BERMUDA: Anti-school disease ravages young black males. Symptons of ‘Culturus Gombeyus’ include growing disinterest in school and the pursuit of academic excellence. Full article

BERMUDA: Miss Teen to go out with a song in her heart. Miss Teen Bermuda Alexa Lightbourne is planning to go out in style as she puts on a concert to mark the end of her year-long reign. Full article

BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS: 2008 International Sailing Federation Youth Worlds report. The International Sailing Federation (ISAF) 2008 Youth Worlds took place from July 9th through to the 19th in the town of Aarhus, Denmark. The event comprises of 6 days of racing with as many as 3 races per day. Full article

BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS: Possible AIDS vaccine in five years. DR Paul Sudhir, professor of pathology at The University of Texas Medical School in Houston, and his colleagues, think they might have found a potential preventative human immunovirus (HIV) vaccine, they disclose to The Sunday Gleaner in an exclusive interview. Full article

CUBA: Retired Cuban Teachers are Urged to Go Back to Education. A widespread social movement led by Cuban mass organizations, along with measures implemented by the government, are encouraging retired teachers to go back to the classroom. Full article

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: Dominican students' good grades land them a house. President Leonel Fernandez said the government will build houses for 193 meritorious students who were bestowed the "Highest academic excellence" distinction today. Full article

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: Dominican Police: Children as young as 8 are in many of the criminal gangs. The National Police’s Criminal Intelligence director yesterday said children as young as eight years of age are members of many of the country’s criminal gangs. Full article

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: Education at Dominican schools questioned. The quality of instruction at Dominican schools has been questioned by Luis Sanchez Nobel, president of the National Business Council (Conep) Education Commission, who also says they are graduating students with little skills. Full article

JAMAICA: Want to rid Ja of gangs? Anthropologist says solution lies in compulsory education for boys, young men. Full article

JAMAICA: One in four - Survey shows a quarter of all students likely to carry illegal weapons. A number of random searches conducted in secondary schools across the island have revealed that one in four students is likely to carry a weapon, including illegal firearms. Full article

JAMAICA: More HIV positive women choose to have babies. Full article

JAMAICA: New strategy to combat HIV/AIDS. Grenada is using its Carnival celebrations to launch the latest strategy against the spread of the deadly HIV/AIDS virus. Full article

JAMAICA: 70 students to benefit from literacy camp. SOME 70 grade-five students from South West St Ann are to benefit from a literacy programme facilitated by Breezes Runaway Bay and a team of education specialists from Canada. Full article

JAMAICA: 'Marley's music kept me going' - Teenager gets wish to visit icon's homeland. Seventeen-year-old Stefan Tulner of the Netherlands got the wish of his life - to visit Bob Marley's country. Stefan says Marley's music has kept him going in his fight against cancer. Full article

JAMAICA:'Change lifestyle to save youth'. Poor lifestyle choices have been cited for the increased risk of cardio-vascular disease (CVD) in Jamaica's youth, according to a leading professor at the University of the West Indies (UWI). Full article

JAMAICA: Teenager makes career through game website. Seventeen-year-old Gordon O'Brien Swaby, a computer fanatic who describes himself as "a little beyond the average teenager," has grown up always wanting to be the best in whatever he does. Full article

JAMAICA: The Reality of HIV/AIDS - Diary of an HIV-positive/pregnant girl. She had gone to the medical centre to do a routine blood test when the nurse broke the bad news. "'You are HIV positive'. I went numb," she said. However, she regained her composure after a few days. She now had a baby to live for. She told herself that she had to at least live long enough to see her baby born without the virus. Full article

ST LUCIA: Minister Guy Joseph says, he is all Ears. Marvin Edgar of the National Youth Council, calls the idea for the Privatization of Water in St Lucia, “a negatively, unsound, irrational decision, while Andrew Antoine, Public Relations Officer of the Civil Society Network chides the government for appearing to renege on their promise to St Lucians of rejecting the idea which had been previously put forward by the former government. Full article

TRINIDAD & TOBAGO: Young boys care only for money. BOYS ARE under-performing in the education system because “education does not pay”. This was the word from Young Men Christian Association (YMCA) Director (Outreach Services) Sven Miki Grant at the Ministry of Social Development’s roundtable discussion on ‘Males in Society’ yesterday at the Chamber of Commerce in Westmoorings. Full article

US VIRGIN ISLANDS: Rwanda Journal: We Be Workin’. In Rwanda, if you mix equal parts red dirt, blue paint and sweat, you end up with pure joy, deep gratitude, and a sense of brotherly love unparalleled in my experience. Full article

US VIRGIN ISLANDS: Young People Need Recreation Programs, Senators Say. The territory's parks and recreational facilities should be in better condition by next year, but in the meantime Housing, Parks and Recreation (HPR) needs a bigger budget to sponsor programs for youth, senators said Thursday during the second round of budget hearings. Full article