Carib Scope

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  • ‘The work paid off’: Montessori Centre celebrates five students in CPEA top ten

    ‘The work paid off’: Montessori Centre celebrates five students in CPEA top ten

    St. Lucia’s The Montessori Centre has once again lived up to its founding motto “We strive to be the best we can be,” turning in a historic performance on the 2026 Caribbean Primary Exit Assessment (CPEA) that cements its reputation as one of the region’s leading primary education institutions. Five students from the school secured spots in Saint Lucia’s overall top ten rankings, with 12-year-old Emerald Alfred claiming the highest score across the entire Caribbean region.

    Alfred posted a staggering 99.2 percent on the high-stakes exit exam, outperforming thousands of test-takers across multiple island nations to claim the top regional and national title. Behind her, fellow Montessori student Angelina Chreiki earned third place nationally with a score of 98.8 percent, while Zuri Boodhoo, Danielle Farida and Newt Leonce tied for ninth place nationwide, each scoring 97.8 percent. In a remarkable coincidence, Alfred sat for her final exam on her birthday. Rather than distracting her from the test, she says the special occasion gave her an unexpected sense of calm. In an interview with St Lucia Times following the release of results, Alfred shared that she plans to build on this success as she pursues her long-term career goal: becoming a member of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

    For school principal Myrtle Murray, the extraordinary results were far from a surprise. Murray credits the institution’s long-standing, progressive approach to CPEA preparation, which introduces core test-aligned concepts to students as early as first and second grade, rather than cramming instruction in the final year of primary school. The school was an early adopter of this integrated preparation model, launching it years before the COVID-19 pandemic. “We do not start CPEA in Grade Six. We start at the Grade One and Grade Two levels with simple components of the CPEA, and as the children get older, we include all the components,” Murray explained, adding that she was overjoyed by the cohort’s performance. “The children were very prepared.”

    Grade Six lead teacher Ivan echoed the principal’s excitement, emphasizing that the results reflect the school’s commitment to personalized, student-centric learning. “Words can’t describe it. It’s an amazing feeling. I feel elated… I feel super, super proud of my students,” Peters said. He explained that the teaching team tailored instruction to match each of the 19 students in the cohort, recognizing that every learner has unique strengths, weaknesses, and preferred learning styles, and adapting instruction to nurture each student accordingly.

    Parents of the high-performing students shared in the celebration. Jodi Boodhoo, father of ninth-place finisher Zuri Boodhoo, said he always expected his daughter would earn a spot at her chosen secondary school after two years of consistent hard work. “I was not nervous. She put in the work over the past two years and the averages held up. Based on the marks she was getting throughout the term, I expected her to get into the school of her choice. Tying for ninth overall, I’m excited, but there’s still a lot of work to be done when she gets to SJC,” he said.

    Beyond the standout success of its five top-ranked students, the entire Grade Six cohort at The Montessori Centre outperformed the national average on the 2026 CPEA, and every student earned a placement at their first-choice secondary school. This most recent high-profile win adds to a long track record of academic excellence for the institution, which has repeatedly produced top-performing students across Saint Lucia and the broader Caribbean region. For Murray and her team, the 2026 results serve as further validation that early, consistent preparation and tailored, student-first education deliver meaningful, long-lasting results.

  • 16-Year-Old Critical After Christian Street Shooting; Teenager Also Wounded

    16-Year-Old Critical After Christian Street Shooting; Teenager Also Wounded

    On the evening of July 1, a brazen daylight shooting sent two teenage boys to area hospitals, leaving one in life-threatening condition and triggering a manhunt for a lone suspect still at large, local law enforcement confirmed Wednesday.

    First emergency dispatchers received calls about the shooting just after 5:30 p.m., with officers rushing to the Christian Street neighborhood in response to the active incident report. Preliminary law enforcement findings have outlined the sequence of events: the two young victims were out walking along Armstrong Road when an unidentified attacker stepped forward to confront them. The suspect, described by investigators as wearing all-black clothing with a covering concealing his face, opened fire immediately before running away from the scene on foot.

