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  • Prinses Margriet opent speciale zorgunit voor kwetsbare ouderen

    Prinses Margriet opent speciale zorgunit voor kwetsbare ouderen

    Across the Netherlands, aging populations and shifting care needs have put growing pressure on senior care facilities to expand specialized services for the most vulnerable elderly residents. This week, Prinses Margriet Senioren Resort is answering that demand with the launch of a brand-new Special Care Unit, designed specifically to meet the needs of older adults requiring more intensive, personalized support than standard senior care can provide.

    The new facility caters to three key groups of residents: people who are bedridden, patients recovering from injury or illness who need ongoing rehabilitation support, and individuals in the terminal stage of life who require palliative end-of-life care. To allow for flexible adjustment based on real-world experience, the unit will launch as a small-scale pilot with just three private rooms, connected directly to the facility’s central nursing station. Following a trial period, leaders plan to expand the unit incrementally based on feedback and outcomes.

    An official opening ceremony for the Special Care Unit is scheduled for this Friday. Resort leadership explains that the new service was developed to address unmet demand for specialized elder care in the region. The pilot design prioritizes two core goals: delivering the intensive clinical support residents need, while maintaining a warm, home-like environment that preserves quality of life. The direct connection between private rooms and the nursing station also allows care teams to respond quickly to patient needs at any time.

    A key innovation of the new unit is its standardized digital care record system, which is updated in real time for every resident. Each file tracks detailed information including individual care needs, ongoing treatment plans, clinical observations, and care agreements between staff, residents, and their families. This system ensures all members of the care team have immediate access to the most up-to-date patient information, which resort leaders say will improve both the continuity and safety of care for patients with complex, high-intensity needs.

    Unlike traditional intensive care settings that focus solely on clinical outcomes, the Prinses Margriet model puts equal emphasis on personal attention and individual dignity. “Our goal is to combine high-quality intensive care with warmth, one-on-one attention, and respect for every resident,” the resort’s management explained in a statement. “No matter if a resident is bedridden, recovering, or in the final stage of life, the person behind the care need always remains our central focus.”

    Beyond expanding immediate care options, the new unit also serves as a learning opportunity for the resort, as it builds expertise in specialized elder care. Facility leaders note that the growing population of frail elderly people requires not only skilled clinical care, but also a model that adapts to each resident’s unique personal and medical situation. For Prinses Margriet Senioren Resort, the launch of the Special Care Unit marks a key step forward in evolving its services to support older adults who can no longer meet their needs with standard senior care support.

  • Teen remanded after admitting robbery, theft

    Teen remanded after admitting robbery, theft

    An 18-year-old manual laborer has been ordered to remain in custody at Dodds Prison until a September 9 court hearing, after entering guilty pleas to a series of robbery and theft charges before the No. 1 District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court in Barbados.

    Tashon Ricardo Omari King, a resident of Thorne’s Gap, Land’s End, St. Michael, admitted to two separate counts of theft committed between July 29 and 30. The first theft targeted Delisha Smith, whose stolen property included a $400 bag, a $200 laptop charger, a $3,400 mobile phone, a $60 phone charger, a $800 pair of earphones, a $15 pencil case, and three $40 notebooks. The second theft was against Island Developments Limited, from which King stole a $3,000 laptop, 10 keys worth $100 total, and two gate openers valued at $200 combined. The cumulative worth of all stolen goods from both incidents amounts to BDS$8,610.

    King additionally confessed to a robbery committed on June 30, where he took property totaling $424 from Rudolph Haynes: an $84 bag, a $90 mobile phone, and $250 in cash.

    The teen was not required to enter a plea for the more serious indictable offense of robbing Nadeen Haynes on April 30. That robbery saw King allegedly steal a $400 handbag, US$8,000 (equivalent to BDS$16,000), BDS$200 in local currency, three Coach purses valued at $1,390, a $300 pair of Ray-Ban sunglasses, and five visa debit cards worth $250 total.

    Following the guilty pleas, police Sergeant Reginald Blackman filed a formal objection to King being granted bail. Blackman cited multiple compelling grounds for the objection: a high risk that King would reoffend if released, the need to protect the general public from further potential crime, the use of violence in the alleged robbery offenses, and the strong body of evidence prosecutors hold in the case.

