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Belize has signed a US$12.5 million agreement with the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development to finance the upgrading of the George Price Highway.

The agreement signed on the sidelines of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) annual meetings here, will support critical infrastructural enhancements to one of Belize’s most important transportation corridors.

The project includes the construction of new service lanes, the upgrading of existing bridges, and the addition of 16 bus stop lanes aimed at improving safety, accessibility, and connectivity for trade.

Belize government officials said that the agreement further strengthens the longstanding partnership between Belize and the State of Kuwait, which dates back to the 1990s.

They said that over the years, the Kuwait Fund has supported several major infrastructure projects in Belize, including the development of the Southern Highway, the Hummingbird Highway, and the Caracol Road.

The agreement was signed by Joseph Waight, Financial Secretary and head of the Belize delegation to the IMF/World Bank meetings and Waleed Sh. Al-Bahar, acting Director General of the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development.

Doctors Without Borders (MSF) says it is supporting the reopening of a major maternity hospital in the capital, Port au Prince, which it says is providing care for mothers and pregnant women and where almost 60 per cent of births take place without medical care.

MSF said that in the French-speaking Caribbean Community (CARICOM) country, maternal and infant mortality rates remain among the highest in the Caribbean and Latin America, and access to health care has become severely limited amid a broader crisis of violence and insecurity.

The MSF said that it is supporting the reopening of the Isaïe Jeanty Maternity Hospital, one of the largest in the country, which had closed during a wave of violence in early 2024.

In partnership with the Ministry of Public Health and Population, MSF co-manages the facility to ensure the provision of quality sexual and reproductive health care services, addressing urgent and largely unmet needs.

MSF said that as violence and insecurity increased between February 2022 and April 2025, the proportion of maternal deaths in hospitals rose from 250 to 350 per 100,000 live births, while home deliveries became increasingly common.

It said currently, nearly 60 per cent of births in Port-au-Prince take place without medical care, increasing the risk of complications such as hemorrhage, infections, and hypertension, one of the leading causes of maternal mortality. Far too many women and pregnant adolescents die due to lack of medical care.

‘Because of the growing insecurity, several health facilities have shut down, reducing the availability of sexual and reproductive health care,’ explains Diana Manilla Arroyo, MSF head of mission in Haiti.

‘Every woman deserves a safe place to give birth, yet this basic right is too often denied. This is why reopening Isaïe Jeanty Maternity Hospital, in an especially isolated area such as Cité Soleil, is absolutely crucial,’ she added.

MSF said that the goal is to strengthen the quality of sexual and reproductive health care in an area where medical services remain extremely limited and where the population is regularly exposed to clashes between armed groups and police forces.

It said that the maternity hospital also serves as an essential training ground for the next generation of obstetric health care professionals. Its proper functioning strengthens the capacity of the health system in Port-au-Prince and contributes to the future of maternal and reproductive health across the country.

Since the beginning of the year, the facility’s activity has steadily increased. The number of prenatal consultations rose from 56 in January to 547 in July, while deliveries increased from 10 in April to 134 in August.

‘Haiti is trapped in a devastating cycle of sexual violence, unwanted pregnancies, and high-risk pregnancies, undermining the most fundamental reproductive health decisions, to choose if, when, and with whom to have a child,’ adds Manilla Arroyo.

‘With one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the region and a collapsing health system, access to safe care remains out of reach for many. Every woman and girl should have the right to live free from violence and to have control over her body, health, and future,’ she adds.

Meanwhile, MSF said that ongoing violence in the capital has forced it to permanently close its Port-au-Prince emergency care center, which had been a key lifeline in the city.

The emergency center had originally opened in the Port-au-Prince neighborhood of Martissant in 2006, but was forced to move to Turgeau in 2021 for security reasons. From 2021 to March 2025, the Turgeau emergency center treated more than 100,000 patients.

From January to June, more than 3,100 people were reported killed across Haiti and an additional 1,100 reported injured, according to the United Nations.

The Trinidad-based Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) Wednesday dismissed an appeal brought by the Opposition Leader in St. Lucia Allen Chastanet, challenging the withdrawal of customs violation proceedings against the Deputy Prime Minister Dr. Ernest Hilaire.

‘The considerable amount of judicial time and effort spent on this matter could have been better spent. It could have been dealt with shortly and no less justly,’ the CCJ said in its ruling, adding that ‘the appeal is dismissed with no orders as to costs’.

The appeal arose from the withdrawal or discontinuance of criminal proceedings instituted in 2020 by the Comptroller of Customs against Hilaire for infractions under the Customs (Control and Management) Act of St. Lucia.

The charges concerned Hilaire’s alleged failure to produce a commercial invoice for a vehicle imported into the country following his tenure as High Commissioner in London. After mediation and a change in government, the new Comptroller of Customs sought to withdraw the prosecution, and the presiding magistrate granted leave for the withdrawal of the criminal case.

