Carib Scope

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  • 7.4-magnitude earthquake shakes Colombia, damage reported

    7.4-magnitude earthquake shakes Colombia, damage reported

    A powerful 7.4-magnitude seismic event jolted western Colombia in the early hours of Monday, leaving a trail of damaged buildings and crippled infrastructure across large swathes of the nation, according to updates from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and Colombia’s national geological agency.

    The tremor struck at 7:34 a.m. local time, with its epicenter located close to the town of San José del Palmar in Chocó, a rural department along Colombia’s Pacific coast. There is a slight discrepancy in depth measurements between the two monitoring bodies: the USGS recorded the quake at a depth of 107 kilometers, while Colombia’s Geological Service put the depth at 96 kilometers. Colombian geological officials also adjusted their initial magnitude reading, upgrading it from an estimated 6.6 to the final 7.4 after further data analysis.

    Local authorities have confirmed structural damage across multiple urban centers spread across the country. In Quibdó, the capital city of Chocó department, regional governor Nubia Carolina Córdoba Curi confirmed that multiple people have sustained injuries, and dozens of local buildings suffered severe structural damage. The city’s main air hub, El Caraño Airport, also sustained impacts that disrupted operations. Governor Córdoba Curi also urged local residents to remain alert, noting that aftershocks remain a distinct possibility in the coming days.

    Further inland in the city of Manizales, one of the iconic stone towers of the city’s central cathedral suffered catastrophic structural damage, leaving the structure leaning precariously over the main church building. At Matecaña International Airport, which serves the city of Pereira, a section of the roof covering the public transit area collapsed onto the ground below. As of the latest updates, authorities have not reported any casualties at that location.

    The strong tremor was also felt sharply in Bogotá, Colombia’s capital and largest city located hundreds of kilometers from the epicenter. Emergency alarms triggered across the capital, and thousands of residents evacuated office and residential buildings as a safety precaution. Bogotá Mayor Carlos Galán confirmed that no major structural damage had been reported across the city, though a number of buildings developed minor cracks following the quake. Emergency response teams have already launched systematic inspections of high-rise buildings and critical infrastructure across the capital to rule out hidden safety risks.

    Residents in a dozen other major Colombian cities, including Medellín, Bucaramanga, Cúcuta, Villavicencio, Valledupar and Envigado, also reported feeling noticeable shaking when the earthquake hit.

  • New statue of Saint Dominic of Guzmán unveiled in Colonial City

    New statue of Saint Dominic of Guzmán unveiled in Colonial City

    On August 5, a new permanent sculpture honoring Santo Domingo de Guzmán, the 13th-century founder of the Order of Preachers (more commonly known as the Dominican Order), was officially unveiled at Plaza del Convento. The site sits adjacent to the centuries-old Dominican Convent, a landmark of the UNESCO-listed Colonial City district of Santo Domingo, the capital of the Dominican Republic.

    The project was spearheaded by Dominican Sister Rosa Monique Peña, who envisioned the work as a lasting tribute to the saint and his deep, foundational ties to the city that shares his name. Crafted by acclaimed Dominican visual artist Dustin Muñoz, the sculpture captures Saint Dominic mid-sermon, with outstretched open arms that symbolize the welcome he extends to all visitors entering the historic convent that bears his legacy.

    Dignitaries and community leaders gathered for the inauguration ceremony, including Carolina Mejía, the mayor of the National District. In her remarks, Mejía underscored the centuries-long contributions of the Dominican Friars to the spiritual growth, educational expansion, and cultural enrichment of both Santo Domingo and the wider Dominican nation. Friar José Alberto Hidalgo, parish priest of the Dominican Convent, further highlighted Saint Dominic’s lifelong core values: dedication to academic study, open interfaith and interpersonal dialogue, and unwavering pursuit of truth.

    Organizers of the inauguration extended special recognition to philanthropist Rosa Margarita Bonetti, whose generous financial backing made the creation and installation of the sculpture possible. Attendees also included United States Ambassador to the Dominican Republic Leah Francis Campos, local business leaders, members of the Dominican friar and lay Dominican communities, and representatives from multiple other religious congregations across the country.

    Cultural heritage observers note that the new public artwork adds a significant new dimension to the Colonial City’s already rich collection of historic and cultural monuments, while formalizing the enduring legacy of Saint Dominic and the Order of Preachers in shaping the history and collective identity of Santo Domingo.

