Carib Scope

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  • Walker Calls for Repair of Barbuda Wave-Monitoring Station

    Walker Calls for Repair of Barbuda Wave-Monitoring Station

    Barbuda’s Member of Parliament Trevor Walker is pushing for urgent repairs to a non-operational wave-monitoring station, a critical piece of infrastructure that would boost the island’s tsunami preparedness, days after the Caribbean community earned its official Tsunami Ready certification. Speaking at Wednesday’s official designation ceremony, Walker shared new details about the out-of-service facility, which was originally installed near Barbuda’s River region back in 2010. The lawmaker has formally called on relevant government officials to assess the station to determine if restoration is possible, a move that would allow the Antigua and Barbuda Meteorological Service to track real-time wave heights from a remote location.

    Addressing Junior Minister Kiz Johnson directly during the ceremony, Walker stressed: “If it’s possible for you to see whether or not we can get that up and going and repaired.” He noted that a functional monitoring station would strengthen the island’s existing emergency preparedness frameworks, giving forecasters and emergency responders more actionable data to warn residents of incoming tsunami risks.

    Walker also expressed strong support for Barbuda’s new Tsunami Ready status, highlighting the far-reaching benefits the years-long designation process has already delivered for local communities. He explained that the public outreach and planning work tied to the certification has dramatically improved resident understanding of tsunami hazards and clearly marked safe evacuation routes. Walker recalled that growing up on the island, residents were only told to evacuate to the Highlands area during a tsunami event, but the new planning initiative has identified multiple additional safe zones across Barbuda.

    The official Tsunami Ready designation followed months of coordinated work across government and community stakeholders, including the development of detailed evacuation maps, installation of clear emergency signage, widespread public education campaigns, and a full-scale community tsunami response exercise. Christa von Hillebrandt, a representative for the Tsunami Ready program, shared that advanced tsunami modeling conducted as part of the process confirmed Sir McChesney George Secondary School falls outside of mapped hazard zones, making it a secure evacuation site for local residents.

    In closing remarks at the ceremony, Walker urged both government authorities and local residents to continue prioritizing tsunami awareness and preparedness moving forward, rather than treating the designation as a final milestone. Notably, Walker’s comments did not include details on when the wave-monitoring station stopped operating, or the specific scope of repairs that would be required to bring it back online.

  • Barbuda Recognized as Tsunami Ready Community

    Barbuda Recognized as Tsunami Ready Community

    The small Caribbean island of Barbuda has officially secured international recognition for its comprehensive tsunami preparedness through UNESCO’s globally recognized Tsunami Ready program, capping off months of coordinated work across community outreach, infrastructure development, and emergency planning. This designation names Barbuda as the 25th Tsunami Ready certified community across the Caribbean region and the 125th globally, according to Christa von Hillebrandt, a senior representative for the initiative. During a formal certification ceremony held Wednesday, local government leaders accepted an official certificate and commemorative plaque on behalf of the Barbuda Council, validating the island’s preparedness status for the 2026 to 2030 certification cycle.

    Von Hillebrandt explained that the Tsunami Ready program requires communities to meet 12 strict core criteria grouped into three overarching categories: mapping high-risk zones and vulnerable populations, establishing clear protocols for resident evacuation, and ensuring effective distribution of official tsunami warnings to the entire community. As part of the certification process, detailed tsunami modeling was conducted to identify elevated, safe evacuation zones across the island, with the grounds of Sir McChesney George Secondary School formally designated as one of the key safe gathering points.

    Community engagement was a core pillar of Barbuda’s preparedness effort, with local residents and secondary school students playing active roles in refining evacuation route maps, participating in full-scale community evacuation drills, and even producing an educational music video focused on tsunami safety that was screened during Wednesday’s certification ceremony. Von Hillebrandt noted that an initial planned evacuation route targeting Louis Hill was revised after drills revealed that evacuees from that area could reach safety more quickly and easily at the designated secondary school location, cutting down on travel time and reducing risk during an actual emergency.

    Junior Minister Kiz Johnson used the ceremony as an opportunity to formally launch Barbuda’s upgraded tsunami early warning system, confirming that all required infrastructure – from clearly marked evacuation routes to functional warning equipment to standardized community response procedures – is now fully in place. Despite this milestone, Johnson emphasized that ongoing public awareness remains critical, urging all residents to memorize response protocols and know what actions to take immediately if an official tsunami alert is issued for the island. “True resilience lives in our readiness,” Johnson stated, underscoring that preparedness is a continuous commitment rather than a one-time achievement.

