Anguilla to host back-to-back international junior tennis events

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THE VALLEY, Anguilla (Nov. 11, 2026) — Junior players from around the world, alongside top Caribbean talent and Anguilla’s own rising players, will compete in Anguilla this month as the island hosts the Anguilla Cup: two back-to-back International Tennis Federation (ITF) World Tennis Tour Juniors J30 events at the Anguilla Tennis Academy (ATA).

Cup 1 runs Nov. 15-21 and Cup 2 runs Nov. 22-28. Each event features boys and girls under-18 draws, opening with round-robin qualifying on Sunday and continuing with 32-player main draws beginning Monday. Finals for both events will be played at Four Seasons Resort Anguilla Nov. 21 and 28. The Anguilla Cup is part of the Caribbean Cup Tennis Series.“We’re thrilled to be back in Anguilla. The Anguilla Cup is about supporting young players, from right here at home and across the Caribbean, with a world-class stage to compete, grow and chase their goals,” said Andrei Alexe, tournament director of the Anguilla Cup.“The Anguilla Cup gives visiting players and their families a reason to come to Anguilla and every reason to return,” said Jameel Rochester, director of tourism at the Anguilla Tourist Board. “Beyond the matches, they can enjoy our beautiful beaches, discover our exceptional cuisine and experience the warmth of our people. We are grateful to the Anguilla Social Security Board for its support in helping make this event possible. Together, we are introducing new visitors to the island and building lasting connections that extend well beyond the tournament.”Ahead of the tournament, the ATA’s six hard courts were repaired and resurfaced with a new blue-and-green acrylic finish and fresh lines ready for ITF competition, and the academy’s facilities and bathrooms were renovated.Mitchelle Lake, founder and president of the Anguilla Tennis Academy, said, “Thanks to the generosity of our local, regional and international supporters, the Anguilla Tennis Academy has raised more than US$100,000 to improve our facilities and resurface all six tennis courts ahead of the Anguilla Cup.“Next week, we will welcome young players from around the world to compete at our newly renovated facility. This is an exciting moment for ATA and for Anguilla. But what makes this achievement especially meaningful is what happens after the tournament. Our children will have improved facilities where they can develop their skills, build confidence, compete and discover the opportunities that tennis can create. I am deeply grateful to everyone who believed in our vision and helped make this possible.”The tournament also opens its doors to the community. On Friday, Nov. 20, the Anguilla Tennis Festival, presented by the Anguilla Tourist Board, opens with a free junior tennis clinic at 4 p.m., followed at 5 p.m. by an exhibition match. Both events are free and open to the public.The clinic is open to children of all ages and skill levels. No experience is needed, and rackets are provided. The clinic gives Anguillian children a first taste of the sport on the same courts where international juniors are competing that week, and a pathway into the Anguilla Tennis Academy’s year-round programs. Spaces are limited to 40; families can register at anguillacup.ca/junior-clinic-registration.“Sport has the power to open doors for our young people, and events like the Anguilla Cup help show them what is possible,” said Cardigan Connor, Anguilla’s minister of health, tourism and sports. “By welcoming international competition and introducing more local children to tennis, we are strengthening our sports tourism offering while encouraging the next generation to discover their potential. That is the kind of legacy we want to build.”“The Anguilla National Tennis Association is thrilled to be a partner in welcoming international players and families to experience our warm island hospitality and vibrant tennis community,” said Michelle Owen-Vasilis, president of the Anguilla National Tennis Association. “Hosting back-to-back ITF World Tennis events elevates Anguilla’s position in Caribbean tennis. The Anguilla Cup represents a landmark moment for our sports landscape, bringing a world-class ITF junior competition to our shores while inspiring the next generation of local talent. We can’t wait for everyone to witness this spectacular competition of elite tennis.”The Anguilla Cup is presented with the support of premier partners the Anguilla Tourist Board, the Anguilla Social Security Board, the Government of Anguilla’s Department of Sports and Four Seasons Resort Anguilla; and official partners King Ocean Services and Anguilla Great House Beach Resort, the event’s official hotel. A full list of partners appears below.

