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  • Sir Hilary Beckles joins colleagues in mourning death of Sir Aziz Hadeed

    Sir Hilary Beckles joins colleagues in mourning death of Sir Aziz Hadeed

    The wider community of the University of the West Indies (UWI) is mourning the loss of Sir Aziz Hadeed, KCMG, CBE — a prominent Antigua and Barbuda-based businessman, public servant, and lifelong education advocate — with top regional leaders and university colleagues sharing tributes to his decades of service and transformative impact.

    In separate official statements released by UWI Five Islands Campus and the central Office of the UWI Vice-Chancellor, leaders outlined the profound legacy Sir Aziz leaves behind, particularly through his unwavering commitment to expanding educational access across the Caribbean region and driving national and regional development.

    A well-respected figure across public and private spheres, Sir Aziz held multiple senior public roles throughout his career: he served as a former Independent Senator, a former Cabinet Minister, and Dean of the Diplomatic Corps for Antigua and Barbuda. When UWI Five Islands Campus was formally established in August 2019, Sir Aziz was selected as the campus’ very first Council Chairman. He won reappointment for a second term in 2024 and held the leadership position up until his passing.

    Throughout his tenure, Sir Aziz steered the young campus through some of its most critical formative moments. His leadership guided the institution through its 2019 official launch, the unprecedented operational disruptions brought on by the global COVID-19 pandemic, and the negotiation of a landmark $80 million development partnership with the Saudi Fund for Development, secured in 2023.

    Under his strategic governance, the campus achieved explosive growth: student enrollment has surged from just 173 students in its inaugural academic year to more than 1,400 enrolled students today. Sir Aziz remained actively engaged in campus leadership up to his final days, chairing the March 2026 Council meeting themed “Building Beyond Borders.”

    UWI Vice-Chancellor Hilary Beckles highlighted that even in the relatively short time Sir Aziz led the campus council, he emerged as one of the university system’s most passionate and effective advocates across the Caribbean. “Within the short time span of graduation cycles, Sir Aziz Hadeed secured a reputation as a solid and passionate champion of The UWI’s mandate in Antigua and Barbuda, and beyond,” Beckles said in his statement.

    Beckles added that Sir Aziz moved quickly to lay strong, sustainable operational foundations for the Five Islands Campus Council, bringing clear strategic direction to all governance decisions and actions for the growing institution. Beyond his professional contributions, Beckles emphasized that university leadership held deep personal respect for Sir Aziz’s values and character.

    “Pro Vice-Chancellor and Campus Principal, Professor C. Justin Robinson, and I came to respect and celebrate him as a lover of education who relished in the academic development of the youth. We admired his commitment to social justice and his passion for philanthropy. His impact on the University culture was considerable. We all benefited from his wisdom and friendship. We shall miss his mind and his calming manner,” Beckles noted.

    On behalf of the entire UWI system, Beckles extended sincere condolences to Sir Aziz’s family, friends, and colleagues, noting that the Caribbean region will continue to honor his transformative contributions and enduring legacy. “Together we shall celebrate the outstanding contributions of his life. May his soul rest in peace,” he said.

  • San Pedro Hospital Delayed but “No Failure Here”

    San Pedro Hospital Delayed but “No Failure Here”

    A major public healthcare infrastructure project in Belize’s San Pedro Town is grappling with unforeseen setbacks, pushing completion back more than a year and stretching costs far past the original budget, according to local authorities. But despite the challenges, the project is moving forward, with officials emphasizing the long-term value of the facility for the island community.

    Slated to become the second-largest hospital in Belize—only trailing the national Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital in size—the 37,000-square-foot facility is funded by a development grant from Taiwan (Republic of China) and built by Taiwan-based contractor Overseas Engineering Construction Company (OECC), a firm that has previously delivered public works projects including road upgrades in the Sarteneja region of Belize.

    Local area representative Andre Perez told reporters that the project has deviated sharply from its initial timeline, which originally targeted completion between December 2025 and January 2026. Today, due to widespread labor shortages across San Pedro’s booming construction sector, the projected opening has been pushed back to early 2027.

    “The labour force has been hard to get, and we all know that the construction industry here in San Pedro is booming,” Perez explained, noting that competition for skilled and unskilled construction workers has driven daily wages for the project’s crew far above $100, a expense that was not included in the original budget projections.

