Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness has praised the quality of work being carried out by a Guyanese engineering team in Westmoreland, saying the roof repairs being done for hurricane-affected families are of an “exacting” standard.

Holness made the remarks during a site visit where he engaged Lieutenant Wilson, who is leading the Guyana Defence Force contingent deployed to Jamaica. The team is carrying out repairs as part of a commitment made by President Irfaan Ali following the passage of a recent hurricane.

“And I have had the opportunity to review and examine the work done, and it is done to exacting standards,” Holness said. “The Jamaican people, particularly those who are direct beneficiaries, are very grateful.”

According to President Ali, a dedicated Guyanese team led by Lieutenant Wilson is working to repair 200 roofs for affected families in Westmoreland. “To date, 62 roofs have already been completed, with more ongoing,” the President said, noting that the effort is being supported by the Guyana Defence Force.

Ali described the effort as a reflection of “the professionalism, craftsmanship, and compassion of our ranks,” adding that the operation demonstrates “regional solidarity in action” and the strength of the CARICOM family.

Speaking on the ground, Lieutenant Wilson said the team was honoured to assist. “Being here is an honour to help our sister Caribbean country,” he said. “So far, the work has been progressing smoothly. We have managed… to complete 62 roofs in a short period of five weeks.”

He added that the Guyanese ranks are working hard and have received strong support from residents. “The people in the area are very resilient. They are very supportive of what we are doing, and we thank everyone for their support and what they have done for us so far,” Wilson said.

Holness said President Ali was “very moved” during his visit to the affected areas and committed both manpower and materials to the initiative, a pledge he said is now being honoured. “It’s good always to have friends in your region,” the Jamaican leader noted.

Expressing appreciation on behalf of his country, Holness said, “It behooves me on behalf of the people of Jamaica to say thanks to the people of Guyana. Thanks to my friend Irfan Ali, and thanks to you and your team who have done this great job for us.”

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Ralph Gonsalves, the Caribbean political titan, has failed to secure his sixth consecutive term in the St Vincent 2025 elections.

Election results indicate that Gonsalves’ Unity Labour Party (ULP) lost to the Opposition NDP, 14-1.

In a Facebook post the ULP said; “We love you SVG and we will keep working and advocating for you.

This is not the end, it is the beginning”.

The election was characterized by a clear ideological contrast between Gonsalves’ ULP and the opposition New Democratic Party (NDP).

While the ULP campaigned on maintaining the current foreign policy trajectory, the NDP advocated for a strategic pivot towards closer relations with China and a move to CBI

Both major parties fielded 15 candidates each, with two independent female candidates also participating in the electoral contest.

Gonsalves, who first came to power by defeating the New Democratic Party in 2001, has been a dominant political figure in the Caribbean nation for over two decades. His longevity in office is unprecedented in the country’s modern political history.

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Venezuela is moving to deploy older Russian-made weapons and preparing for a guerrilla-style defence if the United States launches an air or ground attack. This is based on planning documents and information from sources familiar with the country’s military strategy, reported by Reuters.

The move highlights the difficulties facing Venezuela’s armed forces, which have been weakened by low pay, limited training and equipment shortages. Some commanders have even had to negotiate with private food suppliers to feed soldiers, due to shortfalls in government provisions.

The strategy, described by Venezuelan officials as “prolonged resistance,” involves small military units stationed at more than 280 locations to carry out sabotage and other guerrilla tactics if invaded. This approach reflects the government’s acknowledgement that it cannot match the U.S. military directly.

President Nicolás Maduro has repeatedly accused U.S. President Donald Trump of trying to remove him from office. While Trump previously hinted at possible ground operations in Venezuela during regional military activities, he has since denied planning strikes inside the country.

The Venezuelan government has spoken publicly about resisting an invasion, but has not offered detailed explanations of how the strategy would work. However, the documents reviewed show that the administration is preparing for a long, irregular conflict if tensions escalate.

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Tropical storm Melissa has developed in the Caribbean Sea, marking an active end to this year’s Atlantic hurricane season. The system is expected to bring heavy rain and strong winds across parts of the northern Caribbean in the coming days.

As of Tuesday afternoon, Melissa was located about 300 miles south of Haiti with maximum sustained winds of 50 miles per hour, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC). The storm is projected to strengthen and could reach hurricane status by Saturday.

A hurricane watch has been issued for parts of Haiti, while Jamaica is under a tropical storm watch. Forecasters warn that Melissa could dump more than a foot of rain on parts of Hispaniola, raising the risk of severe flooding and mudslides in both the Dominican Republic and Haiti.

Puerto Rico and Jamaica could also experience bouts of heavy rainfall and flash flooding as the storm moves north.