    Local Member of Parliament Trevor Walker welcomed the certification but also used the occasion to call for urgent repairs to a wave-monitoring station installed on the island around 2010, which he confirmed has been non-functional for an extended period. Walker noted that a fully operational monitoring station is a critical complement to the island’s new evacuation and warning protocols, filling a key gap in overall preparedness.

    Barbuda Council Chairman John Mussington framed the Tsunami Ready designation not as a final accomplishment, but as the starting point for ongoing work to strengthen the island’s coastal disaster resilience. He confirmed that Barbuda has already committed to full participation in the regional Carib Wave tsunami exercise scheduled for next March, an annual event that tests preparedness protocols across Caribbean communities.

    “Being declared tsunami ready is just the beginning of a long process,” Mussington said, echoing Johnson’s emphasis on continuous improvement. UNESCO officials confirmed that the Tsunami Ready certification must be renewed every four years, requiring communities to maintain regular drills, update public education campaigns, and conduct routine maintenance on all warning and monitoring infrastructure to retain their designation.

  • SLBMC Reaffirms Breastfeeding Support During Breastfeeding Week

    SLBMC Reaffirms Breastfeeding Support During Breastfeeding Week

    As Antigua and Barbuda prepares to mark its 2026 Breastfeeding Awareness Week from September 21 to 25, the nation’s leading Sir Lester Bird Medical Centre (SLBMC) has publicly reaffirmed its long-standing dedication to protecting, promoting, and supporting breastfeeding to give every newborn a healthy foundation for life.

    Ann-Marie Browne-Isaac, who chairs the medical centre’s dedicated Breastfeeding Committee, outlined the facility’s ongoing core initiatives tied to its Baby Friendly Hospital designation. She highlighted that SLBMC has consistently prioritized two evidence-based practices: facilitating breastfeeding within the first critical hour after birth, and fully implementing the World Health Organization and UNICEF-endorsed Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding across all maternity wards.

    Beyond hospital walls, Browne-Isaac emphasized that meaningful support for breastfeeding mothers cannot end at discharge. A collective, cross-sector effort is required to build a supportive ecosystem, with key roles for national government agencies, local employers, educational institutions, family units, and community organizations. Each stakeholder has a unique part to play in removing barriers that often force mothers to stop breastfeeding earlier than recommended, she explained.

    Browne-Isaac also outlined the far-reaching collective benefits of expanding robust breastfeeding support. Beyond individual health outcomes, stronger systems reduce long-term health and financial pressures for families, cut rates of workplace absenteeism as children experience fewer acute illnesses, and ease strain on local public health systems. From a clinical perspective, she added that long-term breastfeeding is linked to proven reduced risk of breast and ovarian cancers in birthing parents, as well as lower rates of childhood obesity and type 1 and 2 diabetes in children.

    In a formal statement, SLBMC confirmed that its ongoing work centers on three core pillars: expanding public and clinical education around breastfeeding, fostering cross-sector collaboration to strengthen support systems, and reframing public conversations around breastfeeding to normalize the practice and reduce stigma for nursing mothers. The institution closed by calling on all public and private institutions, workplaces, families, and community partners to join in the effort, to help all mothers in Antigua and Barbuda continue breastfeeding with confidence, regardless of their personal circumstances.

  • ABWU President Raises Concern Over Carnival Sick Leave Abuse

    ABWU President Raises Concern Over Carnival Sick Leave Abuse

    As Antigua and Barbuda prepares for its annual Carnival festivities, the head of the nation’s largest labor organization has sounded the alarm over a persistent pattern of misuse of employee sick leave benefits, urging workers to uphold integrity when accessing this critical workplace protection.

    Kem Riley, president of the Antigua and Barbuda Workers’ Union (ABWU), delivered the warning during his address at the union’s 59th Annual Delegates Conference, where leadership gathered to review labor priorities and workplace challenges across the country. Riley noted that union representatives have documented a clear upward trend in unscheduled absenteeism and fraudulent sick leave claims that coincide directly with the popular Carnival celebration, a peak cultural event that draws widespread participation from workers across all sectors.