    Emergency medical teams quickly transported both teenagers to local medical facilities for urgent care. The younger of the two victims, aged 16, suffered a gunshot wound to the chest that required immediate intervention. As of the latest police update, he remains hospitalized in critical condition, with medical teams monitoring his condition closely. The second victim, a 17-year-old, sustained multiple gunshot wounds to both of his legs. While his injuries require ongoing medical care, doctors have confirmed his condition is stable and not considered to be life-threatening.

    Investigators have released a physical description of the suspect to aid public tips: the attacker is believed to stand roughly 5 feet 6 inches tall and has a slim build. The Criminal Investigations Department has taken the lead on the ongoing probe, and law enforcement is urging members of the local community with any relevant information – no matter how small it may seem – to come forward to assist the investigation.

    Members of the public have multiple channels to share information: they can reach the Criminal Investigations Department directly at 462-3913 or 462-3914, submit an anonymous tip through the national Crimestoppers hotline at 800-TIPS (8477), or contact emergency services at 911 with any immediate details about the suspect or the shooting.

  • Transplant law success hinges on cultural shift – senator

    Transplant law success hinges on cultural shift – senator

    As Barbados’ long-awaited Human Tissue Transplant Bill undergoes debate in the country’s Senate, a leading independent senator and medical specialist has issued a stark warning: the groundbreaking legislation will only deliver on its life-saving promise if the nation confronts long-held religious and cultural objections to organ donation, backs it with sufficient public investment and upgrades care standards at its main public hospital. Dr. Kenneth Connell, an internal medicine expert and medical educator at the University of the West Indies (UWI), laid out his vision for rolling out the new framework during senate deliberations, emphasizing that shifting public mindsets is the most critical first step to expanding access to life-saving transplants for Barbadians.

    In remarks to fellow lawmakers, Connell argued that the island nation must undergo a widespread cultural shift around organ donation, moving past deeply ingrained religious beliefs that frame removing organs after death as a violation of divine will. He shared a personal anecdote to illustrate the scope of the cultural barrier: a dying relative once told him she wanted to return to her creator in the same physical state she was born in. “This speaks to our religious background,” Connell noted, adding that it is past time for Barbadian society to evolve beyond this limiting perspective. “We now have to change our entire culture. How do we change that culture so that the average Barbadian citizen doesn’t see this as an act against God, but sees this as the ultimate act of giving?” he asked.

    While Connell is a vocal supporter of the new transplant legislation, he backed the decision to launch the program with an opt-in consent model, which requires citizens to actively agree to have their organs donated after death, rather than adopting an opt-out system like the one used in the United Kingdom. He explained that the island needs years of sustained public education to build public trust and understanding before it can make the jump to a default consent framework. “You can’t bring a new legislation… and say, oh, by the way, from tomorrow, by default, every single Barbadian citizen must opt out,” he said. “Many of us will rush and say: ‘Well, I ain’t ready for this yet.’”

    The senator also highlighted the deep resource gaps that threaten the success of the new law, even after it passes. Connell, who has decades of experience as a medical educator, praised UWI’s critical contributions to Barbados’ healthcare system, revealing that nearly 20 percent of consultant physicians at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) – the country’s main public care facility – are full-time UWI faculty. But he stressed that the nation currently has only one fully qualified transplant surgeon, and faces a critical shortage of kidney specialists, at a time when chronic lifestyle diseases have driven soaring demand for kidney transplants and dialysis care across the island.

    Beyond staff shortages, Connell called for urgent reforms to improve patient dignity and care standards at the QEH, calling out the lack of privacy for patients waiting for dialysis treatment. “Think about the impact that has on the 27-year-old who must sit on the bench waiting to enter the dialysis unit with all of his friends seeing him,” he said, pushing for the creation of a private, air-conditioned waiting lounge specifically for these patients. He also criticized a glaring public health misstep at the facility: vending machines stocked full of sugary carbonated drinks are placed directly adjacent to the dialysis unit, a contradiction of the hospital’s mission as a space for health and healing. “The hospital is a health space,” Dr Connell stated. “And if we can’t get this one space right, then how do we speak to the wider environment?”

