasting behavioral change around personal health management. He encouraged every resident to take time to familiarize themselves with the normal state of their bodies, and to seek medical care immediately if any abnormal changes are detected.

    “Breast Cancer Awareness Month serves as a critical annual reminder that we cannot afford to neglect our health,” Joseph stated in official comments. He added that residents should proactively schedule conversations with their primary healthcare providers to discuss personalized breast cancer screening plans, aligned with their individual risk factors and health histories.

    To empower the public to identify potential concerns early, the Ministry of Health has also outlined key warning signs that require medical assessment. These include the development of a new lump or thickening in the breast tissue, unexpected changes to breast size or shape, visible alterations to breast skin or nipple appearance, and unusual discharge from the nipple. Officials have strongly advised anyone who notices any of these concerning changes to seek prompt evaluation, rather than delaying care out of uncertainty or hesitation.

    Joseph also extended a call for community-wide engagement: he urged residents to use the awareness month as an opportunity to start conversations with family members and friends about the importance of screening, and to offer tangible support to anyone currently navigating a breast cancer diagnosis. Echoing the minister’s message, the Ministry of Health noted that the symbolic act of wearing pink should be paired with meaningful action: expanding personal awareness of breast health, opening up conversations about screening and early detection, and extending support to those affected by the disease across the islands.

  • Dominica thrashed 8-1 by Guyana as head coach takes responsibility

    Dominica thrashed 8-1 by Guyana as head coach takes responsibility

    Dominica’s pursuit of upward momentum in the 2026 CONCACAF Nations League suffered a devastating setback Sunday, as the country’s senior men’s national team fell to an overwhelming 8-1 defeat at the hands of Guyana in a match hosted in Puerto Rico.

    The Bouyon Boyz, as the Dominica side is commonly known, were already on the back foot by halftime, having conceded four unanswered goals to their Caribbean rivals. Any hopes of a second-half comeback faded quickly as Guyana added another four goals after the break, with Dominica only able to pull one goal back via a strike from Reon Cuffy – the only consolation of the lopsided fixture.

    In an official post-match press statement released by the team, head coach Kurt Herd openly accepted full accountability for the disappointing result, acknowledging that his tactical directions to the squad directly shaped the game’s poor outcome for Dominica.

    “I’ll take responsibility because I told the boys to go and play football,” Herd said in post-match comments. “And they attempted to play football, probably overplay, and shot themselves in the foot a little bit.”

    As the team’s deficit grew larger throughout the 90 minutes, Herd explained that the squad lost its tactical organization and on-pitch discipline, creating a downward spiral that the side could not pull out of.

    “After that, heads go down, we’re not making the runs, we’re not tracking runners, the boys start to make silly decisions on the field, and ultimately we let ourselves down very badly there tonight,” he added.

    Beyond the immediate performance on the pitch, Herd drew attention to deep, long-standing structural challenges that undermine Dominica’s national football program, pointing to gaps in preparation infrastructure and systematic player development.

    “We’re dealing with amateur football players, technically aren’t good enough, physically not good enough, and I almost feel like I’ve been sent into a gunfight with a teaspoon, to be honest,” he said. “But I hold my hands up, and I take the blame for that.”

    The lopsided defeat has left Dominica in a precarious position in League B of the CONCACAF Nations League. The team will need to pick up maximum possible points in its remaining fixtures to climb out of the relegation zone and avoid dropping to a lower division in the next tournament cycle.

    Despite the heavy loss, Herd emphasized that the squad must extract critical lessons from the result and mount a strong response in upcoming matches. He also reaffirmed that as head coach, he is ready to bear the criticism that comes with poor results, a responsibility he says comes with the role.

    “We have to recognise the challenges facing the group,” he said, adding that as coach, “I’m always the face of it as the coach, so it’s me that takes the brunt of it, and rightly so.”

    Herd also addressed the unexpected absence of key starting forward Troy Jules from the match squad, revealing that Jules informed him the night before kickoff that he would refuse to represent Dominica for as long as Herd holds the head coach position, due to a professional disagreement between the two.