  • Arajet reports more than 100,000 passengers between New York and Dominican Republic in 2026

    Arajet reports more than 100,000 passengers between New York and Dominican Republic in 2026

    NEW YORK — Amid the vibrant celebrations of Manhattan’s annual Dominican Day Parade on Sunday, Caribbean low-cost carrier Arajet made a landmark announcement that underscores its rapid growth in the North American market: the airline has carried more than 100,000 passengers on routes connecting New York and the Dominican Republic in the first seven months of 2026. This strong passenger performance cements the New York corridor as a core strategic asset in the airline’s expanding regional network, company representatives confirmed during the parade event.

    Beyond sharing the milestone, Arajet used the high-profile community gathering to reaffirm its long-term commitment to the Dominican diaspora based in the New York metropolitan area. Company leaders emphasized that reliable, affordable direct air connectivity does more than just move travelers—it acts as a critical bond strengthening tourism flows, cross-border economic activity, and personal family ties between the Dominican Republic and the large Dominican-American community in the Northeast United States.

    Manuel Luna, Arajet’s chief communications and external affairs officer, told attendees the airline is moving quickly to address surging passenger demand on the route. In the coming weeks, he confirmed, the carrier will add a fourth daily flight from Newark Liberty International Airport to the Dominican Republic, expanding service to meet growing travel interest from both U.S. and Dominican passengers.

    The origins of this successful route date back just over a year, when Arajet launched its direct Santo Domingo-Newark service in June 2025. That launch made history: Arajet became the first Dominican-based airline to fly under the national flag on direct routes between the Dominican Republic and the New York area in nearly 30 years, breaking a long gap in Dominican-flagged direct service to the key U.S. Northeast market.

    Company officials outlined the broader benefits of the upcoming service expansion. Adding the extra daily flight not only gives leisure and business travelers more flexible scheduling options, it also reinforces air links to one of the Dominican Republic’s highest-priority international tourism and trade markets. It also creates more seamless connection opportunities for passengers departing from Santo Domingo’s main airport and popular tourist hub Punta Cana, who can connect through the carrier’s Newark gateway to access other destinations across Arajet’s growing regional route network.

  • Honduras congratulates Abinader on success of Santo Domingo 2026

    Honduras congratulates Abinader on success of Santo Domingo 2026

    On the sidelines of a high-level gathering in Cali, Colombia, a pivotal moment for regional sports cooperation unfolded between two Caribbean-Central American nations. Honduran President Nasry Asfura met with his Dominican counterpart, President Luis Abinader, to extend formal praise for the Dominican Republic’s successful delivery of the 25th Central American and Caribbean Games, which wrapped up recently in the Dominican capital of Santo Domingo ahead of the 2026 hosting cycle.

    Asfura emphasized that Honduran sports delegates who traveled to observe and participate in the 2026 Games left with overwhelmingly positive impressions of the event. He specifically highlighted the exceptional standard of event planning, state-of-the-art purpose-built sports infrastructure, comfortable and well-equipped athlete village, and the warm, professional hospitality extended to all participating delegations by Dominican organizing officials.

    With Honduras preparing to step into the hosting role for the next edition of the regional multi-sport competition in 2029, Asfura made a formal request for ongoing guidance, logistical support, and access to the Dominican Republic’s hard-earned organizational expertise. The 2026 Santo Domingo Games brought together more than 6,200 competing athletes and official sports representatives from across the region, marking one of the largest editions of the event in recent history, making Dominican experience particularly valuable for the upcoming 2029 hosting.

    President Abinader readily agreed to the request, confirming that the Dominican Republic would share all lessons learned from its 2026 organizing effort and streamline formal collaboration channels between Dominican and Honduran sports governing bodies. To put this cooperation into immediate action, Abinader introduced Asfura to Luisín Mejía, the president of Centro Caribe Sports — the regional governing body that oversees the Games — to launch the collaborative planning process for 2029 well in advance.

    Beyond sports cooperation, the two leaders also used the bilateral meeting to advance discussions on deepening cross-border ties across trade, commercial investment, and cultural exchange. Abinader extended a formal invitation to Asfura for an official visit to the Dominican Republic to continue advancing these agenda items, with a specific date for the visit expected to be confirmed and announced to the public at a later time.

