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  • Nicholas Meets Huawei Executives in China to Discuss AI and ICT Infrastructure

    Nicholas Meets Huawei Executives in China to Discuss AI and ICT Infrastructure

    A top infrastructure and digital policy official from Antigua and Barbuda has wrapped up a high-stakes working visit to China, where he held targeted discussions with global tech giant Huawei to push forward the Caribbean nation’s ambitious digital transition goals.

    Melford Nicholas, the country’s Minister of Information, Communication Technologies, Utilities and Energy, led the delegation alongside Luxmore Edwards, Director of Antigua and Barbuda’s Information Technology Centre. During the visit, the delegation held in-depth talks with Harry Bei, Vice President of Huawei, according to an official statement from Antigua and Barbuda’s Ministry of Information, Broadcasting, Telecommunications and Information Technology.

    The conversations centered on exploring mutually beneficial partnership opportunities across three key priority areas: expanding and upgrading national information and communications technology infrastructure, integrating artificial intelligence solutions into public and private operations, and developing custom smart government frameworks to streamline public service delivery.

    Local government officials emphasized that these diplomatic and industry engagements are not isolated discussions, but a core component of the administration’s wider national strategy. The end goal of the strategy is to construct a modern, robust and adaptive digital ecosystem that can foster long-term domestic innovation and drive meaningful transformation across all levels of the public sector.

  • Pringle Says National Decisions Require Public Consultation

    Pringle Says National Decisions Require Public Consultation

    A growing political rift over governance transparency in Antigua and Barbuda has intensified this week, as Opposition Leader Jamal Pringle has publicly called for sweeping changes to how the ruling administration approaches major national decision-making. Pringle made his case during an interview with Observer Radio’s *Voice of the People* on Tuesday, where he argued that the current governing body has fallen into a troubling pattern of enacting high-stakes policy changes without meaningful input from opposition lawmakers, parliamentary representatives, or the general public.

    Pringle pointed specifically to the ongoing controversy around the proposed third-country deportee agreement as a prime example of the government’s exclusionary approach. He explained that when the issue first emerged, the administration’s first step should have been to convene cross-party discussions before moving forward with any negotiations. “This is not a situation that you handle just as government because it’s going to affect the entire country,” Pringle said, adding that every citizen, regardless of their political alignment, has a stake in outcomes that shape the nation’s future. All national issues that carry long-term consequences, he argued, require broad, inclusive consultation from the earliest stages of planning.

    The opposition leader went further, stating that the government carries a clear constitutional and ethical responsibility to lay out all major policy proposals before Parliament and the public before any final agreements are signed with international partners. In the case of the deportee arrangement, which involves negotiations with the U.S. State Department, Pringle insisted that the process must be rooted in public priorities rather than closed-door executive decisions. “It must be people-driven. It must be coming from the people,” he said.

    Pringle emphasized that the demand for expanded consultation is not limited to the deportee issue alone, but applies to all major governance matters that will impact Antigua and Barbuda for generations, including all international agreements and long-term national policy frameworks.

    Beyond consultation reform, Pringle also criticized the administration for persistent lack of access to government information. He noted that opposition lawmakers have repeatedly pushed for greater transparency through parliamentary channels, and have long called for the activation of a fully operational Information Commissioner’s Office, a step the ruling party has yet to take. “We would have reached out to the government on several occasions, even utilizing Parliament to ask questions and to ask for them to install the Information Commissioner,” Pringle said.

    Pringle concluded by stressing that meaningful public participation and robust parliamentary oversight are non-negotiable pillars of public trust in governance. This is especially critical, he argued, for decisions that carry constitutional, legal, or international ramifications that will reshape the country’s trajectory.

    For its part, the governing administration has pushed back against Pringle’s criticism. Officials maintain that all negotiations with international partners have been conducted to advance Antigua and Barbuda’s national interests. The government has confirmed that it plans to release a formal White Paper outlining the details of the proposed third-country deportee arrangement for parliamentary review. Prime Minister Gaston Browne has also publicly defended the administration’s policy-making process, reaffirming the government’s commitment to protecting the nation’s best interests.