    Labor shortages are not the only strain on the project’s finances. Global market volatility tied to ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East has sent prices for core construction inputs—including cement, steel, aggregate materials and fuel—soaring far higher than forecasts made when the project was first planned. These combined pressures have already pushed total costs past the original $33 million grant allocation.

    Perez pushed back against circulating claims that the project has accumulated a $15 million overrun, calling that estimate exaggerated, and noted that officials have not yet settled on a final updated total cost. Negotiations over additional funding are currently ongoing between the government of Belize and the Taiwanese grant partners, he added.

    Rejecting claims that the delays and cost increases represent a failure of project management or contracting, Perez stressed that nearly all headwinds facing the project stem from global and local economic factors outside the control of any involved party. “There’s no failure here,” he said.

    Perez reaffirmed that construction never halted and will continue through to full completion, with no plans to scale back the scope of the facility. A visit from Taiwan’s ambassador to Belize to inspect the construction site is scheduled for June 2026, to review progress and discuss ongoing funding arrangements.

  • Bolivia versoepelt regels noodtoestand te midden van aanhoudende onrust

    Bolivia versoepelt regels noodtoestand te midden van aanhoudende onrust

    LA PAZ, BOLIVIA – In a move that reshapes the executive branch’s emergency powers amid ongoing nationwide unrest, Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz has formally revoked a law that previously set strict parameters and limits on the declaration of national states of emergency. Official government gazette confirmed the revocation on Wednesday, a change that streamlines the process for the Paz administration to enact emergency measures when facing public instability.

  • World Food Programme donates technology equipment to strengthen social services systems in Dominica

    World Food Programme donates technology equipment to strengthen social services systems in Dominica

    In a marked step forward for digital transformation of social services on the Caribbean island, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has officially handed over a critical shipment of technological equipment to Dominica’s Ministry of Health, Wellness and Social Services. The donation, delivered during a formal ceremony held at the ministry’s conference room and attended by representatives from the government, WFP, and local beneficiary agencies, is designed to upgrade the country’s social protection infrastructure and data management capabilities.

    The core allocation of devices, earmarked to support the government’s newly launched Social Welfare Information Management System (SWIMS), includes 12 desktop computers, one laptop, and three tablets. Beyond the national ministry’s allocation, an additional 22 tablets and two desktop computers have been distributed to village councils across the island through a coordinated effort between the Information System Support Unit (ISSU) and the Office of Disaster Management (ODM).

    Ayisha Richards, WFP Programme Assistant at the organization’s Caribbean Multi-Country Office Dominica Satellite Office, framed the donation as part of a sustained commitment to boosting Dominica’s capacity to serve vulnerable communities and respond to crises. “Together, these contributions support a broader goal: building stronger, more responsive, and shock-ready systems to better serve communities across Dominica,” Richards said. “WFP is proud to stand with the Government in this effort, and we look forward to continuing our collaboration to strengthen resilience and improve lives. This handover reflects our continued commitment to supporting Dominica in strengthening digital social protection systems and empowering institutions both on the national and community levels.”

    Local technology officials echoed that sentiment, emphasizing how digital upgrades will improve transparency and operational speed at the local level. Austin Lazarus, a computer analyst with the ISSU, noted that the new devices will complement existing digital tools already rolling out across village governance, including the Payment Conversion and Accounting System (PCAS), a platform that digitizes payment receipt tracking for local councils. “We have been supporting the councils through the PCAS primarily, which is basically a system that allows digital conversion of receipt of payment, which has been very impactful to the councils as well as the ministry and auditing,” Lazarus explained. “So with the use of the tablets, the councils will definitely be more enhanced and more efficient in their reporting, et cetera. So we’re very much grateful for this donation and ISSU is very much in partnership and in support of this movement.”

    Permanent Secretary Kyra Paul explained that the new equipment fills a critical gap as the ministry works to modernize its social services administration through the SWIMS platform. “Most recently, we have developed what we call the SWIMS, which is the Social Welfare Information Management System, a tool that will help with improvements and enhancements to our service delivery, introducing innovation and digital technology into the management and administration of our programs under the Social Services Department,” Paul noted. “Obviously, these pieces of equipment will help us in expanding our digital infrastructure. And of course, it’s an opportune time to demonstrate the kind of partnership that we’ve established with the ISSU Computer Center, under the Ministry of Finance, and with the ODM.”

