In a recent public appearance on the *Browne and Browne Show*, Gaston Browne, Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, has publicly stated he will not actively back a potential acquisition of FirstCaribbean International Bank (FCIB) by a domestic financial entity, citing serious risks of excessive consolidation in the country’s banking sector. According to Browne, an undisclosed local bank has already approached his government with an unusual request: to revoke FCIB’s existing banking license, a move that would clear the path for the domestic institution to purchase FCIB’s local operations. The prime minister has chosen not to release the name of the institution that made this request, and no concrete details of the proposed deal—including a formal offer, agreed purchase price, or structured acquisition timeline—have been made public to date. While Browne emphasized that he remains a committed supporter of expanding local ownership across Antigua and Barbuda’s banking industry, he stressed that growing market power among a small cohort of domestic banks would carry dangerous consequences for consumers and market competition. “As much as I’m a proponent for local ownership, I’m very concerned about any further concentration of the market,” he told listeners during the broadcast. Browne also pulled back the curtain on longstanding service quality issues plaguing many of the nation’s local banks, calling out common consumer pain points such as frequently empty automated teller machines, exorbitant service fees, and a widespread reluctance among domestic lenders to issue credit to consumers and small businesses. He warned that allowing further consolidation through the acquisition of FCIB would create large, entrenched financial institutions that face little competitive pressure to upgrade their service standards for customers. Contrary to the push for domestic acquisition, Browne noted that larger multinational banks, such as the Bank of Butterfield, are capable of offering a range of specialized financial services that smaller domestic players are often unable to provide, most notably critical support for trade-related instruments like letters of credit that underpin local business activity. Importantly, the prime minister clarified that his opposition is not an outright block on the deal: he has no intention of legally preventing a domestic institution from moving forward with the acquisition, but he will not campaign for the transaction, use government influence to facilitate it, or provide any active support for the proposal. “As much as I said to them that I would not block them from acquiring it, I would not actively promote it,” he reaffirmed during the program.
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FOD calls for year-round student support
As thousands of students across Barbados stepped back into classrooms for the start of a new academic year, the country’s main opposition Friends of Democracy Party (FOD) is pressing the ruling administration to turn festive opening events into year-round, actionable support for learners of all needs. In a public address marking the 2024 academic launch, FOD education spokesperson Patricia White opened with words of encouragement for students navigating new grades and new challenges, urging young people to hold fast to their ambitions regardless of any barriers they may face.
“As you begin a new school year, I encourage you to do so with pride, confidence, and a renewed sense of purpose,” White stated. “Do not allow your circumstances to limit your dreams or define your future. Your present situation is not your final destination.”
But behind the encouraging words, White outlined a series of unaddressed gaps in the government’s education planning that she says are putting vulnerable students at unnecessary disadvantage. Speaking exclusively to Barbados TODAY, she questioned whether the popular back-to-school celebrations, which included traditional stiltwalking performances and musical events that draw crowds to campuses, would translate into consistent, meaningful support for all students – including the growing population of neurodivergent learners who require specialized accommodations.
“I love the whole shebang with the stiltwalkers and the music, but I also need them to focus on guaranteeing that they will give the children the support that they require all throughout the school year,” she explained. “My central concerns are really how this will translate into tangible and sustainable support for students who are struggling with conditions like ADHD.”
One of the most high-profile failures White highlighted is the ongoing crisis of deferred school maintenance, which has already disrupted the start of the academic term for one primary school. Wesley Hall Primary School was forced to close its doors immediately before classes were set to begin, after unfinished summer refurbishment work left the campus unsafe, compounded by a documented rodent infestation that rendered parts of the building unfit for students. White called this pattern of last-minute delays unacceptable, noting that disruptive campus displacements have become a regular back-to-school occurrence year after year.
“Children deserve better than to be delayed in their return to school or pushed to another campus due to delays in refurbishment,” White argued. “Every year this happens. By now, the government should have established a preventative maintenance programme that reduces the likelihood of these displacements.” To address the recurring issue, she proposed implementing a continuous auditing process that tracks contractor progress throughout the summer break, rather than waiting to conduct final inspections on the eve of the new term, when problems are discovered too late to fix before classes start.
