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  • Marvin: Don’t go public

    Marvin: Don’t go public

    The People’s National Movement (PNM), Trinidad and Tobago’s long-standing 70-year-old political party, has drawn a firm line against public airing of internal factional disputes, after one of its sitting Members of Parliament went public with unaddressed concerns over irregularities in his home constituency.

    Marvin Gonzales, chairman of the PNM, issued a formal public warning this week that the national party leadership will refuse to engage in open, public back-and-forth exchanges over internal conflicts between party members. The statement came in direct response to public complaints posted to Facebook by Brian Manning, the PNM MP for the San Fernando East constituency, who outlined a series of unaddressed grievances about local party operations that he said had not been resolved through internal channels.

    At the core of Manning’s criticisms is overlapping leadership held by Patricia Alexis, who serves simultaneously as San Fernando East constituency chairman, the PNM’s assistant national general secretary, a San Fernando East delegate to the party’s General Council, and a sitting member of the party’s national Central Executive. Manning said rank-and-file constituency members have raised concerns that this combination of senior roles at both the local and national level could undermine impartial decision-making when constituency issues are reviewed at the national party level.

    Manning also questioned the outcome of a recent constituency executive election, noting that an unpublicized vacant position was filled by a candidate little-known to long-standing constituency members who reportedly has close personal ties to Alexis. Local members have characterized this appointment process as non-transparent and inconsistent with the PNM’s written constitution, according to Manning. The MP further added that many constituency members have grown increasingly uneasy over the unexplained affluence of some sitting members of the local constituency executive, a concern he brought to the national party’s attention.

    Contrary to Manning’s claims that the party had failed to address his complaints, Gonzales outlined the steps the national leadership has already taken to resolve the dispute internally. He confirmed that back in July 2026, after receiving formal correspondence from both Manning and Alexis, the PNM General Council convened an independent inquiry team with clearly defined, pre-approved Terms of Reference to investigate all raised issues related to the San Fernando East constituency.

    The inquiry has already concluded its evidence gathering phase: the appointed team met separately with both Manning and Alexis, accepted formal statements and testimony from the pair and their respective witnesses, and ultimately submitted a full written report with detailed findings and actionable recommendations to the party leadership. That report has already been reviewed by the PNM’s Central Executive and full General Council, Gonzales said, and implementation of the report’s recommendations is already underway, with the internal resolution process ongoing.

    Gonzales emphasized that the PNM, as a democratic political movement with seven decades of service to Trinidad and Tobago, has long navigated internal disagreements between members. He noted that tensions between parliamentary representatives and local constituency executives are not uncommon, particularly in the period immediately following internal constituency elections.

    Rejecting calls for public adjudication of the dispute, Gonzales argued that open public exchanges of accusations and counter-accusations do nothing to resolve the underlying challenges facing the San Fernando East constituency. “They risk prejudicing the process, damaging individual reputations and undermining the very institutions upon which all members must ultimately rely,” he cautioned. He called on all party members to respect the PNM’s constitution and internal processes, and refrain from publicly debating matters that are already under formal review by the General Council.

    “For seven decades, our strength as a movement, has rested on respect for the Party’s structure and processes, on allowing all parties to be heard and on recognising that our institution must remain stronger than any individual disagreement,” Gonzales said. He gave a formal assurance that the national party leadership and General Council remain fully committed to working collaboratively with Manning, Alexis, and all San Fernando East constituency members to reach a fair, lasting resolution to the current dispute.

    “The Party will not be drawn into publicly adjudicating allegations concerning individual members while that work continues,” Gonzales reaffirmed. He added that the PNM has endured for 70 years because generations of members have understood that the organization as a whole is bigger than any individual or any single disagreement, and that every member serves as a temporary steward of the party’s larger mission. While differences of opinion and strongly held beliefs are inevitable, Gonzales said all members bear a responsibility to resolve disputes through fair, disciplined process that upholds mutual respect for fellow members and the party itself. “The Leadership of the People’s National Movement remains committed to doing exactly that,” he concluded.

  • Cudjoe defends East Indian acts at event

    Cudjoe defends East Indian acts at event

    Amid public and political backlash over the decision to integrate East Indian performance acts into the University of Trinidad and Tobago’s 2024 African Emancipation Day celebration series, the institution’s top governing leader has remained firm in his choice, announcing the inclusive programming model will return for next year’s event.