    Connell acknowledged that the proposed bill has a number of gaps that will need to be addressed over time, including the need for stronger cybersecurity protections for the national organ donor registry and streamlined legal processes to speed up organ retrieval after a donor’s death. Even with these shortcomings, he urged his fellow medical professionals across the country to back the legislation, framing it as a critical first step toward building a fully functional organ transplant program that saves hundreds of lives in the years to come. “See this bill as a starting point and not the end or destination,” he urged.

  • Fire Department Seeks Public’s Help in Old Parham Road Blaze Investigation

    Fire Department Seeks Public’s Help in Old Parham Road Blaze Investigation

    A devastating early morning fire has left a 2,000-square-foot building in Antigua and Barbuda completely destroyed, prompting local fire authorities to launch a public appeal for critical information to aid their investigation into the incident. The destructive blaze broke out along Old Parham Road, directly across from the popular M&M Service Station, in the pre-dawn hours of Thursday, igniting just after 1 a.m. local time. According to official statements from Antigua and Barbuda Fire Department Public Relations Officer Inspector Lester Bagot, emergency dispatchers at the St. John’s Fire Station received the first alert of the fire at 1:07 a.m., triggering an immediate coordinated response from three separate fire units across the country. Three fire tenders were deployed to the scene: Engine 19 from the St. John’s Fire Station, Engine 21 from the Coolidge Fire Station, and Engine 18 from the All Saints Fire Station, with crews rushing to reach the site as quickly as possible to contain the spread of flames. When first responders arrived at the location, they encountered a catastrophic scene: the entire 40-by-50-foot structure was already fully engulfed in intense, uncontrolled flames that threatened to spread to nearby properties. Without delay, firefighting crews launched an aggressive containment and extinguishing operation, relying on water carried by their responding tenders to douse the blaze and prevent it from spreading beyond the burning building. Even with the rapid, coordinated response from multiple fire crews, the fire advanced too quickly for teams to save the structure. By the time the flames were fully extinguished, the building and every piece of content inside it had been reduced to rubble. Bagot confirmed that the building was not occupied at the time of the fire, as it was actively undergoing structural repairs. Fortunately, no civilians or first responders were injured during the blaze or subsequent firefighting efforts. Now, as investigators begin the complex work of tracing the fire’s origin and determining its exact cause, the Antigua and Barbuda Fire Department is turning to members of the public for assistance. Authorities are asking anyone who was in the Old Parham Road area around the time of the fire, noticed any unusual or suspicious activity near the building, or holds any other details that could advance the investigation to reach out to either the Antigua and Barbuda Fire Department or local police. Every piece of information, no matter how small it may seem, could help investigators finally uncover what led to the destructive fire.

  • Breakaway Catholic group excommunicated after defying warnings from Pope Leo

    Breakaway Catholic group excommunicated after defying warnings from Pope Leo

    On a Thursday in Rome, the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith delivered a sweeping decree of excommunication targeting the ultra-traditionalist Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX), after the breakaway Catholic group defied explicit orders from Pope Leo XIV to move forward with unauthorized episcopal ordinations. The long-simmering rift between the Vatican and the splinter faction erupted Wednesday, when SSPX bishops carried out the consecration of four new bishops without the required papal approval, turning down a last-minute personal appeal from the pontiff to abandon the plan.

  • Antigua and Barbuda Announces Team for The 5th PanAm Aquatics Swimming Championships

    Antigua and Barbuda Announces Team for The 5th PanAm Aquatics Swimming Championships

    The governing body for swimming in Antigua and Barbuda has officially lifted the curtain on the national squad set to represent the small twin-island nation at one of the Americas’ most anticipated age-group aquatics competitions. The 5th PanAm Aquatics Swimming Championships, organized by the regional governing body for all water-based sports across North, Central and South America and the Caribbean, is scheduled to run from July 8 to 12, 2026, in the Colombian city of Ibagué.

    This continental championship serves a key role in the development of aquatics sports across the region: it gathers the most promising young age-group swimmers from every corner of the Americas, creating a high-stakes platform to showcase emerging talent and highlight the next generation of competitive swimming stars poised to shape the future of the sport.