White did offer public praise for one new government initiative: the national school breakfast programme, which aims to provide free nutritious meals to students who would otherwise attend class on empty stomachs. She noted that long-term research has consistently linked food insecurity to poor academic performance and reduced focus in the classroom, making the programme a critical step forward for supporting low-income learners. “Many students have gone to school on empty stomachs in the past, and you simply cannot learn or focus if you are hungry,” she said. “A nutritious meal gives them a solid start to the day. I just hope it works out well and remains sustainable.”
The opposition spokesperson also called on the Ministry of Education to release full, clear details of its new Universal Access to Education policy, specifically pointing to widespread confusion around the administrative process for nursery school registration. White emphasized that early childhood education is proven to dramatically improve long-term academic outcomes for children, but the lack of transparency around the government’s universal access framework is leaving many families uncertain how to enroll their young children. “While I welcome the initiative, we are still completely lost on the administrative framework surrounding it,” White said. “Research clearly shows that children who enter nursery or preschool at an early age are far better equipped to succeed later in life, but we need full transparency on how this will work practically.”
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Baptiste: Saint Lucia rejected four US-proposed third-country transfers
In a public pre-Cabinet briefing held Monday, Saint Lucia’s External Affairs Minister Alva Baptiste has confirmed that the Caribbean nation turned down four of 10 third-country nationals proposed by the United States for transfer under a bilateral temporary relocation agreement, marking the first test of the arrangement between the two nations.
Following the rejection, six approved migrants arrived in Saint Lucia last week. Baptiste disclosed that the new arrivals hold citizenship from nations across Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean, though their exact nationalities remain undisclosed for privacy. Of the six currently in the country, two have already expressed a desire to return to their home countries, with the Saint Lucian government now coordinating with their respective national embassies to coordinate this voluntary repatriation process. The remaining four have stated that they wish to stay in Saint Lucia for the immediate future.
To clarify the terms of the agreement for the public, Baptiste repeatedly emphasized that Saint Lucia maintains full, unconditional discretion to vet and reject any individual the U.S. puts forward for relocation, pushing back against early misinformation that the nation had surrendered this sovereign authority. “In this first case, Saint Lucia did not accept all ten individuals that the US had submitted,” he noted during the briefing.
A third-country national, by definition, refers to an individual deported from one country to a third state that is not their country of origin. Under the two-year temporary agreement between Washington and Castries, Saint Lucia can accept up to 10 third-country nationals per three-month period. Baptiste stressed that the arrangement is not a permanent resettlement program, but a temporary measure to support people facing precarious circumstances.
Addressing widespread public concern over potential risks to national security and public safety that circulated in local discourse following the transfer, Baptiste confirmed that comprehensive government background checks found no evidence any of the six arrivals posed a threat. “They are certainly not criminals as has been portrayed in some circles,” he said, adding that the group are people who have faced extraordinary hardship related to their immigration status in the U.S. and are now seeking a chance to rebuild their lives with temporary safe haven.
The transfer and reception process unfolded without incident, Baptiste confirmed, with multiple Saint Lucian government agencies — including the ministries of External Affairs, Health, Equity, and National Security — coordinating alongside international partners to manage the arrival. All program costs are covered by the U.S. government, with additional operational and logistics support provided by international partners, including assistance for voluntary repatriation. Migrants will remain housed under arrangements managed by the Saint Lucian government and its partners, with voluntary repatriation remaining an open option for any individual who chooses to return home at a later date.
Baptiste also pushed back against criticism that the arrangement would strain the small developing nation’s existing social and economic resources. “We are fully cognisant that as a developing country we have real social and economic challenges, and this government does not minimise them, but our responsibility to the people of Saint Lucia and our responsibility to uphold the principles of human dignity are not competing principles. We can and must do both,” he said.
