Dozens of Commonwealth leaders descend on Antigua during global political turbulence

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- Leaders representing nearly a third of the world’s population are meeting on the tiny Caribbean island of Antigua this week to strengthen ties during a time of global political upheaval.New deals and pledges are expected to emerge from the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, which is held every two years. More than 50 leaders of Commonwealth nations, many of which once formed part of the British Empire, are scheduled to attend, along with officials from Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Brazil and the United Arab Emirates.“To deal with what to expect in Antigua, I think we need … to look at the world in which we find ourselves today,” Commonwealth Secretary-General Shirley Botchwey told The Associated Press ahead of the meeting. “We’re looking at issues like conflict, economic shocks, rising costs, climate change, trade, weaponization of tariffs; and all of this hitting directly the pockets of our people.”Botchwey said Commonwealth leaders representing 2.7 billion people will look at how to attract investment and reduce barriers to intra-Commonwealth trade.“For us, this is extremely important,” she said. “All the countries woke up one day and were slapped with ...