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标签： Antigua and Barbuda

安提瓜和巴布达

  • Trappas Owner Caroline Tranter Completes Everest Base Camp Trek for Antigua Charity

    Trappas Owner Caroline Tranter Completes Everest Base Camp Trek for Antigua Charity

    Against the thin, freezing air of the world’s highest mountain range, a Caribbean business owner has turned a personal milestone journey into a life-changing fundraiser for a beloved local disability support organization. Caroline Tranter, owner of Antigua and Barbuda’s popular Trappas Restaurant & Bar, has successfully finished a grueling 14-day trek to Everest Base Camp, an expedition that tests even the most experienced hikers’ physical and mental endurance.

    At 5,364 meters (17,598 feet) above sea level, Tranter crossed the finish line and posted a jubilant announcement to her supporters: “The hardest hike of my life but I made it!” In a widely shared photo capturing the historic moment, Tranter stands tall at the base camp, holding aloft the flag of Antigua and Barbuda in a show of national pride for her home community.

    The ambitious trek was far more than a personal adventure for Tranter: it marked three major turning points in her life. She set out on the challenge to celebrate her 50th birthday, 25 years of operating Trappas Restaurant & Bar, and a full decade of what she calls a transformative spiritual recovery journey. Instead of accepting traditional gifts and celebrations for these milestones, Tranter chose to redirect public generosity toward a cause that holds deep personal meaning for her: the Friends of the Care Project, a Antigua and Barbuda-based charity that serves vulnerable people across the twin-island nation.

    Friends of the Care Project delivers targeted support to children and adults living with physical disabilities, mental disabilities, autism, and a wide range of other mental health challenges, filling critical gaps in local access to care and resources. Committed to full transparency, Tranter has pledged that 100 percent of all funds raised through her expedition will go directly to the organization, with no administrative fees or costs deducted from donations.

    Tranter extended a heartfelt appeal to her broad network of supporters, encouraging regular patrons, friends, and anyone who would have otherwise bought her a celebratory gift – from a meal out to flowers or chocolates – to redirect that money to the fundraiser instead. She also called on the thousands of customers who have dined at Trappas over its 25 years in business to “pay it forward” by contributing whatever they can afford.

    The fundraiser emphasizes that no donation is too small to make an impact: contributions as modest as £5 (EC$20) add up to meaningful support for the charity’s work. For those unable to give financially, Tranter asked that they help spread the word by sharing the official fundraising link. Donations are being accepted through a public GoFundMe page, and more information about the Friends of the Care Project and its ongoing programs is available on the organization’s official website.

  • ECAB Says It Is Working to Restore ATM Services Following Network Outage

    ECAB Says It Is Working to Restore ATM Services Following Network Outage

    Customers of the Eastern Caribbean Amalgamated Bank (ECAB) have been unable to complete routine transactions across the institution’s entire automated teller machine network after an unplanned outage hit the system this week, the bank has confirmed. In a public statement addressing the service disruption, ECAB shared that its in-house technical team has been deployed full-time to diagnose and resolve the root cause of the outage, with the top priority being bringing all ATM terminals back online as quickly as possible. Until full service is restored, the bank is directing all customers seeking to access cash or complete account transactions to visit one of its five physical branch locations, which remain fully operational. These in-branch facilities are situated at Coolidge, Redcliffe Street, High Street, Woods Mall, and Dockyard respectively. ECAB has issued a formal apology to its customer base for the inconvenience caused by the unexpected outage, and expressed gratitude for clients’ understanding and patience as the technical team works through the issue. Notably, the regional financial institution has not yet released any details regarding what triggered the network outage, nor has it provided a concrete estimated timeline for when customers can expect full ATM functionality to be restored.