The first transfer came after months of negotiations between Saint Lucia and U.S. officials to assess the Caribbean nation’s capacity to participate in the program.
Speaking alongside Baptiste on Monday, Saint Lucia Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre — who also currently serves as Chairman of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) — clarified the regional bloc’s position on the agreement. Pierre confirmed that while the arrangement was discussed at the regional level, CARICOM member states retain full sovereign authority to make independent decisions on whether to participate in such programs.
“In terms of political policies, CARICOM member states make their own decisions. There was discussion; people discussed the agreement, but it was left to individual governments to take the decisions that they felt were right and proper,” Pierre said.
CARICOM leaders have previously raised collective concerns about the capacity of small island developing states to manage third-country national transit arrangements. They have stressed that any such agreements must not disrupt regional security or divert critical public resources and services away from member states’ own citizens.
Operationally, the United Nations’ International Organisation for Migration manages on-the-ground implementation of the program in participating countries, while individual national governments retain full authority over all core decisions including admission, legal status, protection, and removal of relocated individuals.
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Contractor ‘sorry’ for assaulting health minister
A 56-year-old Barbadian contractor has issued a full public apology following his court appearance this week on charges of assaulting and making threatening remarks to Minister of Health Senator Lisa Cummins, attributing his outburst to overwhelming personal stress tied to a pending school project deadline.
Michael Alphonsa Harris, a resident of Seales Avenue in Goodland, St Michael, spoke to reporters immediately after his Tuesday hearing, expressing profound remorse for the altercation that took place on Saturday. The confrontation unfolded after Harris encountered the health minister, capping off an ongoing disagreement between the two.
“I want to say it nationally: I apologise for my actions,” Harris told reporters. “But my actions happened out of frustration. I was under a lot of pressure to get my school project finished.”
Detectives from the Black Rock Police Station took Harris into custody and filed the two charges against him following the incident. He appeared before Magistrate Jared Richards at the Traffic Court, where the judge imposed a three-month peace bond and opted not to record a formal conviction against him.
Under the terms of the court order, any violation of the peace requirement over the next three months would trigger a $2,000 fine or one-month prison sentence for the assault charge, plus an immediate $1,500 fine or an additional one-month prison term for the threatening language charge.
Harris opened up about his experience spending a night in custody at Dodds Prison ahead of his morning court hearing, noting that while law enforcement and medical staff treated him with courtesy and respect throughout his detainment, the ordeal left a profound mark on him.
“When I reached the precinct, everyone greeted me with respect. Everybody took care of me very well and told me: ‘Just be strong overnight, you’re gonna be good. Tomorrow you’re gonna get to go home,’” he recounted. “From this morning until I got up, saw a doctor, saw a nurse, checked my pressure… It was an experience that I would not want to go back through again. But in life you learn from that experience… right there, you see it and understand the system.”
A particularly lasting impact came from Harris’s observation of the other detainees held in the same corridor during his custody. As the oldest person in that section of the facility, he found himself surrounded by young men facing severe criminal charges—a sight that left him deeply distressed.
“I was there all along in the corridor… I was the oldest guy on that corridor,” Harris said. “I see all the youngsters on that corridor, and it was painful to see so many young men in jail.”
Drawing on the lessons from his own mistake and what he witnessed behind bars, Harris shared a public message urging young people to avoid impulsive actions that could lead to incarceration and keep themselves out of legal trouble.
“The young men got to pull up their shoes, as my mother used to tell me, you got to keep your peace,” he advised.
Now entering the three-month court-supervised peace bond period, Harris says he is fully committed to abiding by the order, meeting any financial obligations that may arise, and closing this troubling chapter of his life for good.