    Acting Chief Magistrate Douglas Frederick accepted the objection and ruled that King would be remanded to Dodds Prison to await his next scheduled court appearance on September 9. At that upcoming hearing, the prosecution will lay out the full formal facts of the charges to which King has already pled guilty.

  • Prime Minister Gaston Browne calls for Comprehensive Review of Criminal Justice System to Strengthen Public Safety

    Prime Minister Gaston Browne calls for Comprehensive Review of Criminal Justice System to Strengthen Public Safety

    Against a backdrop of surging firearm-related violence and growing rates of repeat offending across the Caribbean, Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne has tabled a landmark proposal for a sweeping independent review of the nation’s entire criminal justice framework. The move aims to verify that every public safety institution operates at peak effectiveness, answering widespread public concern over escalating violent crime.

    In an official correspondence addressed to Chief Justice Margaret Price Findlay, Browne laid out plans for an independent advisory committee tasked with examining far more than just judicial sentencing practices. The review’s scope will extend across every pillar of the criminal justice ecosystem, covering investigative processes carried out by law enforcement, prosecution protocols, prison management, offender rehabilitation initiatives, and coordination between different government agencies tasked with crime reduction.

    Under the draft terms of reference, the committee will first conduct a targeted analysis of sentencing outcomes for firearm offenses and other severe violent crimes over a five-year reference period. It will benchmark these results against existing national legislation and the official sentencing guidelines set by the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, pinpointing any gaps between the intended purpose of existing laws and how they are applied in practice. Beyond sentencing, the review will also scrutinize charging and prosecution practices, accessibility of comprehensive criminal history and pre-sentencing data, bail and remand processes, protocols for prisoner release, post-release offender supervision, and the effectiveness of current rehabilitation programs.

    Where verifiable, reliable data is available, the committee will also evaluate patterns of recidivism, before putting forward actionable recommendations for legislative, procedural, policy and inter-agency reforms. Critically, Browne stressed that all proposed changes will uphold the core principle of judicial independence, while working to strengthen overall public safety across the twin-island nation.

    Noting that regional data confirms a worrying upward trend in gun violence across the Caribbean, Browne emphasized that Antigua and Barbuda cannot rely on generalized regional trends to address its own challenges. The country must conduct a thorough, context-specific examination of its own criminal justice outcomes to develop targeted solutions, he argued.

    Browne stressed that the public of Antigua and Barbuda has a legitimate expectation that all branches of the state – from the elected government to the judiciary and law enforcement agencies – will respond to the crime crisis with urgency, coordinated strategy and shared commitment to public protection.

    The Prime Minister was also clear to push back against any potential misinterpretation of the proposal: the review is not intended as a critique of the judiciary, nor is it an attempt to interfere with long-standing judicial independence. Instead, he framed it as a constitutionally appropriate mechanism to translate widespread public concern into an objective, data-driven review that will deliver practical, actionable reform recommendations.

    To keep the process on a tight timeline and deliver results quickly, Browne has set clear milestones: the Chief Justice will provide an initial response by 20 August 2026, the committee’s membership and final terms of reference will be confirmed by 31 August 2026, interim findings will be published within 30 days of the committee’s formal appointment, and a full, comprehensive final report will be submitted within 90 days of the appointment.

    Reaffirming the government’s pledge to provide the independent committee with all necessary logistical support and full access to relevant data, Browne expressed confidence that this collaborative, impartial review will achieve two core goals: rebuilding public trust in the justice system, and driving measurable reductions in violent crime and recidivism for the benefit of all Antigua and Barbuda residents.

  • Herinneringen aan Borger Breeveld

    Herinneringen aan Borger Breeveld

    Suriname’s cultural community is mourning the loss of one of its most beloved and versatile creative figures, Borger Breeveld, who passed away on August 10, 2026, in Amsterdam at the age of 82. Born in Paramaribo on July 20, 1944, Breeveld built a decades-long career spanning acting, filmmaking, music, and media, leaving an indelible mark on Suriname’s cultural landscape.