  • Roberts highlights cooperatives’ role in promoting peace and social cohesion

    Roberts highlights cooperatives’ role in promoting peace and social cohesion

    On the annual observance of the International Day of Cooperatives, held this year on the first Saturday of July, Gretta Roberts—Minister for Community Development with a specific portfolio focused on cooperative development—has issued a call to action for cross-sector stakeholders, ranging from government bodies and civil society organizations to private enterprises and young people, to acknowledge and bolster the critical contribution cooperative models make to advancing long-term, sustainable peace globally. Roberts emphasized that the core foundational principles that govern cooperative enterprises—including voluntary open membership, democratic decision-making control by members, and a core commitment to community well-being—create a unique social ecosystem where mutual trust is cultivated, and disputes are resolved through constructive dialogue rather than adversarial division.

    Unlike traditional business structures that prioritize cutthroat competition over collective progress, cooperatives are inherently designed to center collaboration. Roberts explained that this core orientation teaches communities to prioritize social harmony, negotiate differences through amicable compromise, and work collectively toward shared inclusive growth. “Let us continue to support and strengthen the cooperative movement using its time-tested principles to bridge divides, empower individuals, and shape a more peaceful and just world,” she urged in her address marking the occasion.

    This year’s United Nations International Day of Cooperatives carries the official theme “Cooperatives for a peaceful world”, a framing that intentionally highlights the often-overlooked role cooperative enterprises play in advancing social justice, cross-group inclusion, and collective solidarity. As outlined in official analysis published on the United Nations’ website, the global observance positions cooperatives as people-centered institutional models that are uniquely equipped to build social trust, strengthen cohesion within fractured communities, and unite diverse groups around shared needs and common aspirations.

    Against a contemporary global landscape defined by rising intergroup conflict, widening economic inequality, deepening social fragmentation, and plummeting public trust in institutions across many regions, this year’s theme reinforces a key perspective: peace is far more than just the absence of open violent conflict. For peace to be sustainable, it must also be rooted in inclusive social structures, fair access to resources, open channels for dialogue, and broad economic security for all community members—outcomes that cooperative models are inherently structured to deliver.

  • Uphold ethical labour practices, says BEC amid worker exploitation charges

    Uphold ethical labour practices, says BEC amid worker exploitation charges

    Recent unconfirmed allegations of mistreatment against migrant workers have prompted Barbados’ leading business advocacy group, the Barbados Employers’ Confederation (BEC), to issue a formal call for all local employers to strictly adhere to the country’s existing national labor regulations.

    In its official public statement, the organization confirmed that it views the emerging reports of worker exploitation with significant alarm, but chose not to comment on the details of the active investigation still underway. Despite this refusal to address specifics, the BEC made clear that Barbados’ standing as a competitive and trusted global economy is directly tied to how it treats every member of its workforce, regardless of background.

    BEC Executive Director Sheena Mayers-Granville outlined that protections for labor rights are not a privilege reserved for native-born workers, but a legal and moral obligation that extends to every person working within Barbados’ national borders, with no exceptions permitted. “Every worker, no matter what nationality they hold or where they come from, deserves to be treated with basic dignity and fairness,” Mayers-Granville stated. She added that as the leading representative voice for Barbadian employers, the BEC is fully committed to partnering with the national government, local trade unions, civil society organizations and all other relevant stakeholders to reinforce national labor standards, encourage widespread regulatory compliance, and cultivate workplaces that are fair, safe, productive and centered on respect for human dignity.

    The recent allegations have drawn renewed public attention to the unique risks and systemic vulnerabilities that migrant workers in Barbados’ construction sector often face. In response to this heightened scrutiny, the BEC reaffirmed that the country’s existing labor frameworks are explicitly structured to be impartial, with no differentiation between workers based on their country of origin, gender identity, or employment classification. The confederation also emphasized that Barbados has spent more than 40 years cultivating a national workplace culture rooted in mutual respect, equal treatment, and consistent adherence to both local legislation and international labor norms.

    To address gaps in compliance and prevent future ethical failures in workplaces across the island, the BEC is urging both public and private sector enterprises to fully and proactively implement the 2025–2030 Barbados Decent Work Country Programme. First launched last year, the five-year strategic framework was developed through joint collaboration between local social partners and the International Labour Organisation (ILO).

    According to the BEC, the program was intentionally designed to ensure that Barbados’ ongoing economic growth does not come at the expense of fundamental human rights or social equity. Independent labor advocates have supported the initiative, noting that full implementation and compliance with the framework will close the regulatory loopholes that currently leave migrant workers vulnerable to substandard working conditions and unfair pay practices.

    Mayers-Granville noted, “We are prepared to back any initiative that strengthens Barbados’ global reputation as a nation dedicated to ethical employment practices and decent work for every worker.”

