GENEVA – UNAIDS has welcomed Jamaica’s expansion of protections against gender-based violence as the country’s Domestic Violence (Amendment) Act came into effect on Monday.

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad – Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley says his administration has proposed and received  Cabinet’s approval to appoint an advisory committee to formulate terms of reference for a national consultation on constitutional reform in the twin island republic.

BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - The St. Kitts-Nevis government has named a “distinguished national security and international relations specialist,” Dr. Mutryce Williams, as the twin island Federation’s new Permanent Representative to the United Nations.

BEIJING, China – Antigua and Barbuda Tuesday opened its first ever embassy in China with Prime Minister Gaston Browne describing the Asian country as the “most philanthropic country globally”.

WASHINGTON, DC – The Permanent Representative of St. Kitts and Nevis to the Organization of American States (OAS), Jacinth Henry-Martin, has assumed the chair of the OAS’ Inter-American Council for Integral Development (CIDI).

UNITED NATIONS – The Trinidadian-born President of the United Nations General Assembly,  Dennis Francis, has laid out his priorities for the rest of his term, as the  193 member states grouping finds itself increasingly in the public spotlight over the Gaza crisis and inaction on the divided Security Council.

ST JOHNS, Antigua – Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne is leading a delegation to the People’s Republic of China on a mission to improve his island’s relationship with that Asian country.

TORTOLA, British Virgin Islands - Governor John Rankin departed the British Virgin Islands on Thursday , following a special ceremony at Government House.

ROSEAU, Dominica - Prime Minister Roosevelt  Skerrit says countries within the sub-regional Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) are discussing efforts to establish a new regional airline, even as he insisted that governments should not play a significant role in the management of any airline.

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad – Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley will head a delegation to the United States later this month for talks on the special vetted unit regarding security to be established within the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) and the ongoing problem of exportation of illegal guns from the North American country to Port of Spain.

NASSAU, Bahamas – Prime Minister Phillip Davis says he remains optimistic that law enforcement  authorities will be able to “save this country” as he outlined new initiatives to deal with the rising crime, particularly murder, in the Bahamas.

BELMOPAN, Belize – The Government of Belize recently signed an agreement with the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI) for a BZ$800,000.00  technical assistance grant to finance its Sustainable Tourism Development Project.