AT A GLANCE

Cup 1: Qualifying Sunday, Nov. 15 | Main draw Nov. 16-21Cup 2: Qualifying Sunday, Nov. 22 | Main draw Nov. 23-28Venue: Anguilla Tennis Academy (6 hard courts)Finals: Four Seasons Resort AnguillaDraws: Main draw 32 | Qualifying 16Festival: Friday, Nov. 20, Anguilla Tennis FestivalSpectators: Free | welcome all weekWeb: anguillacup.ca | #AnguillaCup2026

Soca super-producer Pupa Nas-T and Lava Aim Straight for Carnival With “Pelt Out”

Soca super-producer Pupa Nas-T and Lava Aim Straight for Carnival With “Pelt Out”

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Mega-producer Pupa Nas-T has already sent one soca record around the world. With “Pelt Out,” the Brooklyn-born producer and his collaborator Lava are heading straight for the Carnival road – but this time, he wants to take aspiring and established artists with him allowing them to hop on the instrumental of his latest

“The song has pure Carnival energy, made to mash up the road and the fete,” Nas-T said.

Azruddin Mohamed Remains Jailed As His 24-Year-Old Sister Enters Guyana Parliament

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By News Americas Now Staff Writer

News Americas, GEORGETOWN, Guyana, Wed. Nov. 11, 2026: As Guyana’s Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed remains behind bars, his 24-year-old sister Hadiyyah Mohamed has entered the National Assembly – and used her first day as a parliamentarian to call for his immediate release.

Mohamed was sworn in Wednesday as a Member of Parliament for the We Invest in Nationhood, WIN, party, filling the seat vacated by Dr. Andre Lewis, whose resignation took effect on October 7th. Speaker Manzoor Nadir formally welcomed her to the House, while Prime Minister Mark Phillips extended greetings from the government benches.

Her entry into Parliament comes as her brother remains on remand at Lusignan Prison in connection with a separate cybercrime case involving allegations over the unauthorized acquisition and dissemination of CCTV footage from Guyana’s Safe City initiative. He is due back before the court on November 24.

“NOT A POLITICAL DYNASTY”

Hadiyyah Mohamed used her first public statement as an MP to confront criticism that the Mohamed family is attempting to build a political dynasty. She argued that family ties have long existed across Guyana’s political history and should not, by themselves, disqualify anyone from public office.

“A surname does not confer competence, just as having a family connection does not disqualify you from public service,” she said. Mohamed said she wants to be judged on her own record, qualifications, conduct and performance in Parliament.

She holds First Class Honours in Journalism from Edinburgh Napier University and a Master of Letters with Merit in Global Social and Political Thought from the University of St Andrews. Her research interests include political accountability, corruption, postcolonial governance, social justice and power structures. She has also been appointed WIN’s Shadow Minister of Natural Resources, giving her a portfolio at the center of Guyana’s oil-driven economic transformation.

Mohamed said she intends to focus on how Guyana manages its natural wealth, who benefits from that wealth and how development affects the environment, forests, rivers, biodiversity and Indigenous communities.

HER FIRST FIGHT: FREE AZRUDDIN MOHAMED

But the political issue dominating her first day in Parliament was the detention of her brother. Mohamed called for the immediate release of the Opposition Leader, arguing that his office carries constitutional responsibilities to scrutinize the government, lead the opposition and represent constituents.

She described his continued detention as unjust and said his absence from the political process should be treated as a matter of national importance. Those claims reflect Mohamed’s political position and have not been established by a court.

Azruddin Mohamed was remanded on October 30 after being charged alongside Police Constable Ryan Greene over allegations that CCTV footage was unlawfully obtained from the Police Command Centre and supplied to Mohamed in exchange for $800,000. Both men were denied bail in that matter. Mohamed is also facing extradition proceedings and other separate criminal cases. He remains on bail in the extradition matter after a magistrate rejected a prosecution application to revoke that bail, but he remains in custody in the cybercrime case.

His lawyers have separately pursued relief in the High Court, where questions over the form of the bail application and the conditions of his detention have been argued.

A NEW VOICE IN A HIGH-STAKES PARLIAMENT

Hadiyyah Mohamed said her parliamentary role would not be limited to defending her brother. She pledged to scrutinize government decisions, challenge ministers, demand accountability and focus on the economic pressures facing ordinary Guyanese despite the country’s oil boom.

She also positioned herself as a voice for young people and young women entering public life. “I want young girls to know that they too can be in the rooms where the important decisions are made,” she said.

Her arrival gives WIN a new parliamentary voice at a moment when its leader is absent from the chamber and fighting multiple legal battles. It also places Mohamed immediately under the kind of scrutiny she says she welcomes. She entered Parliament insisting she is not there to build a family political dynasty.

But on her first day in the National Assembly, the political reality was impossible to separate from the family one: her brother remains in prison, and securing his release has already become one of her most visible public demands.

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