    Speaking to journalists on Tuesday following the funeral service of celebrated Trinidadian artist and author Willi Chen, held at the Pro-Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in San Fernando, Executive Chairman of UTT’s Board of Governors Professor Selwyn Cudjoe laid out his unwavering stance on the controversial programming choice. In the lead-up to this year’s national African Emancipation Day observances, UTT staged its sold-out signature event *Uhuru: Celebrating Freedom* at Port of Spain’s National Academy for the Performing Arts. The lineup featured established African Caribbean performers including Patrice Inglesbirth, the Onilu Brothers, Dr Edward Cumberbatch and Nkosi Waldron, alongside East Indian music and dance pieces presented by the Shiv Sangeet School of Music and choreographer Susan Mohip. The mixed lineup quickly drew criticism from opposition political figures and social media users, who pushed back against centering non-African traditions in an event dedicated to commemorating the end of chattel slavery.

    Cudjoe pushed back against this criticism, noting that inclusive framing of Emancipation programming is not a new or unprecedented concept. Instead of focusing solely on the historical divides between Trinidad and Tobago’s two largest descendant groups, Cudjoe argued that the country’s shared histories of exploitation demand recognition of overlapping struggles. “There were similarities in Indian indentureship and slavery,” he explained. “Indians had to get permission to leave the estates, blacks had to do the same thing. So, we had many similarities and we said how we going to have a celebration of Emancipation, we wanted to bring in both the parties.” Cudjoe questioned what harm could come from centering collective struggle in the pre-Emancipation celebration, emphasizing that the core goal of the event was to highlight shared experience: “What we want to do, to say that we had similar experiences, and if you’re going to overcome, we got to do it together. So that’s what we were trying to do.” Dismissing the backlash as “propaganda nonsense,” Cudjoe reaffirmed that the inclusive format would return in 2025, challenging critics to outline a concrete harm from the programming. “This nonsense about you got to stay apart and I don’t like you…” he said, rejecting calls for racial segregation in public cultural programming. He pushed back against debates over which community suffered greater trauma, noting that both systems of forced labor inflicted profound intergenerational harm that extended far beyond physical violence: “Working together does not take away the competitive pain; who get more pain, was slavery worse than indentureship, who cares? They were very both bad against the mind…The problem of slavery is not what it did to your backs and the scars, it’s what it did your mind.” The core mission of a university, Cudjoe added, is to educate, liberate, and expand public consciousness, a mandate that prioritizes bridging divides over enforcing separation.

    Beyond the Emancipation Day controversy, Cudjoe also shared his perspective on two major current policy issues facing Trinidad and Tobago: proposed new data centre development and ongoing public sector wage negotiations. On the topic of data centres, Cudjoe argued that the country cannot cling to outdated economic or social models to avoid progress, noting that all large-scale development carries both benefits and risks. While acknowledging legitimate concerns about potential environmental harm from the projects, he called for a balanced assessment that prioritizes national interest: “There are strengths and balances and there are weaknesses… we need to balance of the good and the bad, and see how we can arrive at something that is best for the country…You can’t want progress without ploughing the field.” On the demand for a 10% wage increase for public workers, Cudjoe noted that while worker demands are legitimate, any final agreement is constrained by government fiscal capacity. He expressed confidence that negotiators will reach an amicable resolution, whether through direct cash payments or structured bond agreements, emphasizing that the current administration is negotiating in good faith despite limited public coffers: “A million demands can be made but unless the Government has the money, you have to wait and see how best they can distribute what they have for you… I think that the Government is acting in its best faith but the money is not there.”

  • PM mum on top cop’s leave

    PM mum on top cop’s leave

    A cloud of uncertainty has hung over Trinidad and Tobago’s national security establishment this week after Police Commissioner Allister Guevarro took unannounced emergency leave to travel outside the country, with senior government officials refusing to disclose the specific circumstances behind his sudden departure.

    Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, who also serves as chair of the country’s National Security Council (NSC), reaffirmed on yesterday that classified national security interests would prevent any public release of details surrounding Guevarro’s trip. The Prime Minister confirmed that the top law enforcement official completed all required administrative protocols before leaving the jurisdiction, adding that she received full briefings both ahead of his departure and following his return to the country.

