All articles tagged with #antigua and barbuda
Health officials in Antigua and Barbuda confirmed the death of a visiting traveler who contracted malaria after arriving from a malaria-endemic country; the death is considered imported with no evidence of local transmission. Authorities also reported a second imported malaria case in recent days and said public health teams have intensified surveillance and mosquito-control efforts to prevent any spread.
Gaston Browne has secured a fourth consecutive term as Antigua and Barbuda's prime minister following the latest elections.
Gaston Browne’s Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party appears set to win a fourth term in a snap election, projected to take 15 of 17 parliamentary seats, with opposition UPP and Barbuda People’s Movement losing ground (UPP’s Jamale Pringle won his seat and Barbuda Movement won Barbuda). Analysts say defections and opposition disarray helped the result, while Browne frames the win as stability amid global pressures and visa-policy tensions affecting travel and investment debates over citizenship-by-investment reforms.
Caribbean cannabis growers in Antigua and Jamaica are expanding licensed cultivation, developing multiple strains with medicinal value, and lobbying for full legalisation to enable regulated production and export. The industry faces high costs and regulatory hurdles, but governments are building frameworks and training programs to curb illicit trade, boost research, and keep profits local, with possible cross-border opportunities if US policy shifts allow imports.
A $120 million Russian megayacht, the Alfa Nero, seized by the Antigua and Barbuda government and linked to a Russian billionaire, is costing taxpayers in the small Caribbean nation $28,000 per week to maintain. The yacht has been docked in Antigua's Falmouth Harbor for 19 months, and despite attempts to auction it off, a legal action has prevented the sale. The maintenance costs include the salary of an Italian captain and daily expenses for diesel to keep the air conditioning running. The yacht's presence has become a financial burden for the country's residents.
Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne has granted Rastafari official sacramental authorization to grow and smoke marijuana that their faith deems sacred. Browne seeks to prevent further discrimination of the Rastafari and bring respect to their culture and faith. The initiative started with the legalization of marijuana to protect the youth and reduce the jail population. The Rastafari movement preaches brotherly love, good health, and a plant-based diet. Antigua and Barbuda has created a space for a form of reparatory justice for Rastafari, acknowledging the fact that they’ve been discriminated against and marginalized.