    “Unfortunately, Troy, just a difference of professional opinion,” Herd explained. “Troy last night made himself unavailable, said that he no longer wanted to represent the national team under my tenure, which is fine, I respect that.”

    Jules was subsequently removed from the match squad, with Herd stressing that the roster change was not rooted in personal conflict. “Not anything personal, Troy’s a great guy, but certainly a difference of professional opinion,” he said.

    Dominica will now enter a months-long break from international play before turning its focus to the November 2026 international match window. That will be the squad’s next opportunity to collect critical points and keep its League B campaign and hopes of avoiding relegation alive.

  • CCJ to sit in Saint Lucia for the first time

    CCJ to sit in Saint Lucia for the first time

    For the first time since its founding 21 years ago, the Trinidad-headquartered Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) will bring its travelling judicial proceedings to the Caribbean island nation of Saint Lucia. The landmark sitting, scheduled for Tuesday, October 7 and Wednesday, October 8, 2026, will also serve as the official opening of the CCJ’s 2026/2027 judicial year, marking a new milestone in regional judicial access.

    Travelling sittings are a longstanding outreach initiative of the CCJ, designed to bring court proceedings directly to member states that are party to the Agreement Establishing the Caribbean Court of Justice. Prior to this historic Saint Lucia visit, the court had held these on-location sessions in four other regional nations: Barbados, Belize, Guyana, and Jamaica. Saint Lucia’s invitation to host follows the country’s 2023 accession to the CCJ’s Appellate Jurisdiction, making it the fifth member state of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) to join the court’s appellate jurisdiction framework.

    The core mission of the CCJ’s regional travelling program is to demystify the judicial process for Caribbean citizens by giving them firsthand opportunity to observe the court’s work in action. Aligned with the court’s institutional goal of delivering “accessible, efficient and substantive justice for the people and states of the Caribbean Community”, the programme delivers both practical and community-focused benefits. Beyond public education, on-location sittings cut down on travel expenses for legal representatives and litigants who would otherwise need to travel to the court’s base to participate in proceedings.

    CCJ President Justice Winston Anderson emphasized the program’s role in rooting the regional court in Caribbean community life. “These sittings enable the people of the region to see us, interact with us, and realise that we are in fact their kith and kin, and part and parcel of the fabric of their society,” Anderson explained in an official statement from the court.

    During the 2026 Saint Lucia sitting, the full seven-member CCJ bench will convene to hear three separate appeals originating from Saint Lucia, Guyana, and Belize respectively, and will also deliver final rulings on two additional pending matters from Belize. For those unable to attend the proceedings in person, the CCJ will make a live stream of the sittings available to the public via its official website, social media channels, and its public YouTube page. Full details of the case schedule and hearing information are already posted in the Schedule of Court Sittings section of the CCJ website for public reference.

    In addition to judicial proceedings, the court’s leadership will carry out a series of formal courtesy meetings with Saint Lucia’s top government and judicial leaders during their visit. Scheduled calls include meetings with Acting Governor-General Felix Finisterre, Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre, Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court Chief Justice Margaret Price Findlay, Attorney General Leslie Vincent Mondesir, and Leader of the Opposition Allen Chastanet.

  • SLBMC Pharmacy Now Open 24 Hours a Day

    SLBMC Pharmacy Now Open 24 Hours a Day

    Starting October 4, a major shift in pharmaceutical access has launched at Antigua and Barbuda’s flagship public health facility, the Sir Lester Bird Medical Centre, with the rollout of a full 24-hour, seven-day-a-week pharmacy service.

    Prior to this change, patients and local residents faced widespread inconvenience when needing prescription fills outside of standard business hours, especially for emergency care cases. Patients discharged from the hospital’s Emergency Department after midnight, or residents who developed unexpected medication needs when private and community pharmacies were closed, often had to wait hours to get their required prescriptions filled, creating unnecessary health risks.