    In his remarks, Riley emphasized that the union’s position does not undermine support for workers with genuine health needs. He reiterated that employees facing illness deserve full protection from employer retaliation, and should never face victimization or disciplinary action for taking necessary leave to recover from medical conditions. “Genuine illness must never become grounds for victimization,” Riley stressed to conference delegates. “However, at the same time, workers must understand that sick leave is a benefit intended only for legitimate illness.”

    Riley framed the sick leave debate as part of a broader principle of balanced workplace accountability, a core theme of the union’s 2024 policy agenda. He made clear that the ABWU remains unwavering in its commitment to defending workers against unfair labor practices, including unlawful dismissal, targeted victimization, systemic discrimination, unjustified administrative suspension, and unfair redundancy processes. At the same time, he acknowledged that employers hold legitimate operational interests that require cooperation from the workforce, and workers must be held accountable when they fail to uphold their contractual and professional responsibilities.

    “We are not asking for workers to be above accountability,” Riley said. “We are asking for accountability to be fair, consistent and just.”

    Outlining the union’s standards for equitable workplace discipline, Riley said any internal investigation into employee misconduct must be conducted in good faith, workers must be granted full opportunity to respond to formal allegations against them, and any resulting disciplinary action must be proportionate to the infraction in question. Ultimately, he argued, a functional, fair workplace relies on shared obligations from both parties: employers must uphold the legal and human rights of their staff, while workers have a responsibility to use workplace benefits — including sick leave — only for their intended purpose.

    Riley added that mutual trust and reciprocal respect between employees and employers form the foundation of productive work environments, and responsible use of benefits like sick leave is a key part of maintaining that balance, even during the country’s most popular cultural celebrations.

  • Pacific Hurricane Activity Ramps Up

    Pacific Hurricane Activity Ramps Up

    As the 2026 Pacific hurricane season enters a period of heightened activity, Hurricane Polo has emerged as the most significant weather threat off Mexico’s southwestern coast, even after a slight reduction in intensity. The US National Hurricane Center (NHC) confirmed in its Wednesday update that the storm was downgraded from an extremely dangerous Category 5 to Category 4, but it still retains enough power to pose severe risks to coastal communities in southern Mexico.

    As of the latest advisory, Polo is currently situated hundreds of miles offshore from southern Mexico, making it one of four active weather systems that forecasters are actively monitoring across the eastern and central regions of the North Pacific. The storm is projected to track slowly along a west-northwest path over the coming days. While Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum confirmed Tuesday that current models do not show Polo making a direct landfall along the Mexican coast, she has urged all residents across Pacific coastal zones to maintain high alert and follow official guidance closely.

    Forecasters have issued urgent warnings about the extreme precipitation risks the storm will bring to parts of western Mexico, particularly the states of Jalisco, Colima and Michoacán. Torrential downpours are expected to trigger life-threatening flash flooding and mudslides, with the greatest danger concentrated in steep, mountainous areas of these states. Total rainfall across affected regions is forecast to reach 15 centimeters, with isolated pockets seeing as much as 20 centimeters of accumulation, which is well above threshold for dangerous flood events.

    Just one day before its downgrade, Polo underwent explosive intensification to reach Category 5 strength, when a NOAA Hurricane Hunter research aircraft flew through the storm’s core on Tuesday and measured sustained wind speeds of nearly 285 kilometers per hour (180 miles per hour), with even more powerful gusts recorded near the storm’s eye.

    Meteorologists and climate scientists point to a record-breaking El Niño event as the primary driver of Polo’s rapid intensification and the heightened overall Pacific hurricane activity this season. Unusually warm sea surface temperatures, a hallmark of strong El Niño, are providing abundant energy to power storm development. On September 19, NOAA recorded average sea surface temperatures in the central-eastern Pacific hitting 3.05°C above the long-term average, surpassing the previous record set during the intense 2015 El Niño event. NOAA notes that current atmospheric and oceanic conditions remain “very conducive” for Polo to regain strength in the coming days as it moves across warm Pacific waters.

    Polo is not the only active storm system being tracked in the region. The NHC is also monitoring Hurricane Odalys, a recently upgraded storm located far to the west-southwest of Baja California, and Tropical Depression Fifteen-E, which has re-formed hundreds of miles southeast of Hawaii’s Big Island. Forecasters also added that a new tropical system is expected to develop south of the Gulf of Tehuantepec later this week, with an 80 percent probability of it strengthening into a named storm within the next seven days.

