When Governor Daniel Pruce cleared his throat, the hundreds of residents gathered in Queen Elizabeth II Park fell silent. For the territory’s third iteration of King Charles III’s Birthday Parade …
June 19, 2025
June 5, 2025
Small protest occupies roundabout
Pacing around the Road Town roundabout on the morning of June 2, about half a dozen protestors called for the government to address problems ranging from water lock-offs and crumbling …
May 20, 2025
EDITORIAL: COI brought major progress, but work must not stop now
After three long years, two conflicting narratives have emerged about the Commission of Inquiry reforms. On one extreme is the view that they will usher in a golden era of …
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May 15, 2025
Governor Pruce denies double standard on transparency
Governor Daniel Pruce has denied double standards after it emerged that he won’t be required to declare his interests in the territory’s new register for senior public officers. Mr. Pruce …
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April 24, 2025
United Kingdom to vet Virgin Islands cops for now
The United Kingdom Home Office will soon vet all Virgin Islands police officers, in part because the territory’s Police Service Commission is not yet up to the task, Governor Daniel …
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April 22, 2025
EDITORIAL: Security recs mostly sound, but UK power grab not okay
The recently completed law-enforcement review offers an extensive 10-year plan to solve appalling security failures caused by decades of underfunding and other neglect by the United Kingdom and Virgin Islands …
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April 17, 2025
HOA blasts UK security review as guv stays tight-lipped
A proposal to give the governor sweeping new powers over areas including customs, immigration and financial investigations has been roundly condemned by both sides of the House of Assembly. HOA …
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April 10, 2025
Security review sets stage for UK-VI spat
Claiming that corruption and organised crime have seriously undermined security in the Virgin Islands, the second volume of a scathing law-enforcement review lays out a 10-year reform plan that would …
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March 27, 2025
Skelton: ‘He stabbed me in the front’
A new rift has reopened old wounds in the House of Assembly. Ronnie Skelton said this week that Myron Walwyn “stabbed” him “in the front” to replace him as leader …
March 14, 2025
PAW has fixed 5,000 dogs, cats
A black dog under PAW BVI’s care joined more than 100 human attendees last Thursday at Government House to celebrate the non-profit organisation’s recent accomplishment of sponsoring the spaying or …
February 20, 2025
With commish search stalled, senior cop resigns
A high-level resignation has raised questions about the leadership of the Royal Virgin Islands Police Force at a time when the search for a new commissioner is stalled pending a …
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February 20, 2025
Auditor general probing salary error
Auditor General Sonia Webster is investigating how the government dramatically underestimated the cost of public-service salary increases awarded last year, according to Premier Natalio “Sowande” Wheatley. He made the disclosure …
February 19, 2025
EDITORIAL: Register of Interests a shameful COI fail
The House of Assembly and Governor Daniel Pruce should be ashamed of themselves for leaving in place absurd rules limiting the public’s access to HOA members’ Register of Interests. In …
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February 10, 2025
HOA defied ex-guv on interests register
Last year, legislators quietly defied former governor John Rankin on a key governance reform, ignoring his request to boost transparency by scrapping stringent rules that restrict public access to their …
January 14, 2025
EDITORIAL: Aligning HOA agenda with national plan is wise
We are cautiously optimistic about the sensible plans included in the legislative agenda unveiled in the recent Speech from the Throne even though the to-do list appears overly ambitious for …
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January 9, 2025
Throne speech pegged to plan
The first Speech from the Throne in two years emphasised the elected government’s determination to push ahead with the six broad goals laid out in the territory’s National Sustainable Development …
December 16, 2024
Prison gets boost from UK support
Expert advice and new equipment were part of a recent United Kingdom-funded support package for His Majesty’s Prison Service, according to government. The package — which was designed to enhance …
November 22, 2024
EDITORIAL: UK minister missed the mark on transparency
For decades, successive governors and other United Kingdom leaders have pressured the Virgin Islands government to be more transparent. They are right to do so. But the UK must also …
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November 8, 2024
Top cop search on hold as job ‘redefined’
The process to recruit a new police commissioner has been temporarily suspended as the territory faces increasingly complex security challenges, Governor Daniel Pruce has announced. The effort to replace Mark …
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November 7, 2024
OT minister visits, avoiding press and public meetings
United Kingdom Overseas Territories Minister Stephen Doughty visited the Virgin Islands this week to assess the recent Commission of Inquiry reforms and meet with leaders eager to convince him that …
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November 7, 2024
Free eye tests offered for Diabetes Month
On Tuesday morning, several residents waited patiently in the BVI Diabetes Resource Centre in Road Town for a free screening to determine if they are at risk for an eye …
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October 31, 2024
Audit blasts 2019-2022 contracting procedures
The government tendered fewer than half of the major contracts it awarded between 2019 and 2022, and it often passed over the lowest offer for the rest, according to a …
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October 3, 2024
COI reforms off gov’t desk, premier says
After the House of Assembly passed the last of five bills to reform statutory bodies last Thursday, Premier Dr. Natalio “Sowande” Wheatley boasted this week that his government has completed …
September 17, 2024
36 registered as British citizens
Thirty-six people were recently registered as British citizens after previously having been naturalised as British overseas territories citizens, government announced. During a ceremony held Aug. 27 at the Government House, …
September 12, 2024
EDITORIAL: COI reforms must be finished, then followed
We are disappointed that the government and the governor missed their Aug. 31 deadline to complete the Commission of Inquiry reforms, but the delay does not detract from the extensive …
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