Forecasters are tracking two main paths for the system. The most likely scenario suggests Melissa will linger over the Caribbean before turning north toward Hispaniola by the weekend, strengthening into a Category 1 hurricane. The other possible track could take the storm westward toward Central America early next week, potentially near Nicaragua or Honduras.

Melissa is the 13th named storm of the season and the first to form in the Caribbean. Meteorologists say unusually warm sea temperatures in the region have created ideal conditions for rapid storm intensification — a trend becoming more frequent in recent years.

Residents in the northern Caribbean are being urged to closely monitor updates as Melissa continues to strengthen over the coming days.

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Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley has called for regional support as Barbados, Dominica, Belize, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines implement full free movement among their citizens, beginning October 1, 2025. According to a statement carried by the Jamaica Observer, Mottley framed this step as more than symbolic — she said it “supports jobs, supports public services, and supports our future.”

In a televised and radio address, Mottley acknowledged the mixed feelings the change may stir: excitement, anxiety, and legitimate questions about how it will affect families, employment, and social services. She said Barbados would “open our doors with order and with pride,” and stressed that while the shift is substantial, it is not sudden or reckless.

Under the new regime, nationals from the four countries will have the right to live, work (without work permits), and study indefinitely across the member states. Mottley stressed that this freedom comes with responsibilities and guardrails—governments reserve the right to refuse entry on public health or security grounds, and criminality will not be tolerated.

To facilitate seamless implementation, Barbados plans to introduce necessary immigration status mechanisms and legal changes. She noted that a bill will be tabled in Parliament on 7 October. Regulatory and professional requirements remain in place — for example, foreign lawyers must still hold valid practising certificates.

Mottley argued that Barbados — with a shrinking working-age population and rising pressure from its elderly demographic — needs to attract talent to sustain its economy and social systems. She dismissed concerns that incoming workers might undercut locals, emphasising that the prevailing minimum wage and labour protections will apply equally to new citizens.

She cast this move not as an isolated gambit, but as a step in regional integration: “In a world where many are building walls, the Caribbean must build bridges,” she said, underscoring that this is a measure and manageable approach rather than a leap into the unknown.

The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat says significant preparations have been made to ensure a “smooth and secure rollout.” Nations outside these four will continue under the existing regime, which allows freedom of movement for skilled workers, business operators, and service providers under limited terms.

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Guyana stands at the frontline of regional cooperation as the United States broadens its fight against international drug trafficking, naming the Cartel de los Soles as a key target tied to the Maduro regime in Venezuela.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that for the first time in decades, Washington is “on the offensive” against these drug networks and is building an international coalition to confront what he called a regional scourge. Rubio noted the cooperation of several countries, including Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago and Ecuador, which have expressed interest in a collaboration against drug trafficking. Meanwhile, Argentina has placed the Cartel de los Soles in its Public Registry of Terrorism and Their Financing, pointing to a broader regional alignment against the organization.

The cartel is accused of moving drugs toward the U.S. market and posing a serious national security threat to the United States. In this regard, the U.S. has deployed ships to deter narcotics operations by these networks.

In response, Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro vowed to mobilize a civilian militia alongside the armed forces to counter perceived U.S. threats.

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Barbados’ Prime Minister Mia Mottley has issued a renewed and impassioned call for Caribbean Community (CARICOM) member states to adopt the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) as their final appellate court, saying that full regional integration and legal autonomy cannot be achieved without embracing the CCJ.

Speaking at the opening of the 49th CARICOM Heads of Government Meeting in Montego Bay, Jamaica, on Monday, Mottley described the CCJ as essential to the region’s democratic stability and jurisprudential independence.

She appealed directly to both governments and citizens across CARICOM to show “singular purpose” in supporting the regional court.

“We have a duty to our citizens,” Mottley declared. “It would be remiss of me not to salute Winston Anderson, the new President of the Caribbean Court of Justice… and you will forgive me if I now make yet another appeal to the citizens of this region to allow their governments to know that there ought to be a singular purpose for the Caribbean Court of Justice to be truly the last Court of Appeal for the states of this region.”

Only a handful of CARICOM states currently recognise the CCJ in its appellate jurisdiction, with others still relying on the United Kingdom-based Privy Council.

Mottley urged regional leaders to begin or resume public education campaigns to overcome constitutional hurdles, including referenda, in certain states.

“This, like everything else, ought to be the subject of public education,” she said.

“And if we can so do, then I believe we can finally start to move the needle generationally for us, recognising that this ought to be our final court.”

The veteran regionalist stressed that small island states must control their own jurisprudence, particularly when addressing sensitive security and human rights matters.