    A childhood friend and former classmate, Carlo Jadnanansing, shares intimate remembrances of Breeveld from their school days at the AMS, then located in the iconic building on Passiebloemstraat in the early 1960s. Though Breeveld was never counted among the most hardworking students academically, he quickly rose to become one of the most popular on campus — a reputation fueled by his natural talent for sports, singing, music, and effortless charisma. During school holiday camps, he would entertain fellow campers for hours, strumming his guitar to accompany upbeat traditional Surinamese folk tunes. Even in his youth, his knack for organization shone through: he independently planned and staged a full theater show at Thalia Theater, titled *One Night in Paradise*, during his time at AMS. The day after the sold-out performance, he slid into his school seat next to Jadnanansing and joked, exhausted: “Last night I spent a night in paradise. Now I’m back in hell!” When a curious Jadnanansing, faintly jealous of Breeveld’s widespread popularity especially among female peers, asked how he won over so many people, Breeveld gave him advice he never forgot: “You have to work on your popularity.”

    Rather than pursuing a career in academia, Breeveld chose to follow his passion for the creative arts, completing short, practice-focused training programs in film and camera work primarily in the Netherlands. During Suriname’s revolutionary era, he returned to his home country and served a term as spokesperson for then-president Bouterse, but politics never became the core of his professional life. Instead, his career was rooted in media and entertainment, most notably at STVS, Suriname’s national television broadcaster, where he hosted the popular current affairs program *Mmanten Taki*.

    Breeveld’s contributions to Surinamese cinema are unparalleled. In 2005, he co-founded the Suriname Film Academy Foundation with Pim de la Parra, an initiative focused on developing low-budget “minimal movies” that centered local Surinamese stories. De la Parra served as board chair, with Breeveld acting as secretary. Though their partnership eventually ended, Breeveld remained committed to mentoring emerging filmmakers, a legacy that countless young creatives have benefited from deeply. He also co-founded the Paramaribo Film Institute alongside de la Parra and director Arie Verkuijl.

    It is his leading role as Roy in the landmark Surinamese film *Wan Pipel* that cemented Breeveld’s place in Suriname’s national cultural memory. The film explores the complicated, star-crossed romance between Roy, a Creole man played by Breeveld, and Rubia, a Hindustani woman portrayed by Diana Gangaram-Panday. While the film was deemed a commercial failure in the Netherlands that ultimately led to de la Parra’s bankruptcy, it emerged as a massive cultural phenomenon in Suriname. It has been replayed countless times in theaters and on television, with generations of Surinamese able to recite its dialogue from memory. The iconic pairing of Roy and Rubia, known locally as the “Double R,” will remain forever etched into the collective cultural consciousness of the nation, Jadnanansing notes.

    Later in his career, Breeveld reconnected with Jadnanansing through a collaborative cabaret project adapted from Walther Donner’s book *Switi Sranan*. The pair, along with rapper Rappa, reworked the text for the stage, and the production premiered in 2019 at Het Park, with Breeveld and his brother Hans providing musical accompaniment. What many people do not know is that Breeveld was also a skilled guitarist. Jadnanansing recalls once asking him to perform *Mis’ Valo*, a bold folk track by Gudu Gudu Thijm — a request Breeveld initially turned down due to the song’s racy original lyrics. When Jadnanansing presented a lightly cleaned-up version for the show’s second performance in September 2019, Breeveld consulted his brother and, after careful consideration, performed the song with gentle hesitation.

    Shortly after the final *Switi Sranan* performance, Breeveld faced a serious health crisis. Initial prognoses were poor, but his fierce willpower — shaped by the religious faith his father, a pastor, had instilled in him from childhood — carried him through. Supported by medical equipment, his loving family, and close friends, he remained socially active in adjusted forms until his final days. His lifelong cheerful, upbeat temperament served him well through his long illness. One of his favorite songs, which he continued to sing right up to the end, was Louis “Satchmo” Armstrong’s classic *What a Wonderful World*.

    Today, Suriname says goodbye to one of its most multifaceted creative sons with heavy hearts. There is no question that Breeveld’s legacy will live on in the hearts of the Surinamese people for generations to come. Jadnanansing extends his deepest condolences to Breeveld’s family and loved ones, closing his tribute with a final wish: “May your soul find eternal peace, Borger.”