    This expanded service eliminates that gap. Unlike many hospital-restricted pharmacy programs, the new round-the-clock service is not exclusive to patients receiving inpatient or outpatient care at the Sir Lester Bird Medical Centre. Any member of the general public can bring a valid prescription issued by a licensed external healthcare provider to have it filled at the facility’s pharmacy.

    Hospital administrators note that the core goal of this initiative is to build a reliable, always-available supply chain for critical medications that meets the public’s needs at any time of day or night. The pharmacy is conveniently located on the medical centre’s second floor, just steps from the main reception desk, to help first-time visitors quickly locate the service.

    For a small island community that previously lacked overnight pharmaceutical options, the rollout marks a meaningful upgrade to local public health infrastructure, addressing a long-unmet need for after-hours prescription access.

  • PM Browne Targets January 2027 Occupancy for Booby Alley’s Pelican Court

    PM Browne Targets January 2027 Occupancy for Booby Alley’s Pelican Court

    Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne has officially announced a January 2027 occupancy target for Pelican Court, a transformative 150-unit housing development built to replace the former informal Booby Alley community. Speaking during the latest episode of the *Browne and Browne Show* on Saturday, Browne confirmed that construction and pre-handover preparations are proceeding on schedule, with the official handover of the completed site slated for January 2026, one year ahead of the planned move-in date for eligible residents.

  • Cricket West Indies and SUPERFAN launch new official West Indies Cricket Fanwear collection

    Cricket West Indies and SUPERFAN launch new official West Indies Cricket Fanwear collection

    On Monday, 4 October 2026, Cricket West Indies (CWI) announced a landmark new licensing partnership with Caribbean-founded fashion brand SUPERFAN to launch the first officially licensed SUPERFAN x West Indies Cricket fan apparel collection. The collaboration marks a fresh reimagining of traditional cricket merchandise, blending the region’s rich cricketing heritage with contemporary Caribbean fashion to create versatile clothing for everyday life, not just match days.

    Founded by Nicolette Leacock, a Trinidad and Tobago-based entrepreneur and designer who previously built the successful Caribbean Carnival and lifestyle brand MRCH, SUPERFAN was built on a simple, powerful mission: to reimagine fan culture apparel through a distinctly Caribbean lens. Leacock, a lifelong cricket fan, developed the brand after recognizing a gap for fanwear that aligned with the style and daily needs of a new generation of West Indies supporters, moving beyond the bulky, match-only merchandise that has long dominated the market.

    For Leacock, West Indies Cricket is far more than a sport—it is a unifying cultural force that binds together communities across every island in the region. “Growing up, I saw firsthand how West Indies Cricket brings us together. It is one of the few things that makes us set aside our individual island identities and stand together as West Indian,” Leacock explained in a statement accompanying the launch. “West Indies Cricket has an incredibly rich visual history and unmatched cultural significance across the region and the global Caribbean diaspora. I created SUPERFAN to craft pieces that let fans carry that identity with them every day, not just when they are heading to a stadium or watching a tournament.”

    The partnership also advances CWI’s ongoing push to make West Indies Cricket more accessible and connect with new and younger audiences around the world, a priority that has already shaped initiatives like the successful WI OUTSIDE! campaign during the 2026 International Home Series. That campaign introduced fan-friendly reforms including “Ladies FREE” entry on select match days and permanent free entry for children, designed to open the sport up to broader community participation.

    CWI CEO Chris Dehring echoed the shared vision for the collaboration, noting that West Indies Cricket has always carried cultural meaning that extends far beyond the boundary rope. “We have long worked to create more diverse, accessible ways for people to connect with what the West Indies identity stands for,” Dehring said. “This partnership with SUPERFAN builds on that work by creating fanwear that breaks out of the traditional cricket merchandise mold. It is designed to resonate with anyone who feels connected to Caribbean culture, Caribbean style, and the West Indies spirit, whether or not they are regular match attendees.”

