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  • Bus Operators: ‘This is not a price increase. This is just a price alignment.’

    Bus Operators: ‘This is not a price increase. This is just a price alignment.’

    In a late-breaking development out of Belize’s public transit sector, the Belize Bus Association (BBA) has walked back its planned full suspension of all bus services starting Monday, following a lengthy negotiating session with national Minister of Transport Dr. Louis Zabaneh that concluded on Thursday. While commuters across the country can enjoy a temporary reprieve from potential widespread transit disruptions, the reprieve is only temporary, and the future of public bus fares and service remains hanging in the balance ahead of an upcoming Cabinet meeting next Tuesday.

    During the talks, BBA President Phillip Jones outlined to the minister the core grievances driving the association’s industrial action threat, which extend beyond the industry’s ongoing struggles with spiking fuel costs to an existing inequity in regulated fare structures across the country’s transit sector. Currently, the state-run National Bus Company (NBC) is permitted to charge 19 cents per mile for service, while all independent private bus operators that make up the BBA have their fares legally capped at just 14 cents per mile. This gap, Jones argues, creates an unfair playing field for non-state operators, and the association is only calling for “price alignment” rather than an arbitrary fare hike.

    According to Jones, Minister Zabaneh acknowledged the validity of the association’s concerns and agreed to carry the BBA’s full proposal, which includes a formal request for fare adjustment, to the upcoming Cabinet meeting for deliberation and approval. “It was a long meeting. We discussed some issues that were affecting us besides the hike in fuel,” Jones told local outlet News Five in a post-meeting interview. “The minister requested time because Cabinet would be meeting on Tuesday and he will need the support from Cabinet to assist us.”

    In a show of good faith amid the ongoing negotiations, the BBA has agreed to hold off on any planned industrial action while the association awaits the final outcome of the Cabinet vote. The result of next week’s meeting will ultimately determine whether bus services continue running without interruption or the country faces a full shutdown of public bus transit. Commuters across Belize are now watching closely as the national government weighs the competing priorities of affordable transit for working residents and fair operating conditions for bus operators.

  • Martinique can now become a CARICOM Associate member

    Martinique can now become a CARICOM Associate member

    On Friday, April 17, 2026, the French Embassy announced that France has finalized all domestic legislative steps to clear the path for Martinique and other French Caribbean territories to obtain associate membership in the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).

    The final green light came after France’s National Assembly voted on April 16 to approve the agreement to accede to CARICOM’s Protocol on Privileges and Immunities. This legislative milestone comes three months after the French Senate passed the measure in January 2026, allowing the full national authorization process to wrap up within the planned tight timeline. France’s top diplomats for Europe and foreign affairs, Jean-Noël Barrot, and minister for overseas territories Naïma Moutchou jointly welcomed the National Assembly’s approval.

    Under the terms of a 2025 agreement signed in Bridgetown, Barbados, the Territorial Collectivity of Martinique will become an associate member of CARICOM, and the approval also opens the door for other French territorial collectivities in the Antilles-Guyana region — which include Guadeloupe, French Saint Martin, and French Guiana — to pursue the same associate member status.

    Diplomatic sources noted that navigating this membership process required careful alignment of three separate legal frameworks: French domestic law, European Union regulations, and CARICOM’s own internal rules. The French state has provided full backing to Martinique throughout this complex legal negotiation and approval process.

    With all domestic hurdles cleared, the agreement now unlocks tangible benefits for the participating territories. Once admitted, associate members will gain the right to participate in the work of CARICOM and its specialized agencies, access full, up-to-date information on regional policy and economic developments, and expand their operational capacity to address shared challenges in their immediate geographic neighborhood. This new participation will complement the existing engagement that French overseas communities already maintain in other regional Caribbean bodies, including the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) and the Association of Caribbean States (ACS).

    The CARICOM accession push forms a core part of France’s long-term strategic policy focused on deepening regional integration for its overseas territories. That policy objective was first formally laid out at the 2023 Interministerial Committee for Overseas Territories (CIOM), and was reaffirmed at the 2025 CIOM meeting, with the overarching goal of boosting the economic growth, climate and economic resilience, and regional influence of France’s American overseas holdings.