    Guevarro himself broke his silence on the matter earlier this week with a publicly released audio statement, offering a high-level explanation for his absence without revealing sensitive details. He stated that the trip was prompted by undisclosed information received on August 10 from the director of the Strategic Services Agency (SSA) and the head of the Special Branch. Following this intelligence, Guevarro submitted an application for five days of emergency leave to Homeland Security Minister Roger Alexander, who approved the request. The commissioner added that official documentation of his leave was properly forwarded to the Police Service Commission (PolSC) as required by regulation.

    The opposition has raised sharp questions about Guevarro’s sudden absence, specifically criticizing the failure to appoint an acting commissioner of police to fill the role during his time out of the country. Guevarro pushed back against these claims in his audio message, rejecting assertions that his unplanned leave created a leadership crisis within the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS). He clarified that the appointment of an acting commissioner falls outside the mandate of the TTPS or the sitting commissioner, noting that the process is legally defined and managed by relevant statutory bodies.

    After returning to Trinidad and Tobago, Guevarro completed required debriefings with both the NSC chair and the Homeland Security Minister, and has since declined to answer any additional questions about the trip, directing all further enquiries to the two senior officials. Both Persad-Bissessar and Alexander have refused to comment on the triggering circumstances of the leave, while PolSC chairman Dr Wendell Wallace has not responded to repeated attempts by reporters to reach him for comment since Sunday.

    To clarify the legal framework governing acting appointments for the police commissioner post, the process is laid out explicitly in Section 123 of Trinidad and Tobago’s Constitution. Unlike routine administrative roles, the TTPS cannot automatically appoint an interim commissioner when the substantive holder leaves the country. Instead, the PolSC holds the constitutional authority to nominate a candidate for acting commissioner or deputy commissioner. Under subsection 3 of Section 123, the PolSC must forward the nominated name to the President of Trinidad and Tobago, after which the President issues an official notification of the nomination. This notification must then receive approval via an affirmative resolution from the House of Representatives before the acting appointment can go into effect.

    This formal process was followed most recently in October 2025, when Guevarro traveled to Denver, Colorado, to attend the International Association of Chiefs of Police Annual Conference and Exposition. For that scheduled five-day trip, the PolSC nominated Deputy Commissioner Junior Benjamin to serve as acting commissioner, with Assistant Commissioner Curt Simon nominated to act as deputy commissioner in Benjamin’s place. The President’s notification of the nominations was tabled in the House of Representatives on October 10, and parliament ultimately approved both acting appointments, with government MPs explicitly noting the appointments were necessary to cover Guevarro’s authorized travel.

    Currently, the House of Representatives is in scheduled recess and is not set to reconvene until September, creating a procedural gap that would prevent the approval of any acting appointment even if the PolSC moved forward with a nomination. This context has deepened opposition questions over why the emergency leave proceeded without prior arrangements for interim leadership, even as government and law enforcement officials continue to cite national security confidentiality to avoid releasing details of the trip.

  • ‘The Express never forgets’: Bassant, Kissoon win CBU awards

    ‘The Express never forgets’: Bassant, Kissoon win CBU awards

    Georgetown, Guyana – At the 37th annual Caribbean Broadcasting Union (CBU) Media Awards held Wednesday night, two veteran journalists from Trinidad and Tobago’s Express newspaper claimed top regional honors, while two additional reporters from parent company CCN earned special recognition for impactful work across public interest and children’s rights beats.

    Senior multimedia investigative journalist Mark Bassant took home the award for Best Print Item for his deeply reported exposé *The $440 Million LifeSport Rip-Off*, published by the Express. Bassant, a longtime correspondent for CCN TV6 who has built his career on unpacking public corruption, organized crime and other underreported issues of public concern, also earned a special mention for his televised investigative series *LifeSport Secrets Revealed*, which aired on CCN TV6. Both works probe the long-controversial $440 million LifeSport program, reigniting public and official scrutiny of one of the region’s highest-profile public spending scandals.

    This latest win marks Bassant’s 10th CBU Media Award, capping a decades-long decorated regional journalism career that has also seen the reporter face intimidation and threats for his unflinching investigative work. For Bassant, this recognition carries unique personal weight: he dedicated the two honors to his mother, who passed away in February of this year.