  • Weather drives chicken shortage

    Weather drives chicken shortage

    Consumers across Trinidad and Tobago are currently grappling with widespread chicken shortages and sharp price increases, driven by a combination of unusual extreme weather patterns that have disrupted the nation’s poultry supply chain. The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries released an official statement addressing the crisis this week, clarifying that the shortfall is a temporary, weather-driven disruption rather than a sign of long-term structural issues with domestic production capacity.

    Local climatic conditions have put unprecedented strain on poultry farmers across the twin islands. Persistent record-high temperatures have forced producers to implement costly additional heat mitigation strategies, and in many cases, reduce the total number of birds raised on farms to protect animal welfare. According to the ministry’s statement, cutting stock numbers is a deliberate precaution: running farms at full capacity during extreme heat would lead to higher bird mortality rates and stunted growth, resulting in far greater long-term losses for producers and deeper shortages for consumers.

    Officials note that while chicken remains available across the country in aggregate, many consumers are facing difficulty finding their usual quantities at local retail outlets. The Ministry is currently monitoring every link of the poultry supply chain, from hatchery output to domestic production, import volumes and changing weather conditions, while maintaining ongoing dialogue with producers and industry stakeholders to address emerging challenges quickly.

    Looking ahead, official projections point to a gradual recovery of supply over the coming weeks. Based on data from local hatcheries, the number of newly hatched chicks available to farmers is set to rise within the next two weeks. Once these new birds complete the standard production cycle, full supply levels are expected to be restored approximately three weeks after that increase in chick availability, bringing the market back to normal as weather conditions improve.

    “Poultry is a core component of national food security and a staple for household consumption across the country,” the Ministry said in its release. “We remain committed to supporting the local poultry sector while ensuring consumers have access to a stable, reliable supply of this essential product.”

    Industry stakeholders and suppliers have confirmed the severity of the current shortages, reporting significant cuts to distribution quotas and steep price increases that have been passed on to consumers. One unnamed San Juan-based depot owner said that little has changed to ease the crisis since the *Express* first reported on emerging poultry supply issues in late June. “We are getting 50% less chicken than we usually get, and prices have gone up 15%,” he explained, adding that birds currently available are also smaller than the standard size consumers expect.

    Since the start of 2024, average retail chicken prices have jumped from roughly $6 per pound to more than $9 per pound, a more than 50% increase that has put significant strain on household grocery budgets. A depot owner in Chaguanas also confirmed ongoing supply pressures, warning that if the disruption continues, many locations could run out of chicken entirely. She added that small independent chicken producers are facing particular strain, with even larger industry players like Arawak now facing disruptions that have created shortages of hatching eggs. She noted that fewer small farms are hatching their own chicks currently, forcing many to purchase day-old chicks from external suppliers instead.

    Sudesh Ramkissoon, President of the Broiler Growers Association, confirmed that heat-driven stock reductions are a common precaution during hot periods, but this year’s extreme temperatures have created deeper disruptions than usual. “Chickens do not have sweat glands, so farmers have to reduce the density of birds in pens to keep them cool,” he explained. “This means the total weight of market-ready chicken available will be lower than usual for consumers, but this is not a permanent situation.” Ramkissoon added that some farmers are also facing water access issues, which have compounded existing supply constraints.

    The shortage is not limited to retail outlets: local food businesses are also adapting to the new supply conditions. Pappy’s, a popular fried chicken restaurant based in Woodbrook known for its signature “Brian’s Fricken Chicken”, announced publicly this week that it would compensate customers for smaller-than-standard chicken portions during the shortage. In a post on social media, the restaurant explained: “Due to the current chicken supply shortage, our usual chicken sizes may be limited over the coming weeks. Don’t worry—if your pieces are smaller than our usual Pappy’s standard, we’ll add extra to make up for it. Thank you for your patience and understanding while we work through the shortage.”

    This current shortage follows initial warnings issued by Ramkissoon back in June, when he first alerted consumers that reduced supply would lead to higher prices. At that time, prices had already risen to between $8 and $9.50 per pound, and checks conducted by the *Express* this week confirm that elevated prices remain in place across all retail and wholesale outlets.