“Our small vulnerable states… are also to be taken into account with respect to our Caribbean jurisprudence,” she said, citing the importance of responsive, localised legal systems that reflect the realities of Caribbean societies.

The CCJ was inaugurated in Port of Spain, Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, on April 16, 2025 and presently has a Bench of six judges presided over by CCJ President, Justice Winston Anderson.

The CCJ has both Original and Appellate Jurisdiction, and is, effectively, therefore, two courts in one.

In its Original Jurisdiction, it is an international court with exclusive jurisdiction to interpret and apply the rules set out in the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas (RTC) and to decide disputes arising under it.

The RTC established the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME).

In its Original Jurisdiction, the CCJ is critical to the CSME, and all 12 Member States which belong to the CSME (including their citizens, businesses, and governments) can access the Court’s Original Jurisdiction to protect their rights under the RTC.

In its Appellate Jurisdiction, the CCJ is the final court of appeal for criminal and civil matters in those Caribbean countries that have amended their national Constitutions to enable the CCJ to perform that role.

At present, five states access the Court in its Appellate Jurisdiction, these being Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Guyana, and Saint Lucia.

However, by signing and ratifying the Agreement Establishing the CCJ, Member States of the Caribbean Community have demonstrated a commitment to making the CCJ their final court of appeal.

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Antigua Newsroom – A 24-year-old man has been remanded to prison in Antigua and Barbuda in connection with the death of a young woman from Guyana.

Victor Ince of Lightfoot West appeared before Magistrate Ngaio Emanuel on Wednesday to answer charges of unlawful confinement and killing in the death of 19-year-old Joyleen Abraham.

The incident took place on 7 May in the Judges Estate area. Police say Abraham was ejected from a moving vehicle driven by Ince and was found with multiple injuries. She was pronounced dead at the scene shortly after 6:30pm.

Abraham had reportedly arrived on the island just days before her death. Ince is expected to return to court on 17 September.

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Trinidad and Tobago is actively pursuing crude oil supplies from Guyana to support the reopening of its state-owned Petrotrin refinery, Energy Minister Dr. Roodal Moonilal announced in Parliament on Monday.

He said the move forms part of a broader regional strategy to deepen energy integration with Guyana and Suriname.

The Pointe-a-Pierre refinery, which has been dormant since November 2018, is a central focus of the newly elected United National Congress (UNC) administration. The administration had promised to restart operations during its 2025 general election campaign.

According to Dr. Moonilal, securing a reliable supply of crude is critical to making the refinery operational again, and Guyana is at the forefront of those plans.

“We are in discussions with government officials and the Oil and Gas Energy Chamber in Georgetown,” Moonilal said, noting that similar engagements are ongoing with Surinamese partners.

He underscored that Trinidad and Tobago, despite its century-old energy legacy and extensive infrastructure, has had limited commercial activity in Guyana and Suriname—a missed opportunity that the government is now eager to reverse.

Phoenix Park Gas Processors Limited (PPGPL), a state entity, is currently bidding to construct a gas processing facility in Guyana.

Moonilal highlighted this as a symbol of Trinidad and Tobago’s intent to become the Caribbean’s energy service hub, not by outproducing Guyana but by offering infrastructure, expertise, and investment.

Furthermore, he disclosed that Trinidad has partnered with Fulcrum LNG, a U.S. company involved in Guyana’s landmark gas project alongside ExxonMobil.

The Guyanese government selected Fulcrum to lead the development of a major gas commercialisation project aimed at monetising the country’s vast natural gas reserves.

With U.S. sanctions continuing to restrict access to Venezuelan gas, the Moonilal-led Energy Ministry is focusing on alternative regional partnerships to maintain Trinidad’s energy security.

Regarding the Petrotrin restart, the Energy Minister explained that technical, economic, and contractual evaluations must be completed before refining can commence.

A high-level expert committee, boasting over 500 years of combined industry experience, is set to be appointed to oversee the reopening process.

In the meantime, the government is paying a contractor TT$400,000 per month to maintain the refinery. Guyana’s meteoric rise in oil production further fuels Trinidad’s interest.

Since ExxonMobil’s initial discovery in 2015, the Liza 1, Liza 2, and Payara projects in the Stabroek Block now yield over 600,000 barrels of oil daily via three Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessels: Liza Destiny, Liza Unity, and Prosperity.

Future developments—Yellowtail (2025), Uaru (2026), and Whiptail (2027)—are expected to add another 750,000 barrels per day, pushing Guyana’s total offshore oil output beyond 1.3 million barrels per day.

This explosive growth cements Guyana’s status as a major global oil producer and the world’s fastest-growing economy.

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