    “This one was very special to me because I dedicate that win to my mother who passed earlier this year in February. When I was working on this piece, we spoke briefly in November of last year, when her health was a little bit better then. I really wanted to dedicate that tenth CBU award to my mother’s memory,” Bassant said in comments after the ceremony.
    Bassant explained he returned to the LifeSport story years after initial reporting because core questions about the program’s mismanagement, alleged ties to gang figures and use of non-existent “ghost” companies remained unanswered. “There’s always room to find out more. I realised there was more to this story rather than just what we saw on the surface. If something has not been revealed 20 years later, it still becomes a story, and one that turned out to be quite powerful,” he said. The investigation required painstaking review of a 72-page official document to structure findings accessible to general readers.
    In the wake of his win, Bassant emphasized the urgent need for expanded investigative journalism across the Caribbean, framing the work as a core function of the press as a fourth estate. “Investigative journalism, more so than normal news, is needed in this region. We need more investigative journalists across the region to come out and be there to expose things, to shine a light on things that people need to know about. We definitely have to hold those persons or government or businesses accountable,” he added.

    The second Express journalist to claim a CBU award was Carolyn Kissoon, head of the outlet’s South Bureau, who won Best Item on a Children’s Rights Issue – sponsored by the UNICEF Eastern Caribbean Area Office – for her feature *Mariah’s Painful Life and Brutal Death*. The report investigates the short life and tragic death of 12-year-old Mariah Seenath, who was found dead in September 2025 after she went missing while walking a familiar bush path from her home in Friendship Village, Ste Madeleine, to her grandmother’s residence.

    Kissoon said the child’s death hit her personally, driving her to investigate the systemic failures that preceded Mariah’s death. “This bothered me terribly. There were too many unanswered questions, and too few people who seemed to care to get the answers,” she said. She returned multiple times to the community, conducting interviews with Mariah’s family, school officials and local residents to piece together the full context of her life. The reporting exposed devastating systemic and personal hardship: Mariah lived in severe poverty, missed school regularly because she could not afford taxi fare, went extended periods without adequate food, and faced repeated allegations of domestic abuse. The story also raised critical questions about the failure of social protection authorities to intervene to protect the child.
    For Kissoon, the award is a bittersweet honor. “Truthfully, I would give up this award if it meant Mariah never having to suffer this way. It is far more bitter a feeling than a sense of accomplishment,” she said.
    Alongside the two category wins, two additional CCN journalists earned special mentions for their work. Khamarie Rodriguez, a past CBU award winner, received recognition in the Best Investigative Item category for her piece *The AI Revolution and Elections*, which examines the intersection of artificial intelligence and regional democratic processes. Rodriguez expressed gratitude for the recognition at a time of widespread industry pressure. “As journalists, we face challenges both within and outside of our newsrooms every day that can very easily overwhelm. It is encouraging that amid those vast challenges, the CBU has set aside the time and resources to give a nod to the exceptional work being done by dedicated reporters,” she said, celebrating her fellow winners’ work.
    Broadcast journalist Cindy Raghubar-Teekersingh of CCN TV6, also a past CBU award recipient, earned a special mention in the Best Item on a Children’s Rights Issue category for her reporting on the need for accessible youth vacation programs. Raghubar-Teekersingh called the regional recognition “an absolute honour,” noting “I dedicate myself to every story with an open mind, keen attention to detail and compassion, so to have my work acknowledged at the regional level for highlighting children’s rights issues is deeply rewarding.” She added that journalism has a unique power to “move audiences, drive meaningful change, and inspire future policies.”
    CCN multimedia editor Richard Charan said the collection of honors reaffirms the enduring value of truth-centered, public-facing journalism across the region. “There are still journalists who, on behalf of our readers, will go out there and find the truth, without distortion, without lies and without a slant. These awards are a reminder that good journalism still matters,” Charan said. “They are a reminder that there are journalists willing to do the hard work, ask the difficult questions, and hold people and institutions to account. And most importantly, they are a reminder to everyone, that the Express never forgets.”
    Hosted during the CBU’s Annual General Assembly at Georgetown’s Hyatt Regency, the 2025 37th CBU Media Awards recognized excellence across all segments of Caribbean media, with 92 total winners honored across 56 categories spanning print, digital, television, radio and photography. The 2025 awards were held under the theme “Caribbean Media and AI,” reflecting the region’s growing conversation about technological transformation in journalism. By the end of the ceremony, Barbados emerged as the top-performing country with 15 category wins and eight special mentions, while Trinidad and Tobago secured six category wins and nine special mentions overall.