Chastanet sought judicial review of the Comptroller’s ‘decision’ to withdraw the case, contending that by January 2021 the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) had taken over the prosecution, thereby rendering ultra vires the Comptroller’s withdrawal of it.

But both the High Court and Court of Appeal dismissed his application for leave to commence judicial review.

The five-member CCJ headed by its president, Justice Winston Anderson affirmed that the evidence did not establish that the DPP had taken over the prosecution.

The Court held that the mere forwarding of the case file to the DPP and the subsequent participation of counsel from the DPP’s office in the proceedings were insufficient to establish that the DPP had taken over the prosecution.

The CCJ, which is St. Lucia’s highest court, noted that the DPP himself had never claimed to have taken over the matter, even after its discontinuance.

The Court further held that, pursuant to section 73(4) of the St. Lucia Constitution, only the DPP has exclusive authority to withdraw or discontinue criminal proceedings, but that where another authority institutes proceedings, those may be withdrawn with the leave of the court.

‘Accordingly, once the Magistrate granted leave to withdraw, the Comptroller’s bureaucratic decision to withdraw the prosecution merged into the Magistrate’s resulting judicial decision,’ the CCJ said, with Justice Chile Eboe-Osuji explaining that the only decision that is open to challenge is the Magistrate’s order, not the Comptroller’s antecedent step.

‘Since no challenge was brought against the Magistrate’s decision, judicial review of the Comptroller’s decision was legally misconceived.’

Justice Eboe-Osuji also underscored the importance of clarity when the DPP assumes control of a prosecution, recommending formal written communication, public notice and reflection of the change in the style of cause.

In a concurring judgment, Justice Denys Barrow stressed the illogicality of the reliefs sought. The CCJ said that Chastanet’s case rested on the premise that the DPP had taken over the prosecution, yet he sought orders to quash the Comptroller’s decision and to compel the Comptroller to reinstate the charges.

If the Comptroller lacked authority to withdraw, he equally lacked authority to reinstate with Justice Barrow cautioning against unnecessary consumption of judicial resources, noting that the matter could have been disposed of on the simple basis that the reliefs were conceptually impossible.

During the trial, the CCJ said a bystander familiar with the records of the case must be forgiven to see in them a tale of two titans, a former prime minister and an incumbent Deputy Prime Minister on opposite sides of the St. Lucian political divide, playing out their entrenched rivalry in the arena of the courtroom, all the way to the highest courts of the jurisdiction.

The CCJ noted also that the facts of this case generated significant debate about the operation of section 73(2)(b) of the Constitution of St. Lucia.

It said that provision gives the DPP the power ‘to take over and continue any such criminal proceedings that have been instituted or undertaken by any other person or authority’

‘As was found by the courts below and this Court, the evidence in the case falls short of establishing that the DPP had taken over the Hilaire prosecution before its withdrawal, notwithstanding that the Comptroller wrote a letter dated 18 January 2021 to the DPP informing of the case and transmitting the case file for ‘information and onward prosecution’, which letter was not (according to the evidence) answered by the DPP.

‘The claim that the DPP had taken over the case was not improved by evidence that counsel from the DPP’s office had appeared in both the case and the associated mediation,’ the CCJ added

‘This case has thus brought to the fore the need to ensure clarity whenever the DPP takes over and continues any prosecution that was instituted or undertaken by any other person or authority.’

It said that such clarity can be signalled by the following measures amongst others: (a) formal communication to the person or other authority that instituted the criminal proceeding, clearly indicating that the DPP has taken over and continued the prosecution; (b) formal announcement to the public on similar terms as above; and, (c) reflection of the change in the style of cause of the case, as appropriate and as permitted by applicable law and prescribed legal procedure.

The Antigua and Barbuda government has hinted at the possibility of not voting in support of a Net-Zero Shipping Framework (NZF) aimed at reducing reducing emissions in the maritime sector.

The United States has already warned countries, including those in the Caribbean, not to support the NZF being pushed by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), approved in April 2025 and is set for adoption during the Marine Environmental Protection Committee meeting that is taking place until October 17.

‘Like the United States, we are equally concerned about this transition and we think that there should be a deferral and if there is no deferral, then we clearly will abstain,’ Prime Minister Gaston Browne told the state-owned ABS, saying Antigua and Barbuda favours a deferral in the adoption of the proposal as it will likely affect cost of living for the people of this country.

‘ We will not vote against it because at the end of the day, we are one of the most strident climate advocates as we have been advocating for net-zero, so we do not want to undermine our overall position on this transition to renewables and to achieve net-zero as soon as possible.

‘But this particular initiative could result in significant shipping costs that would result in increasing cost-of-living and it’s from that stand point that we are likely to abstain,’ Prime Minister Browne added.

But he made it clear that his position was not as a result of the threat by Washington and that St. John’s was taking a position as a sovereign state looking after its own self-interest.