  • The flame goes out: Santo Domingo 2026 Games close with emotional ceremony after 16 days

    The flame goes out: Santo Domingo 2026 Games close with emotional ceremony after 16 days

    After 16 days of fierce, inspiring competition across disciplines, the XXV 2026 Central American and Caribbean Games drew to a formal, emotion-filled close on Saturday, August 8 at Santo Domingo’s newly opened Banreservas Virgilio Travieso Soto Arena. This edition marked a major milestone: 100 years since the first regional games were held in 1926, making the centennial tournament a landmark event for the entire Central American and Caribbean sports community. Thirty-seven national delegations took part in over two weeks of competition, capping the journey with a closing celebration that honored every group that made the historic games possible.

    More than 5,000 attendees filled the arena for the ceremony, which blended dynamic entertainment, reflective highlight reels, and heartfelt recognition for athletes, volunteer teams, and organizing staff that brought the centennial games to life. The night’s most talked-about performance came from legendary Dominican singer Juan Luis Guerra, who took the stage alongside the 28-member choir Más que Vencedores to deliver *Canto a la Patria*. Originally written and donated to the Dominican State by Guerra back in 2006, the rousing patriotic performance brought the entire crowd to their feet in a standing ovation.

    The musical tribute to Dominican culture continued after Guerra’s set, with artists Manny Cruz and Techy Fatule taking the stage to perform *Dominicano Soy*. Popular local band Ilegales closed out the night’s entertainment with a high-energy 30-minute set that had athletes and delegation members dancing on the floor as they prepared to bid farewell to their time in Santo Domingo.

    During his official closing remarks, Dominican Republic President Luis Abinader celebrated the historic performance of the host nation’s athletes. Dominican competitors secured a new national record of 150 total medals, including 46 gold, pushing the country to fifth place in the overall tournament medal standings. Abinader emphasized that the impact of the athletes’ success extended far beyond the medal table, noting that their dedication and achievement would serve as a powerful inspiration for young Dominican children and teenagers to pursue athletic goals and dream of representing their nation on the international stage.

    “During these two weeks, we have not only celebrated the Games, we have celebrated the talent, discipline and friendship between our peoples,” Abinader told the gathered crowd.

    In the overall medal rankings, Mexico claimed the title of overall tournament champion, with Colombia finishing in second place. Cuba and Venezuela rounded out the top four positions in the final standings.

    The closing ceremony also featured formal honors for standout athletes whose extraordinary performances defined the 2026 games. Colombian weightlifter Jeison López was recognized for breaking his own previous world record in the 88-kilogram snatch event with a 288-kilogram lift. Dominican sprinter Christopher Melenciano, a core member of the host nation’s gold-winning mixed 4×400-meter relay team, also received special recognition during the tribute segment. Volunteers and organizing committee members, whose behind-the-scenes work was critical to the games’ success, were also honored for their contributions.

    The most solemn moment of the evening came when the games’ official torch flame was extinguished 16 days after it was first lit for the opening of competition on July 24, formally drawing the centennial tournament to a close. Carrying the overarching theme “The future begins today,” the closing ceremony framed the historic event as a turning point, marking a transition from the centennial celebration to an exciting new chapter for Santo Domingo and the Dominican Republic as a regional sports hub. With the flame out and delegations preparing to depart the host city, the Dominican Republic successfully wrapped up one of the most historic editions of the Central American and Caribbean Games in the event’s century-long history.

  • Tyfoon Dolphin bereikt oostkust van China: meer dan 300.000 mensen geëvacueerd

    Tyfoon Dolphin bereikt oostkust van China: meer dan 300.000 mensen geëvacueerd

    In a major weather event impacting East Asia, Typhoon Dolphin has made landfall along China’s eastern coast, prompting widespread emergency preparations and travel disruptions after authorities evacuated more than 420,000 people from high-risk areas and canceled over 1,300 flights at Shanghai’s two main airports.

    The powerful storm came ashore late Sunday in the coastal city of Taizhou, located in China’s Zhejiang province, packing sustained wind speeds of roughly 151 kilometers per hour. Gale-force winds and towering ocean swells battered Taizhou’s shoreline, with dramatic images of surging waves crashing against the coast of nearby Fujian province’s Huangqi town captured by news crews ahead of the storm’s arrival.

