News Jada Loutoo Friday 30 January 2026 A Newsday reader catches up on the major news of the day in San Fernando on October 14, 2024 – As the pages turn for the final time, I find myself reflecting on a journey that spanned almost three decades—one defined by stories told, lessons learned, and bonds formed. The criticisms came. I’d like to think I developed a thick skin, but instead, it was my stubbornness (from birth) that made me persevere. We were always told as journalists that if someone praises you, then you aren’t doing something right and that if they don’t, then you are doing it right. I’ve had my fair share over the last almost three decades. I thank each and everyone who supported me over the years, who trusted me to tell your stories. I joined the newsroom towards the end of June 1996, just days shy...

La inversión extranjera directa, la competitividad de Costa Rica y la generación de más y mejores empleos en las zonas rurales y costeras están en riesgo por culpa del “comunismo” que ahora defiende el Partido Liberación Nacional (PLN), según la presidenta Laura Fernández. La molestia de la mandataria está relacionada con la oposición del partido verdiblanco a la ley de armonización del mercado eléctrico. La iniciativa en cuestión permitiría a las empresas privadas generar toda la energía que deseen para vender dentro o fuera del país al mercado regional, en vez de depender de contratos de compra con el ICE. Al mismo tiempo, el Instituto dejaría de ser un planificador del mercado eléctrico para convertirse en un competidor en el mercado nacional. Por otra parte, sin el respaldo del PLN, el gobierno de Fernández no lograría los 38 votos que se requieren para validar el proyecto en segundo debate y,...

A Concerned Criminal Defence Attorney writes: Recent comments concerning the shortage of criminal defence attorneys in the Cayman Islands were both welcome and concerning. At the recent Grand Court Opening, the Chief Justice observed that “the courts continue to face challenges in getting their work done because there remain so few practitioners relative to the number of cases before the courts”. She further remarked that there are times when it appears there are more lawyers employed as Crown Counsel than there are practising at the criminal defence bar. Those observations reflect the reality experienced daily by criminal defence firms. The issue is not that criminal law lacks importance. Quite the opposite. Criminal defence attorneys are an essential safeguard against the misuse of state power and a fundamental component of a fair and effective justice system. The difficulty is that criminal defence practice has become increasingly difficult to sustain economically. The...

16 Three of Barbados’ leading choral ensembles will join forces on Sunday, June 7, for a special fundraising concert aimed at supporting two worthy causes, while showcasing the island’s rich musical talent. The festival, entitled We Have a Gospel to Proclaim, will take place at St Mary’s Anglican Church in Bridgetown from 6 p.m. and will feature performances by the St Mary’s Augmented Choir, The Clarion Singers, and The Myriad Singers of Barbados, as well as selections performed by a combined mass choir. The collaborative effort brings together the St Mary’s Augmented Choir under the direction of Akhanni Drakes, The Clarion Singers led by Derek Marshall, and The Myriad Singers of Barbados directed by John Bryan. The concert will also feature musical accompaniment from members of the 441 Clarinet Ensemble, the Barbados String Quartet, and trumpeters from the Barbados Defence Force Band. The Myriad Singers (PR) Proceeds from the event...

News Angelo Marcelle Friday 30 January 2026 Photojournalist Angelo Marcelle “lived” on the streets in Arima to feel the isolation that the the homeless feel. – To my readers, thank you. Thank you for walking this journey with me since 2005. What began as a simple moment of pride seeing my name printed beneath a photograph quickly grew into something far greater. It became a calling. A responsibility. A deep passion to tell the stories of the people and communities that make our country so beautifully diverse. Along the way, you allowed me to step into lives beyond my own. I slept on the streets of Arima as a homeless man, not for spectacle, but to understand the silence, the hunger, the fear, and the resilience that many carry every day. I worked as a sanitation worker, lifting garbage under the hot sun, gaining respect for the unseen hands that...