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Public’s Help Sought to Identify Individual After Attempted Break-In at Nut Grove Home
Local law enforcement authorities are turning to the community for assistance after a would-be burglar targeted a private home in the quiet Nut Grove neighborhood earlier this week. According to initial police reports, the unidentified suspect attempted to force entry into the residential property at an undetermined time, but the attempt was ultimately unsuccessful. No items were reported stolen from the home, and no residents were injured during the incident. Investigators have released limited descriptive details about the individual of interest and are asking any local residents or passersby who may have noticed suspicious activity in the Nut Grove area around the time of the attempted break-in to come forward with any information, no matter how minor it may seem. Tips from the public can be submitted anonymously through the local police department’s dedicated tip line or official online portal, and authorities note that even small pieces of information could prove critical to identifying the suspect and closing the case. The incident has sparked minor concerns among local residents about neighborhood safety, with law enforcement urging residents to remain vigilant, lock all doors and windows when away from home, and report any unusual activity to police immediately.
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Hoe groot is Afrika echt? Waarom de VN stemde om de wereldkaart te veranderen
On September 8, the United Nations General Assembly took a landmark step to address centuries of geographic bias in global mapping, approving a resolution led by African nations that encourages member states to adopt the Equal Earth map projection — a alternative that corrects the size distortions that have minimized the Global South on traditional maps for hundreds of years.
The resolution, which won backing from 164 member states, faces only one opposing vote from the United States, with six Eastern European nations — Serbia, Estonia, Georgia, Lithuania, Moldova, and Ukraine — abstaining from the vote. The core goal of the measure is to promote a more geographically accurate representation of the world’s continents, replacing the widely used Mercator projection, which was originally developed in 1569 by Flemish cartographer Gerardus Mercator for maritime navigation.
For centuries, the Mercator projection’s design has skewed public perception of global landmasses. Created to preserve straight lines for ocean navigation, it exaggerates the size of land masses closer to the poles while shrinking territories near the equator. This distortion leaves northern, wealthier regions appearing far larger than they actually are relative to equatorial and southern nations. For example, on Mercator maps, Africa appears roughly the same size as Greenland, but in reality, Africa is 14 times larger than the Arctic island. In actual area, Africa spans 30.3 million square kilometers — large enough to fit the entire United States, China, India, and most of Europe within its borders. Combined, the four regions disproportionately shrunk by Mercator — Africa, Latin America, South Asia, and Oceania — cover more than 64 million square kilometers, over 40% of the world’s total land area. By contrast, the entire continent of Europe only measures 10.2 million square kilometers.
The Equal Earth projection, launched in 2018 by three cartographers from the Environmental Systems Research Institute, U.S. National Park Service, and Australia’s Monash University, fixes this long-standing bias. Co-creator Bojan Savric explained in a 2025 interview with AFP that the projection preserves the relative size of all continents while retaining accurate representations of their shapes, matching how landmasses appear on a three-dimensional globe.
Togo’s Foreign Minister Robert Dussey, whose country led the resolution effort, emphasized that maps are far more than navigational tools. “Maps shape education, fuel public imagination, and shape collective global perceptions,” he said, adding that the adopted resolution “affirms the African reality” that has been erased and minimized for centuries.
Reactions to the resolution have been largely positive among supporting nations. France, a co-sponsor of the text, has already announced it will abandon the Mercator projection for official use. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot noted that the traditional projection gives the U.S., Russia, and China “disproportionate visual dominance over Africa, Latin America, or Southeast Asia,” while perpetuating the false illusion that Greenland is nearly as large as Africa. “Changing maps will not change the world on its own,” Barrot said. “But correcting a distorted representation is already an act of truth.”
The resolution faced sharp criticism from the U.S. delegation. U.S. representative Yaryna Ferencevych argued that the debate over 16th-century map projections distracts the UN from addressing pressing global issues, claiming the resolution is evidence the body “is losing its credibility.”
Notably, the UN resolution is not legally binding for member states. The world body has stressed it does not ban the Mercator projection or mandate a universal replacement, and instead only encourages governments and international institutions worldwide to adopt the Equal Earth projection as a new standard for more accurate geographic representation.