  • Senator Kendra Beazer Represents Antigua and Barbuda at Ocean Planning Workshop in China

    Senator Kendra Beazer Represents Antigua and Barbuda at Ocean Planning Workshop in China

    Against the backdrop of growing global attention to sustainable ocean management, small island developing states are stepping onto the international stage to advance collaborative solutions for marine conservation and economic growth. This week, Senator Kendra Chimberlain Beazer officially represented the Caribbean nation of Antigua and Barbuda at the fourth Marine Spatial Planning Cooperation Workshop for Maritime Silk Road Partner Countries, hosted by the China Oceanic Development Foundation (CODF). The event marked a key milestone in the country’s ongoing push to cement its role as a regional pioneer in responsible ocean governance and blue economy expansion.

    The workshop brought together a diverse cohort of stakeholders, including leading ocean-focused research institutions, national government delegations, and specialized technical experts from across the Maritime Silk Road region. The core mission of the gathering was to accelerate collective progress on Marine Spatial Planning (MSP), a data-driven, science-backed framework designed to organize human activity in marine areas, cut down on conflicting uses of ocean space, and lay the groundwork for long-term ecological and economic ocean sustainability.

    During her address to workshop participants, Senator Beazer outlined the substantial gains Antigua and Barbuda has made in rolling out MSP over recent years. This progress has been underpinned by a landmark technical cooperation agreement focused on blue economy development and marine spatial planning between the Caribbean nation and the People’s Republic of China. Backed by a $14 million USD development grant, the agreement has facilitated direct on-the-ground collaboration between Antigua and Barbuda’s national agencies and China’s National Ocean Technology Centre (NOTC). This partnership has significantly boosted the country’s institutional and technical capacity to map its extensive marine resource base, protect critical underwater cultural and ecological assets, and advance strategic planning for fast-emerging blue economy sectors ranging from deep-sea aquaculture and marine wave energy to blue carbon sequestration development.

    Senator Beazer emphasized that for small island developing states like Antigua and Barbuda, which are disproportionately vulnerable to the impacts of climate change and ocean degradation, cross-border partnerships of this kind are indispensable. These collaborations not only support targeted action to protect fragile marine ecosystems but also strengthen the livelihoods of coastal communities that depend on healthy oceans for income and food security, while building overall national resilience against climate-related shocks.

    Looking ahead, Antigua and Barbuda continues to strengthen its position as a regional leader in sustainable ocean management. By strategically leveraging inclusive global partnerships, the country is advancing its core national development priorities while working to preserve its irreplaceable marine natural heritage for generations to come.

  • Free Vision Screenings Underway in Glanvilles

    Free Vision Screenings Underway in Glanvilles

    A new public health initiative focused on improving vision care access is rolling out across Glanvilles, offering no-cost eye examinations and reading glasses to all local residents aged 40 and older. The program is a collaborative effort between the island nation’s Ministry of Health, Wellness, Environment and Civil Service Affairs and the global non-profit organization RestoringVision, which works to eliminate uncorrected vision impairment in underserved communities around the world.

    Two local government ministers, Randy Baltimore, Minister of State for St Philip’s North, and Kiz Johnson, Minister of State for St Philip’s South, recently visited one of the program’s mobile screening sites to tour the facility and speak with participating residents. During their visit, both policymakers urged eligible locals to make use of this new free service, emphasizing the far-reaching benefits of clear vision for everything from daily household tasks to maintaining personal independence as people age.

    Under the terms of the program, any resident who meets the 40-year age minimum can receive a comprehensive on-site vision assessment at no charge. If the examination finds that an individual needs reading glasses to correct common age-related vision issues like presbyopia, they receive the prescription eyewear completely free of charge as well, removing financial barriers that often prevent older adults from seeking necessary eye care.