Desarrollo inmobiliario Hacienda Espinal ha alcanzado un punto clave de maduración. Este proyecto, reconocido por su cuidadosa planificación, registra actualmente un crecimiento sostenido, nos comenta Irene García Brenes, gerente comercial de Hacienda Espinal. A la fecha, el proyecto cuenta con 4 etapas de lotes finalizadas y una quinta etapa en proceso de construcción, lo que representa 406 lotes en oferta, con solo un 17% disponible, así como una etapa de 48 casas que se entregan construidas, con una primera fase de 32 casas 100% vendidas y una segunda fase de 16 casas, en proceso de construcción. Adicionalmente, Irene nos menciona que el proyecto incursiona en el segmento de apartamentos con el lanzamiento de su primera etapa. Esto amplía nuestro portafolio para conectar con un público más diverso, brindando la libertad de elegir entre lotes, casas listas para habitar o apartamentos. Todo dentro de un entorno integral que ofrece acceso a...

Indigo Bay Development Ltd, which is building condos on South Sound, operates under an LCCL (photo from social media) (CNS): The Cayman Islands Government has published the Local Companies (Control) (Amendment) Bill, 2026, which heralds in a new regime for how it will manage the grant of licences for companies that are trading in Cayman but owned by non-Caymanians. The proposed legislation empowers Cabinet to impose a moratorium on the grant of licences, generally or for a specific kind of business, when it is in the public interest to do so. Premier André Ebanks had announced plans for the change in parliament in April, and the bill is set to be debated later this month. Members of the public can still comment on the bill and lobby their MPs about the change, which is intended to give local entrepreneurs the opportunity to start new businesses in areas previously held by...

0 Young people across the Eastern Caribbean are eager to pursue careers in the green and circular economy, but a lack of information, training and accessible opportunities is preventing many from doing so, according to a new UNICEF-commissioned study.  The findings came as World Environment Day was observed on Friday, from a survey conducted last year among young people in Barbados, Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica and Saint Lucia were presented at the UN House. The study, Young People’s Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices on Climate Change and Green and Circular Economies in the Eastern Caribbean, found that while many young people are aware of climate change and eager to be part of the solution, significant barriers remain, particularly in accessing information, training and employment opportunities. Young Barbadians participate in the presentation of findings from a climate change and green economy study at UN House. (Photo Credit: Lourianne Graham/Barbados TODAY) “The good...

Faith Ayoung I am the youngest photographer who joined the Newsday family in 2024 – January 3. I joined the week of former prime minister, Basdeo Panday’s funeral and as much as I would love to say, it was easy, I would be the biggest liar. I was not a nervous wreck, but I essentially got a baptism of fire in that experience. It was to me the most major event I had in the first six months of what I consider, my first official ‘adulting’ job. I was guided well by Jeff K Mayers, Chief Photographer for Newsday at the time, and shown how to handle the situation from capturing colour (crowd shots, people’s reaction, what was happening around the event) to the event itself and all the elements of a state funeral. Exhausted is not the word I would describe at the end of that day; however, emotionally...

Costa Rica enfrenta el desafío de adaptarse a una nueva revolución tecnológica marcada por la Inteligencia Artificial (IA), la automatización y la competencia global por atraer inversión extranjera. Para Alejo Czerwonko, director de inversiones (CIO) para Mercados Emergentes de las Américas en UBS Global Wealth Management, el país no necesita reinventar su modelo económico, sino fortalecer aquellas áreas donde ya ha demostrado ventajas competitivas, especialmente en manufactura avanzada y servicios profesionales de alto valor. En entrevista, Czerwonko sostiene que el principal reto para Costa Rica será evolucionar su talento humano y reducir obstáculos estructurales como la burocracia y la deficiente infraestructura, manteniendo al mismo tiempo reglas claras para la inversión Ante la acelerada adopción de la IA y la automatización en las cadenas de servicios globales, ¿cómo debería evolucionar la formación de talento humano en Costa Rica para que el país siga siendo competitivo? Los conductores de carrozas a caballo...