  • Marcelle: Not one red cent of funding

    Marcelle: Not one red cent of funding

    A sitting opposition Member of Parliament from Trinidad and Tobago has put the ruling administration under intense scrutiny, raising serious questions about an apparent slow dismantling of a community-focused development agency that has delivered critical infrastructure and social support to marginalized neighborhoods for nearly two decades.

    Kareem Marcelle, the legislator representing Laventille West, outlined his concerns during a formal press briefing held Tuesday at the Opposition Leader’s downtown Port of Spain offices, three months after the United National Congress (UNC) took control of national government following general elections.

    At the center of Marcelle’s allegations is the East Port of Spain Development Company (EPOS), a state-owned limited liability firm established by cabinet order in 2005. Tasked with driving economic, social, and physical regeneration across a sprawling zone of East Port of Spain—originally covering communities including Laventille, Morvant, and Belmont, later expanded to add Beetham Estates, Sea Lots, and Katanga—the agency has long overseen small-scale infrastructure projects and grassroots social programs for working-class and low-income residents.

    Since the UNC’s inauguration in May 2025, however, EPOS has operated without an appointed board of directors, creating a leadership vacuum that Marcelle argues has crippled the agency’s ability to function. Compounding this vacuum, more than a dozen EPOS staff received formal termination notices just last Friday, cutting across every level of the organization: from administrative assistants, cleaners, and technical staff to senior project managers, social development officers, and project evaluation specialists.

    Marcelle, who shared a copy of one termination letter obtained via email with reporters, also detailed a steep, ongoing drop in government funding for the agency that he says signals a deliberate effort to wind down operations. In 2024, the national budget allocated TT$15 million for EPOS’ social, economic, and community regeneration programs. That allocation was cut to TT$8 million in 2025, with only TT$4 million actually disbursed to the agency. For the 2026 fiscal year, the government has set aside just TT$2 million for development programming—none of which has been released to EPOS to date.

    Even more striking, Marcelle claims the current administration has eliminated a dedicated annual budget line for EPOS infrastructure projects. Under the previous People’s National Movement (PNM) government, that line item provided between TT$60 million and TT$100 million each year for critical works. With that funding now cut entirely, Marcelle said no new infrastructure projects can move forward.

    “What that company has done over the years is a lot of the stairs to go up your home in Laventille, or to pave your unpaved tracks in Laventille, or to build a sporting complex to fix a community field, to repair our failing drains, to execute critical retaining walls to prevent landslides,” Marcelle said, outlining the agency’s decades-long track record of grassroots impact. Beyond physical infrastructure, he added, EPOS has run targeted social support programs, distributing aid to vulnerable families during the back-to-school season and Christmas holidays, and providing core funding for local community, cultural, and sporting events that bind neighborhoods together.

    Notably, Marcelle pointed out that TT$14.4 million remains allocated for EPOS’ 2026 recurrent expenditure, which covers staff salaries and board operational costs. “You had all the money to keep the staff. You had all the money to pay for your board of directors. You had all the money to have an effective running of East Port of Spain Development Company. But you gave them no money to actually do work,” he said.

    The cascading cuts, leadership vacuum, and mass layoffs have led Marcelle to one clear conclusion: the UNC administration is intentionally laying the groundwork to shut down EPOS entirely, a move that would devastate the communities that rely on its services. “If you leave a company leaderless, how do you expect them to effectively execute their duties? How do you expect day-to-day operations to proceed and be funded?” he asked, addressing the government directly. “Is the reason that the Government has not appointed a board of directors to the East Port of Spain Development Company because they intend to shut down this company?”

    Marcelle stressed that any closure or continued underfunding of EPOS would have immediate, tangible impacts on residents across the East Port of Spain region. Basic infrastructure upgrades and maintenance that residents depend on would halt, and critical social support for vulnerable families would disappear.

    The opposition MP has called on the ruling administration to reverse course immediately: he demanded that the government move swiftly to appoint a full board of directors for EPOS, and restore full, adequate funding for both infrastructure projects and community social and economic programs.

    “This UNC administration is systematically attacking East Port of Spain,” Marcelle claimed. “I call on this UNC administration to appoint its board of directors to the East Port of Spain Development Company to ensure that in the next fiscal year, that they properly allocate monies for our physical infrastructure development, our social and economic development, our regeneration of communities in East Port of Spain to give us our fair share of this national pie.”