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AT&LU Begins Collective Bargaining Talks for WIOC Supervisors
A major milestone for labor representation in Antigua’s energy sector has been reached, as the Antigua Trades and Labour Union (AT&LU) has officially kicked off the process to negotiate a formal Collective Bargaining Agreement for supervisory staff at the West Indies Oil Company (WIOC).
To lay the groundwork for the talks, AT&LU President Bernard de Nully and the union’s on-site shop stewards gathered recently for the inaugural structured meeting with members of WIOC’s newly recognized Supervisory Unit, which now falls under the union’s official representation. The interactive session created a structured space for participating supervisors to lay out their core workplace priorities, from compensation structures to working condition adjustments, all of which will be incorporated into the formal proposals the union will ultimately present to WIOC’s senior leadership.
In comments following the meeting, de Nully emphasized the long-term value of the anticipated agreement. Beyond setting formal employment terms, he explained, the document will embed robust legal and procedural protections that safeguard the supervisors’ long-standing rights, comprehensive benefit packages, and earned employment entitlements for years to come.
The development has already received positive endorsement from the Caribbean Congress of Labour, the regional body coordinating labor organizing across the Caribbean bloc. The organization framed the AT&LU’s initiative as a consequential step forward for expanding robust worker representation and strengthening the role of trade unionism across the entire Caribbean region.
Beyond formalizing employment terms, the regional body noted that the bargaining process will empower WIOC’s supervisory staff by giving them a unified, collective voice in corporate decisions that directly shape their day-to-day working environments. The Caribbean Congress of Labour also used the opportunity to reaffirm its ongoing, unwavering support for all trade unions across the Caribbean that are working to advance better employment conditions, protect fundamental collective bargaining rights, achieve universally accessible decent work, and advance systemic social justice for workers across all sectors.
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Antigua and Barbuda Vows to Deport Foreign Criminals and Tighten Checks on Undocumented Migrants
Antigua and Barbuda’s Prime Minister Gaston Browne has announced that his administration will ramp up efforts to locate undocumented migrants and expel foreign nationals engaged in criminal activity from the twin-island nation. The announcement came during an appearance on the Browne and Browne Show, where senior law enforcement leaders were discussing the recent apprehension of foreign suspects who were wanted on murder charges in other jurisdictions. Following their arrest, police confirmed the suspects have already been transferred back to the countries where the crimes were committed to face prosecution. For Browne, these high-profile cases underscore a critical gap in the country’s immigration oversight: the absence of fully updated, accurate records on all foreign residents. “Every single immigrant in this country must bring his or her [immigration status] up to date,” Browne stated. “We have to know precisely who is in the country.” The prime minister clarified that undocumented migrants who fail to contribute to the country’s social and economic growth will be required to leave Antigua and Barbuda. “If you’re here illegally and you’re not making a contribution to nation-building, you go from whence you came,” he emphasized. Browne was quick to stress that this new enforcement push is not targeted at the broader immigrant community, noting that foreign-born residents have long been integral to Antigua and Barbuda’s ongoing development. He added that his government has consistently treated immigrants fairly and recognizes the valuable work they have done alongside native-born citizens to build the national economy. That said, Browne argued that a small subset of foreign criminals have been exploiting Antigua and Barbuda as a safe hub to run cross-border illegal operations, most notably drug trafficking. He also confirmed that national security officials have received intelligence indicating that people wanted for serious violent offenses in neighboring Caribbean countries are currently hiding within the nation’s borders. “We are going to make sure we weed them out,” Browne said. “We have to keep this country safe and secure.” A senior police official echoed the prime minister’s concerns, calling for deeper collaboration between law enforcement agencies across the Caribbean region and more robust pre-entry background screening for all people arriving in Antigua and Barbuda. The official noted that the modus operandi and weapons used in a string of recent armed robberies in the country matched patterns typically associated with criminal networks based in other Caribbean jurisdictions. While Browne did not announce a formal timeline for rolling out the intensified enforcement or detail any specific new immigration tracking system, his public remarks make clear that strengthened immigration controls and more rigorous screening of foreign nationals will be central pillars of the government’s ongoing strategy to curb violent crime across the country.