    The French Embassy emphasized that Paris will continue to collaborate closely with its overseas territorial communities to advance regional integration efforts, delivering tangible benefits to both the wider Caribbean region and the French residents of these overseas territories.

  • Missing Dangriga Delivery Man Found Dead

    Missing Dangriga Delivery Man Found Dead

    In a tragic development out of Belize’s Stann Creek District, a 24-year-old delivery worker from Dangriga who was reported missing earlier this week has been discovered dead in the rural community of Silk Grass Village. The victim has been identified as Steve Lewis, who vanished on Tuesday morning shortly after leaving his residence to complete what was expected to be an ordinary series of delivery stops. He never made it back to his family after that departure.

    In an interview with local outlet News Five, Lewis’s mother, Suceli Lewis, shared new details about the circumstances leading up to her son’s disappearance. She confirmed that on the day he went missing, Steve received an unexpected phone call from an unidentified man based in Dangriga. The caller allegedly requested that Lewis drive him to a remote farm located within Silk Grass Village, a trip that would take the delivery man far outside his usual route. That request, and the departure that followed, marked the final time any member of Lewis’s family saw him alive.

    Once it became clear that Lewis would not return home as scheduled, local community members and family contacts mobilized to launch a large-scale search of the Silk Grass Village area. What searchers ultimately found was a devastating discovery that has left the small community reeling.

    Describing the moment her son was found, Suceli Lewis explained that search teams were spread across the rural terrain when a friend of the family made the grim find. “One of my friends came through the back [area], and he said he smelt a scent, and he said he saw vultures. So he stopped. When he stopped the cycle, then he went direct to the ditch… like a lagoon-like drain,” she recalled.

    In the wake of the discovery, the Lewis family says they have strong reason to believe Steve was deliberately lured to the location and killed. “Foul play. Based on footage, that’s why I tell you that’s foul play,” Suceli Lewis stated, though she did not share further details about the footage referenced. Additional information about the ongoing investigation into Lewis’s death is expected to be released during the News @ Noon broadcast on GBM, and local authorities have not yet released an official statement on the case as of Friday.

  • General Hospital dismisses disinformation regarding Nephrology Unit

    General Hospital dismisses disinformation regarding Nephrology Unit

    Misinformation claiming a state of crisis at the Nephrology Unit of Grenada’s General Hospital has been formally and unequivocally rejected by the country’s Ministry of Health and the hospital administration. In an official statement delivered Wednesday during a post-cabinet press briefing held in St. George’s, Health Minister Hon. Philip Telesford clarified that these circulating claims are entirely misleading, and the unit has maintained full, standard operations to deliver quality care to all patients with kidney-related conditions.

    While the minister was firm in dismissing rumors of a unit-wide crisis, he did emphasize that kidney failure itself stands as a serious and rapidly growing public health challenge across Grenada. The core public health crisis, Telesford explained, is not a breakdown of the nephrology department, but widespread noncompliance with public health guidance that could prevent kidney disease. Too many local residents have failed to respond to repeated calls for routine early screening, and many are not taking the necessary steps to manage chronically high blood pressure and elevated blood sugar — two well-documented leading risk factors for developing chronic kidney disease.

    “We have to make a clear distinction between baseless rumor and factual reality,” Telesford stated. “The reality is that kidney failure is a major public health threat for Grenada. The true crisis we face is that too many of our citizens are ignoring public health advice to protect their own health through early detection and proactive lifestyle changes.”

    Telesford went on to outline key, accessible steps that all Grenadians can take to reduce their risk of kidney disease and reduce strain on kidney function. He urged the public to incorporate regular physical activity into daily routines, maintain consistent hydration by drinking adequate water, cut back on alcohol and tobacco consumption, and adopt a nutrient-dense, balanced diet to support long-term kidney health.

    Alongside debunking the misinformation, the Ministry of Health issued three core public health recommendations for all citizens: first, to schedule consistent routine health check-ups that include screening for kidney function; second, to manage blood sugar and blood pressure levels through a combination of healthy diet, regular exercise, and ongoing guidance from medical professionals; and third, to reach out to healthcare providers at the first sign of concerns, rather than waiting for symptoms to progress to a dangerous stage.