‘We certainly cannot support the initiative at this time,’ he said.

In a joint statement issued by the Secretary of State Rubio, Secretary of Energy Chris Wright, and Secretary of Transportation Sean P. Duffy, the United States warned countries against supporting ‘this European-led neocolonial export of global climate regulations.

‘We will fight hard to protect our economic interests by imposing costs on countries if they support the NZF. Our fellow IMO members should be on notice,’ they said.

Washington has said that President Donald Trump has made it clear that the United States will not accept any international environmental agreement that unduly or unfairly burdens the United States or harms the interests of the American people.

It said that this week’s vote on the adoption ‘will be the first time that a UN organization levies a global carbon tax on the world.

‘The Administration unequivocally rejects this proposal before the IMO and will not tolerate any action that increases costs for our citizens, energy providers, shipping companies and their customers, or tourists.

The NZF seeks to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from international shipping to align with the 2050 net-zero target. Key components include a Global Fuel Standard (GFS) setting annual GHG intensity reduction targets, a two-tier carbon price mechanism, and a credit trading system funded by penalties to reward zero and near-zero emission fuels and support a just transition.

The NZF presents a new regulatory era in which ships will be required to gradually adopt fuels that are typically three to four times more expensive compared with conventional fossil fuels. Given the long lifespan of ships, shipowners should prepare now for the new net-zero GHG emission regulations to ensure cost-effective compliance, both at the ship and the fleet level.

The Framework will apply to all oceangoing ships over 5,000 gross tonnage (GT). These ships are responsible for over 85 per cent of global shipping emissions and are already covered by reporting requirements for fuel data collection. Ships under 5,000 GT are currently not covered.

IMO Secretary-General, Arsenio Dominguez, said while the IMO Net-Zero Framework ‘is not perfect,’ it ‘provides a balanced basis for our further work ahead of its entry into force in 2027.

‘This process has been inclusive and thorough,’ Dominguez added, urging delegates to approach the talks ‘with diplomacy and respect.

‘Here, we are diplomatic and respectful to one another, we listen to everyone’s opinion, we take steps forward and we are always looking to improve in this ever-changing sector.’

The Statistical Institute of Jamaica (STATIN), Wednesday said that the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for September this year increased by 0.8 per cent.

It said that the main contributor to this increase was the ‘Food and Non-Alcoholic Beverages’ division which rose by 0.9 per cent.

‘The upward movement in this division was influenced mainly by higher prices for some agricultural produce such as sweet potato, tomato, carrot, and cabbage in the class ‘Vegetables, tubers, plantains, cooking bananas, and pulses,’ STATIN added.

It said that the Housing, Water, Electricity, Gas and Other Fuels’ division recorded aone per cent increase, reflecting higher electricity rates and rental costs.

Additionally, there was a 5.6 per cent upward movement in the index for the ‘Education’ division due to higher tuition fees for private schools at the primary level for the new school term.

STATIN said that the point-to-point inflation rate for the period September 2024 – September 2025) increased by 2.1per cent.

It said this was influenced mainly by the point-to-point inflation rate for the divisions: ‘Housing, Water, Electricity, Gas and Other Fuels’ (4.8 per cent), ‘Restaurant and Accommodation Services’ (4.1 per cent) and ‘Food and Non-Alcoholic Beverages’ (0.7 per cent).

STATIN said that the CPI measures changes in the general level of prices for consumer goods and services purchased by private households and that the September 2025 bulletin outlines additional information.

Former president, Chandrikapersad Santokhi says he hopes that the detention of his son in the United States in connection with his immigration status ‘will be handled carefully and fairly, in accordance with applicable laws and regulations’.

Santokhi, who was head of state of this Dutch-speaking Caribbean Community (CARICOM) country, issued a statement amid reports that his son, Richano Santokhi, had been detained by United States officials in connection with his residency status.

President Donald Trump Executive Order, titled ‘Securing Our Borders’, calls for all immigrants who are undocumented, and thus in violation of federal immigration law, to be subject to criminal charges and to be deported from the United States.

But observers say the policy violates human rights due to the inhumane detention conditions, denial of due process, discriminatory policing, and exploitation of immigrant workers.

In addition, critics point to concerns like arbitrary deportations conflicting with both US and international human rights standards.

Santokhi said that his son’s residency application was already being processed by the competent authorities and that he was receiving legal representation from a lawyer.

‘As a father, I trust that this matter will be handled carefully and fairly, in accordance with applicable laws and regulations,’ Santokhi said, adding that he regrets some people would seek to exploit his son’s personal situation for political or publicity purposes.

‘It is unfortunate that there are people who are abusing this issue to inflict political and publicity damage,’ Santokhi said, even as he asked for respect for his family’s privacy.

‘In the interest of the privacy and protection of my family, I will confine myself to this explanation,’ he said urging the media to exercise restraint in addressing the matter.