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Oil Prices Hit $100 a Barrel as Middle East Conflict Fuels Supply Fears
Escalating geopolitical friction in the Middle East has sent shockwaves through global energy markets, pushing international oil prices back to the closely watched $100 per barrel threshold this Wednesday. Market volatility triggered by rising conflict has rekindled widespread fears over potential disruptions to critical cross-border energy supply chains.
In early trading sessions, Brent crude, the global benchmark for oil pricing, notched a 2.3% upward climb, briefly touching the $100 per barrel mark for the first time since July before retreating marginally in later trading. West Texas Intermediate, the U.S. benchmark for crude, recorded a more modest 1.3% gain to settle near the $94 per barrel level.
The latest price surge comes on the heels of two key developments that have ratcheted up regional tensions: recent U.S. military strikes targeting Iranian oil tankers, and a wave of attacks on Saudi Arabian infrastructure—including key oil facilities—carried out by the Iran-aligned Houthi rebel group.
Beyond these targeted strikes, market participants are maintaining intense focus on the Strait of Hormuz, the world’s most vital chokepoint for global oil and liquified natural gas shipments. Uncertainty around the safe passage of tanker traffic through this strategic waterway has added an extra layer of risk premium to oil pricing, as roughly a fifth of global petroleum consumption passes through the strait daily.
Year-to-date, both major crude benchmarks have rallied more than 60%, marking one of the sharpest first-half-to-Third-quarter price climbs in recent decades. This sustained upward trajectory is already rippling through global economies, pushing up prices for gasoline, diesel, and a range of other refined energy products. For consumers already grappling with rising costs across other sectors, the oil price surge has amplified inflationary pressures, putting additional strain on household budgets and forcing central banks to confront tougher policy tradeoffs between taming price growth and sustaining economic expansion.
For small fuel-importing nations across the Caribbean, the impact of this latest price jump could be particularly acute. The region’s economies are almost entirely dependent on imported petroleum to meet domestic energy demand, meaning shifts in global oil prices directly translate to higher import bills, increased transportation costs, and higher pump prices for local consumers.
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Falcons Crush Amazon Warriors by 65 Runs, Secure CPL Top-Two Finish
In a standout Tuesday night clash at Providence Stadium in the Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League, the Antigua and Barbuda Falcons delivered a masterclass in controlled aggression to hand the previously undefeated Guyana Amazon Warriors their first loss of the campaign, wrapping up a comprehensive 65-run victory that booked their spot in the tournament’s Qualifier 1.
Sent into bat first after winning the toss, the Falcons built their innings patiently through the opening 15 overs before launching a devastating late-innings attack. Contributions from Hasan Nawaz, who hammered 36 runs off 27 deliveries, laid a solid foundation for the middle order, and it was all-rounder Shadab Khan who stole the show with a blistering, unbeaten 30 runs from only nine balls. The Falcons piled on a massive 72 runs in the final five overs of their allocation, closing out their 20 overs at 182 for five wickets and setting the unbeaten Warriors a steep target of 183 to win.
The Guyana Amazon Warriors’ chase fell apart almost from the first over, as Antiguan pace bowler Alzarri Joseph tore through the team’s top order, leaving the Warriors reeling early on. Joseph finished his four-over spell with an impressive four wickets for just 41 runs, putting the Falcons firmly in control of the match. Shadab Khan continued his impactful performance with the ball, claiming two additional wickets for only 19 runs, effectively killing off any chance of a Guyana comeback.
By the 14.2 over, the Warriors were bowled out for just 117 runs, confirming a 65-run defeat for the side and ending their six-match unbeaten winning streak. For his game-changing contributions with both bat and ball, Shadab Khan was named the Player of the Match.
Beyond ending the Warriors’ undefeated run, the result also locked in a top-two finish for the Antigua and Barbuda Falcons on the tournament standings, earning them a direct place in Qualifier 1 as they continue their push for the Caribbean Premier League title.