    Meteorological officials warn that the extreme rainfall brought by Typhoon Dolphin has sharply elevated the risk of catastrophic flash flooding across large parts of Zhejiang, while authorities have also issued urgent alerts for dangerous landslides in hilly, high-risk areas of the region. Forecasters project that accumulated rainfall could reach between 200 and 400 millimeters in some hard-hit areas over the coming days.

    According to Chinese state-run outlet The Paper, Shanghai’s Hongqiao and Pudong International Airports canceled approximately 60 percent of all scheduled flights on Sunday, accounting for more than 1,300 canceled services amid safety preparations for the storm. In addition to flight disruptions, local authorities in Shanghai evacuated more than 30,000 residents from low-lying and landslide-prone zones, while Zhejiang officials moved roughly 390,000 people in Taizhou to emergency shelters ahead of landfall. All maritime activities in Zhejiang, including inter-island ferry services and commercial cruise operations, have been suspended indefinitely until the storm passes and hazards subside.

    The outer rainbands of Typhoon Dolphin first reached northern Taiwan, including the capital Taipei, on Saturday, bringing heavy downpours and strong gusts to the region. Local authorities in Taiwan responded by suspending dozens of ferry routes and canceling more than 180 domestic and cross-strait flights, while multiple Taiwanese airlines scrapped all Sunday services bound for eastern mainland China.

    Before reaching the Chinese mainland, Typhoon Dolphin swept through Japan’s southern Okinawa Prefecture earlier this weekend, leaving seven people injured and cutting power to more than 50,000 buildings. As of the latest updates from Okinawa Electric Power Company, more than 5,000 households across the prefecture remained without electricity after the storm passed.

    While the typhoon has begun to gradually weaken as it moves inland over eastern China, emergency management officials say they are maintaining a high state of alert to respond to potential delayed hazards from extreme rainfall and landslides that could threaten communities for days after the storm’s passage.

  • Halo donates $10,000 in scholarship funds

    Halo donates $10,000 in scholarship funds

    When a promised local scholarship failed to materialize before Amejah Nibbs’ tuition deadline, the Halo Foundation stepped in to clear a path for his higher education, awarding the aspiring student $10,000 to cover his first year of studies at GBSB Global Business School.

    The formal handover of the donation cheque was led by Her Excellency Lady Williams, the Halo Foundation’s president, who shared the context behind the emergency grant. Nibbs had already secured an acceptance to the prestigious business school, but the local institution that had pledged to cover his tuition did not disburse the funds in time to meet the program’s payment deadline, leaving his academic plans at risk of collapse.

    Lady Williams acknowledged that the foundation cannot extend financial support to every applicant that reaches out for help. Even with limited resources, she emphasized that investing in the education of young people remains one of the organization’s highest priorities. This commitment to youth development extends beyond scholarship programs, the foundation also supports a broad range of community-focused causes including agricultural training for young people, arts and cultural initiatives, public community outreach, support for disabled populations, care for elderly residents, preservation of national history and heritage, environmental protection, public health access, sports development, programs for uniformed youth groups, empowerment initiatives for women and girls, and global peace advocacy.

  • PM Browne Says Police Are Investigating Stolen and Altered Cheques at Public Works

    PM Browne Says Police Are Investigating Stolen and Altered Cheques at Public Works

    An ongoing criminal investigation into claims of stolen and fraudulently altered government cheques from Antigua and Barbuda’s Public Works Department has been confirmed by Prime Minister Gaston Browne. During a Saturday appearance on his regular public program, the *Browne and Browne Show*, the nation’s leader laid out key details of the alleged fraud that has triggered law enforcement action.

    According to Browne, unauthorized individuals managed to gain entry to a restricted storage zone overseen by the Public Works Department’s permanent secretary, where an official cheque book was stored. The group allegedly removed multiple cheques from the book before altering the payment amounts to secure larger payouts from financial institutions. One of the most clear-cut examples of the fraud shared by the PM involves an original cheque written for $900 that was altered by adding a leading digit ‘2’ to inflate its total value to $2,900. The perpetrator successfully cashed the modified document and walked away with the full larger sum, Browne confirmed.

    A second stolen cheque, this one originally valued at $3,000, was taken to a local supermarket to be processed for payment. In that case, quick thinking by the supermarket owner prevented the fraudulent transaction from going through: the merchant flagged the cheque as suspicious and immediately reported the incident to relevant authorities.