    Drawing direct inspiration from the iconic visual history of West Indies Cricket and classic mid-century Caribbean sporting aesthetics, the debut collection reinterprets these heritage motifs through a modern, wearable design lens. The full range includes everyday apparel, headwear, and accessories that fit seamlessly into the daily wardrobes of supporters, rather than being reserved only for match day. The line launches globally on 4 October 2026, exclusively through SUPERFAN’s official e-commerce site at shopsuperfan.com.

    This collaboration forms part of CWI’s broader strategy to expand fan engagement beyond the stadium, creating new touchpoints for supporters and new fans to connect with the West Indies brand. By merging sport, fashion, cultural heritage, and Caribbean identity, the partnership aims to resonate not only with die-hard long-time cricket fans but also with people across the globe who feel connected to Caribbean culture outside of traditional cricket audiences. As the brand’s tagline puts it: the collection is “Made for the stadium & beyond.”

  • Twintig personen geëerd met Maroon Legacy-Wi Rutu Award

    Twintig personen geëerd met Maroon Legacy-Wi Rutu Award

    Suriname’s Department of Regional Development has celebrated the contributions of Maroon communities to national society by honoring 20 outstanding individuals of Maroon descent with the inaugural Maroon Legacy-Wi Rutu Award. The recognition ceremony marked the conclusion of a series of events held for Maroon Legacy Month, a new national commemorative initiative launched earlier in October.

    The award program spotlights individuals who have demonstrated long-term commitment to advancing Maroon communities and broader Surinamese society across a diverse range of sectors. Honorees work in fields spanning music, visual arts, cultural preservation, mining, fashion and beauty, education, governance, and law. Among the distinguished recipients is former Surinamese vice president and prominent public figure Ronnie Brunswijk, who was unable to attend the award ceremony held on the final day of the accompanying Maroon Trade Fair. Assembly member Ronny Asabina, who received an award for his own contributions to the community, accepted Brunswijk’s honor on his behalf, confirming he will deliver the award personally during a scheduled meeting with Brunswijk the same day.

    Leo Atomang, chair of the Stichting 10 oktober 1760 foundation, was the first honoree to receive his award during the public ceremony. Not all 20 recipients were able to attend the event in person. Leading Surinamese visual artist Marcel Pinas, popular musician Prince Koloni, and academic Ine Apapoe were among those absent. Apapoe made history in September 2026 as the first Surinamese scholar appointed to the prestigious Prince Claus Chair in Equality and Development at Utrecht University in the Netherlands, where her research focuses on inclusive governance and tribal community rights.

    The commemorative Maroon Legacy Month was officially launched by the Department of Regional Development on a Friday earlier in October at the Congress Hall in Paramaribo. Following the launch, a two-day Maroon Trade Fair was organized at Roelie’s Event Venue in Wanica District, giving Maroon entrepreneurs and artisans a platform to showcase, promote, and sell their handcrafted goods, local products, and professional services to attendees. Event organizers reported strong sales throughout the fair, marking the event as a commercial and cultural success for participating community members.

    The Maroon people of Suriname are descendants of enslaved West Africans who escaped colonial plantations starting in the 17th century, establishing independent communities in the country’s interior. The creation of Maroon Legacy Month and the Maroon Legacy-Wi Rutu Award marks a growing formal recognition of the Maroon community’s unique cultural heritage and decades of contributions to national social, economic, and political development in Suriname.

  • OPINION: Bad-Faith Legislation: Write Law. Tick the Box. Keep Secret.

    OPINION: Bad-Faith Legislation: Write Law. Tick the Box. Keep Secret.

    A prominent Caribbean advocacy organization, ASPIRE, has issued a scathing open letter to a local editor, calling out widespread bad-faith lawmaking on social justice issues across the region that leaves vulnerable communities without the protections governments promise.

    In the letter, the group outlines a familiar, harmful pattern that leaders across the region have relied on for decades: governments draft social justice legislation to meet obligations outlined in international conventions they have ratified, check a box to demonstrate compliance to global observers, and then intentionally hide the new law from the public and the institutions that would put it into practice. No meaningful outreach to educate relevant stakeholders, no active implementation, and no effort to enforce the protections the law was written to deliver.