  • Up to 50 Antigua and Barbuda Delegates Could Receive EC$430 for Commonwealth People’s Forum

    Up to 50 Antigua and Barbuda Delegates Could Receive EC$430 for Commonwealth People’s Forum

    A new funding initiative has been launched to expand access to the 2026 Commonwealth People’s Forum, with up to 50 local delegates from Antigua and Barbuda set to receive financial support to offset their participation costs. The program is a joint effort between the Commonwealth Foundation and the Government of Antigua and Barbuda, backing the three-day international gathering scheduled to take place from November 2 to 4 at the American University of Antigua (AUA).

    Eligibility for the stipend is open exclusively to residents of Antigua and Barbuda, with priority given to civil society leaders, grassroots advocates, and community organizers working across the nation. Tertiary students based in the country are also invited to submit applications for the funding opportunity. Each selected delegate will receive a one-time contribution of EC$430, a sum designed to remove financial barriers that would otherwise prevent interested community representatives from attending the high-level forum. According to the Commonwealth Foundation, the support aims to ensure diverse voices from small island states can contribute meaningfully to global discussions hosted at the event.

    To secure the stipend, successful applicants must complete two mandatory steps: finalize their official registration for the Commonwealth People’s Forum and obtain accreditation for the concurrent Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) by the September 30 deadline. Awardees are also required to attend all three days of scheduled forum programming, with stipend disbursement scheduled to take place on the final day of the event, November 4.

    The Commonwealth People’s Forum is a recurring civil society gathering held in parallel with CHOGM, which brings together non-state actors, community representatives, and stakeholder groups from all 56 member states of the Commonwealth. The 2026 agenda covers a broad range of pressing global and regional issues, including freedom of expression, climate and environmental justice, equitable economic inclusion, responsible artificial intelligence governance, sustainable blue economy development, and global health financing.

    The Commonwealth Foundation has issued a note of caution to prospective applicants: submitting an expression of interest does not automatically guarantee a spot at the event. Final acceptance is contingent on remaining venue capacity and successful completion of the full accreditation process, the organization confirmed. All relevant resources, including event registration forms, eligibility criteria, and full program details, are now available online for interested applicants.

  • UWI Five Islands Guild Congratulates Elena Etinoff on Essay Competition Win

    UWI Five Islands Guild Congratulates Elena Etinoff on Essay Competition Win

    A promising young scholar from The University of the West Indies (UWI) Five Islands Campus has earned top honors in a prominent national essay competition focused on reparations, drawing praise from her campus’ student governing body.

    Elena Etinoff secured first place in the university-level division of the 2026 Essay Competition hosted by the Antigua and Barbuda Reparations Support Commission, an achievement celebrated publicly by the UWI Five Islands Campus Guild of Students.

    Competing as the official representative of her institution, Etinoff impressed judges with her submission titled “From Chains to Change: Reflecting on the Past, Projecting a Just Future.” In its congratulatory statement, the Guild of Students emphasized the nuanced perspective woven throughout Etinoff’s work. The winning text balances rigorous critical reflection on the historical harms of chattel slavery with forward-looking vision, outlining a path toward a more just and equitable society for people of Caribbean descent.

    “We are proud to see our students using their voices, knowledge and ideas to contribute to important conversations,” the Guild shared in its official statement. The student body organization extended its warm congratulations to Etinoff on her outstanding accomplishment, while issuing a heartfelt encouragement to continue advancing meaningful dialogue around reparations and racial justice, urging her to “keep the fight alive.”

    The competition itself, focused on centering local and student-led engagement with the ongoing global movement for Caribbean reparations, provides a platform for emerging scholars to contribute their perspectives to a conversation that carries profound social and political weight for Antigua and Barbuda and the wider Caribbean region.

  • Met Office Says Low-Pressure System No Immediate Threat to Antigua and Barbuda

    Met Office Says Low-Pressure System No Immediate Threat to Antigua and Barbuda

    Meteorological officials in Antigua and Barbuda have issued an updated tropical weather outlook confirming that a newly developed low-pressure system churning in the far eastern stretches of the tropical Atlantic carries no immediate risk to the twin-island nation.

