Premier Andrew Fahie met virtually with United Nations Development Programme officials this month to discuss continued collaboration between the Virgin Islands and the UNDP on Covid-19 response, sustainable development, resilience …
July 26, 2021
July 2, 2021
Lawmakers to get paid after leaving office
Legislators will continue to receive their full salary for at least two years after they leave office under a new law that they passed in May and Governor John Rankin …
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June 24, 2021
Legislators’ interests declared late, or not at all
Concluding hearings for the first of six major topics it plans to investigate this summer, the Commission of Inquiry called legislators from the present and past to answer for their …
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June 4, 2021
COI grills premier, staff over alleged missing info
Claiming that initial requests for government documents came up short, the Commission of Inquiry grilled Premier Andrew Fahie and his staff last month about contracts awarded to consultant Claude Skelton-Cline …
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May 31, 2021
EDITORIAL: Government must respond fully to COI requests
After the Commission of Inquiry was announced in January, Premier Andrew Fahie and other leaders promised that the government would assist investigators by providing requested information as transparently as possible. …
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May 28, 2021
Premier, COI contradict each other on hearings
Premier Andrew Fahie said again on May 20 that he believes all hearings before the Commission of Inquiry should be broadcast live for transparency’s sake, but the COI responded the …
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May 15, 2021
Premier slams fake news
Premier Andrew Fahie on Monday condemned a fake news article he said has been circulating via social media under the headline “Financial inspection: Andrew Fahie risks 10 years in prison …
May 14, 2021
HOA passes 11 bills in two days
Over the past week, legislators passed 11 bills in two days, including one that will alter their retirement package in a way that has not yet been disclosed to the …
April 26, 2021
EDITORIAL: An open letter to Premier Andrew Fahie
Dear Premier Andrew Fahie: We noticed that you went on a media blitz in recent days, giving interviews on talk shows broadcast on the radio and on Facebook. We were …
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March 12, 2021
Commission of Inquiry given access to register of interests
Though the commissioner leading the United Kingdom’s corruption inquiry has the powers of a High Court judge when it comes to summoning witnesses and obtaining documents, Attorney General Dawn Smith …
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March 8, 2021
Caricom leaders slam UK over VI inquiry
Following a virtual meeting attended recently by Deputy Premier Dr. Natalio “Sowande” Wheatley, leaders from the Caribbean Community expressed “dismay” with the way the United Kingdom went about launching its …
February 26, 2021
Premier again promises to reform VI governance
When then-Governor Gus Jaspert announced the commission of inquiry into possible corruption in the territory last month, he spoke about a longstanding need for legislative reforms designed to ensure good …
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February 4, 2021
14th governor sworn in
Governor John Rankin first visited the Virgin Islands not on vacation, but to lend his support as leader of a fellow overseas territory in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma in …
January 28, 2021
Commission starts gathering evidence
Following the bombshell announcement last week that the United Kingdom will lead an independent investigation into potential corruption in the Virgin Islands, Governor Gus Jaspert and Commissioner Sir Gary Hickinbottom …
January 21, 2021
Governor announces corruption inquiry
Pointing to longstanding concerns about poor governance in the territory, outgoing Governor Gus Jaspert on Monday announced a wide-ranging commission of inquiry that will probe allegations of potential corruption, political …
January 21, 2021
Government ministers hit the road
Virgin Islands culture and art were central during a week of community meetings hosted by government ministers throughout the territory, but leaders also addressed issues including the development of Road …
January 8, 2021
Tourism plan among premier’s promises
The territory will have a new tourism plan by the end of 2021, Premier Andrew Fahie promised in a New Year’s Day message that also included several other updates about …
December 17, 2020
Governor explains delays on pot laws
After facing criticism for delaying assent to two bills that would decriminalise and legalise medical marijuana, Governor Gus Jaspert said last Thursday that the matter is now in the hands …
December 3, 2020
In midst of JMC, OT minister resigns over aid cuts
As Premier Andrew Fahie and other overseas territory leaders met online with their United Kingdom counterparts last week during the annual Joint Ministerial Council meeting, the UK minister in charge …
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November 27, 2020
UN pushes for decolonisation
The United Nations is doubling down on efforts to support the decolonisation of overseas territories, with a dedicated committee recently approving nearly two dozen resolutions to that end for the …
November 19, 2020
Budget address pushes airport, pier expansion
The World Bank has forecasted the “deepest global recession in eight decades” because of the Covid-19 pandemic, and the Virgin Islands is not exempt. Estimates show a $22 million dip …
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November 13, 2020
Premier congratulates Biden, Harris
Premier Andrew Fahie extended congratulations from the Virgin Islands to United States President-Elect Joe Biden and Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris on Saturday, shortly after news outlets called the election in …
October 19, 2020
EDITORIAL: Sniping at the UK is not the way toward independence
As the Virgin Islands prepares for a constitutional review, Premier Andrew Fahie should stop picking petty fights with the United Kingdom. Instead, he should use diplomacy to lay the groundwork …
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October 4, 2020
ANALYSIS: Six months into Covid-19, uncertainty remains
Six months have passed since the first two cases of Covid-19 were announced in the Virgin Islands on March 25, and government decisions to control the virus have been met …
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September 14, 2020
EDITORIAL: Covid is highlighting Irma recovery failures
Three years after Hurricane Irma, successive governments’ failure to secure the needed level of recovery funding — which now could be doing much more to help the stalled economy through …
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