  • Nevis’ Teadrian Tross Returns from Goodwill Swimming Championships with Bronze Medal

    Nevis’ Teadrian Tross Returns from Goodwill Swimming Championships with Bronze Medal

    On a warm August day in 2026, crowds of local sports officials and proud family members gathered at Nevis’ Oualie Water Taxi Facility to welcome home a young athlete who made history for his small Caribbean nation. Twelve-year-old Teadrian Tross of Nevis returned from the 30th Goodwill Swimming Championships hosted in Couva, Trinidad and Tobago, with a bronze medal — the only medal earned by the St. Kitts and Nevis Aquatics Federation in the federation’s first ever appearance at the regional competitive event.

    Tross secured his third-place finish in the Boys 11–12 50m Freestyle race on August 15, the second day of the multi-day competition, when he clocked a new personal best time of 27.40 seconds. The achievement marked a milestone not just for Tross, but for the entire St. Kitts and Nevis aquatics community, which is still building its presence in regional competitive swimming.

    Ajaye Newton, Nevis’ Director of Sports, was among the group that greeted the young medalist on his return. In remarks following the homecoming, Newton shared that Tross’ winning performance did not come as a surprise, pointing to the young swimmer’s consistent dedication and strong results throughout his developing athletic career. Newton emphasized that both the island of Nevis and the entire Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis celebrate Tross’ hard-won accomplishment.

    “He’s going to grow from bound to bound and leap to leap. This bronze medal, I feel, is just a glimpse of what’s to come from Teadrian. He’s an exceptional ambassador and he does well every time he’s away. He went out and represented well and made all of us proud, so congratulations!” Newton said, correcting an earlier misstatement that referenced a gold medal.

    Newton also extended congratulations to Tross’ parents, Mackie and Fayola Tross, noting that their unwavering support and ongoing investment in their son’s athletic training have been foundational to his growth and early success. Tross echoed that sentiment, sharing that he pushed himself to achieve a strong result to honor the sacrifice and encouragement his family has given him.

    “To go to Trinidad and not do something big, it would just be a trip. To help them feel special for all the time they spend on me, I put out my best and came back with a medal,” Tross said.

    Beyond Tross’ historic bronze win, the entire six-member Team SKN turned in impressive performances at the championships, with every swimmer on the roster shaving time off their previous personal best records. The team’s roster also included Nevis’ Jazelle Connor, who competed in the Girls 15–17 division; Gaj Leonce and Rhaejaan Jacobs, who raced in the Boys 9–10 category; and Valentino Esposito and Saulo Sahely, who joined Tross in the Boys 11–12 division. For a federation making its debut at the regional event, the collective improvement across all team members signals a promising future for competitive swimming in St. Kitts and Nevis.