    The ministry closed by reaffirming that the Nephrology Unit at General Hospital remains fully operational, with its entire staff dedicated to delivering high-quality care to all patients. It added that the government continues to prioritize resource allocation and public outreach initiatives to combat the growing burden of chronic disease and protect the overall health of the Grenadian population.

  • New UN Women reports says a staggering 38,000 women and girls killed in Gaza from Oct 2023- Dec 2026

    New UN Women reports says a staggering 38,000 women and girls killed in Gaza from Oct 2023- Dec 2026

    Six months have passed since a ceasefire agreement was reached to end active hostilities in Gaza, but a devastating new UN Women assessment reveals that women and girls across the enclave continue to face catastrophic conditions, with unmet humanitarian needs remaining widespread and meaningful recovery still out of reach for most.

    Between October 2023 and December 2025, the conflict claimed the lives of more than 38,000 women and girls, according to the official report *The Cost of the War in Gaza on Women and Girls*. Of this staggering death toll, over 22,000 were adult women and 16,000 were girls — averaging a minimum of 42 preventable deaths every single day throughout the 26-month period of conflict.

    Even after the ceasefire was formally announced in October 2025, the threat to life has not been fully eliminated. On-the-ground accounts collected by UN Women confirm that sporadic violence continues to claim additional casualties, leaving women and girls in a constant state of fear despite the formal end to large-scale hostilities.

    The report also documents that nearly 11,000 additional women and girls have sustained serious injuries, with many left living with permanent, life-altering disabilities that will impact their long-term health and livelihoods. UN Women emphasizes that these official figures are almost certainly an undercount of the true human cost. Thousands of bodies remain trapped under the rubble of destroyed buildings across Gaza, and the total collapse of local public health data systems has made systematic and accurate casualty documentation nearly impossible.

    Moez Doraid, UN Women Regional Director for the Arab States, described the conflict’s disproportionate toll on Gaza’s female population as devastating beyond measure. Beyond the staggering loss of life, the war has upended family structures across the enclave: tens of thousands of households are now led by women, who face soaring economic instability, elevated safety risks, and the full uncompensated burden of caring for surviving family members while navigating daily survival.

    Doraid called for urgent global action to shore up the fragile ceasefire, stressing that full compliance with all ceasefire terms, consistent respect for international humanitarian law, strengthened mechanisms for accountability, and targeted protection for women and girls are non-negotiable priorities. He also emphasized that large-scale, unimpeded humanitarian aid must be allowed to flow freely into Gaza, and women and girls must be placed at the center of all response and recovery efforts. For sustainable peace and reconstruction to take hold, Doraid added, women must be given meaningful, seats at the table in all peacebuilding and reconstruction decision-making processes.

    On the ground in Gaza, UN Women says it has maintained consistent operations alongside local women-led and women’s rights organizations, providing critical financial backing, coordination support, and specialized technical expertise to address the unique needs of female residents. Working in partnership with other United Nations agencies and global humanitarian partners, the organization continues to scale up efforts to deliver life-saving aid directly to women and girls, while working to ensure their perspectives and priorities shape all ongoing recovery and reconstruction initiatives.

  • Iran Reopens Strait of Hormuz as Ceasefire Holds

    Iran Reopens Strait of Hormuz as Ceasefire Holds

    In a significant development de-escalating regional tensions amid an ongoing ceasefire, Iran has announced that the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical energy transportation chokepoints, will remain fully open to all commercial shipping for the duration of the current truce, multiple international sources including CNN have confirmed.

    Roughly 20% of the world’s daily global oil supply transits through the 21-mile-wide strait, which separates Iran from Oman and connects the Persian Gulf to the Arabian Sea. The strategic waterway had emerged as the central flashpoint amid escalating conflict between Iran and Western powers in recent weeks, raising widespread fears of disrupted global energy supplies.

    U.S. President Donald Trump stated Friday that Iran has made a formal commitment to permanently keep the strait open to international maritime traffic. But in the same remarks, the President confirmed that a U.S. naval blockade of Iranian port facilities will stay in effect until negotiators reach a fully finalized, comprehensive broader peace agreement. “The blockade will not be lifted until the deal is 100% complete,” Trump told reporters, outlining the U.S. administration’s red line.