    After a rigorous qualifying process, the Antigua and Barbuda Swimming Federation (ABSF) has confirmed a roster of nine competitively selected swimmers who have all met the strict performance standards required to compete at the championship. The team is divided by official age categories: in the 13–15 girls’ division, the nation will be represented by Anya DeGannes and Willow Zreibi; for 13–15 boys, the squad includes Alessandro Bazzoni, Jamie Tranter, and N’Yriq Weste; three competitors will compete in the 16–18 boys’ division: Reuben Edwards, Espriit Shaw, and Jai Sindhi; and Tony Goodwin will compete in the 19 and over men’s division. Additional club swimmer Malique Josephs, who competes for the Vipers Club and falls in the 13–15 age group, will also join the delegation for the event.

    Leading the team on the ground will be head coach Wayne Mitchell, with Anna Salerno-Mitchell serving as team manager and Daniela Casmiro taking on the role of chaperone to support the young athletes throughout the competition.

    In an official statement announcing the squad, the ABSF extended its warmest congratulations to every selected swimmer, recognizing the months of consistent dedication and rigorous training the athletes have put in to earn their spots at the continental championship. The full Antigua and Barbuda delegation is set to depart for Colombia on July 3, and the federation has called on the entire nation to come together to cheer on the team as they compete on the international stage.

  • Injured Dog Sought in Bishopsgate Street Area

    Injured Dog Sought in Bishopsgate Street Area

    An urgent public appeal has been issued by the animal welfare non-profit Dogs and Cats of Antigua, asking community members to assist in locating a wounded stray dog thought to be hiding in the Bishopsgate Street district of St. John’s.

    The organization first received a tip from a concerned local resident who alerted them to the dog’s poor condition, confirming that the animal is in critical need of immediate professional veterinary treatment. Over the past several days, dedicated volunteers from the group have carried out extensive targeted searches across the area, but all attempts to track down the injured canine have so far come up empty-handed.

    To help speed up the rescue effort, both local residents and passing motorists are being reminded to share any sightings of the dog with the organization as soon as possible. Volunteers have also issued a key safety and handling note: members of the public should not attempt to chase or corner the animal, as this could frighten it, cause it to move further into hiding, or potentially lead to defensive aggression that puts people or the dog itself at greater risk.

    Any individual who spots a stray dog matching the description or has information that could help pinpoint its location is encouraged to reach out to Dogs and Cats of Antigua immediately through its official communication channels or dedicated emergency contact hotlines. A rapid response, the organization notes, is critical to getting the dog the life-saving medical care it needs before its condition worsens.

  • Rusland kondigt monitoringunit aan voor uitvoering regeringsbeleid

    Rusland kondigt monitoringunit aan voor uitvoering regeringsbeleid

    On July 1, during an evening budget debate session in Suriname’s National Assembly, Vice President Gregory Rusland laid out a clear new policy direction for his administration, marking a strategic shift after 12 months of foundational assessment, institutional repair, and systemic reorganization. Moving past the early-stage work of stabilizing governance structures, the government will now center its efforts on tangible, on-the-ground policy delivery, with a core goal of making national economic growth visible and beneficial in the daily lives of ordinary Surinamese citizens, Rusland confirmed.

    Addressing a longstanding gap in governmental performance, the vice president announced the creation of a dedicated in-cabinet monitoring unit tasked with tracking the implementation of all executive decisions, identifying project delays at their earliest stages, and streamlining policy execution across government bodies. Rusland emphasized that the greatest challenge facing Suriname’s government is not drafting ambitious policy frameworks, but turning those plans into actionable, results-driven outcomes that serve the public.

    For Rusland, meaningful national development can only be achieved when it improves core quality of life metrics: greater livelihood security for working families, clear long-term opportunity for young people, a supportive environment for local entrepreneurs to grow and invest, and a public sector that is reliable, accessible, and efficient for all. While Suriname’s emerging oil and gas sector represents an extraordinary economic opportunity, the vice president stressed that natural resources alone will not drive lasting national progress. Transformational growth, he argued, requires prudent fiscal management, targeted strategic investments in priority public sectors including education, healthcare, infrastructure, housing, public safety, and the strengthening of core governmental institutions.