    ASPIRE argues that these laws do not serve the Caribbean people they are supposed to protect. Instead, they function as a thin veneer of progressive modernity, allowing regional governments to maintain a progressive international image while leaving deeply ingrained harmful cultural norms — including misogyny, patriarchal control, and narrow parochial exclusion of marginalized groups — entirely unchallenged. This pattern holds across nearly every major social justice issue, from gender equality and anti-domestic violence policy to adolescent healthcare access and equal inclusion for LGBTQI+ communities, the group says.

    To back its claim, ASPIRE points to a decades-old law that perfectly illustrates the bad-faith dynamic. Back in 1984, the country became the second in the Caribbean to amend its Age of Majority Bill, enshrining a provision that allows teenagers aged 16 and older to access sexual and reproductive healthcare without requiring parental consent. The change was designed to fix a glaring legal contradiction: 16-year-olds were legally allowed to consent to sex, but could not access contraception or related reproductive care without a parent’s approval, a gap that put vulnerable youth at unnecessary health risk. The provision is publicly recorded in Section 13 of the country’s Age of Majority Act, Cap 11, a matter of public record available via the government’s own official legislation website.

    Yet 40 years after the law was passed, not a single healthcare worker ASPIRE has spoken with is aware of the legal right it grants teenagers. Instead, frontline nurses still routinely turn away 16 and 17-year-old patients seeking reproductive care, ordering them to come back with a parent. Health education tutors do not know the provision exists, family life education teachers are equally clueless, mainstream women’s advocacy organizations have no knowledge of the law, parents are shocked to hear of their children’s existing rights, and even the national Ministry of Health remains oblivious to the provisions of its own government’s legislation.

    According to ASPIRE, this failure is not a one-off oversight or accidental administrative error. It is a repeating pattern that underpins nearly all regional social justice legislation. The organization says the bottom line is clear: these laws are never written to address actual harm facing local Caribbean communities. They are written solely to create an illusion of progress to satisfy international observers, while leaving the same inequitable social conditions that the laws were supposed to fix fully intact. Vulnerable citizens who need legal protection continue to be failed by a system that prioritizes global reputation over local public good.

  • Regering wil zich beter wapenen tegen olie-incidenten

    Regering wil zich beter wapenen tegen olie-incidenten

    Suriname’s government has outlined a series of policy priorities for its growing offshore oil and gas sector, centered on upgrading disaster preparedness for potential oil spill incidents and tightening environmental safeguards in its 2027 national financial plan.

    Released on October 5, the plan lays out the government’s broader agenda for the upcoming year, overseen by the country’s Ministry of Oil, Gas and Environment. This government body carries dual responsibilities: regulating and monitoring the nation’s oil and gas extraction activities, while also leading work on environmental protection, climate action and sustainable development.

    A top priority flagged in the document is strengthening readiness to respond to unexpected oil-related incidents, as the country continues to expand its offshore oil development. To support this goal, the government plans to boost institutional capacity across the sector and upskill workers in both the oil and gas industry and environmental management agencies, building a more robust foundation to handle the rapid growth of offshore projects. Beyond disaster preparedness, the plan mandates tighter safety, environmental and quality standards for the sector, alongside more rigorous regulatory oversight to enforce these rules.

    However, the fiscal plan does not include key details about the disaster preparedness initiative: it does not outline specific measures to be implemented, disclose the total budget allocated to the program, or clarify the division of response responsibilities across government agencies in the event of a major incident.
    Alongside advancing oil sector development, the government is also pushing to speed up Suriname’s energy transition. The plan allocates resources to new research into renewable energy sources, and sets a goal of expanding international partnerships and attracting foreign investment to support both energy transition and sustainable resource development.

    On the environmental front, the plan lays out core priorities including sustainable management of chemicals, water resources and industrial waste, climate change mitigation, and biodiversity conservation. It also includes provisions for the rehabilitation of ecosystems degraded by past industrial activity. Through clearer regulatory standards and stricter enforcement of environmental rules, the government says it aims to preserve and strengthen Suriname’s standing as a High Forest Low Deforestation nation, protecting its vast intact forest ecosystems while developing its natural resource reserves.

