Governor of the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank, Timothy Antoine – Advertisement – Governor of the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB) Timothy N.J. Antoine delivered a stirring keynote address at the recent 9th Growth and Resilience Dialogue, calling on the region to rise to the moment with bold action and a “Big Push” agenda to double the size of their economies and secure shared prosperity. Speaking under the theme “In Pursuit of Extraordinary Excellence”, Governor Antoine highlighted the macroeconomic threats posed by current global challenges and urged governments, businesses and citizens across the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union (ECCU) to adopt a growth mindset and accelerate regional collaboration. “This crisis—if we call it that—must not be wasted,” Antoine said. “We must meet this moment and emerge even stronger. Resilience is not merely the capacity to withstand and absorb shocks, but to bounce forward.” Addressing a packed audience at ECCB Headquarters in Basseterre,...

The Lineworkers Rodeo is coming to town in the BVI. Yee-haw? Image by editor. – Advertisement – For the first time, the Virgin Islands will host the Caribbean Electric Utility Services Corporation (CARILEC) 2025 Lineworkers Symposium and Rodeo next weekend. This special three-day event will bring together 33 skilled utility workers from across the Caribbean. They will show their technical skills and safe work practices through daily demonstrations. The opening ceremony is planned for April 25 at the Eileen Parsons Auditorium in Paraquita Bay. Speakers will include Premier and Finance Minister Dr. Natalio Wheatley, Communication and Works Minister Kye Rhymer, and BVI Electricity Corporation (BVIEC) General Manager Dr. Neil Smith. The BVI Heritage Dancers will also perform. A March Pass will take place on Sunday at 8:15 a.m., heading to the field behind the Ralph T. O’Neal Administration Complex. This will lead into the Marquee Rodeo opening ceremony from 8:30...

Dominican public hospitals are to perform ID checks. Illegal immigrants will be treated and then deported. Image by Editor. – Advertisement – Starting at 6:00 a.m. today, Easter Monday, agents from the Dominican Republic’s General Directorate of Migration (DGM), along with military personnel, arrived at the San Lorenzo de Los Mina Maternity and Children’s Hospital to begin the immigration verification protocol announced by President Luis Abinader in 33 public hospitals across the country. According to the immigration agents, foreigners began arriving after 7:00 a.m., and to carry out the operation, Migration set up a bus to transport undocumented foreigners. if foreigners do not have the proper documentation when receiving care at the hospitals, a migration agent escorts them to the bus. Clearly this plan is meant to deal with the problem of Haitians living in the country without legal papers. The immigration department says the goal is to control who gets...

Robert F Kennedy Jr. is the US Secretary of Health. He has no medical qualifications. Image screen grab from ABC News on YouTube. US Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said in a recent interview that autism is a major crisis—one he believes is potentially even worse than the COVID-19 pandemic. “This is an epidemic. It’s bigger than the COVID epidemic in terms of its impact,” Kennedy said during a Sunday radio interview. “COVID mostly affected older people. Autism affects children early in life, just when they should be growing and developing.” He added that autism can be very hard for families and communities. Earlier this week, Kennedy had already drawn criticism for saying “autism destroys families” at a press event on Wednesday. Kennedy has long promoted the false idea that vaccines cause autism, despite there being no solid scientific proof. The Centers for Disease Control, the...

US Customs will be charging import duty on all small packages effective May 2. Image by Editor. – Advertisement – Christmas and birthdays may never be the same again in the US, as Trump tariffs red tape may prevent US residents from getting gifts from family members overseas. DHL Express says it is stopping delivering packages worth more than $800 to people in the US. This is because new rules under Donald Trump’s tariff plan have made customs processing much more complicated. Starting Monday, DHL will pause all shipments from businesses in any country to US customers if the items are over $800 in value. This pause will last “until further notice.” Shipments from one business to another will still go ahead, but these may also be delayed. Before, packages worth up to $2,500 could be sent to the US with little paperwork. But new customs checks have lowered this...

Unsplash Fort of Goree Island, Senegal, was the site of one of the earliest European settlements in Western Africa. – Advertisement – Speakers at the fourth session of the United Nations Permanent Forum on People of African Descent said on Tuesday that the world can no longer ignore calls for slavery reparations. They called for governments, civil society groups, and regional organizations to work together to create a system that pays back Africa and its diaspora for the harms of colonialism, slavery, apartheid, and genocide between the 16th and 19th centuries. Hilary Brown, speaking for the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), said that Africa had suffered deeply during centuries of slavery and exploitation. “Africa was under siege,” she said, adding that Europe destroyed Africa’s systems and stole its people. Justice and Partnership Brown spoke about a stronger partnership between CARICOM and the African Union (AU), which has chosen “Justice for Africans and...

The Miami Rum Festival. Famed rum author Ian Williams in good spirits and holding up a generous measure of Belizean Tiburon rum in 2016. Image from Facebook. – Advertisement – The Miami Rum Congress 2025, held from January 31 to February 2 at the Miami Beach Convention Center, transformed the city into a vibrant hub for rum aficionados and industry professionals. The intoxicating event showcased over 85 premium rum brands and featured approximately 200 unique rum expressions, offering attendees an immersive experience into the world of rum. The Congress commenced with a day dedicated to educational seminars, providing insights into rum production, history, and tasting techniques. These sessions catered to both seasoned professionals and enthusiastic newcomers, emphasizing the importance of rum education in appreciating the complex history of the spirit, which product of sugar cane. A highlight of the event was the “Women Leading Rum” seminar titled “Notes of Elegance,”...

Ábrego García meets US senator in an El Salvador hotel. Image from social media. – Advertisement – A man from Maryland was wrongly deported to El Salvador by the Trump administration contrary to a standing court order in the US. U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen has now confirmed that Kilmar Ábrego García has been moved to a different prison in El Salvador. Van Hollen visited El Salvador and met with Mr. Ábrego García, who had been held at Cecot, a huge prison known for harsh conditions. He said Mr. Ábrego García was “traumatized” and afraid while there, but was moved to another jail over a week ago. Although the U.S. Supreme Court ordered the government to help bring Mr. Ábrego García back, Trump officials are still refusing to let him return. The White House claims he is a member of the violent MS-13 gang, which the administration has classified as...

Two passengers recently arrived in a golf cart while cruise ship Rhapsody of the Seas was already pulling away from the dock in St. Kitts. Image by Editor. – Advertisement – Two people on a Royal Caribbean cruise were laughed at by other passengers after they showed up late and missed their ship, the UK’s most popular newspaper The Daily Mail has reported. A video of the couple returning to the dock in Saint Kitts  more than half an hour after departure time has gone viral, claim The Mail. They were seen in a golf cart chugging toward the cruise liner, but their ship had already sailed and was pulling away from the dock. The cruise staff had actually already waited over half an hour for this pair of passengers, but eventually removed the boarding ramp and steamed off. Other passengers mocked the couple, yelling “goodbye” and cheering as the...

– Advertisement – A U.S. senator has met with a man who was deported from Maryland in the USA to a prison in El Salvador in spite of a court order saying he could stay in the USA. Kilmar Ábrego García is a citizen of El Salvador, but he has an American wife and children and has been living in the USA for many years. All 3 of the children have developmental issues. Abrego Garcia with his wife and family. Photo by GoFundMe. Prior to his deportation he had been the main breadwinner for his family as a sheet metal worker since 2019. Since he was seized and deported a GoFundMe campaign titled “Aid for Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia’s Family” that has raised over $234,000 from more than 4,300 donors. The funds are intended to support his wife, Jennifer Vasquez Sura, and their three children, who are facing emotional and...