    Beyond promoting the Decent Work Country Programme, the BEC is also advocating for a proactive approach to corporate labor governance, calling on business owners and leaders to conduct independent audits of their internal human resources and management practices before regulatory bodies step in to investigate potential violations. Mayers-Granville confirmed that the BEC already offers a full suite of support resources, including specialized training and guidance, to help local businesses align their operational practices with modern labor standards and responsible employment expectations.

    The current controversy surrounding migrant worker exploitation represents a critical test for Barbados’ business community, which depends heavily on cross-border and international labor to fill critical skilled job gaps that cannot be met by the local workforce alone. Independent industry analysts have warned that failure to address confirmed cases of exploitation could erode the island’s international reputation as a stable, regulatory compliant, and attractive destination for foreign direct investment, potentially causing long-term harm to economic growth.

    Reflecting on the collective action required to protect Barbados’ national economic brand, Mayers-Granville stressed that building a fully compliant, ethical corporate ecosystem is not a challenge that employers can tackle alone. “Cultivating a culture of ethical leadership and continuous improvement requires all groups to work together,” she said. “Collective action from employers, workers, and national labor institutions is the only way to preserve Barbados’ reputation as a fair, inclusive, and globally respected place to work and invest.”

  • Antigua and Barbuda represented by the Department of Environment in Guatemala

    Antigua and Barbuda represented by the Department of Environment in Guatemala

    From July 6 to 8, 2026, the 2026 CGE Hands-on Training Workshop for the Latin America and the Caribbean Region took place in Antigua, Guatemala, gathering climate action specialists from across the region to advance collective capacity for climate transparency under the Paris Agreement. Among the attendees were two representatives from Antigua and Barbuda’s Department of Environment: Anik Jarvis, a data consultant, and Garth Simon, a project technical officer.

    Organized around the central theme “Towards Improved BTRs, with a focus on Adaptation: Exchange of Experience, Good Practices and Lessons Learned,” the workshop was designed to equip national experts with the technical skills needed to draft and submit Biennial Transparency Reports (BTRs) on schedule. These reports are a core requirement of the Paris Agreement’s Enhanced Transparency Framework, which holds countries accountable for their climate commitments and supports global coordination on emissions reduction and resilience building.

    The three-day training curriculum covered a full spectrum of high-priority topics critical to robust BTR preparation. Participants deepened their expertise in documenting climate change impacts and adaptation actions, developing standardized adaptation indicators, designing effective Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) systems, reporting on climate-related loss and damage, navigating flexibility provisions for developing nations, drafting targeted improvement plans for future reporting, and engaging properly in the post-submission processes of Technical Expert Review and Facilitative Multilateral Consideration of Progress. The workshop’s hands-on structure also created extensive space for peer-to-peer learning, allowing representatives from different nations to share context-specific challenges and successful local strategies.

    For Antigua and Barbuda, a small island developing state that is disproportionately vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change, participation in this regional training aligns with ongoing national priorities. The knowledge and skills gained by Jarvis and Simon will directly support the country’s ongoing work to strengthen national climate transparency frameworks, refine adaptation reporting practices, upgrade national climate data management systems, and build long-term institutional capacity to meet future BTR submission requirements. By investing in this capacity building, Antigua and Barbuda is better positioned to access climate finance, communicate its climate action progress to the global community, and advance more effective adaptation planning to protect its communities and ecosystems.

    At the conclusion of the workshop, all participating representatives received official certificates to acknowledge their active engagement in the training program and their contributions to the regional peer-learning exchange.

  • 14 captured maroons executed: 9 July 1725

    14 captured maroons executed: 9 July 1725

    On the 9th of July 1725, a dark chapter unfolded in the colonial history of Grenada: 14 captured maroons — people who had escaped chattel slavery to build free communities in the island’s interior, one of whom was a woman — were put to death after being captured by French colonial forces. This violent conclusion capped off a year of growing tension between French plantation owners and the growing population of escaped enslaved people who had fled brutal working conditions on Grenada’s colonial estates.