    Clarifying his own role within the administration, Rusland underlined that his mandate is not to replace cabinet ministers, but to strengthen cross-ministerial collaboration and oversee consistent execution of the government’s shared policy agenda. Many of the country’s most pressing challenges—from large-scale housing construction to social welfare expansion, infrastructure development, local content requirements for resource projects, and land use policy—cut across multiple governmental portfolios, making intentional, structured coordination a non-negotiable for progress, he explained.

    Since the current administration took office, the Council of Ministers has held regular, intensive working sessions to address a wide range of pressing societal issues, including road traffic safety, flood management, local content regulation for the energy sector, the establishment of a national environmental authority, public housing expansion, and Suriname’s role within the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). Beyond these policy discussions, the administration has also processed hundreds of administrative decisions covering public sector appointments, new legislation, international agreements, and executive orders. This volume of work, Rusland noted, reflects the dual mandate the government inherited: clearing a backlog of unaddressed administrative tasks while building the foundation for new, forward-looking policy.

    Housing remains one of the highest priorities on the administration’s governance agenda, Rusland confirmed. Acknowledging the severe national housing shortage that impacts thousands of Surinamese households, he announced the government is developing a new inclusive financing system through the National Housing Fund, that will allow all citizens to access affordable construction loans regardless of their political affiliation. The reform is designed to remove housing allocation from partisan politics and make homeownership accessible to all Surinamese.

    Following Rusland’s policy presentation, members of the National Assembly raised critical questions on a range of topics, including the ongoing renovation of 58 public schools, official overseas travel by government officials, the mandate and structure of the proposed monitoring unit, the execution timeline for national housing projects, and budget priority allocation. In response, Rusland clarified that the new monitoring unit will not add an unnecessary additional layer of bureaucracy, but will instead function as a coordination and progress tracking body to speed up policy delivery and improve inter-ministerial alignment. He reaffirmed that the administration’s core immediate goals are securing long-term financial stability, improving governmental execution, and delivering visible, measurable results for the Surinamese public.

    Closing his address to the National Assembly, Rusland emphasized that the country’s greatest current needs are stability, clear policy direction, and tangible results. Suriname’s public rightly expects faster, more effective performance from the government, he noted. “Good governance is never measured by beautiful speeches or ambitious plans alone. It is measured by the quality of the decisions we make, and the speed with which we deliver on those commitments to the people,” Rusland said.

  • O’Donoghue Backs Electronic Crimes Bill, Says Laws Must Keep Pace With Cyber Threats

    O’Donoghue Backs Electronic Crimes Bill, Says Laws Must Keep Pace With Cyber Threats

    In a landmark step to strengthen the Caribbean nation’s digital defenses, the Senate of Antigua and Barbuda has given final approval to the Electronic Crimes (Amendment) Bill 2026, a piece of legislation designed to bring the country’s outdated cybercrime laws into alignment with 21st-century criminal threats. The bill received key backing from first-term Senator Angelica O’Donoghue, who delivered a compelling maiden address to the Upper House in support of the reforms, drawing on her own experience as a cybercrime victim to underscore the urgent need for action.

    O’Donoghue opened her remarks by emphasizing that transnational criminal activity has undergone a dramatic shift over the past decade, with digital offences replacing many traditional forms of crime. Lawmakers, she argued, carry a core responsibility to update national legal frameworks to match this evolving landscape, all while protecting the privacy and security of ordinary citizens, local businesses, and critical public institutions. She characterized cybercrime as one of the most pressing systemic challenges facing modern democracies, noting that law enforcement agencies lack the updated legal authorities required to dismantle sophisticated digital criminal networks—even as existing judicial oversight safeguards remain in place to prevent overreach.

    Sharing a personal anecdote to illustrate the human cost of unregulated cyber activity, O’Donoghue revealed that she was once targeted in a major cyberattack that breached both her personal and professional digital accounts, with the stolen data ultimately sold to unauthorized third parties. The attack, she said, left her facing crippling financial losses and significant emotional distress, a outcome that is far too common for victims of cybercrime when legal frameworks are too weak to support prosecutions. “Crime in 2026 is no longer limited to housebreaking or physical assault,” O’Donoghue told the chamber. “The crime that we now face is increasingly electronic in nature, and our legislation must keep pace with that reality.”