    To date, law enforcement officials have detained multiple people for questioning in connection with the alleged fraud ring. A panel member on the *Browne and Browne Show* suggested the scheme involved as many as six people, but Browne declined to independently verify that figure, citing the ongoing, active nature of the probe. The identities of all people detained or under investigation have not been released to the public, and Browne said he would not go into extensive detail on the case to avoid compromising police work.

    The allegations of cheque fraud came to light during a broader discussion on the program addressing separate worker grievances at the Public Works Department, where multiple employees have gone without pay and others have not received owed overtime wages. In response to those concerns, Browne noted that he has directed senior leaders at both the Public Works Department and the national Treasury to speed up processing of all outstanding wage payments to resolve the backlog quickly.

  • ABFA Wishes Jahlane Barzey and Josh Thomas Speedy Recovery, Condemns Gun Violence

    ABFA Wishes Jahlane Barzey and Josh Thomas Speedy Recovery, Condemns Gun Violence

    The football community of Antigua and Barbuda has come together to show unwavering support for two professional players, Jahlane Barzey and Josh Thomas, following an incident involving gun violence that left the pair in recovery. The Antigua and Barbuda Football Association (ABFA) has publicly reaffirmed its solidarity with the athletes, using the moment to also sound the alarm on the growing crisis of gun-related harm across the twin-island nation.

    In an official statement shared widely across the association’s communication channels, the ABFA extended heartfelt well wishes to Barzey and Thomas, emphasizing that the entire national football family stands shoulder to shoulder with them through their recovery process. “We stand with you both and wish you strength, healing and a full return to the pitch. Your football family is behind you all the way,” the statement read.

    Beyond extending support to the injured players, the ABFA used the platform to launch a firm “Zero Tolerance for Gun Violence in Antigua & Barbuda” declaration. The association highlighted that gun violence does not just harm individual victims—it rips apart families, destabilizes local communities, and erodes the fabric of the nation as a whole.

    “Enough is enough!” the declaration read. “Let’s choose peace over violence and protect the future of our nation.” The governing body went on to stress that meaningful progress on curbing gun violence requires collective action from all residents of Antigua and Barbuda. Only through unified effort, the ABFA argued, can the country build a safer, more resilient future for all its people, including the next generation of young athletes who will one day represent the nation on the pitch.

    This public statement comes as the entire regional football ecosystem mobilizes to support the two players, aligning the push for the athletes’ full recovery with a broader national call to address the root causes and impacts of gun violence.

  • Axleigh Akez Captures Grant Thornton Accounting and Business Awards

    Axleigh Akez Captures Grant Thornton Accounting and Business Awards

    A rising young academic star from Antigua and Barbuda has cemented her reputation as one of the country’s most promising business students after claiming two prestigious honors from international accounting firm Grant Thornton. Axleigh Akez, a former standout student at Ottos Comprehensive School, was honored with the firm’s annual Accounting and Business Awards in recognition of her exceptional performance on the 2025 Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations.

    The award presentation, held recently at Grant Thornton’s Old Parham Road office, marked another milestone in Akez’s academic journey: the young scholar already earned distinction as Ottos Comprehensive’s top-performing CSEC student for the 2025 examination cycle, and the Grant Thornton honor adds a second major accolade to her growing list of achievements. Following her outstanding CSEC results, Akez progressed to tertiary education at the Antigua and Barbuda College of Advanced Studies (ABCAS), where she is currently enrolled as a second-year student in the institution’s School of Business and Accounting.

    Grant Thornton launched its annual Accounting and Business Awards program with a clear dual mission: to celebrate exceptional academic accomplishment among secondary school students, and to nurture the next generation of professional talent by encouraging young people to pursue long-term careers in accounting and business. The awards have become a respected fixture in Antigua and Barbuda’s education landscape, creating incentives for high-achieving students to build careers in the nation’s finance and commercial sectors.

    In remarks following the presentation, Akez expressed gratitude to Jehovah God for guiding her through her studies and supporting her journey to this achievement. The young student emphasized that she remains committed to staying focused on both her ongoing academic work and her long-term professional goals, as she works toward building a career in the accounting field. Her family and close friends have joined in celebrating the milestone, reaffirming their ongoing support for Akez as she continues her tertiary education and advances toward her professional objectives.