    Paul also highlighted the joint development of another critical digital tool, the DECHA form, a consolidated multi-stakeholder data collection instrument created to capture accurate information on households and individuals affected by natural disasters and other emergencies. The tool was successfully piloted during a recent weather event, Paul confirmed, proving that coordinated data collection improves targeted service delivery for communities in crisis. “Fortunately, with the support of WFP as well, we were able to develop the DECHA form, which is a consolidated multi-stakeholder data collection tool to collect information on households and affected individuals post shock,” Paul said. “We were able to pilot the DECHA during the recent trough and it demonstrates that when we pull resources together for data collection, the targeting of services can improve and it can be more effective because it actually meets the specific needs of our clients.”

    Honourable Dr. Cassandra Williams, Minister of State in the Ministry of Health, Wellness and Social Services, formally thanked WFP for its longstanding partnership with Dominica’s social sector. “We thank you so much on behalf of the Ministry of Health, Wellness and Social Services for your partnership. You’ve been a partner to the Government of Dominica. You’ve helped us in so many ways and you have stuck with us and we are very grateful for that,” Williams said. She emphasized that upgrading tools for frontline social workers and welfare officers directly translates to better outcomes for vulnerable families: “When we strengthen the tools and systems used by our social workers and welfare officers, we strengthen our ability to reach families faster, respond more efficiently, and provide care with greater dignity and effectiveness.”

    The ministry reaffirmed its commitment to continuing collaborative work with WFP and other international development partners to expand and refine Dominica’s social protection systems and public services for all residents.

  • CARICOM Condemns US Actions on Cuba

    CARICOM Condemns US Actions on Cuba

    On May 27, 2026, the Caribbean Community’s Council for Foreign and Community Relations (COFCOR) delivered a forceful rebuke of the United States’ recent tightening of economic and trade sanctions against Cuba, marking a major show of regional pushback against Washington’s long-standing policy toward the island nation.

    In an official statement released following the body’s latest deliberations, COFCOR emphasized that the 60-year U.S. embargo on Cuba has already inflicted widespread, sustained harm to Cuban households and local livelihoods across the country. The newly expanded restrictions, which include disruptions to Cuban fuel imports, have now pushed the country into a full-blown humanitarian emergency, the council argued. COFCOR reaffirmed Cuba’s sovereign right to import critical energy resources, and labeled the U.S. obstruction of these supplies as an unjustifiable violation of both fundamental human rights and the principles of free global trade.

    Beyond the economic and humanitarian impacts, regional leaders also sounded a urgent alarm about recent public discourse hinting at potential U.S. military action against Cuba. The council stressed that any act of military aggression targeting the island would send shockwaves through the entire Caribbean region, unraveling years of collaborative work to maintain the Caribbean’s status as an internationally recognized Zone of Peace. “Cuba poses no threat to any nation,” the statement reiterated, pushing back against narratives framing the country as a security risk to other hemispheric powers.

    Notably, the declaration did not receive unanimous backing from all 15 CARICOM member states. While the vast majority of bloc members endorsed the critical statement, two nations — Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago — chose to reserve their official positions on the text, revealing a small degree of internal division within the regional bloc over how to address tensions between the U.S. and Cuba.

    The rebuke comes as diplomatic friction over Cuba policy has reignited in the Caribbean, where many regional governments have long opposed the U.S. embargo as a violation of international law and a barrier to regional economic integration. COFCOR’s statement adds to growing global pressure on the United States to reconsider its long-standing sanctions regime, which has drawn repeated criticism from international bodies for its disproportionate impact on civilian populations.

  • Antiguan Janice Nix found guilty of Killing 5-year-old girl in London back in 1978

    Antiguan Janice Nix found guilty of Killing 5-year-old girl in London back in 1978

    Almost half a century after a 5-year-old girl’s death was officially recorded as an accident, a London jury has delivered a landmark guilty verdict against her stepmother, who forced the child into a scalding hot bath as punishment in 1978.

    Sixty-seven-year-old Janice Nix was found guilty of manslaughter on Tuesday, closing a cold case that stretched across 48 years. The killing took place in the family’s home in Thornton Heath, south London, where Andrea Bernard suffered third-degree burns covering 50% of her small body and ultimately died in hospital weeks after the brutal attack.

    The breakthrough that cracked this decades-old mystery came in 2022, when Andrea’s older brother, Desmond Bernard, reached out to investigators to share a new, unredacted account of what unfolded inside their family home. Desmond told the court that he had previously corroborated the false story of a tragic accident because he lived in constant fear of further abuse at the hands of Nix, who had terrorized him for years.