    By 1725, large numbers of enslaved people were escaping Grenada’s plantations. Many joined scattered maroon bands that lived off the land in the island’s remote interior, while others built makeshift canoes and small boats to sail to Spanish-controlled territories like Margarita, where they were welcomed and granted freedom. As the maroon population grew, their activities shifted beyond small-scale nighttime theft of food for survival. Led by prominent chiefs including Petit-Jean, La Fortune, Samba, Jacob and Bernard, around 60 maroons began targeting larger livestock, stealing sheep, calves and full-grown cattle from colonial estates. Eventually, they launched direct attacks on isolated plantations across northern and eastern Grenada, striking at the heart of the colonial agricultural system that had enslaved them.

    Contemporary colonial records detail several violent encounters between maroons and white plantation inhabitants. In one incident, a maroon band attacked a woman named Luca who was home alone. After looting all of her belongings, they tore gold earrings from her ears; claims that she was sexually assaulted were never sufficiently verified in contemporary reports. In another well-documented case, at 9 o’clock in the morning, the young wife of a man named Cassé — who was traveling in France at the time — was attacked by a group of maroons armed with rifles, muskets and swords. Reports confirm the group burned her main house, kitchen and chicken coop, refusing to allow her to remove any of her personal property before the structures caught fire. Under the direct command of Petit-Jean, the maroons stole all of the estate’s cattle and poultry, then stood by to watch the buildings burn before beating drums and departing the property.

    A third incident, carried out in the early morning, involved a surprise attack on a household where several white men were staying. The men were beaten with rifle butts; one sustained a severe eye injury that colonial doctors predicted would result in permanent blindness. The man’s wife, who had recently given birth to an infant, was dragged across the ground by her hair and kicked by the maroons. The group threatened to smash her newborn child’s head against a wooden post, forcing the new mother to kiss their buttocks in exchange for sparing the child’s life before stealing her earrings as well.

    These coordinated attacks sparked widespread outcry among French colonial settlers, who pressured local authorities to take decisive military action to crush the maroon resistance. Settlers argued that the escaped slaves were in open revolt and demanded an immediate crackdown to protect colonial property and authority. In response, armed colonial militias launched large-scale “maroon hunting” expeditions across the island, killing 10 maroons during the operations and capturing 14 more. Among the captured were all of the maroon movement’s named leaders, plus a female maroon named Marion. The 14 captives were transported to Martinique for trial, and ultimately executed by colonial authorities on 9 July 1725. In a move that compensated slave owners for their lost “property,” the colonial state paid between 500 and 800 livres tournois to the owners of each executed enslaved person.

    In the aftermath of the crackdown, colonial Grenada’s planter class petitioned the French crown to create a permanent local court with the authority to try captured maroons, with the explicit goal of making harsh punishments a public example to deter any other enslaved people from escaping and resisting colonial rule. One year later, in 1726, the French government authorized the creation of the Royal Chambre in Grenada, a special court granted sole power to prosecute enslaved people for crimes committed against the colonial order.

  • Olierally en wereldwijde beursdalingen na twijfel Trump over wapenstilstand met Iran

    Olierally en wereldwijde beursdalingen na twijfel Trump over wapenstilstand met Iran

    Global financial markets faced sharp volatility on Wednesday, driven by contradictory comments from former U.S. President Donald Trump that cast deep uncertainty over a temporary ceasefire in the Iran conflict. The conflicting signals sent oil prices surging and put broad downward pressure on equity markets worldwide, as investors braced for potential disruptions to global energy supplies that could upend recent progress on taming inflation.

    After Trump first stated that the ceasefire between Israel and Iran was “over,” the benchmark S&P 500 initially dropped 1.1%. The index pared its losses later in the trading session after Trump walked back his remarks, clarifying that the recent escalation of violence did not necessarily mean a full-scale regional war would break out. When markets closed, the S&P 500 recorded a 0.3% decline, falling 21.14 points to settle at 7,482.71. The Dow Jones Industrial Average suffered steeper losses, dropping 576.76 points, or 1.1%, to close at 52,348.39. The Nasdaq bucked the downtrend, gaining 51.96 points to finish at 25,870.65, a 0.2% rise after an early session drop.

    Oil prices reacted far more strongly to the geopolitical uncertainty than equities. Brent crude, the global benchmark, jumped 5.2% to settle at $78.02 per barrel, at one point pushing above the $80 per barrel threshold. While this remains well below the nearly $120 per barrel peak hit during the height of the conflict earlier this year, the increase marked a stark reversal after oil prices had recently fallen back to pre-war levels.