    As of Tuesday, attempts by reporters to reach Housing Minister David Lee—whose portfolio oversees EPOS—for comment on the allegations have been unsuccessful.

  • Central cops eye five post locations

    Central cops eye five post locations

    Law enforcement leadership in Trinidad and Tobago’s Central Division has unveiled a proposal to establish permanent joint army-police security posts across five high-priority locations, part of a broader national crime reduction initiative announced earlier by Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar.

    Senior Superintendent Rudolph Bhagwandeen, speaking at a press conference held at the Police Administration Building in Port of Spain on Wednesday, clarified that the identification of the five sites does not guarantee all posts will move forward, as formal approval and implementation planning are still ongoing. The shortlisted locations, mapped from south to north across the division, are: the Couva Interchange near the NP gas station, Carlsen Field east of the main highway, Brentwood adjacent to a local gas station and east of the highway, Felicity in Chaguanas on the highway’s western flank, and the St Helena district in Caroni.

    Three of the five proposed sites — Couva Interchange, Carlsen Field, and Felicity — were already included in the Prime Minister’s earlier announcement of a national plan to roll out 30 joint army-police posts nationwide, with six additional locations still to be finalized.

    Bhagwandean explained that the five Central Division locations were chosen following a rigorous data-driven assessment. Selection criteria included an in-depth review of historical crime statistics, actionable intelligence collected through ongoing police operations, feedback from community engagement initiatives, and data shared by cross-agency partners. The division also incorporated guidance from the Police Service’s Crime and Problem Analysis Branch (CAPA) to validate its site choices.

    A key factor in site selection was proximity to major transit corridors, particularly the region’s main highway. Bhagwandeen noted that positioning mobile security units at these strategic intersections would cut response times and improve officers’ ability to intercept criminal suspects moving through the area.

    The proposal comes as the Central Division grapples with long-standing operational challenges: it covers a sprawling policing territory that includes nine distinct districts, requiring officers to respond to everything from minor infractions to serious violent crimes, and already faces strain on existing personnel and vehicle resources.

    To address these constraints, the Police Service is implementing a flexible shared-resource model, where personnel, vehicles, and specialist units can be reallocated across station districts based on real-time crime trends, intelligence reports, and emerging threats. “We’ll put resources where the problem is, not simply where the resource is normally stationed,” Bhagwandeen explained of the new approach.

    Despite the progress in site selection, critical details about the posts remain unresolved. Discussions about staffing and resource allocation are still ongoing with the Police Service’s executive leadership, and no final decisions have been made about how the 24-hour posts will be manned. Additional resources will be required both to operate the posts and to enable officers to respond to incidents dispatched from the new locations, but no finalized staffing data is available yet.

    Bhagwandeen also confirmed that no timeline has been set for the deployment of the first post, and he could not share specific details about on-site facilities such as holding cells. Early plans indicate the posts will likely be constructed from prefabricated buildings, though their exact layout and size have not been confirmed. Once operational, the facilities will be open to the public, allowing community members to file reports and interact directly with officers on-site.