    Released at 8 a.m. local time on Wednesday, the official advisory from the Antigua and Barbuda Meteorological Service pinpoints the newly formed low-pressure zone roughly 600 miles southeast of the Cabo Verde Islands, off the western coast of Africa. According to lead forecasters, the system has the potential to strengthen into a short-lived tropical depression as it moves across open Atlantic waters sometime between Thursday and Friday.

    Current climate models project that the disturbance has a 30% probability of organizing into a named tropical cyclone within the next 48 hours, with that likelihood rising slightly to 40% over the full seven-day forecast window. Beyond this emerging system, the national weather service is also keeping a close watch on the residual remnants of former Tropical Storm Fay, which is currently drifting across the Atlantic basin.

    Forecasters note that while monitoring continues, significant redevelopment of Fay is deemed highly unlikely. Meteorological data gives the former storm just a 20% chance of regenerating into a cyclonic system over both the 48-hour and seven-day forecasting periods. Repeating a key takeaway for residents and marine stakeholders, the Antigua and Barbuda Meteorological Service stressed that neither of the two active weather systems currently poses any immediate danger to Antigua and Barbuda or its surrounding territorial waters.

  • ESFN Extends Coastal Cleanup Efforts with McKinnons Wetlands Campaign

    ESFN Extends Coastal Cleanup Efforts with McKinnons Wetlands Campaign

    Ahead of International Coastal Cleanup Day 2026, environmental organizers are already building on early momentum to expand conservation efforts to underprotected local ecosystems. The EcoShores Sustainable Futures Network (ESFN), fresh off the success of its September 19 International Coastal Cleanup Day activities, has announced a follow-up initiative: the ‘Do It Twice’ community cleanup campaign, scheduled for Saturday, September 26 at McKinnons Wetlands.

    McKinnons Wetlands, a critical coastal ecosystem that supports regional biodiversity and climate resilience, has accumulated large volumes of discarded human waste over time. Site surveys conducted by ESFN teams have identified a wide range of debris clogging the wetland, from single-use plastic bottles to bulk discarded materials including old stoves, construction tiles, and other improperly disposed items that threaten native wildlife and disrupt natural hydrological processes.

    The upcoming cleanup is open to all members of the public, with a particular focus on engaging youth and local residents from surrounding communities. ESFN volunteer teams will arrive on site at 6:00 AM to prepare staging areas, and the community cleanup will run from 7:00 AM to 12:00 PM. Beyond just removing accumulated waste, the event is designed to educate participants about the vital ecological role of coastal wetlands, connecting hands-on action with tangible learning outcomes.

    Britney McDonald, Portfolio Manager for ESFN, emphasized the need for sustained action beyond a single annual cleanup day. “One day of action is not enough to reverse long-term damage to critical ecosystems,” McDonald explained. “The ‘Do It Twice’ campaign lets us carry the momentum from International Coastal Cleanup Day to a second, at-risk site that often flies under the radar when it comes to conservation attention. It has to change, and we are part of the solution.”

    Wetlands are among the most ecologically valuable ecosystems on the planet, providing a wide range of benefits that directly support human and non-human life alike. They serve as critical habitat, nesting grounds, and breeding areas for birds, pollinators including bees, and countless other native species. These pollinators, in turn, underpin global agricultural productivity and food security. Wetlands also act as natural flood control infrastructure, absorbing storm surge and slowing runoff to reduce the impact of extreme weather events on nearby communities, making their protection a core component of climate resilience planning.

    This campaign is not a one-off initiative for ESFN, but rather an extension of the organization’s ongoing commitment to youth environmental engagement. Over the summer and continuing through December, ESFN’s internship program has offered young people and youth groups hands-on experience working with wetland ecosystems across the region. These programs combine environmental education with practical, on-the-ground conservation work, helping the next generation of environmental stewards develop a deep understanding of their local ecosystems and the actions needed to protect them.