    During his testimony, Desmond recounted the sequence of events that led to his sister’s death. He told jurors that Nix flew into a violent rage after Andrea defied her order to stay home and assist with cleaning the house. Not long after the confrontation, he heard the sound of running water, followed by Andrea’s terrified sobs as she cried that the bath water was far too hot. Moments later, screams echoed through the entire house.

    When Desmond rushed into the bathroom, he told the court he found Andrea limp and unresponsive in Nix’s arms, her skin already peeling away from her burned body. He also detailed the years of abuse he endured himself at Nix’s hands, including regular beatings, burns, and repeated cruel punishments that he was forced to hide from the outside world.

    Medical experts who testified during the trial confirmed that the pattern of Andrea’s injuries matched the claim that she had been forcibly held in extremely hot water. They noted that a child would instinctively fight to escape scalding water, resulting in the specific pattern of burns Andrea suffered, contradicting the original claim that the injury was accidental.

    Throughout the trial, Nix consistently denied the charges against her, which included both manslaughter and child cruelty. She did, however, admit that she lied under oath during the original 1978 inquest, when she claimed Andrea had bathed alone and collapsed after accidentally running the water too hot. Nix claimed during the trial that she had panicked after the incident and lied because she had failed to properly supervise Andrea, but the jury rejected this explanation.

    Nix was ultimately taken into custody in February 2025, when she was arrested at London’s Heathrow Airport after disembarking a flight from Antigua, where she had been living in recent years. Prosecutors emphasized after the verdict that this conviction would never have been possible without Desmond Bernard’s decision to finally come forward and tell the truth more than four decades after his sister’s death, ending a long wait for justice for Andrea.

  • Teen with pregnant girlfriend crushed while collecting garbage

    Teen with pregnant girlfriend crushed while collecting garbage

    A devastating and unusual workplace accident has cut short the life of a 19-year-old aspiring new parent in Kelly Village, Caroni, leaving a tight-knit community reeling from shock and grief. On Tuesday night, Dishun Joseph, a sanitation worker and resident of Claxton Bay, lost his life after being crushed under the wheels of a working garbage truck he had been assigned to. Joseph’s death leaves behind not only heartbroken relatives and friends, but also his four-month-pregnant girlfriend, who is now preparing to welcome their child without him.

    Authorities have confirmed the fatal incident unfolded at approximately 9:15 p.m. on May 26, as Joseph carried out his routine collection duties alongside the truck operated by his employing sanitation company. Crucial CCTV footage from the scene has helped investigators piece together the sequence of events that led to the tragedy. The recording shows the truck moving in reverse along the local roadway when Joseph leaped from the still-moving vehicle, running a short distance to collect a stray garbage bag left at the curb. Within seconds, the truck made contact with the teenager, pulling him under its chassis and inflicting fatal injuries.

    In the immediate aftermath of the accident, Joseph’s family reported receiving inconsistent, conflicting accounts of how their loved one died, prompting them to publicly push for full transparency from the company and local authorities. That call for clarity was answered when investigators shared the CCTV footage with family members, resolving confusion around the circumstances of the tragedy.

    News of Joseph’s sudden passing has triggered a wave of shared sorrow across the region, with those closest to him remembering the young man as a hard worker committed to building a stable life for his expanding family. Investigations into the accident remain ongoing, led by officers from the Caroni Police Station under the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service. Law enforcement sources have confirmed that the truck’s driver could ultimately face criminal charges connected to the fatal workplace incident.

  • Canadian Woman Accused of Importing EC$536K in Cannabis Has Charges Dropped on Medical Grounds

    Canadian Woman Accused of Importing EC$536K in Cannabis Has Charges Dropped on Medical Grounds

    In a surprising development from Antigua’s V.C. Bird International Airport, all drug trafficking charges against a Canadian woman caught with 67 pounds of cannabis have been formally withdrawn by legal authorities, with the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) citing unspecified medical factors as the core reason for the decision. The case, which drew attention due to the unusually large seizure of controlled substance, has come to an abrupt end following the DPP’s formal instruction to prosecuting teams to discontinue all legal action against the defendant, identified only as Crisostomo.

    Crisostomo had arrived at the Caribbean island’s main international gateway on an Air Canada flight originating from Toronto, and had previously signaled her intent to enter a guilty plea to the charges brought against her. Given the substantial volume of cannabis recovered by law enforcement, legal officials had initially scheduled the matter for expedited committal proceedings, designed to move high-stakes drug cases quickly through the court system.