  • CCJ fallout over dress code

    CCJ fallout over dress code

    A simmering internal conflict over institutional governance and judicial attire has erupted into an open, high-stakes rift at the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), pitting the court’s president against his judicial peers and raising urgent questions about the institution’s commitment to transparency, collegiality and cultural inclusion. The controversy first came to a head on July 3, 2026, when CCJ President Justice Winston Anderson sent a formal email to sitting Justice Chile Eboe-Osuji, demanding written assurance that Eboe-Osuji would wear a traditional European-style business suit and tie for two upcoming high-profile judicial hearings: *Fisher v Guyana Elections Commission* scheduled for July 16, and *Ramirez and Zabane v Attorney General of Belize* set for July 28. In his message, Anderson noted that a formal court-wide judicial dress code was still pending adoption, and that compliance with traditional business attire was the longstanding custom of the court and the wider Caribbean region. He set an ultimatum: Eboe-Osuji had to respond by 12:01 p.m. on July 6, or Anderson would reconfigure the hearing panels based on previous communications about Eboe-Osuji’s stance on dress. The demand drew a sharp, public rebuke from Eboe-Osuji, who identified as Nigerian and pushed back against what he framed as an overreach of executive authority and a rejection of his cultural identity. In a response sent the following day, July 4, Eboe-Osuji called Anderson’s directive “highly inappropriate behaviour towards a peer,” arguing that the CCJ’s founding agreement grants the court president no unilateral power to dictate the dress of sitting judges. He went further, accusing Anderson of pushing a Eurocentric standard of judicial professionalism that requires him to reject his innate cultural identity, a move he said would not hold up to scrutiny before global human rights bodies including the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and the UN Committee on Human Rights. On July 5, Eboe-Osuji shared the full exchange with all sitting CCJ justices, opening the debate to the entire bench and detailing his desire to wear traditional Nigerian attire while on the bench. What began as a disagreement over clothing quickly ballooned into a broader debate over institutional authority, cultural decolonization, and judicial independence, with multiple judges weighing in to share their perspectives and voice solidarity with Eboe-Osuji. Guyanese-born Justice Arif Bulkan was the first to respond on July 6, noting that his home country had relaxed colonial-era dress rules for legal professionals as early as the 1970s, permitting Nehru-collar shirts in place of European suits and ties as a more culturally and climate-appropriate alternative decades ahead of neighboring Trinidad and Tobago. That same day, Belize-born Justice Denys Barrow added his voice, affirming that non-European judicial attire carries full dignity, and warned against unilateral rule-making by a single court leader without broader consultation. He also called on colleagues to maintain perspective as tensions rose over the panel reconfiguration controversy. By July 7, the conflict escalated further: Anderson followed through on his initial ultimatum, informing Eboe-Osuji that he would be removed from both hearing panels due to the lack of requested written assurance on attire. Eboe-Osuji immediately pushed back, calling the removal unlawful, a violation of the CCJ’s founding agreement and a breach of international human rights law, and urged Anderson to reverse the decision. After holding informal discussions with other judicial colleagues, Anderson backed down hours later, agreeing to reinstate the original hearing panels until the underlying dress code and governance dispute could be resolved. The detente did not end the broader institutional crisis, however. On July 8, Trinidad and Tobago-born Justice Peter Jamadar framed the conflict as a far more serious threat to the court’s core mission, warning colleagues that the dispute exposed broader threats to the rule of law, judicial independence, institutional integrity and impartiality that extended well beyond the question of attire. He also raised deep concerns about the mental health and well-being of non-judicial CCJ staff, noting the bitter irony that the court was potentially poised to deliver an advisory opinion to the Caribbean Community (Caricom) on good governance and procedural fairness, even as its own internal governance lay in chaos. Bulkan echoed Jamadar’s concerns, stating that he shared full solidarity with Eboe-Osuji and warning that the incident exposed a foundational governance crisis at the court. He questioned what less powerful non-judicial staff must experience if a sitting equal judge could be targeted and singled out in this way, noting that the court risks losing its moral authority to advise Caribbean governments on issues of natural justice, human rights and human dignity if it cannot uphold those values internally. Eboe-Osuji concluded the public exchange by reiterating his claim that Anderson was acting as “lord and master” of the institution rather than a public servant, framing the attack on him as an attempt to force all other court members into line with Anderson’s directives for the remainder of his six-year term, calling the power play a “tragic mistake.” Local media outlet *Trinidad Express* first obtained the full cache of internal email exchanges and reached out to Justice Anderson for comment on the full set of allegations via his personal email on August 5, but received no response. The CCJ’s official communications team issued a general statement two days later, reaffirming the institution’s commitment to judicial independence, integrity and public confidence in the administration of justice, but declined to address any of the specific allegations raised in the internal dispute, noting that claims could be “misunderstood or mischaracterised without the proper context.”

  • Cops kill ‘H-Man’

    Cops kill ‘H-Man’

    In a tense late-night operation that closes one high-profile homicide case but adds to growing police violence statistics in the country, an 18-year-old suspect wanted for the killing of a Trinidad and Tobago police officer was killed in a shootout with law enforcement at his girlfriend’s residential property in Matura Tuesday night.

    Hassan “H-Man” Johnson was shot dead at a small two-bedroom concrete home located at the 7 3/4-mile marker along Main Road, Mora Trace, Matura. His death pushes the total number of people killed by police operations across Trinidad and Tobago to 21 so far this year, according to official law enforcement data.