    ESFN frames the ‘Do It Twice’ campaign as part of its broader mission to advance sustainable development education, grassroots community participation, and targeted environmental action. The organization is always open to new partnerships and community support for future cleanups, wetland conservation projects, environmental education programming, and other community-led conservation initiatives.

    For community members interested in joining the September 26 cleanup at McKinnons Wetlands, registration is available online at https://qrco.de/bh0qwm.

  • LETTER: Concerned Parent Raises Questions About Fairness at Clare Hall Secondary School

    LETTER: Concerned Parent Raises Questions About Fairness at Clare Hall Secondary School

    To the Editor:

    As a parent of a student at Clare Hall Secondary School, I feel it is necessary to bring forward multiple unresolved concerns about institutional decision-making and daily practices that have left a large group of caregivers questioning whether students are receiving equitable treatment and whether the core mission of public educational initiatives is being upheld. These issues touch on accessibility, student welfare, and institutional transparency – all foundational to a functional learning environment that serves every family equally.

    The first issue centers on a government-funded free eye-screening program recently rolled out for all school-aged children across the region. Designed as a public health initiative to guarantee every student access to vision testing and subsidized corrective care for detected issues, the program aims to eliminate barriers to care that might otherwise hold students back academically. However, at Clare Hall Secondary, program consent forms were only distributed to parents who attended a scheduled Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) meeting. Caregivers in attendance were required to fill out and submit the forms on-site during the gathering, and no provisions were made to send forms home with students or provide alternate access to forms for parents who were unable to attend.

    This exclusionary distribution practice raises significant red flags. PTA meeting attendance should never be a prerequisite for accessing government-supported public health programming. There are countless valid, unforeseeable reasons a parent may be unable to attend a single meeting: work shift conflicts, childcare responsibilities for other children, medical emergencies, or transportation breakdowns, to name just a few. In one documented case, a parent missed the meeting because another of their children was receiving urgent care at Sir Lester Bird Medical Centre. There is no justification for penalizing that parent’s child at Clare Hall Secondary for circumstances entirely outside the family’s control. The entire point of the initiative is to extend care to every student who needs it, not to reward parent attendance at school events or punish those who cannot attend. If the program’s goal is to reach 100% of eligible students, school leadership should be making every possible effort to ensure consent forms reach all parents, regardless of their ability to attend a single PTA gathering.

    A second pressing concern involves the school’s newly implemented ban on students bringing bicycles onto school grounds. For generations, cycling has been a primary mode of transportation for Clare Hall Secondary students, and many still rely on it to get to and from campus every day. Family financial situations can shift over the course of a student’s enrollment, and some students may move further from campus after enrollment than when they first started attending. Not every family can afford a private vehicle for daily drop-offs and pickups, and not all students live near convenient public transit routes or have access to school bus service.

    The current policy requires students to leave their bicycles locked outside the school gate, and the school explicitly disclaims any responsibility for theft or damage that occurs while the bikes are left unsecured off campus. This places an unfair, unnecessary financial and logistical burden on low-income students and families who depend on cycling for transportation. Instead of discouraging bicycle use, the school should be exploring options to create a secure, monitored on-campus storage area where students can leave their bikes during school hours. This would support active transportation, reduce student stress, and align with the school’s responsibility to protect student property.

    A third unresolved issue involves inconsistent application of hair policy guidelines for student leadership positions. According to parent accounts, when questions were raised about whether a specific hairstyle – which was explicitly permitted under national Ministry of Education guidelines – would disqualify a student from a leadership role, school leadership did not provide a clear answer. The question was dismissed, with leadership claiming that a full explanation would require too much time to address. This lack of clarity is unacceptable. If a hairstyle meets national ministry standards, parents and students are fully entitled to a transparent explanation of any school-level restrictions and the rationale behind them.

    These interconnected concerns demand immediate attention from the national Ministry of Education and the Office of the Director of Education. All stakeholders – parents, students, teachers, and school administrators – share the same core goal: to create the strongest possible learning environment for every child. Open, constructive dialogue and transparent decision-making are critical to addressing growing concerns and rebuilding trust where uncertainties have emerged.