    Negotiators working to end the broader regional conflict could reach a final agreement as early as this coming weekend, senior diplomatic sources told CNN, though several core points of contention remain unresolved. As part of the ongoing talks, the Trump administration is actively considering releasing $20 billion in Iranian assets that have been frozen under international sanctions, according to anonymous sources familiar with the discussions. Trump has clarified that while the assets may be unfrozen, no direct financial transfer will take place between the two nations, and the U.S. will take full control of Iran’s existing stockpile of enriched uranium as part of any final deal.

    Despite Tehran’s announcement reopening the strait, Iranian state media has issued a stark warning that the waterway could be closed again if the U.S. blockade, which Tehran views as a violation of the current ceasefire terms, remains in place. Fars News Agency, an Iranian semi-official outlet, also noted that all commercial vessels passing through the strait are required to use navigation routes designated by Iranian authorities and coordinate all transits with Iranian maritime regulatory bodies.

    Parallel to the developments around the Strait of Hormuz, a 10-day ceasefire in Lebanon has so far held, bringing a rare period of calm to the war-torn border region. Israel has publicly stated it has no plans to withdraw its military forces from southern Lebanon, while the Iran-aligned militant group Hezbollah has warned it will only continue to respect the truce if all Israeli offensive operations in the area cease immediately. The ongoing standoff in Lebanon has proven to be one of the most difficult sticking points in the broader regional peace negotiations that involve Iran as a key stakeholder.

  • Farm expert urges healthy foods subsidies to fight obesity crisis

    Farm expert urges healthy foods subsidies to fight obesity crisis

    Barbados is facing a growing public health emergency fueled by rampant overconsumption of sugar and processed fats, and a veteran agricultural specialist is pushing for urgent government intervention to reverse the dangerous trend. Keely Holder, a former chief agricultural officer, experienced farmer and leading agri-systems expert, laid out a comprehensive policy proposal during a Thursday press conference hosted by the Barbados Childhood Obesity Prevention Coalition (BCOPC) at the University of the West Indies Cave Hill Campus, calling for targeted subsidies and tax breaks for at least 30 to 40 nutrient-dense whole food items.

    Holder, who serves as a BCOPC member, presented startling new consumption data that puts Barbados’ dietary habits far outside World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations. Per WHO guidelines, the average daily caloric intake for the island’s population should sit at roughly 2,250 calories. But current data shows Barbadians are exceeding that target by a staggering 70 percent on average, she confirmed.

    The overconsumption crisis is even more pronounced when broken down by food group. Holder explained that the average Barbadian consumes around 583 calories per day from sweets and added sugars — nearly three times the 180 daily calorie limit recommended by the WHO. For oils and fats, the gap is equally dramatic: daily consumption hits 389 calories, more than double the WHO’s 160 calorie guideline. These high-calorie, low-nutrient food groups now make up a disproportionate share of the average Barbadian diet, directly driving rising national rates of obesity and diet-related chronic disease.

    Against this backdrop, Holder argues that making nutrient-dense healthy foods more affordable for all households is the most effective first step to curbing overconsumption of harmful products and addressing Barbados’ worsening obesity crisis. She outlined that the first phase of the coalition’s proposed plan would involve identifying 30 to 40 priority whole, nutritious foods aligned with public health needs, with the goal of helping consumers shift their palates and long-term dietary habits toward options that meet their nutritional requirements. These priority items would primarily be low-carbohydrate options to offset excess sugar intake, and foods rich in Omega-3 fatty acids to counterbalance the high levels of inflammatory Omega-6 fatty acids in the current average diet.

    To incentivize this shift, Holder is calling for these priority healthy items to be added to the country’s existing zero-rated goods basket — a list of products exempt from consumption taxes — with additional direct subsidies to bring down retail prices. She also emphasized the need for coordinated, integrated policy across government portfolios, specifically calling for aligned trade and tariff reform. Under that proposal, healthier foods would face lower or zero tariffs to boost accessibility, while higher tariffs would be placed on unhealthy processed products to raise their price and reduce consumer demand.