    The amendment package, O’Donoghue explained, includes a series of targeted changes designed to boost the country’s investigative capacity. Key reforms expand information-sharing and operational cooperation between domestic law enforcement agencies, update investigative powers to account for modern cloud-based and encrypted digital storage systems, formalize court-authorized production orders for accessing electronic evidence, and increase penalties for entities that refuse to comply with lawful investigative requests. O’Donoghue highlighted that cross-jurisdictional digital networks are a defining feature of modern cybercrime, making coordinated agency collaboration non-negotiable for successful prosecutions.

    She pushed back against any criticism of the bill’s penalty structure, arguing that the proposed fines are proportional to the devastating economic harm that cybercrime inflicts on victims of identity theft, online fraud, cyberbullying, and other digital offences. For example, the bill’s proposed daily fine of $5,000 for non-compliance with a lawful production order is far lower, she noted, than the hundreds of thousands of dollars that individual and business victims regularly lose to cyber scams and financial fraud.

    O’Donoghue also pointed to growing industry action as evidence of the urgent need for legislative reform, noting that financial institutions and the Antigua and Barbuda Bankers Association have already ramped up public awareness campaigns in response to the rising frequency of cyberattacks. She commended the Ministry of Legal Affairs and Members of the Lower House for advancing the bill, framing the reform as a critical update to the nation’s legal framework that addresses emerging technological threats.

    In closing her first address to the Senate, O’Donoghue pledged to support ongoing efforts to make national legislation more accessible to the general public and advance future legal modernization initiatives. “Every generation of Parliament has a responsibility to leave our laws better than how we met them,” she said. “It is our responsibility to ensure our legislation prepares our citizens for the future.”

    Following the debate, the Senate voted to approve the bill, completing its full parliamentary passage as part of the Antigua and Barbuda government’s broader push to strengthen the country’s cybercrime response capabilities.

  • Sir Ronald Sanders Assumes Chairmanship of the Inter-American Council for Integral Development (CIDI)

    Sir Ronald Sanders Assumes Chairmanship of the Inter-American Council for Integral Development (CIDI)

    Veteran diplomat Sir Ronald Sanders, who serves as Antigua and Barbuda’s ambassador to both the United States and the Organization of American States, has officially stepped into the six-month chairmanship role of the Inter-American Council for Integral Development (CIDI) on Monday, with his term set to run through December 31, 2026.

    A long-standing champion of cross-border sustainable growth, regional integration and multilateral collaboration, Sir Ronald brings decades of high-level leadership experience within the OAS ecosystem to this new post. He has previously held the presidency of the OAS Permanent Council three separate times — a rare accomplishment that has equipped him with unparalleled insights into navigating consensus-building and decision-making across the bloc’s 35 member states.

    In his new role as CIDI chair, Sir Ronald will lead the council’s strategic deliberations and steer its collective work to advance holistic, inclusive development across the entire Americas region. He has outlined six core priority areas for his term: deepened cross-border cooperation in education, expanded knowledge-sharing in science and technology, sustainable growth for the tourism sector, enhanced energy resilience, upgraded port security frameworks, and expanded investment in maritime infrastructure. Each of these focus areas addresses urgent gaps holding back the sustainable, equitable development that governments and communities across Latin America and the Caribbean have identified as a top priority.

    CIDI was formally established under the Protocol of Managua, which entered into force on January 29, 1996, with a clear mandate: to strengthen cooperation between OAS member states and align collective efforts to advance integral development across the Western Hemisphere. Today, integral development stands as one of the four foundational pillars of the Organization of American States, joining three other core mission areas: democracy, human rights, and multidimensional security. These four pillars work in tandem to reinforce one another, underpinning the OAS’s comprehensive approach to advancing lasting peace, shared prosperity and cross-regional cooperation across the Americas.

    Sir Ronald’s assumption of the chairmanship arrives at a landmark juncture for the body: 2026 marks 30 years since CIDI first launched its work advancing inter-American cooperation and sustainable development. His leadership also comes at a critical moment for the region, as member states continue to grapple with shifting social, economic, environmental and technological disruptions, and the need for accessible, inclusive and resilient development solutions has reached an all-time high.