    Investors’ top concern is that a resumption of full-scale conflict could disrupt shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, the strategic chokepoint through which roughly a fifth of global oil supplies pass. A blockade or major disruption would severely curtail crude oil exports from the Persian Gulf, sending energy prices higher across the board. For global economies already working to bring inflation down from multi-decade highs, a new energy-driven inflation surge would upend forecasts. Higher inflation would likely force central banks including the U.S. Federal Reserve to keep interest rates higher for longer, slowing economic growth and weighing on asset valuations.

    On Wall Street, the hardest-hit sectors reflected growing expectations of prolonged high interest rates. Homebuilding stocks came under intense selling pressure, as investors priced in higher mortgage rates driven by rising 10-year U.S. Treasury yields. Building materials supplier Builders FirstSource dropped 5.4%, while major homebuilders PulteGroup and D.R. Horton fell 5.4% and 4.6% respectively. Companies with high fuel costs also retreated: American Airlines shares declined 4%, and cruise operator Carnival fell 3.9%.

    Large-cap artificial intelligence stocks provided a key buffer against broader market losses, even as the sector has faced recent pressure from valuation concerns and questions about long-term profitability. Chipmaking giant Nvidia gained 3.7%, making it the largest single contributor to the S&P 500’s limited decline. Broadcom rose 4.8%, boosted by news of a new multi-year chip supply agreement with Apple that could be worth more than $30 billion.

    In the bond market, Treasury yields moved in line with rising oil prices, as investors priced in persistent inflation. The yield on 10-year U.S. Treasuries hit an intraday high of 4.60% before retreating to 4.57%, up from 4.55% the previous trading day and far above the 3.97% level recorded just before the Iran conflict escalated.

    European equity markets reacted sharply to Trump’s initial comments, with major benchmarks posting deep losses. Germany’s DAX and France’s CAC 40 both closed down 2.2% on the day.

    Asian markets also saw widespread volatility, though the region offered one notable bright spot for AI investors. South Korea’s Kospi index dropped 5.3%, swinging sharply as investors flipped between optimism and caution for domestic AI stocks. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index was an outlier, rising 3%, driven largely by a 13.4% jump in shares of Chinese artificial intelligence startup Zhipu, also known as Z.ai. The startup, which went public in January, was set to see its lock-up period for early large investors expire this week, a development that had sparked fears of major sell-offs that would push share prices down. However, state-run China National Radio reported that nearly 70% of early investors have committed to holding their positions, easing market concerns. Since its IPO, Zhipu’s share price has surged more than 1,300%, underscoring the overwhelming investor demand for AI exposure across Asian markets.

  • Privy Council reserves judgment in same-sex

    Privy Council reserves judgment in same-sex

    The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, the highest appellate court for Trinidad and Tobago, has concluded initial hearings in a landmark constitutional challenge targeting colonial-era laws that still criminalize consensual same-sex intimate relations between adults, and has announced it will issue its ruling at a future date. The case, brought by Trinidad-born gay rights campaigner Jason Jones, centers on two key provisions of the country’s Sexual Offences Act—Sections 13 and 16, which outline the criminal offenses of buggery and serious indecency. The core legal question before the five-judge panel, led by Lord Reed and including Lords Briggs, Sales, Lloyd-Jones and Lady Rose, is whether these provisions remain protected from judicial invalidation under the Constitution’s controversial savings law clause.

    Jones’s legal challenge traces back to a 2018 High Court ruling, in which Justice Devindra Rampersad struck down the two provisions, finding they violated the fundamental constitutional rights to privacy, personal liberty, and equal treatment under the law guaranteed to all citizens. However, that landmark ruling was later overturned by the country’s Court of Appeal. The appellate court ruled that while the provisions did conflict with modern constitutional rights protections, they were preserved by the savings law clause because the offenses were originally enacted before Trinidad and Tobago gained independence, and were substantially re-enacted after self-rule. The Court of Appeal did reduce the harsh penalties attached to the offenses to align with the lower penalties outlined in the original colonial legislation, but left the criminalization intact.

    Anand Ramlogan, Senior Counsel representing Jason Jones, presented extensive arguments to the panel that the savings law clause should not apply to the current version of the Sexual Offences Act. Ramlogan emphasized that the 2000 Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act and the 2012 Children Act made sweeping, fundamental changes to the statutory framework of the original 1986 legislation. These changes, he argued, stripped the law of any constitutional immunity it may have held in the decades after independence, opening it up to full constitutional challenge.