  • Jogi: AML-Taskforcevoorzitter krijgt SRD 100.000 per maand

    Jogi: AML-Taskforcevoorzitter krijgt SRD 100.000 per maand

    A Surinamese parliamentarian has sparked public debate by calling on the government to clarify unusually high monthly compensation packages for members of newly established state committees and special units, including a presidential anti-money laundering task force. Mahinder Jogi, a member of the National Assembly from the VHP party, raised the question during a plenary session Thursday, questioning the staggering pay increases compared to similar anti-money laundering bodies formed in previous years. At the center of the controversy is the Anti-Money Laundering Task Force (AML-TF), created by a presidential decree signed by President Jennifer Simons on August 10, 2026. According to the official text of the decree, the task force chair, Jennifer van Dijk-Silos, will receive a monthly expense stipend of 100,000 Surinamese dollars (SRD), with each of the four other appointed task force members earning 80,000 SRD per month. The pay scale, which far outpaces compensation for past comparable roles, has drawn sharp scrutiny from opposition and ruling coalition lawmakers alike. Jogi pointed out that just a few years ago, officials serving on similar anti-money laundering commissions and working groups received between 10,000 SRD and 15,000 SRD per month, a fraction of the current stipends. He recalled that even decades ago, public controversy erupted over far lower compensation packages for a former prosecutor general who led an earlier anti-money laundering unit, leaving many wondering why the dramatic increase is justified today. The newly formed task force will operate from July 1, 2026 through December 31, 2027, with an option for extension, and falls directly under the Office of the President in her role as chair of the national Anti-Money Laundering Steering Council. Its core mandate is to prevent Suriname from being added to international anti-money laundering blacklists. The South American nation is currently in an enhanced international monitoring process for its anti-money laundering, counter-terrorism financing and counter-proliferation frameworks, and must demonstrate measurable progress on technical compliance, enforcement effectiveness, and institutional implementation to avoid punitive blacklisting. In addition to the chair and four members, the decree also sets pay for support staff: a secretary earns 65,000 SRD per month, and two administrative support staff each receive 55,000 SRD monthly. Technical advisors, if added, would also earn 80,000 SRD per month under separate contracts. All operational costs, including stipends, are charged to the national budget of the Ministry of Finance and Planning. The total fixed monthly payroll for the task force’s core team already comes to 595,000 SRD, not including any additional costs for technical advisors that may be hired. The AML-TF’s responsibilities include cataloging all outstanding regulatory obligations, reviewing existing and draft anti-money laundering legislation, identifying gaps in current implementation, developing a national action roadmap, reporting bottlenecks directly to the president, and publishing regular progress updates. The task force is granted broad authority to request information directly from government departments, semi-public agencies, state-owned enterprises, and private sector business associations, though access to confidential or legally restricted information requires explicit presidential approval. The decree also imposes strict controls on external communication: all substantive media statements from the task force must first be reviewed and approved by the president. Jogi has formally asked Finance and Planning Minister Adelien Wijnerman to provide full detailed information on the compensation scheme to the National Assembly, to answer the core question of whether a new presidential unit is indeed paying its members five to 10 times more than equivalent prior bodies. VHP parliamentary leader Asis Gajadien has echoed Jogi’s request, noting that he has also been shocked by reports of inflated stipends for multiple new state committees. Gajadien pointed out that many similar commissions previously received less than 25,000 SRD per month total, yet today individual members are receiving more than 75,000 SRD per month with no corresponding increase in the scope or difficulty of their assigned duties. Beyond transparency for the AML-TF, Gajadien is demanding the government release a full public overview of all active anti-money laundering bodies and committees operating under Suriname’s existing legal framework, including details on which bodies are currently operational, which new bodies have been added in recent months, and what compensation each serving member receives.

  • LETTER: Concern Raised Over Nurse Shortages at Antigua and Barbuda Community Clinics

    LETTER: Concern Raised Over Nurse Shortages at Antigua and Barbuda Community Clinics

    A concerned citizen from Antigua and Barbuda has sounded the alarm over a deeply flawed management failure that has left community clinics across the country grappling with crippling nurse shortages, despite a recent high-profile initiative to recruit 100 nursing professionals from Ghana to address the crisis.

    The whistleblower, who shared their experience in an open letter to the editor, recounts being turned away from their local community clinic for the third time due to an absence of available nursing staff, forcing them to seek care at an alternate facility. Determined to test whether this was a one-off occurrence, the citizen conducted an independent on-the-ground survey of five community clinics spread across the island, and what they found paints a troubling picture of systemic mismanagement.

    Across all five facilities, critical understaffing remains the norm. Patients are regularly turned away for basic care or forced to travel long distances to access services, and nearly all clinics only operate during narrow standard working hours, from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM, limiting access for working residents. The most glaring contradiction uncovered by the investigation centers on the 100 newly recruited Ghanaian nurses: despite being brought in specifically to solve the existing staffing shortage, none have been deployed to fill the empty shifts at local clinics.

    According to information obtained by the citizen, the hold-up stems from a basic logistical failure: the government has failed to arrange transportation for the new recruits to travel to and from their assigned clinic locations, even for nurses who live within close proximity of their posts. This explanation has sparked outrage over unfair treatment of local nursing staff, who have long been required to cover their own commuting costs and arrangements without any government-provided transport support.

    The citizen has outlined three urgent questions that demand a public response from national healthcare administrators and Health Minister Michael Joseph. First, why was critical transportation infrastructure not arranged and finalized before the recruited nurses arrived in the country? Second, is official transport provided to local nursing staff, or is this special privilege reserved exclusively for foreign recruits, creating a two-tier system that puts additional burden on locally employed nurses? Third, how are public healthcare funds being managed when a costly investment in international recruited staff is left idle, while community clinics continue to turn away patients due to empty positions?

