CARICOM Tech & Tax: Tax administrators and revenue experts will meet in Georgetown, Guyana (27–31 July) for COTA’s 27th General Assembly and Technical Conference on “Future-Ready CARICOM Tax Administration,” with a focus on smart, data-driven and AI-enabled systems to boost compliance and taxpayer services. Regional Bio/AgTech: Grenada’s C-SAC climate-smart agriculture tool has been named a global finalist in the FAO’s 2026 AgriInno Challenge, competing for seed funding and an FAO showcase in Rome. Health & Environment: New FAO-based rankings place Saint Lucia sixth worldwide for pesticide use intensity, highlighting potential public and environmental health risks tied to long-term exposure. Local Policy & Infrastructure: Parliament cleared measures including a first-time land buyers tax deduction, extended VAT-free building materials until 2030, and temporary VAT penalty/interest waivers—plus progress on modernising electricity law. Tourism & Tech-Driven Travel Buzz: Soufrière is ranked the world’s second happiest destination (Happy Place score 95.2), while London tops the UK list in a separate happiness study. Air Travel Disruption: British Airways cancelled Saint Lucia–Guyana flight BA2155 after a mechanical issue found during pre-departure checks, stranding passengers overnight. Digital Safety Rules: CARICOM leaders moved toward common rules on children’s social media access, with a regional policy framework and guidelines in the works. Judicial Shock: A court quashed Justice Eddy Ventose’s appointment to the ECSC Court of Appeal, though his earlier judgments remain valid. Regional Security Tech: The U.S. and CARICOM IMPACS signed a biometric data-sharing partnership to speed up border screening using fingerprints and facial scans.