    Ramlogan told the judicial panel that constitutional rights are explicitly designed to protect marginalized minority groups from majority discrimination, and should never be interpreted to perpetuate historical prejudice against vulnerable communities. “There is simply no justification in a democratic society with respect for fundamental rights for this to happen,” he told the court. Drawing parallels to other outdated discriminatory laws that have been struck down over time, he argued that legal frameworks must evolve to reflect modern commitments to equality, rather than preserve harmful, centuries-old prejudices. “Constitutional rights exist precisely because the majority is not always right,” Ramlogan stated, adding that Jones is not seeking special treatment for the LGBT community, only equal access to the same constitutional protections that every other citizen of Trinidad and Tobago enjoys. He further noted that history has repeatedly shown that practices once legally accepted, including chattel slavery, gender discrimination, and bans on interracial marriage, were later universally recognized as unjust and incompatible with democratic values. In a striking rhetorical appeal, Ramlogan asked: “Ultimately, we need to ask ourselves the hard legal conscience question of ‘who are we to volunteer that gay people should starve because we don’t like the meat that they eat’?”

    Peter Knox, King’s Counsel representing the Office of the Attorney General, defended the Court of Appeal’s ruling, arguing that the 1986 Sexual Offences Act was validly enacted by Parliament with the required three-fifths special majority. Knox contended that the legislation largely re-enacted long-standing criminal offenses that existed in Trinidad and Tobago for decades before independence, and should be evaluated through the lens of the social and historical context of the 1980s—including widespread public concern about the emerging HIV/AIDS epidemic at that time—rather than modern equality standards.

    Jones, who currently resides in the United Kingdom but travels regularly back to his native Trinidad and Tobago, has spoken publicly about the harm caused by the law. He says the legislation has subjected him and countless other LGBT Trinidadians and Tobagonians to systemic stigma, systematic discrimination, and physical and emotional abuse, forcing consenting adult same-sex couples to choose between living openly in their intimate relationships and avoiding criminal prosecution.

    In addition to the Attorney General’s Office, which serves as the primary respondent in the appeal, the Equal Opportunity Commission and the Trinidad and Tobago Council of Evangelical Churches are formal parties to the proceedings. Several regional and international LGBT advocacy groups, including Colours Caribbean, the Silver Lining Foundation, OutBermuda, the United Belize Advocacy Movement, and ILGA-NAC, were granted intervenor status to contribute arguments to the case. The Privy Council’s final ruling is expected to set a landmark precedent for LGBTQ+ rights across the Caribbean, where dozens of former British colonies still retain colonial-era laws criminalizing same-sex relations.

  • Caricom mobilising aid for Venezuela

    Caricom mobilising aid for Venezuela

    In the final press briefing of the 51st Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (Caricom) held in St. Lucia, regional leaders announced a coordinated, collective humanitarian response to support two neighboring nations, earthquake-stricken Venezuela and economically strained Cuba.

    Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, one of the key figures leading the relief coordination, emphasized the deep interconnectedness of the Caribbean region that drives this collective action. Just seven nautical miles separate Trinidad from Venezuela, meaning any crisis unfolding across the border directly shapes social and economic conditions in Trinidad and Tobago, she explained. Persad-Bissessar added that she, alongside Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley and other regional heads, held extensive talks on the relief effort during a late-night session on the Tuesday of the conference.

    Following a series of destructive earthquakes that hit Venezuela, Caricom member states moved rapidly to launch assistance efforts, with regional governments aligning logistics to dispatch both essential supplies and emergency response personnel. Persad-Bissessar confirmed that immediately after the conference, a fully loaded cargo ferry would depart her country for Venezuela carrying tons of relief goods for affected communities. She noted that Guyana and Barbados had already deployed their own shipments of aid to Venezuela, aligning with the community-wide collective effort.

    Expanding on the Venezuela relief operation, Mottley shared that a single vessel coordinated by the Guyanese government is currently transporting 88 containers of aid donated by the vast majority of Caricom member states. Barbados, for its part, mobilized emergency response personnel through the Regional Security System (RSS) within 72 hours of the earthquakes to support search and rescue operations, she added.

    Additionally, Barbados has redirected a certified pre-deployed field hospital to Venezuela. The mobile medical unit was originally staged for response to Hurricane Melissa in Jamaica, and will now address the critical gap in medical care left by the earthquake, which has left thousands injured and stretched Venezuela’s already strained public health system to breaking point. Mottley emphasized that the regional bloc has maintained open communication with Venezuelan President throughout the response, noting that the Caribbean community shares a moral obligation to support neighbors in crisis: “as we said, there but for the grace of God goes any of us, and we believe that we have a responsibility morally to help the people of Venezuela.”