  • Magnitude 3.6 Earthquake Recorded Northeast of Antigua and Barbuda

    Magnitude 3.6 Earthquake Recorded Northeast of Antigua and Barbuda

    A preliminary automatic detection from the University of the West Indies Seismic Research Centre (UWI-SRC) has confirmed a magnitude 3.6 earthquake struck the waters northeast of Antigua and Barbuda in the early afternoon of Wednesday, September 23. According to the initial readout, the seismic event began at 12:09 p.m. local time, with an estimated depth of 10 kilometers below the ocean surface. Preliminary geolocation data pins the quake’s epicenter at 17.50 degrees north latitude and 61.18 degrees west longitude. This puts the seismic center roughly 86 kilometers northeast of St. John’s, the capital city of Antigua and Barbuda. Beyond the distance from Antigua and Barbuda’s capital, the epicenter also sits approximately 138 kilometers northeast of Brades, the administrative center of Montserrat, and 144 kilometers north-northeast of Point-à-Pitre, the largest city on the French Caribbean island of Guadeloupe. As of the latest update from monitoring officials, there have been no immediate reports of structural damage, injuries, or tsunamis triggered by the seismic activity. UWI-SRC has emphasized that the current epicenter location and magnitude readings were generated automatically by computer algorithms. Finalized, verified data will be released after specialist analysts at the center complete a full manual review of the seismic readings, meaning some adjustments to the initial data are possible in the coming hours.

  • “We Will Never Bow Our Head”: Iran’s President Tells Trump at UN

    “We Will Never Bow Our Head”: Iran’s President Tells Trump at UN

    At the 2026 United Nations General Assembly held in New York on September 23, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian delivered a defiant address to global leaders, pushing back against escalating pressure from the United States and reaffirming Iran’s refusal to concede to external coercion.

    A central focus of Pezeshkian’s speech centered on the strategic Strait of Hormuz, a critical global waterway that carries a significant share of the world’s oil and maritime trade. He emphasized that Iran would not permit the United States or any foreign power to exploit the strait as a tool of aggression against Tehran. “We cannot let some have free access and gain their interest from a waterway while at the same time using that waterway to impose their aggressions upon us, to impose insecurity upon us, to forbid us access to our own waterways,” Pezeshkian told the assembled body.

    The Iranian leader directly rejected demands from US President Donald Trump, stating clearly that Iran would “never bow our head or bend at the knee” to external pressure. He clarified that Iran’s overture to international cooperation is not a sign of weakness, but a reflection of the nation’s confidence in its own resilience. “Iran extends her hand towards the world, we invite the world. We call the world, not out of weakness, but out of a deep belief in our own power and steadfastness to cooperate and collaborate,” he added.

    Pezeshkian’s remarks came in direct response to Trump’s address to the General Assembly one day earlier, where the US president claimed he faced a binary choice between annihilating Iran or negotiating a new deal to end ongoing hostilities between the two nations. On the sidelines of the UN gathering, US officials confirmed that American and Iranian delegations have held indirect talks through third-party mediators, though no details of the discussions have been released to the public.

    During his speech, Pezeshkian also accused the United States of ongoing aggression against Iran, noting that the Iranian people have long “been the victims of terrorism”. This portion of the address prompted the sole US delegate in attendance to walk out of the chamber in protest.

    The ongoing confrontation between the two nations has already had measurable global consequences. Maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has dropped sharply since the outbreak of hostilities, exacerbating economic instability in already tense global markets and extending the impact of the bilateral conflict far beyond the Middle East. Despite this pressure, Pezeshkian insisted that Iran would not surrender to economic sanctions, military posturing, or what he framed as international bullying, repeating that Tehran remains committed to working with the global community to achieve what he called “true peace and stability.”

  • ECAB Says ATM Services Restored Following Network Outage

    ECAB Says ATM Services Restored Following Network Outage

    Customers of the Eastern Caribbean Amalgamated Bank (ECAB) can now resume normal ATM transactions after an unexpected network outage disrupted cash withdrawals, transfers and other digital banking services across the institution’s entire ATM fleet. The regional financial institution confirmed Wednesday that the technical disruption, which had locked customers out of core automated banking services for an undisclosed period, has been fully resolved.

    Before the full restoration, ECAB had issued an initial alert informing account holders of the widespread outage affecting all its ATMs. The bank noted immediately that specialized technical teams were deployed to diagnose the root cause and bring services back online as quickly as possible. During the outage, customers were directed to access routine banking services through in-branch teller operations to meet their financial needs.

    In a public statement released following the fix, ECAB extended a formal apology to its customer base for the disruption to daily financial activities. The institution also expressed gratitude to clients for their patience and understanding while technical crews worked to resolve the issue. As of the latest update, ECAB has not released any details regarding the source of the outage, leaving questions about whether the disruption stemmed from a technical failure, maintenance issue, or other unforeseen event.

    The restoration of ATM service marks the conclusion of the incident, with regular automated banking operations now fully available across all ECAB locations.