    Beyond fiscal and trade policy, Holder highlighted public health education as a core pillar of any effective intervention. Many consumers, she noted, lack critical awareness of misleading industry practices in imported food products, which make up a large share of Barbados’ food supply. A common example is misleading serving size labeling: food manufacturers often list serving sizes based on current average consumption patterns rather than evidence-based healthy portions, leading consumers to unknowingly eat far more calories than they intend. Public education campaigns are needed to help consumers spot these misleading practices and make informed choices about their diets, she argued.

    Holder closed by calling for closer collaboration between government agencies and civil society organizations to tackle the unhealthy overconsumption crisis, noting that coordinated multi-sector action is required to create sustainable, long-term change for public health in Barbados.

  • Reggae Girlz beat Guyana 2-0, advance to Concacaf W Championships

    Reggae Girlz beat Guyana 2-0, advance to Concacaf W Championships

    Kingston, Jamaica – In a decisive final Group B qualifying match held Saturday at Kingston’s National Stadium, Jamaica’s Reggae Girlz claimed a 2-0 victory over Guyana to punch their ticket to the upcoming Concacaf W Championships, finishing their qualifying run with a perfect 12 points from four matches.

    Both of Jamaica’s goals came from separate strikers in each half: veteran forward Khadija “Bunny” Shaw opened the scoring early, while second-half substitute Shania Hayles sealed the win in the game’s closing minutes. The result was all the more impressive given a standout performance from Guyana goalkeeper Arden La-rose, who recorded an incredible 15 saves throughout the 90 minutes to keep her side in the contest despite overwhelming pressure from Jamaica.

    Group B final standings saw Nicaragua finish second with nine points, followed by Guyana in third with six points. Antigua and Barbuda and Dominica tied for last place, collecting just one point each in qualifying. Across the six qualifying groups, all group winners earn automatic advancement to the Concacaf W Championships, where they will join pre-qualified regional powerhouses the United States and Canada for the main tournament.

    Shaw put Jamaica ahead just minutes into the first half, connecting on a corner kick delivered by Deneisha Blackwood. The forward directed a looping header toward the far left post, bouncing the ball off the turf before it ricocheted over La-rose and two Guyanese defenders to cross the goal line.

    For much of the second half, Jamaica was held back by both inconsistent finishing in front of goal and a string of spectacular stops from La-rose. Hayles, who had been a starter in Jamaica’s previous match against Antigua a week prior but was dropped to the bench for Saturday’s contest, finally broke through in the 88th minute to double Jamaica’s lead. The substitute found herself unmarked in the center of the 18-yard box, and guided a left-flank cross from fellow substitute Paige Bailey cleanly past the outstretched arms of La-rose to secure the three points and the group win.

    Reporting by Paul A Reid

  • Drew Spence and Trudi Carter among four changes for Reggae Girlz vs Guyana

    Drew Spence and Trudi Carter among four changes for Reggae Girlz vs Guyana

    KINGSTON, Jamaica — As anticipation builds for Saturday’s make-or-break FIFA Women’s World Cup preliminary round qualifier against Guyana at Kingston’s iconic National Stadium, Jamaica’s women’s national football team, the Reggae Girlz, have announced four key adjustments to their starting 11.

  • WATCH: Several injured after bus overturns on PJ Patterson Highway

    WATCH: Several injured after bus overturns on PJ Patterson Highway

    A road traffic incident in St Catherine, Jamaica has left multiple people injured after a passenger bus overturned on the PJ Patterson Highway Saturday afternoon. According to local reports, the crash unfolded at approximately 4:30 p.m., when a Toyota Coaster carrying seven occupants was traveling along the wet thoroughfare. The vehicle lost traction on the rain-soaked pavement, skidding out of control before colliding with the highway’s central median and flipping onto its side. Emergency response teams were dispatched to the scene shortly after the accident. All injured passengers, who are reported to have sustained only minor injuries from the crash, were transported to a nearby medical center to receive urgent care and evaluation. A local journalist, Llewellyn Wynter, captured video footage of the crash site following the incident. Road safety officials have noted that wet driving conditions significantly increase stopping distances and the risk of skidding, reminding motorists to reduce speed and exercise extra caution during and after rainfall. No further updates on the victims’ conditions have been released as of the latest report.