  • Nations League 2026 : Haiti loses [2-0] to Costa Rica, but Qualifies for the quarter-finals (video)

    Nations League 2026 : Haiti loses [2-0] to Costa Rica, but Qualifies for the quarter-finals (video)

    The 2026/2027 CONCACAF Nations League group stage wrapped up its final matchday on October 4, 2026, with a high-stakes second-leg clash between Haiti’s men’s national team, the Grenadiers, and Costa Rica’s Ticos at San Juan’s iconic Ricardo Saprissa Aymá Stadium. Fresh off a 2-0 home defeat to Haiti in the first leg, Costa Rica seized the chance for revenge on their home turf, walking away with a 2-0 win that handed Haiti their first defeat in four group stage matches. However, the loss did not derail Haiti’s campaign, as the Caribbean side held on to second place in Group A of League A and secured a spot in the tournament’s upcoming quarterfinals.

    Under the leadership of Spanish head coach David Badia, three key changes were made to the starting eleven that beat Costa Rica in the first leg. Josué Duverger of Germany’s FC Cosmos Koblenz stepped in as goalkeeper, while Duke Lacroix (Colorado Springs Switchbacks, USA) and Jean-Kévin Duverne (Omonia Nicosia, Greece) also earned starting spots. Badia retained his preferred 4-2-3-1 formation for the critical away fixture, with the full starting lineup consisting of: GK Josué Duverger, defender Carlens Arcus (captain), defender Hannes Delcroix, defender Carl-Fred Sainté, winger Fabrice “Fafà” Picault, forward Louicius Deedson, midfielder Duke Lacroix, midfielder Ruben Providence, forward Jean-Jacques Danley, forward Wilson Isidor, and defender Jean-Kévin Duverne. Four second-half substitutions were made to inject fresh energy into the side: J. Bellegarde replaced Sainté, Y. Fortuné replaced Picault, D. Jean replaced Providence, K. Quetant replaced Deedson, and F. Pierrot came on for Isidor late in the match.

    From the opening kickoff, Costa Rica’s high pressing and aggressive physicality caught Haiti off guard, and the hosts broke the deadlock just six minutes into the contest. Striker Carlos Mora found space unmarked inside the 18-yard box and fired an unstoppable shot past Duverger to put the Ticos up 1-0. The hosts doubled their advantage 15 minutes later, when Andrey Soto hit a powerful left-footed strike that found the back of the net, putting Costa Rica up 2-0 before halftime. Haiti never recovered from the early setbacks, struggling to string together their usual possession-based passing game and create meaningful scoring chances in the final third. Against a well-drilled Costa Rican side that dominated aerial duels and closed down passing lanes efficiently, the Grenadiers were unable to find gaps to mount a comeback, and the 2-0 score held through the final whistle.

    Despite the disappointing performance and result, Haiti’s strong form across the first three group stage matches was enough to secure progression. Under Badia’s direction, the Grenadiers recorded three consecutive wins before this fixture: a 3-2 opening victory over Trinidad & Tobago’s Soca Warriors, the 2-0 first-leg win over Costa Rica, and a dominant 4-1 defeat of the Dominican Republic. Those results left Haiti with 9 points from four matches, tied on points with the Dominican Republic but holding a superior tiebreaker to lock in second place in the five-team group. Group leaders Curaçao finished top of the table with 10 points from three wins and one draw, while Costa Rica finished fourth with 6 points, and Trinidad & Tobago ended at the bottom of the standings with zero points.

    Haiti will now advance to the CONCACAF Nations League quarterfinals, scheduled to take place across the November 9-17, 2026 match window. The tournament’s final phase will kick off in March 2027, with all participating quarterfinal teams also securing qualification to the 2027 CONCACAF Gold Cup. For Haiti, the quarterfinal berth marks a successful group stage campaign, and the side will now turn its focus to preparing for the next round as it chases a spot in the tournament final.