    This open letter is not a personal attack on any individual administrator or staff member at Clare Hall Secondary. It is a public call for greater accountability, fair policy implementation, and clear communication from school leadership. Parents have a fundamental responsibility to advocate on behalf of their children when policies or daily practices appear to have unintended negative consequences for students. In turn, educational leaders have a matching responsibility to ensure that all decisions are made transparently, implemented equitably, and always centered on what is best for the students they serve.

    Our children deserve no less than the fair, inclusive, student-centered education they were promised.

    Sincerely,
    A Concerned Parent

  • ABWU Warns Employers Are Disguising Workers as Independent Contractors

    ABWU Warns Employers Are Disguising Workers as Independent Contractors

    At the 59th Annual Delegates Conference of the Antigua and Barbuda Workers’ Union (ABWU), union president Kem Riley has delivered a sharp rebuke to local employers engaging in a growing, controversial labor practice: intentionally misclassifying regular employees as independent contractors to evade their mandatory legal responsibilities to their staff.

    Riley pointed out that this deceptive labeling is one of the key drivers of rising employment insecurity across the nation’s labor market, a trend amplified by the growing adoption of temporary contracts and other non-standard working arrangements by businesses. Even after the Antigua and Barbuda Labour Code was revised in 2019 to introduce clearer protections for temporary workers, Riley noted that many workers still remain locked into repetitive, short-term temporary contracts that offer no long-term stability.

    For other workers, the exploitation takes the form of fraudulent independent contracting. Under the “guise” of this arrangement, Riley explained, workers are stripped of the core labor protections and benefits that are legally guaranteed to standard full-time employees.

    He pushed back against the bad faith practice of redefining worker status through paperwork alone, emphasizing: “A worker does not become an independent contractor simply because someone writes those words on a piece of paper.” Under national labor law, the actual classification of a working relationship hinges on the true nature of the arrangement — most notably the extent of control the employer exercises over the worker’s daily tasks and schedule — rather than whatever label an employer chooses to print on a contract.

    While Riley acknowledged that flexible working arrangements can play a legitimate and useful role in a modern, dynamic labor market, he raised critical questions about who these arrangements are actually designed to benefit. “Are we creating flexibility for workers, or are we creating insecurity and instability for workers? There is a difference,” he stated.

    Riley affirmed that all working people are entitled to reasonable job security, equitable compensation, dignified treatment, and full legal protection on the job. He confirmed that the ABWU will maintain unwavering vigilance against any attempt to dodge legitimate employment obligations through nothing more than deceptive labeling of worker status.

    In addition to addressing misclassification, Riley outlined the union’s ongoing commitments: the ABWU will continue to vigorously defend workers against unfair workplace practices including unlawful dismissal, workplace victimization, discriminatory treatment, unjustified suspensions, and unfair redundancy procedures.

    The union president also struck a balanced tone, recognizing that employers hold valid operational and business interests, and that workers do have responsibilities to uphold in the workplace. Even so, he stressed that any workplace investigation into employee conduct must be conducted in good faith, workers must be given a fair opportunity to respond to allegations against them, and any disciplinary actions taken must be both fair and proportionate to the infraction.

    “We are not asking for workers to be above accountability,” Riley clarified. “We are asking for accountability to be fair, consistent and just.”

  • Prime Minister Browne to Highlight Antigua and Barbuda’s Vision-Care Leadership at UNGA81 Development Forum

    Prime Minister Browne to Highlight Antigua and Barbuda’s Vision-Care Leadership at UNGA81 Development Forum

    NEW YORK, September 23, 2026 – As world leaders gather for the 81st United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), Antigua and Barbuda’s Prime Minister Gaston Browne is set to share the Caribbean nation’s groundbreaking experience in expanding national eye health services with a global audience on Wednesday. Browne will present the country’s successful model at a high-level special development forum convened on the margins of UNGA, focused on turning global recognition of vision care’s broad benefits into large-scale, actionable government programs.