    Beyond the response to Venezuela’s earthquake, Caricom has also prioritized delivering life-saving humanitarian assistance to Cuba, which faces ongoing international trade restrictions that have limited access to essential goods. Mottley revealed that Barbados’ initial attempts to transfer funds earmarked for the purchase of baby formula were blocked twice, with the full amount being returned to regional authorities on two separate occasions. Acknowledging that political and economic external factors have complicated aid delivery to Cuba, Mottley said Caricom remains committed to advancing purely humanitarian goals, and is ready to facilitate dialogue between the United States and Cuba to resolve logistical and political barriers. “When you live in a neighbourhood, what happens in the neighbourhood affects everyone,” Mottley said, framing the entire Caribbean basin – stretching from Florida in the north to Suriname and Guyana in the south – as a single interconnected community.

    Caricom Chairman and St. Lucia Prime Minister Philip J Pierre brought a last-minute update on the Cuban aid effort, confirming that after three failed attempts to transfer the funds, the payment was successfully processed on the fourth attempt. The first shipment of baby milk is now cleared for delivery to Cuban communities in need. Pierre added that Caricom leaders also held preliminary discussions on establishing a dedicated permanent regional humanitarian relief fund to streamline future cross-community crisis response efforts.

  • 4 Municipal cops back on duty; firearms still missing

    4 Municipal cops back on duty; firearms still missing

    In the most recent development following a shocking fatal attack and mass arms theft at a Trinidad and Tobago municipal police station, four on-duty officers who were working alongside murdered acting corporal Anuska Eversley have resumed their active assignments. Sources confirmed to local outlet the Express that the four constables returned to their posts at the San Fernando Municipal Police Station this week, more than six months after the brutal incident that upended the service.

    The unprecedented attack unfolded in the overnight hours of April 18, when 41-year-old Eversley — a 17-year veteran of the Trinidad and Tobago Municipal Police Service (TTMPS) — was beaten and strangled by attackers who stormed the station. Her body was discovered in the station’s charge room at King’s Wharf, Lady Hailes Avenue in San Fernando in the early morning of April 19. After killing Eversley, the perpetrators emptied the station’s armoury, stealing a massive cache of 123 firearms and more than 4,000 rounds of ammunition.

    In the immediate aftermath of the attack, the four constables who were on shift with Eversley that night were placed on suspension as investigators conducted mandatory internal and criminal probes. To date, law enforcement has recovered an unspecified portion of the stolen weapons and hundreds of rounds of ammunition, and three suspects have been arrested and arraigned in connection with Eversley’s murder and the arms heist. The accused include TTMPS constable Jivan “Bigs” Cooper, 20-year-old construction worker Kwame Arnold, and 24-year-old scrap iron dealer Nicholas “Nico” Ramdass, all residents of Claxton Bay. The three suspects face a long list of charges, including illegal possession of 114 pistols, one revolver, six shotguns, two MPX sub-machine guns, 173 firearm magazines with intent to traffic, and possession of 4,355 rounds of 9mm ammunition, 30 rounds of 12-gauge ammunition, and ten rounds of .38 ammunition.

    The broader criminal investigation into the heist remains active, as senior investigators work to trace the dozens of missing weapons and rounds of ammunition that authorities believe have already been distributed to local criminal networks. Senior law enforcement sources confirm that investigative teams are continuing extensive interviews and forensic work to unpack the full scope of the attack and any potential broader complicity within the police service.

    Alongside the return of the four rank-and-file constables, the ongoing administrative fallout from the incident continues: former TTMPS head ACP Surrendra Sagramsingh remains on administrative leave, with Assistant Commissioner of Police Wayne Mystar still serving as the service’s interim leader following Sagramsingh’s removal. San Fernando Municipal Police Station Superintendent Dustan Renn, who is currently suspended, is expected to have his suspension lifted in the near future, according to sources close to the process.

    The brazen attack on a fully operational police station — which left a veteran officer dead and put hundreds of lethal weapons into the hands of criminals — sparked widespread public outcry and triggered major questions about gaps in internal security protocols, infrastructure oversight, and accountability across the TTMPS. The return of the four constables marks the first major step toward restoring regular operations at the San Fernando station in the months following the tragedy.