    The open letter emphasizes that recruiting international healthcare workers to strengthen the national health system represents a major public investment. But without sorting out basic logistical support ahead of time, and by creating unfair double standards between foreign and local nursing personnel, the initiative has done nothing to improve care for waiting citizens or ease the workload on overstretched local staff. The citizen is calling on Minister Joseph to immediately address this administrative bottleneck, enforce equal treatment for all nursing staff regardless of origin, and get the newly recruited nurses into understaffed community clinics so that facilities can deliver the basic care that Antigua and Barbuda residents depend on.

  • Jermaine Jarvis Wins Big in Flow’s Riddim Hour Pop the Balloon Challenge

    Jermaine Jarvis Wins Big in Flow’s Riddim Hour Pop the Balloon Challenge

    In an exciting display of luck and quick reflexes that captivated listeners across the region, Jermaine Jarvis has walked away as the big winner of Flow’s highly anticipated Riddim Hour Pop the Balloon Challenge. The interactive on-air contest, a signature segment of the popular Riddim Hour programming block hosted by Flow, has drawn thousands of participants since its launch, combining musical entertainment with the thrill of a high-stakes game for fans of all backgrounds.

    The challenge, which has become a weekly favorite for radio audiences, works by inviting registered listeners to call in during the designated Riddim Hour slot, where they must correctly identify a snippet of a popular reggae or dancehall riddim before moving on to the main event: popping a virtual balloon to reveal their prize. Jarvis, a long-time fan of the program who has entered the contest multiple times over the past six months, earned his spot in the final draw after correctly identifying a classic 90s dancehall riddim that stumped three other callers before him.

    When he popped his balloon, the grand prize was revealed: a cash reward of $10,000, a year of free mobile service from Flow, and a brand-new home entertainment system worth an additional $2,000. In an interview immediately after his win, an elated Jarvis shared that he had been listening to Riddim Hour every week with his coworkers during their lunch break, and never expected that his persistence would pay off in such a big way.

    Flow’s marketing team has announced that the Riddim Hour Pop the Balloon Challenge will continue through the end of the year, with new prizes added each month to keep the competition fresh for returning and first-time participants. Industry observers note that the interactive contest has been a major success for Flow, boosting listener engagement and growing the brand’s connection with local music communities across the Caribbean. The company has already hinted that future editions of the challenge could include even larger grand prizes as it seeks to maintain its position as a leading supporter of regional riddim and dancehall culture.

  • Antigua and Barbuda’s Population grew, Dominica’s population shrank in recent years

    Antigua and Barbuda’s Population grew, Dominica’s population shrank in recent years

    Population growth trajectories act as a silent foundational force shaping the long-term trajectory of every national economy, dictating critical metrics from future labor force size to the scale of consumer demand, and the required capacity of core public assets including housing, educational institutions, and government services. Broadly speaking, consistent population expansion and sustained population contraction pull economic development in fundamentally opposing directions, creating vastly different policy priorities for nations on each end of the spectrum. In 2023, the most recent year for which the United Nations has released population estimates, the 15-member Caribbean Community (CARICOM) blocs displayed this divide in stark terms, with member states scattered across every point of the population growth spectrum. At the upper end of the growth ranking, Belize recorded the bloc’s fastest annual population increase at 1.5%, with Suriname and The Bahamas joining it in the group of CARICOM nations still experiencing positive population growth. On the opposite side of the divide, three CARICOM members registered outright total population decline in 2023: Dominica, Montserrat, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines, with annual contraction rates ranging between 0.5% and 0.7%. Jamaica and Barbados fell between these two extremes, posting effectively zero net population change for the year. All population shifts can be traced back to two core driving factors: the balance of births versus deaths, and the balance of immigration versus emigration. Jamaica offers a clear illustration of the demographic squeeze hitting many CARICOM nations: while the number of births still exceeded the number of deaths in 2023, high levels of net emigration completely offset this natural increase, leaving the total population unchanged. St. Vincent and the Grenadines posted the highest net emigration rate across the entire CARICOM region in 2023. For Dominica and Montserrat, the demographic shift is even more advanced: natural population change has already turned negative, with annual deaths outnumbering births, and ongoing emigration compounds this annual population loss. For a growing number of CARICOM member states, the long-held assumption that population will automatically grow to expand the domestic labor pool and consumer base can no longer be taken for granted, forcing policymakers to reimagine long-term economic planning around new demographic realities.