    Organizers of the forum have singled out Antigua and Barbuda as a leading emerging example of sustained political commitment to expanding universal access to vision care. Unlike many nations that frame eye health as a narrow public health concern, the Caribbean country has positioned vision care as a core strategic investment in human capital, long-term productivity, and inclusive economic growth – a framework Browne will highlight during the panel discussion.

    In pre-event comments, Browne emphasized that the impacts of quality vision care stretch far beyond the health sector. “Good vision shapes a child’s ability to keep up in school, an adult’s capacity to contribute productively to the workforce, and a whole family’s ability to climb the economic ladder,” he explained. “That is why we view investments in eye health as direct investments in our people, and the foundation of our country’s long-term social and economic development.”

    The forum itself was created to elevate the issue of uncorrected near-vision impairment on the global development agenda, and to highlight the strong economic returns generated by low-cost, accessible interventions such as reading glasses. Official event briefings highlight a stark global gap: more than 826 million people around the world live with untreated near-vision impairment, a crisis that drags down worker productivity, reduces household income, and limits socio-economic mobility, particularly in low- and middle-income nations.

    During his address, Browne will outline three core priorities for the global community: why Antigua and Barbuda made eye health a top national policy priority, how political will can be translated into cross-government practical action, and what lessons the small island nation’s experience can offer other countries ahead of the upcoming Global Summit for Eye Health.

    “For governments, the real test is not just acknowledging a public health challenge – it is acting on the clear evidence we have,” Browne said. “When an affordable intervention can improve population health, boost national productivity, and raise quality of life for millions, we have a fundamental responsibility to build the necessary partnerships and delivery systems to make that care accessible to every person.”

    Joining Browne on the discussion panel is H.E. Keisha McGuire, Chief Global Affairs Officer of the non-profit organization RestoringVision. The conversation will center on the concept of “Visionomics” – the well-documented causal link between expanded access to quality vision care and measurable gains in workforce productivity, household livelihoods, and broadened economic opportunity.

    Organizers noted that Antigua and Barbuda’s model provides a critical case study for the international community: it demonstrates how intentional political leadership, cross-sector partnerships, and robust accountability mechanisms can turn research evidence into sustained, impactful government action. Browne confirmed that the Antigua and Barbuda government will continue expanding its cross-sector partnerships in eye health, and will actively share the lessons learned from its national program with other nations.

    “Our goals are simple: we aim to prevent avoidable vision loss, restore sight wherever possible, and ensure that a person’s financial situation never creates an unnecessary barrier to accessing essential eye care,” Browne said. “At the same time, we want to show the world that small states can develop innovative, scalable approaches to eye health that other countries can adapt and benefit from.”

    Right now, Antigua and Barbuda is actively scaling up its national vision care initiatives through global and local partnerships, expanding access to free community screenings, affordable corrective eyewear, specialized clinical treatment, and life-changing sight-restoring procedures. This UNGA presentation also serves a broader strategic purpose: building global momentum ahead of the Global Summit for Eye Health, pushing the international community to move beyond non-binding commitments and deliver measurable, on-the-ground implementation of vision care programs.

    Browne is leading Antigua and Barbuda’s official delegation to the 81st UNGA, which includes Foreign Affairs Minister E.P. Chet Greene, Health Minister Michael Joseph, and the country’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Walton Webson.

  • Prime Minister Browne Leads Antigua and Barbuda Delegation to 81st United Nations General Assembly

    Prime Minister Browne Leads Antigua and Barbuda Delegation to 81st United Nations General Assembly

    NEW YORK, Sept. 23 (Xinhua) — As the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA 81) convenes in New York this week, Antigua and Barbuda has dispatched a high-level delegation led by Prime Minister Gaston Browne to advance the priorities and amplify the concerns of Small Island Developing States (SIDS) across a packed schedule of diplomatic events.