FORMER PRIME MINISTER OF DOMINICA PATRICK JOHN IS DEAD

The Commonwealth of Dominica is mourning the death of its last Premier and first Prime Minister, Patrick Roland John. John died at the Dominica China Friendship Hospital; he was 83. He was premier when the nation gained independence from Britain in 1978 and became the country’s first Prime Minister before resigning in 1979 after tumultuous protests. Despite his diminutive stature, he was a towering figure in trade unionism and politics in Dominica. He also made contributions in sports, becoming president of the Dominica Football Association in the 1990s.