  • Díaz-Canel Visits New Headquarters of ISDi and the Science and Technology Interface Society of CUJAE

    Díaz-Canel Visits New Headquarters of ISDi and the Science and Technology Interface Society of CUJAE

    On a Thursday morning in late August, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, who also serves as First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba, carried out an official working visit to two key institutions in Havana’s coastal Playa municipality: the future permanent headquarters of the Higher Institute of Design (ISDI) at the University of Havana, and CETA S.A., a university-linked science and technology interface enterprise attached to Havana’s José Antonio Echeverría Technological University.

    During his first stop at the historic Art Deco building, steps from the Caribbean Sea, Díaz-Canel was greeted by ISDI Dean Dr. Sergio Luis Peña Martínez, who walked the president through the extensive renovation work completed to transform the space into Cuba’s new flagship hub for design education. After touring the light-filled, multi-purpose open-concept facilities, which are being finalized ahead of the new academic year, Díaz-Canel encouraged the institute’s community to infuse the new campus with their own creative vision and energy. He predicted the space would ultimately become both architecturally striking and deeply functional for emerging Cuban designers. To add student perspective and buy-in to the final stages of the project, Díaz-Canel proposed inviting recent ISDI graduates to contribute to refining and finishing the campus ahead of the first cohort of students moving in.

    Speaking to reporters after the presidential tour, Dean Peña emphasized the significance of the project, noting that after years of planning and work, Cuba’s leading design program will finally have a purpose-built, permanent home. Even amid the country’s ongoing economic challenges, Peña explained that coordinated resources, collective effort and national commitment have made the renovation possible. He stressed that a high-quality design education cannot thrive in a substandard space: “You can’t learn to make beautiful and useful things in a space that isn’t beautiful, that doesn’t have, as its philosophy or focus, the concept of being a well-conceived space.” The dean added that the renovated campus delivers major gains in operational coherence, educational quality, and intentional design, framing the project as a deliberate investment to deliver the design school that Cuban students, and the Cuban design sector, deserve.

    A state construction ministry-led team has overseen the renovation work, with multiple contracted crews contributing to the project. While final finishing touches are still ongoing, Peña confirmed that the institute plans to welcome students for in-person classes in some completed spaces when the new semester begins in September, with additional facilities including design labs and performance spaces opening in phases as work wraps up. The four-year degree program at ISDI will eventually accommodate roughly 500 design students on the new campus, and Peña shared his belief that students are the core of the university’s mission. For this reason, the institute plans to involve current and recent students in the final stages of campus development, to ensure the space meets the needs of the community it serves. At the close of his visit, Díaz-Canel expressed sincere satisfaction with the progress of the project, with his warm farewell embrace of Dean Peña reflecting widespread optimism about the institute’s future in its new home.

    Following his tour of the ISDI campus, Díaz-Canel traveled to the second stop on his itinerary: CETA S.A., the science and technology interface society that connects Cuban universities to the country’s productive and service sectors. Meeting with the company’s leadership, the president urged CETA’s directors to leverage the full range of new powers granted to private and semi-independent enterprises under Cuba’s ongoing economic reforms.

    Founded in August 2020, CETA S.A. operates as a critical two-way bridge between academic research and industry: it transfers science and innovation outcomes developed at Cuban universities to domestic businesses, while bringing real-world industry challenges back to university research teams to address. CETA President Danae Pigueiras Otero outlined the company’s progress for the president, noting that the firm has achieved solid organizational consolidation and made major advances in engineering, architecture, international partnership building, and export activity in its first six years of operation.

    Pigueiras emphasized that CETA has a central role to play in Cuba’s ongoing national economic transformation, not only as an enterprise subject to these reforms, but as a key partner that can help the entire productive sector implement changes effectively and deliver tangible benefits to Cuban businesses. She identified export growth as one of CETA’s top strategic priorities, noting that expanding non-traditional exports is a critical national goal that the company is prioritizing through intentional, targeted work.

    CETA’s core partnership network currently includes interface societies in nearly every Cuban province and all of the country’s major universities, along with the Cuban Chamber of Commerce, which provides critical support for enterprise activity. Pigueiras noted that Cuban universities are the foundation of CETA’s mission, and the company has built robust in-house capabilities through intentional, efficient management. Its core value proposition lies in integrating academic scientific expertise to solve pressing practical challenges faced by Cuban companies. Looking ahead, Pigueiras framed Cuba’s ongoing economic and social transformations as a major opportunity for CETA to position itself as a trusted ally for the productive sector as it adapts to new policy frameworks and market conditions.