    Authorities launched the targeted manhunt after receiving credible intelligence shortly before 11 p.m. confirming Johnson had been hiding out at the property, after going off the grid following the July 28 murder of Police Constable Rommel Douglas. Johnson had avoided his own registered residence on Second Street in Printeryville, Arima, to evade capture for weeks.

    A multi-unit tactical team assembled to execute the apprehension, drawing specialist officers from the Home Invasion Team, Special Investigations Unit, the Western and South-Western Division Gang Units, and the Deputy Commissioner of Police Operations Team, supported by troops from the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force. Law enforcement surrounded the property fully before moving in through an entryway on the building’s eastern side.

    As armed officers entered the residence, police officials confirmed Johnson opened fire on the responding team. Officers immediately returned fire, striking Johnson multiple times. Two other civilians — a 19-year-old man and Johnson’s girlfriend — were inside the home during the exchange of gunfire but escaped the incident without physical injury.

    Johnson was quickly rushed to the nearby Sangre Grande Hospital, where medical staff pronounced him dead at approximately 11:55 p.m. The two unharmed civilians were taken into police custody for questioning following the shootout.

    Johnson was the primary suspect in the July 28 killing of Douglas, an officer assigned to the Four Roads Police Station. The fatal attack on the off-duty officer unfolded at around 11:05 p.m. that night, as Douglas sat in his parked vehicle at the intersection of Hydraulic Trace and Caroni South Bank Road in Kelly Village. A white Nissan Tiida pulled alongside Douglas’s car, carrying the alleged robbery crew that targeted the officer.

    Police reports indicate the occupants of the Tiida attempted to rob Douglas, triggering a chaotic exchange of gunfire that left Douglas fatally wounded. One of the suspected accomplices, 19-year-old Adetola Ammon of Arima, was also killed during the encounter; law enforcement investigators believe Ammon was mistakenly shot by one of his co-conspirators during the attack.

    Douglas was laid to rest on August 6, after a public funeral service held at the Morvant Central Community Centre on Cipriani Street in Morvant. During the memorial service, loved ones and colleagues remembered Douglas as a devoted family man who prioritized his relatives and held deep commitment to those close to him.

  • CPL 2026: Saint Lucia Kings edged by St Kitts & Nevis Patriots despite strong contributions from Kamil Pooran and Jewel Andrew – The Tribune

    CPL 2026: Saint Lucia Kings edged by St Kitts & Nevis Patriots despite strong contributions from Kamil Pooran and Jewel Andrew – The Tribune

    As preparations ramp up for the 2026 edition of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL), two major franchises — the Saint Lucia Kings and the St Kitts & Nevis Patriots — have begun unveiling their core rosters for the upcoming T20 tournament, revealing a mix of experienced international talent and emerging Caribbean cricket stars set to compete on the island grounds.

    The Saint Lucia Kings, based in the scenic coastal town of Gros Islet, have confirmed that several high-profile cricketers will rejoin or join their squad for the 2026 season. Fan-favorite West Indies wicketkeeper-batsman Andre Fletcher, who has built a loyal following among local fans for his explosive batting at the top of the order, is set to return for another campaign with the Kings. He will be joined by fellow Caribbean standout all-rounder Kamil Pooran, hard-hitting batsman Jason Holder, and dynamic all-rounder Jewel Andrew, forming a core group that blends power hitting, solid bowling, and on-field leadership.

    Across the inter-island rivalry, the St Kitts & Nevis Patriots have locked in Saurabh Netravalkar, the American left-arm fast bowler who has made a name for himself in global T20 leagues with his disciplined death-over bowling and ability to pick up late wickets. Netravalkar’s addition to the Patriots roster adds a key international dimension to the franchise’s bowling attack, as the team looks to contend for the CPL 2026 title after mixed results in recent editions.

    The CPL has long served as a showcase for top T20 talent from across the Caribbean and the globe, drawing millions of cricket viewers annually and boosting tourism to the host islands. The early announcement of key player signings for 2026 has generated early excitement among cricket fans, who are already looking forward to the high-intensity matches scheduled to take place across the Caribbean’s world-famous cricket grounds next year.