    Law enforcement estimates placed the total street value of the seized cannabis at approximately 536,000 Eastern Caribbean dollars, marking one of the larger drug seizures processed through the airport’s customs and policing units in recent months. No additional details about the specific medical circumstances that prompted the DPP’s decision have been released to the public, leaving court observers and local law enforcement stakeholders with little additional context for the abrupt end to the prosecution.

  • Saint Lucia sees strongest cruise season in years

    Saint Lucia sees strongest cruise season in years

    Saint Lucia’s just-concluded 2025/26 cruise tourism season has emerged as the strongest performing period for the island’s cruise sector since the global COVID-19 pandemic brought international travel to a standstill, with visitor arrivals now nearly matching pre-pandemic record levels, industry officials confirmed this week.

    Presenting data at a cross-stakeholder sectoral review meeting held May 26 at the Harbor Club in Gros Islet — an event co-hosted by the Saint Lucia Department of Tourism, Saint Lucia Tourism Authority (SLTA), and Saint Lucia Cruise Port that brought together representatives from customs, tour operators, port management, taxi associations, and public health agencies — Javan Lewis, SLTA’s Business Intelligence Manager, shared that the season recorded a total of 673,700 cruise passenger arrivals. This marked an 8% year-over-year increase from the 2024/25 season, and only a 0.5% gap from the all-time arrival record set in the 2018/19 pre-pandemic season.

    Notably, the growth in passenger numbers came despite a relatively small increase in total ship calls this season. The island welcomed 280 cruise vessel calls, just two more than the previous season, representing a 1% year-over-year rise. When compared to the 2018/19 peak, total ship calls are still down 11%. Lewis explained that this disparity between ship call growth and passenger growth is largely due to the trend toward larger cruise vessels that carry far more passengers per trip than older models. “We’re seeing growth in arrivals despite fewer calls,” he noted.

    This steady recovery of cruise passenger volumes to near pre-pandemic levels has been hailed as a particularly encouraging milestone for Saint Lucia’s tourism-dependent economy, supporting thousands of local jobs across connected sectors from street vendors and hospitality workers to taxi operators and tour guides. Initial pilot survey data collected by SLTA offers a detailed profile of this season’s cruise visitors: 42% hail from the United States, making it the largest source market, followed by the United Kingdom which accounts for 31% of arrivals. The average cruise passenger is 52.7 years old, and 70% of this season’s cruise visitors identified as female. More than 63% of passengers opted for independent self-guided exploration of the island during their shore stop, and overall visitor satisfaction hit an impressive 95%: 96% of respondents praised Saint Lucia’s local cuisine, 94% expressed satisfaction with guided tour offerings, and 95% rated their shopping experiences positively.

    In terms of economic impact, the 2025/26 season generated an estimated US$48.7 million (equal to roughly EC$131 million) in direct onshore spending, with the average passenger spending exactly US$80 during their time on the island. Most cruise visitors stay on shore for just one to six hours, a pattern that Lewis says points to a key area for future improvement: developing more high-quality, short-duration experiences located close to the cruise port to better cater to the needs of day-tripping passengers.

    Lance Arnold, General Manager of Saint Lucia Cruise Ports, framed the review gathering as a practical working session rather than a purely ceremonial discussion, urging stakeholders to embrace constructive criticism to drive progress. “It is through being uncomfortable that we can enact change. If we are comfortable, we will not change,” he told attendees. Donalyn Vittet, Permanent Secretary in Saint Lucia’s Department of Tourism, echoed this focus on actionable solutions, emphasizing that the goal of the meeting was not just to identify sector challenges but to develop concrete plans to address them moving forward. “We are here to solve problems, not just to call them out,” Vittet said. “But I want in a big way going forward for us to put concrete means to solve them.”

  • Wanted man now in police custody

    Wanted man now in police custody

    A man who had been flagged by police as a wanted suspect connected to severe criminal allegations is no longer at large, after turning himself in to authorities over the weekend. Shane Anthony Greene became the target of an official police wanted notice distributed to the public on Saturday, as law enforcement launched a push to locate and question him in relation to a series of serious criminal matters. The situation took a swift turn the very next day, when Greene presented himself at the Oistins Police Station. He was not alone during the surrender: a practicing attorney-at-law accompanied him to the station to support his voluntary handover to police. As of the latest updates, the suspect remains in police custody and is actively cooperating with investigators, who are continuing their work to untangle the details of the criminal case he is linked to.